Camping in cold temps, bad idea?

[NErunner]

Hi all, I realize there's a recent post about camping in the winter, but it talks about a better insulated fifth wheeler camping in NM subfreezing temps, my situation is different.

My travel trailer (Prime Tracer 24DBS) comes with what the manufacturer calls an extended season camping that includes:

Roof (R-14) Double Layer Fiberglass
Floor (R-14) Extra Thick Bead Foam
Front Cap (R-14) Double Layer Fiberglass Insulation
Enclosed And Heated Underbelly
Enclosed And Heated Holding Tanks

I take it I can probably delay winterization until late fall and use it normally? I'm asking because we are planning our last trip of the season for the end of November (Thanksgiving), hoping to camp in the white mountains in NH. It gets pretty cold above tree line on the 4000 footers but in the valleys where the campsites are located the averages for that time of the year are 27F at night to 45F during the day.

I wonder, will it be too late into the season for camping with my unit without taken any precautions? If so, what I should worry about to avoid a catastrophe? Thanks in advance!

[mr_andyj]

It gets cold enough to freeze, and temps right at freezing are the worst for pipes. Ice will be worst at just under freezing that is. Getting colder does not make ice expand more.
Yes, 18 degrees at least once per year with many, many many nights below freezing, sometimes temps stay below freezing for a few days at a time. freeze thaw cycles over and over.
We had had temps down near zero, but that is not normal. All it takes is a cold front.


Keilem, not what Im saying is corn clowns are most funny with bigger shoes than bales of hay but only in September. Glad I could explain that to you.

[JimK-NY]

I didn't even know it got cold enough to freeze anything in Georgia.

[kellem]

mr_andyj wrote:
I skipped all the comments, so maybe it has been said...

I am in the process of gutting an RV that has been sitting for 13 years. The gas tank was full, water tank was full, boiler was full, and that is 13 winters of freeze/thaw over and over.

The pipes are all PEX with way too many brass connectors. There is no leak. there are no cracked pipes. There are no cracked brass fittings!

This camper has been sitting with two big windows open and the roof vents open also.

There is no issue.

I have removed the boiler, but have not tested it to make sure there is no internal damage from freezing.

The water pump was full of water, it works fine.

The kitchen, bathroom sink faucets are fine, they are plastic. The shower faucet is fine. The shower hose and head are fine.

The toilet is fine...

Get the drift?

Yes, your camper can be damaged by freezing pipes, and it is a pain to have a frozen pipe and not have water flow while camping.

13 years of neglect and no issues though... just sayin...

So your saying neglect is the key to longevity? Lol

[mr_andyj]

I skipped all the comments, so maybe it has been said...

I am in the process of gutting an RV that has been sitting for 13 years. The gas tank was full, water tank was full, boiler was full, and that is 13 winters of freeze/thaw over and over.

The pipes are all PEX with way too many brass connectors. There is no leak. there are no cracked pipes. There are no cracked brass fittings!

This camper has been sitting with two big windows open and the roof vents open also.

There is no issue.

I have removed the boiler, but have not tested it to make sure there is no internal damage from freezing.

The water pump was full of water, it works fine.

The kitchen, bathroom sink faucets are fine, they are plastic. The shower faucet is fine. The shower hose and head are fine.

The toilet is fine...

Get the drift?

Yes, your camper can be damaged by freezing pipes, and it is a pain to have a frozen pipe and not have water flow while camping.

13 years of neglect and no issues though... just sayin...

[CFerguson]

spoon059 wrote:

CFerguson wrote:
Thats what we often do, but we also run the furnace fan on constant to distribute the heat.

Our smaller camper didn't require this, but our new camper is 32' long with a slideout. We have young kids now, so we rarely camp in below freezing weather. We usually run the AC fan, which has ducts in the ceiling, since the heat rises. It allows one electric heater to comfortably circulate the air throughout the rear bunk, center living room area and front bedroom.

We mainly did it to keep the underbelly(tanks!) a bit warmer in our small TT. I should have included that tidbit.

[JAC1982]

NErunner wrote:
Hi all, I realize there's a recent post about camping in the winter, but it talks about a better insulated fifth wheeler camping in NM subfreezing temps, my situation is different.

My travel trailer (Prime Tracer 24DBS) comes with what the manufacturer calls an extended season camping that includes:

Roof (R-14) Double Layer Fiberglass
Floor (R-14) Extra Thick Bead Foam
Front Cap (R-14) Double Layer Fiberglass Insulation
Enclosed And Heated Underbelly
Enclosed And Heated Holding Tanks

I take it I can probably delay winterization until late fall and use it normally? I'm asking because we are planning our last trip of the season for the end of November (Thanksgiving), hoping to camp in the white mountains in NH. It gets pretty cold above tree line on the 4000 footers but in the valleys where the campsites are located the averages for that time of the year are 27F at night to 45F during the day.

I wonder, will it be too late into the season for camping with my unit without taken any precautions? If so, what I should worry about to avoid a catastrophe? Thanks in advance!

We just returned from a trip to WY where we had temps similar to that for a couple of the days. Nights got that cold, and colder, almost every night. It just warmed up more most days. One day the high only hit 40 with heavy winds. As others have mentioned, if it's sunny, you'll be in better shape. On the 40 degree day, we used our fireplace, which functions as a space heater, and between that and the sun, it kept the living area of the trailer at around 65 degrees, and we are larger than yours. We have a built in LP generator but opted to use a portable generator for our power needs during the day, to conserve propane usage for night. We do have 4 propane tanks, and ran through them in about 5 days. Half of one was used up our first day as we got a little crazy running the AC and then stopped once we saw how much propane the onboard generator was using. The furnace was kept at 64 at night. If we didn't have our dogs with us, we could have gone lower as our bed was plenty warm, but they got cold in the living room 🙂 We used the tank heaters on the coldest nights but I'm not sure we really needed to.

[ppine]

There are many rewards in camping in colder weather. The crowds are small, the wildlife is busy, a fire feels good and provides a place for cooking with a Dutch Oven. It extends your season. There are plenty of places I really enjoy going once it is below freezing at night. They would make no sense in the summer.

What ever extra precautions the colder weather requires are amply rewarded.

[spoon059]

CFerguson wrote:
Thats what we often do, but we also run the furnace fan on constant to distribute the heat.

Our smaller camper didn't require this, but our new camper is 32' long with a slideout. We have young kids now, so we rarely camp in below freezing weather. We usually run the AC fan, which has ducts in the ceiling, since the heat rises. It allows one electric heater to comfortably circulate the air throughout the rear bunk, center living room area and front bedroom.

[CFerguson]

spoon059 wrote:
...Propane will be expensive and I find that the furnace in an RV isn't consistent heat. You'll be blasted out of the bedroom while the main cabin is slower to heat up, then it'll cool off before it blasts you out again. I would recommend a nice electric space heater. Leave your cabinet doors open so that your lines get that warmer air. Electric is free and the thermostats are more precise.

You'll be fine, enjoy the trip!

Thats what we often do, but we also run the furnace fan on constant to distribute the heat.

[spoon059]

OP, the wife and I used to cold weather camp all the time before kids. You'll be fine. Put water in your tank, don't use city water. Upper 20's at night and 40's in the day, that water won't freeze solid.

Propane will be expensive and I find that the furnace in an RV isn't consistent heat. You'll be blasted out of the bedroom while the main cabin is slower to heat up, then it'll cool off before it blasts you out again. I would recommend a nice electric space heater. Leave your cabinet doors open so that your lines get that warmer air. Electric is free and the thermostats are more precise.

You'll be fine, enjoy the trip!

[jaycocamprs]

NErunner wrote:
Hi all, thank you very much for all suggestions, very helpful as usual.

It looks like I should also be watching the weather prior to the Thanksgiving camping trip since my camper is stored in my unprotected driveway near Boston, usually we can get a few days below freezing in Nov, who knows what the weather will look like, I need to be prepared for the worst. All tanks are empty on storage except the water heater, should I still hook my camper to house power and have the furnace running during below freezing nights?

.
I'd drain the WH & blow the lines. Heat works if you just dip below freezing. But you could see a real cold snap up there. In Georgia it's what I do, but here in Nov thats COLD.

[pianotuna]

richclover,

The fans use a scant 27 watts when on high. Ideal use of a small inverter.

[NErunner]

Hi all, thank you very much for all suggestions, very helpful as usual.

It looks like I should also be watching the weather prior to the Thanksgiving camping trip since my camper is stored in my unprotected driveway near Boston, usually we can get a few days below freezing in Nov, who knows what the weather will look like, I need to be prepared for the worst. All tanks are empty on storage except the water heater, should I still hook my camper to house power and have the furnace running during below freezing nights?

[richclover]

pianotuna wrote:
richclover,

not if you get a twindow fan to replace the cold air return grill.

Agreed and a good idea.

That’ll take electricity, 12 or 110v. Generator or plugged in, shore power. Gotta pay for the heat one way or another 😉