Winter camping, or not

[Lisa_Boyer]

Hi, I have read the Winter Camping thread with great interest, as we are starting to head into Fall here (PNW)...and I worry. Hey, it's a hobby. I know to avoid Eastern Wa, if I don't want to deal with the freezing temps, can someone give me a direction for the Western side? How cold is too cold? When do I need to stress over frozen pipelines? We were thinking of sticking to the Olympia/Puget Sound area, but I'm wondering if we need to head to CA instead...

[GordonThree]

I've never had trouble with my own generator running while I slept, but I was almost killed by the driver of a class a who pulled in next to me in a rest area with their generator and engine exhaust aimed right at me.

Thankfully the CO detector did it's job and woke me up in time.

[pianotuna]

Do as you wish Bill, but don't recommend dangerous behavior. There have been many threads over the years saying the exhaust from built in generators is inadequate. Adding a Gen-Turi helps--but it is still not perfect.

For portable generators here is one recommendation: "The most obvious solution is to run the generator as far away from the house as possible and point the exhaust away from open doors and windows."

https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/7-How-to-Prevent-Carbon-Monoxide-Poisoning.html

Bill.Satellite wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
It is not safe to run any combustion non vented heater while sleeping. The same is true for a generator.

Not at all true for a generator as it is fully vented.

[ol__yeller]

We have camped in the winter several times in the past. I can only remember 2 times when it snowed during a trip here on the Wet side. Then the temps stayed close to the upper twenties and we had no freezing issues. In a day or so, the snow was gone. Once was in our Cougar TT and the other was in our WB Class C. Generally our winters are mild enough that freezing isn't a problem but I always winterized my RVs because I remember some winters where the temps did dip into the single digits. I just used air to blow out the lines so it wasn't a big deal to use the RV and then rewinterize. It is much easier to get into the popular campgrounds then and watching a winter storm blow in from the ocean is a treat!. I guess that means most folks aren't as crazy as we were.

[Lisa_Boyer]

Roy&Lynne wrote:
I love winter camping in Washington. Parks are nearly empty so they are nice and quiet and you have the place to yourself. If your a senior, WA State Parks have a senior pass that cuts the fees to like $8 bucks a night. You can find parks along the sound, the Pacific and inland in the mountains, like those owned by Tacoma Power. Does it rain, yea, but its our drippy rain and the air smells so good Its cold at night, so you need extra blankets or a Mr Buddy but you won't freeze
\

Hi, did you ever have to deal with frozen pipes, or damage from freezing? We are hoping to stay in the Sound, from what I have read they do get some snow, on occasion, but nothing major.

[Bill_Satellite]

pianotuna wrote:
It is not safe to run any combustion non vented heater while sleeping. The same is true for a generator.

Not at all true for a generator as it is fully vented.

[pianotuna]

It is not safe to run any combustion non vented heater while sleeping. The same is true for a generator.

[Roy_Lynne]

I love winter camping in Washington. Parks are nearly empty so they are nice and quiet and you have the place to yourself. If your a senior, WA State Parks have a senior pass that cuts the fees to like $8 bucks a night. You can find parks along the sound, the Pacific and inland in the mountains, like those owned by Tacoma Power. Does it rain, yea, but its our drippy rain and the air smells so good Its cold at night, so you need extra blankets or a Mr Buddy but you won't freeze
\

[rockhillmanor]

I've done it twice. And not in the wilds of the real cold areas of the North either, just hoovering around 28 or less.

Anyway you look at it sucks. The RV is nothing more than a poorly insulated box sitting out in the elements.

Add to that a ton of windows and windshield and unsealed roof vents, skylights,etc, all ways for the cold to come in thru and you are a popsicle waiting to happen unless you jump thru all the hoops of covering all the windows, vents, pulling and draining your water hose, etc. etc.

And what ends up happening is you are now a Full-Time RV'er sitting in solitary confinement in your coach with all the windows covered. :R

Yup I did it once and then was stupid enough to try it a second time. What was I thinking? I went Full-time to 'get away' from the freezing cold in Wisconsin.

Now where ever I am staying, if the temps are going to go down anywhere near freezing the levelers come up and I put it in drive to find a warmer place. Of course that is 'my' IMHO, JMHO. :C

[ppine]

There is winter camping and WINTER camping. The PNW is mild on the West Side all the time and no big deal. I really like eastern WA and love to spend time over there. Watch the weather. After living in Wyoming at 7,200 feet nearly everywhere but the Rockies seems tropical.

[Optimistic_Para]

Of course, there's winter, and then there's WINTER!. A quick YouTube search will turn up videos made by people living in RVs while working the oil fields in North Dakota when the temperatures hit 40 below.

None of these were happy stories . . .

[Bill_Satellite]

If you are properly prepared, you get clean sheets, hot shower and no frozen pipes. Certainly not for everyone but we love it!


Click For Full-Size Image.

[doxiemom11]

We have been in central AL where nights got down to 19 and on the gulf coast in MS where it was below freezing and had an ice storm. Cold some years in south TX, other times it's AZ that's real cold. Never know - it can freeze anywhere.

[SidecarFlip]

GordonThree wrote:
I really enjoy camping in freezing temps.

Below 20F really cuts down the crowds.

Fair statement but I prefer the Super 8, Motel 6 or even a Holiday Inn when it's cold and snowing. Clean sheets, hot shower (no frozen pipes) and a Continental Breakfast in the morning. ... and the hotel staff makes the bed and provides clean towels too.

Haven't been on a Michigan hunting trip in the winter and not stayed in a motel.

[Johno02]

Went to Natchez, MS last year to spend the winter because it would be a warmer place to stay. Natchez not only had a major snow storm for the first time in 50 years, but not only one, but TWO big show storms. So much for that idea... Even with two electric heaters, we used two tanks of propane in three months, usually use only part of one per year.