I know this is a year old, but winter is coming. Your suggestions are great. I've been full time location dependent in Colorado for a few years and have a few to add. - Skirting. A quick, cheap option is a couple rolls of heavy black construction plastic and duct tape. I found 10ft wide, so I folded it in half. Use cheap tape if you want to be able to get the residue off easily. - external propane tanks loose vaporization ability as they get colder. Under 20 starts effecting my heat. Stick 2 adhesive body warmers on the tank, wrap a towel around the tank and put the plastic cover back on. It kept my heat going at 19 below zero. The electric tank warmers are pricy but far more convenient if you have power. - Hot water bottles with a cover warm up a bed quite nicely and travel light. Couple it with fleece sheets and stay toasty. - closets and cupboards hold humidity and freeze fabric to the outside walls. If your winter camping for a long period, hang cheap cooling racks on external walls to help with air circulation and leave them cracked open or invest in damp-rid.
We RV (trailer) year round, including in the snow. Agree with all your points. One point I would add… If you have a slide out; sweep the snow off. Wet snow can be very heavy and the heat from the RV will melt some of the snow on the slide outs roof (little to no insulation) . Water can find its way inside…. If it melts just a bit then freezes at night the layer of ice can make it difficult to retract.
Something you might look into is purchasing super cold weather sleeping bags. I found some at Sportsmans warehouse called “Elk Hunters” that are rated to -35 degrees Fahrenheit and “deer hunters” rated to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The Elk hunters are the best because they are 40”x90” and they come in a left and right so you can zip them together to make one giant bag that is 80” wide! In my RV I unzip one and use it as a blanket which keeps me toasty all night. They are like canvas on the outside and flannel on the inside and come in several colours like black or tan etc. I used one to sleep in a hammock when the temperature got down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit and I was warm all night so I know they work wonderfully. Cheers mates and happy trails
Micro- fleece originated in Massachusetts in 1979 when Malden Mills, (now Polartec LLC), and Patagonia developed Synchilla (synthetic chinchilla). It was a new, light, strong pile fabric meant to mimic and in some ways surpass wool.
On cool nights (even as low as 35 degrees) we bought a Comfort Zone ceramic heater from Walmart (under $18.00) and it keeps our 2017 Keystone Passport M199L (20') very warm and cozy. This unit was recommended by numerous friends who camp and our purchase proved them right.
Thanks for talking about this subject! Your suggestion about choosing the sunny spot really hit home. Over Veterans Day weekend we unexpectedly experienced our first taste of winter camping at Cheyenne Mtn. state park in Colorado Springs. We did just fine, and didn't really have a problem EXCEPT that our trailer was facing south, which meant our slide out & hookups were on the west side, and therefore in the shade. We had snow & ice accumulation on the slideout, which necessitated getting out our stepstool and broom to be able to brush the stuff off. In CO we are lucky that the day after a snowstorm is usually sunny, so things started melting pretty quickly. So, 2 personal tips for cold weather camping: 1. Try to park so your slide out & hookups get the max amount of sun exposure, AND 2. Be sure to take along snow & ice removal tools! A broom, step stool, snow shovel, ice melt, and a tarp will all help with outside accumulations. We actually LOVED this experience - we saw much more wildlife, and had a wonderful, cozy, relaxing inside day while it was snowing. Great adventure!
This is our first year of ever having a camper. We are seniors, and this being our first month out we are learning a lot. Thank you for your valuable information.
I stayed longer in Colorado than planned, life happens. The valves in the gray/black tanks froze, I could not dump when taking off. It was the first time ever, my tanks were not empty when traveling. Fortunately, they were only about 1/4 full. My water filter exploded when I was gone, the nice people in the park shut off the water for me. I don't plan on being in the cold again, but life does happen. I enjoy all your videos. PS: I bit the bullet, bought the Champion generator with the remote. It's going to be bolted to the 'drawer' in the bed of my truck. I can't lift it up and down, so it's gotta stay in the bed. It will always be vented and not be near anything, I learned it from you. Happy Holidays, Sean and Kristy
We use antifreeze quite a bit. We tend to fill our dump valve and pipes to the dump valve with antifreeze. We also have 12v pads on the tanks and we never have had any major issues even with having an open underbelly. We don't mess with fresh water connection and just fill the water tank. Also before you go to bed, we turn off the water pump and depresurre the water lines
Simple solution to conserving heat is to cover your face to rebreathe the warm air from your lungs as do all cultures that live in the cold. I "tent" the fleece blanket over my head (even better with two). Periodically open to vent for a few seconds. The worst thing you can do is breathe cold air. The surface area of your lungs is hugh (equivalent to your skin's surface area) immediately chilling the blood as it passes through. Core heat is much more important then extremity warmth. Your feet will warm up as the core warms.
Lol! We used to live in 150 Mile House. We had been away from home for Christmas and arrived home to find the electric heaters we'd left running had not been able to keep up with the freezing cold temperatures that had spread all over BC that year. We found our fish tank frozen solid with the poor goldfish frozen in it. The water pipes were frozen too. We quickly started up our wood stove and got the blankets and pjs for the kids into the dryer to warm up before putting them to bed on the floor in front of the wood stove. Just as we were beginning to thaw out, the power went out. Aaah! We were so thankful for the wood stove at that moment, and have never lived anywhere without one since! The power stayed out all night and into the next day. We lived in a fairly remote area, so were unaware that we were the only house without electricity!! A trip down the road to the neighbours revealed this and resulted in a phone call to the hydro company. The problem was on the pole that lead to our house. We were pretty happy when they came and fixed it. But, we were also prepared for things like this so it was not the end of the world...well...except for the goldfish. Now, we spend most of our winters in a log cabin on the BC Yukon border, far from roads and power poles. Wood heat is the ticket! Solar power for our lights and radio. We do have to brave the -40C temperatures at times, the outhouse being the biggest challenge! But, when you are prepared, it makes all the difference. I plan on installing a little wood stove in my wee RV at some point as I do love to get out camping in the winter too. Cubic Mini Wood Stoves out of Canada make a really nice couple of tiny stoves. It's just a matter of finding the fuel for them. I'm not sure yet if they are what I will end up getting, but it's definitely got to be wood heat!-Sue
As one who loves winter camping, micro fleece is the best idea yet. I don't look for sunny areas but ones that provide wind shelter. Wind will blow heat out of the best insulated campers. Belly covers are only good in really cold weather if they are insulated. You can buy insulation panels to put around the bottom of the RV to help if in windy area.
I have been on the road many years and I have learned a lot. The way I keep warm is in the evening I get warm from the propane heater. I have my thermostat with Mark's where it gets warm then a bit cold. I let the warm stop and lower the temp. It keep the heater from constantly turning on. I have down comforters. I fold them to get more layers. Turn off all heat or combustion for the night for safety. In the morning I fire up portable (me buddy etc) until I can crawl out of bed and turn on the furnace. With the furnace off all night I assure power to fire it up in the morning. I never get to cold. The winter clothing helps a lot and when its really cold use a -20 sleeping bag.
As someone who spent the majority of my adult life in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont the absolute best tip I can share on staying warm in winter is get the hell out of there. You got wheels. Go to where it ain't cold. It is much easier to cool off than to warm up. Other than that, long underwear becomes a way of life. Keep your hands feet and head warm.
Love your channel and all the tips! I would add that in winter, pack goose down comforters in the RV for cold weather camping. We once tent camped in Yosemite with our kids with an overnight low of 17*. I packed our down feather beds and comforters with our sleeping bags in between. We stayed toasty warm all night, and even our little kids (our youngest was 9 mos.) were comfortable and happy in the morning...of course we eventually had to climb out of our beds...but for sleeping they were great! They insulate amazingly well!!
I am doing some cold weather camping, thanks to you two, at Lake Havasu, AZ...I am suffering, but only during bad dreams! I need to find Rainier beer to suffer even further...I will get even someday! Hugs, I owe you two so much!
My old fiver has taught me well over the three years I've been in it. Strofoam insulation from Lowe's has been a blessing - on the floors of cabinets and against the walls (1/2" thick) inside all upper cabinets. Also inside the cargo hatch doors to prevent freezing air from coming inside. THICK (I crochet t-shirt rugs) rugs on the floors because the floors are COLD. I buy window plastic and put it up every fall and take it down in the spring. I'll be installing a small woodstove this year as well. I won't use propane- it's a wet heat, I don't need mold, and they're not efficient. I have cats- tip over danger is real.
Thanks for sharing. We have camped overnight in our fifth wheel in Missoula MT at a Walmart when it w as 18 degrees below zero F. The propane furnace ran pretty much non stop all night. We left our slides in to reduce the area we needed to heat. The batteries were pretty dead by 6 am. But I started the generator and we were up and running again in a few minutes. Btw... there is no reason to leave a window open when running the factory installed furnace. It should be properly vented just like your home. Happy travels 😀
We do more nights camping between new year and April then many do all year. We are winter warriors in Ontario Canada. We camp in sub zero temps and love it. Our coldest was last new years at -28c. So cold propane tanks froze lol. You hit most things bang on. Clothes clothes clothes is so important next to awesome boots. Camping in the snow is the best.
Being from Maine, here are a few tips: You’re going to want to go with an oil filled electric radiator. These are not only much more durable than electric heaters that blow hot air, but there are fewer mechanical components to fail and they can be left plugged in and on unattended (and overnight) without worry. They also tend to be a bit more energy efficient. They look and function very similarly to steam radiators (but they are a closed system) and are generally light and very portable. Bonus: you can throw your clothes or a towel on them for a few minutes to toast them up. Mine was $40 at Home Depot. Base layers are key. These can be pricey at well over $100 for a top and bottom, depending on the warmth rating. But they are worth it. You don’t need more than one or two pairs and they tend to last a long time (mostly because they are worn under other clothing and not exposed to the same wear). A comforter is going to help you a lot more than fleece blankets. Spring for goose feather filled. Look for one rated to below 60 degrees. Because comforters insulate so well they can usually be used year round, insulating against both heat and cold. These are also expensive at around $2-300+ for a quality comforter, but if you use a duvet and care for it properly, they will easily last a decade. The ski gear company Black Diamond makes a glove/mitten hybrid. These are basically lined and well insulated ski mittens with the pointer finger free. They are genius. That free finger allows you to manipulate many more things without having to take that mitten off, while still providing the warmth that traditional mittens provide. And don’t try to pet the moose. They are not friendly.
My wife and I lived in an older 32' class A for about five years. We always made sure we were at a site that had electricity and ran a small oil-filled radiator during winter. It worked great.
First person That mentioned a portable radiator! I’ve been thinking about getting one over an electric space heater or propane portable heater. Can you share any pros/cons about the radiator vs. ceramic / electric heaters? Are they noisy?
@@rodgraham8688 we used an oil-filled radiator. Takes a bit of power to run but it is silent. Also IMHO the fire danger is much less as there are no open elements.
Didn’t want to be negative because you guys need to pay your bills like all of us. I’m retired and need a sponsor myself. It was really reassuring when you did your reviews on generators and you said you paid for your generators. It was really refreshing. Keep on makin your great videos and make a buck when you get a chance...
I understand and appreciate your comments. You were nice enough about it. If we ever do a sponsored video it will be clearly labeled as such. Our current rate is to do one every 2 years, lol A lot of people on Instagram and TH-cam do one or two a week. We turn down most sponsors, but L.L.Bean was too good to turn down. They are legit and pretty much everyone I know likes them. Cheers!
I’m an old guy and long for the days when my mom would take consumer reports magazine out and read the latest product reviews from a magazine with no ads. Well, you guys do a wonderful job and we sure look forward to all of your videos. Like I said just a TH-cam friend throwing in my two cents. Get the income you need and take care of yourselfs. We have a few health ailments so your challenges hit close to home. We’re praying for you daily. Thanks for the reply’s, Dan
My Jayco TT has all of the plumbing for water in heated living space behind cabinets, sink etcetera. If the inside of the RV is above freezing, the plumbing is safe. I have been grateful for this. My late wife and I have spent evenings snuggled together watching the snow swirl in the wind with the interior lights off and the outside lights on to see the show while being snug and warm. Even though the furnace has been very adequate to the task, it does chew through the propane but I don't think too much considering the demand that is being put upon it. The one objection she had was the rug by the door would get wet and unsightly, unavoidably. I said that it is great to have a nice warm place in the cold weather and for that I can endure an unsightly rug.
We've gotta say, we've enjoyed being schooled by Alabamans in cold weather camping. 😉 A "hot" tip for cold feet in bed: put boiling water in a Nalgene bottle at your feet, either under the blankets or in a sleeping bag. And microfleece was invented by the Malden Mills Co. of Massachusetts. Take it from us, a Mr. Heater Buddy catalytic heater rocks. And we've wrapped our dump valves in heat tape and insulation. Good tips all around!
In freezing temperature leave bathroom door open and all cabinets with plumbing open to allow warm air in to keep pipes from freezing. Most 4 season campers have dual pane windows. But also check out the camper manufacturer. Not all four season campers are equal. I chose Arctic Fox 990.
Damart insulated clothing works great!! The underwear line is unbeatable. Used it for years while riding my motorcycle in 30’ temps. Also the glove liners and socks. All lightweight material. Pricey but lasted for years. I grew out of mine. Warning DO NOT PUT IN DRYER. Spent the winter of 2014 on a mountain. Damart saved my life, literally.
Thanks for this video, well done. This is our second year camping in Kansas in winter, and plan to visit colder sights further northwest after the close of pheasant season the end of January. We’re in a truck camper (Host Mammoth 11.6), that without added insulation uses a 30 pound propane tank ($30 to refill) in about a week depending on the temperature outside. We don’t drop the thermostat too much at night. We run a 1000 watt Honda portable all night with less than 1.4 gallons of gas to keep the batteries charged and use the electrical outlets/electric mattress pad. All our pipes and tanks are enclosed in the main lower compartment shared with the furnace. We are never cold inside. I advise a truck camper for winter, we don’t feel limited by cold at all!
I will share my tip. We are rookies. Less than 5 years with campers. But being from Pennsylvania we know cold. Our trailer is a four season model. We spent Thanksgiving in our trailer. Temps dropped to mid 20s. After three nights we learned how to keep the water moving coming in. The issue was how to empty a frozen grey tank. The line exiting the tank was solid. I used a heat gun but it took a while. Plastic does not transfer heat well. We had antifreeze in the tank just not enough. We added extra after that. Thanks for the tips.
I'm a Kentuckian. It rarely gets below 30 degrees here in the winter. Ever. Last year it was a fluke year and we wound up in Nashville, TN with temps down in the low teens at night. We were TOTALLY unprepared and spent the night and day pretty chilly. You're right that layers are a must! In the bed, for your clothing, all of it. We also have rugs that we put down in cold weather. It helps keep the chill out of our feet. Fleece or flannel sheets help SO much. We have flannel sheets on our bed and they really help keep things cozy. Now that we are a little more experienced when it comes to cold weather camping, we have a way more fun, stress free time than we did last year. When the weather is forecasted to be below freezing, I don't bother with water hookups either. I fill our fresh water tank and call it a day. A few weeks ago we got an unexpected cold snap while camping and we were the only ones in the campground not taking a hair dryer to their water hookups in the morning when everything froze overnight. YIKES! I also have the Mr Buddy heater for when we're boondocking. It's AMAZING and totally worth the money. I totally recommend it.
I use the Mr. Buddy first thing in the morning to bring the temperature up to the sixty degree range. Than I utillize the furnace to maintain the desired temperature. One more suggestion, is to sleep waring a wool cap. We lose alot of body heat through the top of our head. Also, to collect moisture given off by our breath while sleeping, we hang a bath towel in our sleeping areea. You will be amazed how damp the towel will be in the morning. Happy camping. Bob
In the military, and won't get anyone to admit to it, but we wore pantyhose then thermo underwear, then our battle dress uniform (BDU). That thin layer kept you warm in very cold weather.
“Milk house” heater. Safest lowest cost amazing heater ever built. If it leans or falls it shuts off and the amount of heat these 20$ heaters produce is amazing. Peace Dustin
Nice idea to intersperse nature photography with your face shots. Even the loveliest of faces gets old after 5 minutes straight. I have not closed the bedroom windows in several years. I enjoy sleeping in a cold room with down comforters, even at home. I only heat during the hours I am awake.
I am using my wheels to make my way south and now find myself in Northern California along the coast. Even though it’s not as cold as Alberta and the rest of Canada was, it’s so damp I’m still freezing! I made the mistake of leaving my space heater at my son’s house. So, even though I’m plugged in from time to time, I can’t take advantage of it and still need to use my furnace, which does use a lot of propane. I learned the hard way to turn down the heat to 5C at night. Also, the fact of how much power the blower takes! Where were you a few months ago when I needed this important lesson! 😉 Anyway, another tip to keep warm is a good old fashion hot water bottle. I winterized the trailer, even though it’s an Airstream. I didn’t want to take any chances. So, I have a large blue Reliance water holder inside the truck that I use to fill my 8 litre smaller holder in the trailer. I use a plastic basin in the sink to catch the water when I’m washing dishes. I’ll also add that the short and wide grey garbage bags from Ikea fit almost perfectly for the toilet. Double bagging and using kitty litter have been a godsend when there hasn’t been a public washroom. Maybe TMI, but it works when you’re winterized!
In mid September 2021 we traveled from Northern Michigan to North and South Dakota. In a new Grey Wolf 26MBRR toyhauler, the cabin area measured 30'3".... We went through 60 gal. of LP Gas in 3 weeks. Kept the indoor temp at 73° ... outdoor temp 38-75°. The RV was comfortable for us. Also had an electric fireplace heater that we kicked on at times. We carried 4x 20 gal tanks.
If you have electric or can build a fire, heat up a rice bag, just plain white rice put into a cloth bag and sew it up or just wrap it up in a pillow case or whatever and warm it up in the microwave or inside of a pan on a fire. It provides a good long source of heat, especially when your in bed, just cuddle up with it, put it on your feet, ect. It will definitely keep ya warm and a plus, it helps real well with aches/pains too. I use mine year around for arthritis pain and in the winter it's my go to for warning my feet. Works great and last for quite awhile. Hope this helps someone this winter.
I stay in a 19 foot trailer half the week while OOT for work. I am hooked up to 30 amp service, so I use 2 of those oil filled radiator heaters on the LOW setting. They have a thermostat and are safe enough (no fire or carbon monoxide hazard) that I can leave them on when I'm not there in cold weather. It is radiant heat but you could blow a small fan on them to move the heat around if needed (I don't). I use an excellent CalAir tiny quiet air compressor to blow out the water lines before I leave.
the oil filled radiant heaters are the least expensive to run |add to that a small fan powered ceramic disc heater and you will be toasty and the air will circulate great... i also take reflectix and cut pieces out to the size and shape of the windows and make them attachable with velcro so at night i am insulated and it serves as a black out as well. works excellent.
We live in a small cabin and supplemented this year with a radiator type heater...worked great, wasn't afraid to fall asleep or leave the day to go to the city to shop. I was stunned to see my light bill only went up a little! It is getting a lot harder to do the wood stove now that i cannot cut my own wood. Hard to get good wood for a decent price. Electric might be cheaper or the same next year. I have to say, that propane heat in the TT is wonderful! As good as the wood stove for real warmth. Regular electric heaters can't touch it.
One interesting emergency backup is to heat up soapstone blocks (not big ones) and wrap them in a rag and put them at the foot of the bed. They hold heat and release the warmth over the cold night.
100 Mile House! Beautiful area on the Cariboo Hwy in BC. Be sure to go back in the summer and enjoy the campgrounds surrounding Green Lake 30 km to the south. This was our honeymoon destination 45 years ago. Summer weather is awesome here!
What I came up with for the bed was to buy 4 new Swiss Army wool blankets (surplus stores about $20.00 apiece) and put all 4 on your mattress then the mattress pad then the sheets. Under most all RV beds is a dead space that the cold air from the floor just gets colder as the night goes on and the wool blankets will insulate you from it. We have been down to 0 and be warm all night with that arrangement with our little Broan set at 50 degrees in a 33 footer with 2 slides.
I didn't have good luck with the Broan (shown in the video too). I bought two. I liked 'em for the first winter, but the elements needed cleaning by then. One burned out in the second year, and the second burned out in the third winter. I did not buy another.
It seems to me that it would be much less expensive and convoluted to skip the multiple wool blankets, etc., and cover the plywood under the mattress with a layer of reflectix.
This is an absolute fact. We have a winter pkg. on our Keystone Passport and we noticed that as well insulated this unit is that sleeping on our bed got cold at night. The see thru storage under the bed is not insulated well and you can see the aluminum framing with no insulation by the bed head area. I will buy some styrofoam boards and cut to fit and adhere them between the aluminum framing. This should cut the cold transfer to the cabin.
I may suggest a cubic mini wood stove. It is a lillte compicated to install with the flue and all, but it will heat my 7 by 14 trailer to over 80 when the outside temp is 30. You need wood in very small pieces but it is cheap to come by. No worry abou condensation from a propane heater and you will want to open the windows because of the huge heat source anyway. Fleece is nice, down is even better.
Most RV and trailer furnaces also duct heat to the water tanks and pump which keeps them from freezing. Using portable heaters may keep you warm, but allow the tanks to freeze. Best is to use the furnace when temperatures drop to below freezing.
In winter when freezing temps are expected we close the grey water valve when hooked up. Water draining in the hose can build up slowly and make an icy mess. But just dumping "warm" water through a cold hose works fine. We use the wheels and the southern winter option most years.
First...as we prepare to purchase our 1st RV your channel is so resourceful. Second... as a true Northern Ontario cold weather lover we don’t go near fleece because we use Merino wool base layers (head to toe), wool blanket under your fitted sheet and anywhere you sit (inside/outside) and down duvets (600-800 fill power) that are supper lite and very compact. Thanks again for all your helpful tips 😍
Thank you for another wonderful video. Speaking of hand warmers, I use a rechargeable lithium battery hand warmers that double as a USB power bank, available on Amazon. They came in very handy (pun intended) during military field exercises!
Used an Olympian Wave 3 catalytic heater in our conversion van. Kept setting off the CO2 detector. Opening the window(even slightly) just made everything cold again. Just a vicious cycle. Finally put in a Propex propane heater which works great. It exhausts to the outside, is easy on the propane and batteries, and is small is size!
In my history with other RVs I made our own custom vent / window insulated coverings made out of the same material they use for diving wet suits. Which was perfect but costy. My Lance came with vent coverings that snap on which have posed to be perfect.
As a sticks-n-bricks Midwestern dweller, I agree wholeheartedly with your advice on layering. It's actually critical unless you're living here and would rather be living in Alaska. Then you're outside in a t-shirt when everyone else is bundled up. Lol.
Once in Northville NY I had my gas regulator stick on me. The tanks were full but I could not get the propano to my furnace. After that cold night I always carry a spare propane regulator with me while camping in the late fall. Glad to hear your health issues are resolved. You were likely in a lot of peoples prayers. Keep the vids coming.
I've done a couple snowmobiling trips this winter with my pickup camper. With the camper, moisture management is a big challenge, especially when combined with riding all day. I turned the bathroom into my gear drying room. That way, I could isolate the most major ingress of moisture (wet gear) into a room without anything that would absorb that moisture, then used a space heater (with proper clearance) and boot dryer to get it nice and hot with plenty of air movement and cracked the roof vent to let out the hot, moist air. I was off-grid, so relying on my trusty Honda for power, but by making my drying system as efficient as possible, the couple of hours of it running in the evenings was enough to do what I needed. Standard propane furnaces vent the combustion byproducts (moisture and CO) to the outside of the RV and use a fan blowing over a heat exchanger to heat the RV. This results in a loss of efficiency, because not all of the heat generated by combustion is put into the space you are trying to heat. The logic you are using to say that your propane furnace puts moisture into the RV would also point to the furnace pumping CO right into the living space, and this simply is not true. If you are running your furnace, you do not need to open a window based on that fact alone. Now, the Buddy heaters or the other non-vented catalytic heaters do directly emit CO and moisture into the space they are heating, but you are also getting 100% of the heat generated by the combustion of the propane, hence the awesome efficiency and effectiveness of those heaters. Another thing to consider with your plumbing is what its status is during travel. I'm curious what y'all's experience has been with this. I'm worried about traveling wet during cold weather because the furnace isn't running when I'm going down the road, hence the plumbing isn't being kept warm. I'm not worried about my tanks, since there is a considerable amount of water, but I'd probably run anti-freeze into my plumbing for travel. That sounds like too much hassle, so I've been lazy and kept my camper winterized and camped in locations with public restrooms.
Hey guys thought I’d add a comment just for the fun of it winter camping is always an experience someone should try at least once especially with children our grandson enjoyed going to the Biltmore house in Asheville North Carolina with 16 inches of snow on the ground and we just finished going to the polar express this year. Here’s a few things we found to cut down on drafts you can either used old pillows or if you want to go through the expense of buying Styrofoam insulation you can cut and glue this insulation to your storage bay doors or just line the storage bay door area with pillows to cut down on the drafts it’s probably the least amount of insulated space you have in an RV we tried it and it made a huge improvement. With our 2007puma our tanks are not inside the belly and therefore not insulated what we did to make sure our water supply wasn’t interrupted we used a cheap manual on off switch type heating pad and applied it next to the bottom of the freshwater tank to keep the water from freezing we also took the same type of pad and wrapped it around the termination valves of the waste gates to keep those from freezing. Also the skylight pillows we bought help to keep heat from escaping through the skylight vents. We do also have what’s called a heat tape that we have wrapped around or water hoses for daytime use which does help. If you decide to use one of these are also recommend using pipe insulation around the hose and make sure you take the heat tape up and across any water pressure regulators and all the way against the inlet that’s attached to your camper. And of course if you do not have a dehumidifier by a large bucket or a couple small hanging packs of damp rid it works wonders they offer this in the big bucket they also offer it in hanging packs that you can find most big box stores in the laundry department. We use the damp rid year around just to ensure we don’t have a moisture issue. I hope these tips help and hope that you guys at least try one of them and tell us what you think I definitely would recommend using the old pillows or some sort of foam rubber or even the Styrofoam in your storage bay compartment areas to cut down on the drafts it will also improve the heat retention you may be surprised at how well this works
We do not dry camp a lot but when we do we use the Heater Buddy. We changed out our fans for the maxxfans which have a ceiling fan mode. We set one fan at low with the lid closed and crack the other. With the low setting on the Heater Buddy we stay pretty comfy. The only thing we don't like about the Heater Buddy is that the propane canisters don't last very long and that can get a little expensive. If we dry camped more we might consider a five gallon tank to hook up with the heater buddy (which could be a little clumsy) or some kind of connection to the propane tanks.
The space heater I swear by is just a good old milkhouse heater. They have fan, lo, hi, and thermostat settings. They are cool to the touch, and if you knock it over, it shuts off. They usually cost about $15-$20, and can be found at Runnings or Mills Fleet & Farm. Sometimes Walmart. They would keep an RV pretty tolerable. I used 1/2" styrofoam over my windows and vents in Parker, AZ in summer for insulation, and I imagine that it would insulate pretty well in the cold as well. Fairly inexpensive, and can be cut to desired size and shape. Hope this helps. 😀 Thanks for the tips! LOLOHO
Got a Houselog electric space heater last year. We found this at BJ's Warehouse club store. It cost $16.00 there. I also see them on Amazon for about &32.00. Great little heater. We've camped in weather in the 30's and it's kept our 20' travel trailer nice and warm. It also has a fan feature on it so it can run without heat. This helps to cool the unit down when you're done with it. Very good heater. Small enough to put it on the wheel well under our table and powerful enough that we don't run it on high for very long.
If you going to be in one spot for over a week. Install a Vinyl skirt around your trailer. That keeps the wind out. Also if your at a campsite that has shore power put a heat lamp under your RV next to your tanks and your sewer hose.
We drove to alaska from Sept 1 to Oct 14th, we kept warm by putting reflective aluminum foil on all my our windows from the ceiling to almost near the floor. He put heavy duty Velcro on the wall and on the foil. He also added one behind the bed on the toy hauler. On our floor he added a coating simular to raino lining to our aluminum floor. We had a electric heater which we ran on low with a on & off function . We have a heavy alternative down comforter & flannel sheets that kept us warm at close to teens degrees. We carry wool blankets to hang around our bed if need be because 18 degrees at noon meant colder weather at night. We are taking crossing Canada in the winter month. We were prepare for everything, extra food, tires, changes, snow removal tools, thermals, boots, coats etc. We are from San Diego .ca.
Honeywell, HWLHZ7300, HZ-7300 EnergySmart Cool Touch Heater, Black. Used this one when camping in Tuscon over Christmas. Has a timer on it so you can set the shutoff time so it's not running all night.
Great video! I like the idea of using the wheels to find warmer weather. Some day when we run into each other I will tell you a story of a winter survival instructor’s story. I parted his wisdom to my wife when we were first married and still, after 40+ years, have not lived it down. I have found that the window coverings from WalMart work great on some windows in our RV and we use foam on those that the coverings don’t work on. I use a small electric heater in the outside valve box to help keep them from freezing. We try not to camp in the winter without at least electric.
Speaking of electric heat (and cool) - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Dyson Heat/Cool ... yes, it’s pricey, but if you get the WiFi version it will also track temp and humidity for you as well! ***and my funny boo-boo story about winter camping was last year when I thought it wasn’t humid enough in the trailer and I ran a humidifier AND my propane heat... luckily I was set straight after reading a bit a few nights in ***
Gotta add micro fleece blankets to the list. We've only spent one night in really cold weather and condensation on the inside of the RV was the real problem. I cracked open one window, but by morning it was puddling inside (2 people in a 25 ft RV). The idea of a dehumidifier sounds good if we end up that way again. The idea of heading south seems much more reasonable!
To avoid running out of propane I do not turn on both gas bottles. We have 30# tanks and whenever one runs out I know it right away so then I switch manually over to the Full tank and then get the empty one refilled at my earliest convenience. A lot of RVs here in the cold upper Midwest have “Winter” options that include things like extra insulation and storm windows for your RV. I cannot recommend those storm windows enough!! And if you’re going to do anything more than just a weekend of camping in your RV then dealing with the condensation from the use of propane is an absolute must. We’re here in Michigan and camp for about 2 weeks every year in the winter so my Propane Furnace is used a lot during that time. So a dehumidifier is an absolute!! We’re using a ABI Leisure Products 30’, 1990 Award Travel Trailer. It has a roof that looks like an inverted rowboat so snow piling up isn’t much of a problem. But we got caught once, 2 miles back in the woods on a 2 track, in the Upper Peninsula in EARLY November by waking up to 16” of snow on our roof. We did not have 4 wheel drive! It took us 4 hrs. to get those 2 miles back to the road and the help of another intrepid winter camper who did have a 4x4 to pull our trailer for about a mile till the trail was under trees where the snow was less. We booked it for the bridge and the lower peninsula. It didn’t stop snowing for nearly 2 days. They got 27” of snow in that storm. We made it out ok but for a while there I thought I was going to have to abandon our trailer and call the Forest Service to let them know. Now we have a 4x4!! And I’ll never again park so far back off of a main road in iffy weather times of the year!!
I can fully sympathize with you. My wife and I recently purchased a 42' diesel pusher from Lazy Day's in Tampa. It was a used RV, but in new condition. We were told it did not have a furnace. That it had 3 AC units that doubled as heat pumps and running the Aqua Hot on diesel with the fan on was a backup. About the 4th day out that cold spell came through Virginia where we were at the moment on our first trip. The temp got down to 24 degrees that night. The heat pumps were screaming and we were freezing. Lol!!! The next day we did purchase a electric space heater. That really helped. Sorry, but we did run it on low overnight. It was just to cold not to. After leaving Virginia we went to northern Alabama to visit friend's that had recently retired and moved there. Our friend downloaded the original manufacturer's owners manuals. It turns out that not only did we have one furnace, but we had two propane fired furnaces. Lol!! We froze that one night for nothing all because Lazy Day's assured us we didn't have a furnace. With the owner's manuals we learned that we had the furnaces and how to turn them on and operate them. At night we did disconnect our water line and bring it back in the coach. The bays are heated so we didn't have to worry about freezing tanks or pipes. Our bays are also insulated. When buying a used RV it definitely pays to make sure you have all the owners manuals and to read them.
The wife and I and the dog spend a lot of time cool weather camping! We have found that a Big Buddy heater tapped into the propane system with a 12 ft. quick connect hose is essential for us. The heater has three temperature settings. I select a setting that is low enough to allow the furnace to come on a couple times thru the night which sends enough heat to the water system to keep things from freezing. The heater will use just about half as much propane as the furnace does and no battery power. We don't leave home without it!!!! We have three slides (all with covers), so its quite a bit of area to heat. With the heater setting in the middle of the living room floor and a window cracked, we are warm and comfortable no matter what temp is outside. We use the Big Buddy anytime it's even when we have electric. It's so much more efficient and you don't have to listen to the constant cycling of the furnace on cold nights.
We love our Dyson Hot/Cool Air Purifier. We have a hybrid trailer and have been "heated out" of our trailer with it. Granted we have never done below freezing glamping but in 40 degrees, we've been perfectly comfortable.
If in case u ran out of propane, sleeping bags are lifesavers ,you can get them with different temperature sensitivity please get not cheaper than 80$ I like 20' f used them in - 25 f and had webasto heater on felt good. Thank you guys for great reviews, tips and videos.
We camp in a hybrid camper. We were camping in weather that was dropping down into the mid 20s at night. We had electricity so we ran a Lasko Ultra Slim tower heater (model CT14101). That little heater keep us nice and warm all night.
Before we got the camper i had a pop up. We used a little buddy heater to heat it up before bed and when we got up. Before bed I would use body warmers with adhesive tape on bottom to heat the bed. I would put 2 at my feet one at my knees and 1 around my waist. Kept the bed warm. Unless you rolled over on one. I boondock 95 percent of time. With the new camper I still use the little buddy heater before bed and when we wake up.
We live here in Alberta Canada and we winterized and put our RV in storage for the winter by the end of September. We are big chickens....not as hardy as you southerners. Lol.
I've used a Mr Buddy heater to heat my tent trailer quite often. It's a catalytic heater, so it's safe to use inside but you will get condensation. A standard 1 pound green propane can only lasts 7 hours, so we got the adapter hose and connect to a separate propane tank, which we leave outside the tent and route the hose in to the heater.
Hi guys. Love your videos! We use a Soleil Digital Ceramic space heater that is awesome. It has a built in digital thermostat control with 3 heat settings (Eco, 750 and 1500 watts). It also has a built in 60 second “cool down” mode that blows cool air over the element before shutting off the heating element which I like a lot). We have a 32 foot Class C and it heats the living space great. Granted, I am married to a wonderful woman who is too cold at 69 degrees and too hot at 70 degrees (which makes temperature control quite challenging) lol!
Micro fleece is basically plastic and yes, it keeps in the heat like crazy! A micro fleece sleeping bag insert is THE best for keeping warm. It’s also very soft. I used to freeze in our Canadian winters because I was not dressed properly! Long johns, undershirts, a hat and scarf - I had to learn these things as a Canadian adult - how ignorant! The first winter I dressed appropriately, I was warm no matter what, when I went out! Thanks for the tips! First time I’ve heard of using wood for the stabilizer jacks to keep from freezing to the ground. Good one!
Timely, excellent video. Sean, when you do the Mr Heater Buddy review, please take the time to take it apart, as if you are changing out the pilot light assembly. These heaters don't last long and it's usually because they stop lighting, even after cleaning them per the instructions in the manual. (I have a small tuft of Q-tip cotton stuck down in there as we speak. Can't get that sucker out so I could use a hint on what tool to use!) It would also help if you included using a larger tank and their specific Mr Heater Buddy hose for those tanks. I have a 6' hose and there's something tricky about those too. Currently, my Mr Heater Buddy is on the fritz, after the 20# tank went dry. Hasn't lit since and I'm blue in the face from trying to resuscitate it. (Literally feel like I've been doing CPR with all the pressing down of the pilot light button.) Many thanks, sweet couple. PS: Got a question on the window insulation. Are you placing it with the reflective side facing in? I've only seen these used in hot weather to block the sun. Wow. Breathtaking views at Yellowstone.
We camp in winter in Idaho often, including the last week Yellowstone park is open to cars. We always bring a backup heater. A Mr heater buddy heater with a few extra bottles of propane, but have not had to use it yet .
0:56 My brother in law is from Oslo Norway and lives with my sister and kids in Colo Spngs. Every time I go visit and I gripe about the snow, he always says that saying.
We traveled many times from Wyoming to southern destination in February & March when winter is still a factor, we would warm the RV & use water from 1 gallon jugs until we got south enough to add water to the coach. Also I carried a small air compressor to blow out lines when returning to sub zero weather..Did this for years & worked well..Hope this helps, Ken
Great video. We are experiencing our first winter fulltiming. Our coldest night so far was 23. We have fled cold snaps below that twice now. One additional tip is to open your cabinets with plumbing to help get the heat to the pipes. But we don’t have enough battery power to run our propane furnace though the night. So below 30 we’re looking for at least partial hookups. Our rig also has tanks heaters another reason for hookups.
We were at Yellowstone October 4th -6th 2016 also. We camped at the Madison campground and we left early because of the snow. This was our first trip in our teardrop and day 4 of 22 on that trip. SEEYA on the road.
I usually just open the shower and lavatory vent and leave the fan off. So far it has worked down to the mid 30's and it keep the moisture down and not let much heat out.
You talked about wool socks. You should also know that a stocking cap can do a lot to keep you warm. Up to 25% of your body heat can escape through your head.
We LOVE your videos! Thank you for all your experience and advice! I have used a "heat seat" similar to (Field & Stream Heat-A-Seat, available at Dick's Sporting Goods) since the early 1970's. It's a cell foam (feels like the insides of an old bean bag chair) that uses your own body heat to keep you warm without batteries, chemicals, or other heating sources. When I was in Girl Scouts, I'd use it to sit on while outside & then carry it to my tent and keep it at my feet in my sleeping bag, all night. My friends wanted to borrow it. I could have rented it out by the hour! I'd stay warm all night long. I still have, and use my original one!
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I know this is a year old, but winter is coming. Your suggestions are great. I've been full time location dependent in Colorado for a few years and have a few to add.
- Skirting. A quick, cheap option is a couple rolls of heavy black construction plastic and duct tape. I found 10ft wide, so I folded it in half. Use cheap tape if you want to be able to get the residue off easily.
- external propane tanks loose vaporization ability as they get colder. Under 20 starts effecting my heat. Stick 2 adhesive body warmers on the tank, wrap a towel around the tank and put the plastic cover back on. It kept my heat going at 19 below zero. The electric tank warmers are pricy but far more convenient if you have power.
- Hot water bottles with a cover warm up a bed quite nicely and travel light. Couple it with fleece sheets and stay toasty.
- closets and cupboards hold humidity and freeze fabric to the outside walls. If your winter camping for a long period, hang cheap cooling racks on external walls to help with air circulation and leave them cracked open or invest in damp-rid.
We RV (trailer) year round, including in the snow. Agree with all your points. One point I would add… If you have a slide out; sweep the snow off. Wet snow can be very heavy and the heat from the RV will melt some of the snow on the slide outs roof (little to no insulation) . Water can find its way inside…. If it melts just a bit then freezes at night the layer of ice can make it difficult to retract.
Something you might look into is purchasing super cold weather sleeping bags. I found some at Sportsmans warehouse called “Elk Hunters” that are rated to -35 degrees Fahrenheit and “deer hunters” rated to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The Elk hunters are the best because they are 40”x90” and they come in a left and right so you can zip them together to make one giant bag that is 80” wide! In my RV I unzip one and use it as a blanket which keeps me toasty all night. They are like canvas on the outside and flannel on the inside and come in several colours like black or tan etc.
I used one to sleep in a hammock when the temperature got down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit and I was warm all night so I know they work wonderfully.
Cheers mates and happy trails
Micro- fleece originated in Massachusetts in 1979 when Malden
Mills, (now Polartec LLC), and Patagonia developed Synchilla
(synthetic chinchilla). It was a new, light, strong pile fabric meant to
mimic and in some ways surpass wool.
Greatest human creation EVER!
Vin DiVergilio that was when people were proud to be from lawrence
We have all things Patagonia, but for us, a Pendleton blanket makes for a warmer and more restful night.
On cool nights (even as low as 35 degrees) we bought a Comfort Zone ceramic heater from Walmart (under $18.00) and it keeps our 2017 Keystone Passport M199L (20') very warm and cozy. This unit was recommended by numerous friends who camp and our purchase proved them right.
Thanks for talking about this subject! Your suggestion about choosing the sunny spot really hit home. Over Veterans Day weekend we unexpectedly experienced our first taste of winter camping at Cheyenne Mtn. state park in Colorado Springs. We did just fine, and didn't really have a problem EXCEPT that our trailer was facing south, which meant our slide out & hookups were on the west side, and therefore in the shade. We had snow & ice accumulation on the slideout, which necessitated getting out our stepstool and broom to be able to brush the stuff off. In CO we are lucky that the day after a snowstorm is usually sunny, so things started melting pretty quickly.
So, 2 personal tips for cold weather camping:
1. Try to park so your slide out & hookups get the max amount of sun exposure, AND
2. Be sure to take along snow & ice removal tools! A broom, step stool, snow shovel, ice melt, and a tarp will all help with outside accumulations.
We actually LOVED this experience - we saw much more wildlife, and had a wonderful, cozy, relaxing inside day while it was snowing. Great adventure!
This is our first year of ever having a camper. We are seniors, and this being our first month out we are learning a lot. Thank you for your valuable information.
I stayed longer in Colorado than planned, life happens. The valves in the gray/black tanks froze, I could not dump when taking off. It was the first time ever, my tanks were not empty when traveling. Fortunately, they were only about 1/4 full. My water filter exploded when I was gone, the nice people in the park shut off the water for me. I don't plan on being in the cold again, but life does happen. I enjoy all your videos. PS: I bit the bullet, bought the Champion generator with the remote. It's going to be bolted to the 'drawer' in the bed of my truck. I can't lift it up and down, so it's gotta stay in the bed. It will always be vented and not be near anything, I learned it from you. Happy Holidays, Sean and Kristy
We use antifreeze quite a bit. We tend to fill our dump valve and pipes to the dump valve with antifreeze. We also have 12v pads on the tanks and we never have had any major issues even with having an open underbelly. We don't mess with fresh water connection and just fill the water tank. Also before you go to bed, we turn off the water pump and depresurre the water lines
Simple solution to conserving heat is to cover your face to rebreathe the warm air from your lungs as do all cultures that live in the cold. I "tent" the fleece blanket over my head (even better with two). Periodically open to vent for a few seconds.
The worst thing you can do is breathe cold air. The surface area of your lungs is hugh (equivalent to your skin's surface area) immediately chilling the blood as it passes through. Core heat is much more important then extremity warmth. Your feet will warm up as the core warms.
Every winter, I use 3m window plastic. Costs around $25 for my old fifth wheel, but I stay FAR WARMER than without it.
Lol! We used to live in 150 Mile House. We had been away from home for Christmas and arrived home to find the electric heaters we'd left running had not been able to keep up with the freezing cold temperatures that had spread all over BC that year. We found our fish tank frozen solid with the poor goldfish frozen in it. The water pipes were frozen too. We quickly started up our wood stove and got the blankets and pjs for the kids into the dryer to warm up before putting them to bed on the floor in front of the wood stove. Just as we were beginning to thaw out, the power went out. Aaah! We were so thankful for the wood stove at that moment, and have never lived anywhere without one since! The power stayed out all night and into the next day. We lived in a fairly remote area, so were unaware that we were the only house without electricity!! A trip down the road to the neighbours revealed this and resulted in a phone call to the hydro company. The problem was on the pole that lead to our house. We were pretty happy when they came and fixed it. But, we were also prepared for things like this so it was not the end of the world...well...except for the goldfish. Now, we spend most of our winters in a log cabin on the BC Yukon border, far from roads and power poles. Wood heat is the ticket! Solar power for our lights and radio. We do have to brave the -40C temperatures at times, the outhouse being the biggest challenge! But, when you are prepared, it makes all the difference.
I plan on installing a little wood stove in my wee RV at some point as I do love to get out camping in the winter too. Cubic Mini Wood Stoves out of Canada make a really nice couple of tiny stoves. It's just a matter of finding the fuel for them. I'm not sure yet if they are what I will end up getting, but it's definitely got to be wood heat!-Sue
If you have slide outs, put them in at night. Less sq footage to heat.
As one who loves winter camping, micro fleece is the best idea yet. I don't look for sunny areas but ones that provide wind shelter. Wind will blow heat out of the best insulated campers. Belly covers are only good in really cold weather if they are insulated. You can buy insulation panels to put around the bottom of the RV to help if in windy area.
I have been on the road many years and I have learned a lot. The way I keep warm is in the evening I get warm from the propane heater. I have my thermostat with Mark's where it gets warm then a bit cold. I let the warm stop and lower the temp. It keep the heater from constantly turning on. I have down comforters. I fold them to get more layers. Turn off all heat or combustion for the night for safety. In the morning I fire up portable (me buddy etc) until I can crawl out of bed and turn on the furnace. With the furnace off all night I assure power to fire it up in the morning. I never get to cold. The winter clothing helps a lot and when its really cold use a -20 sleeping bag.
As someone who spent the majority of my adult life in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont the absolute best tip I can share on staying warm in winter is get the hell out of there. You got wheels. Go to where it ain't cold. It is much easier to cool off than to warm up. Other than that, long underwear becomes a way of life. Keep your hands feet and head warm.
Love your channel and all the tips! I would add that in winter, pack goose down comforters in the RV for cold weather camping. We once tent camped in Yosemite with our kids with an overnight low of 17*. I packed our down feather beds and comforters with our sleeping bags in between. We stayed toasty warm all night, and even our little kids (our youngest was 9 mos.) were comfortable and happy in the morning...of course we eventually had to climb out of our beds...but for sleeping they were great! They insulate amazingly well!!
I am doing some cold weather camping, thanks to you two, at Lake Havasu, AZ...I am suffering, but only during bad dreams! I need to find Rainier beer to suffer even further...I will get even someday! Hugs, I owe you two so much!
I've had Rainer Beer before! 🍺 At least it's better than Blatz and Schaefer...
Long Long Honeymoon, In conclusion, Sean, would you Pahleeze let Christy know there are more ways to stay warm without propane!?!
My old fiver has taught me well over the three years I've been in it. Strofoam insulation from Lowe's has been a blessing - on the floors of cabinets and against the walls (1/2" thick) inside all upper cabinets. Also inside the cargo hatch doors to prevent freezing air from coming inside. THICK (I crochet t-shirt rugs) rugs on the floors because the floors are COLD. I buy window plastic and put it up every fall and take it down in the spring. I'll be installing a small woodstove this year as well. I won't use propane- it's a wet heat, I don't need mold, and they're not efficient. I have cats- tip over danger is real.
Thanks for sharing. We have camped overnight in our fifth wheel in Missoula MT at a Walmart when it w as 18 degrees below zero F. The propane furnace ran pretty much non stop all night. We left our slides in to reduce the area we needed to heat. The batteries were pretty dead by 6 am. But I started the generator and we were up and running again in a few minutes.
Btw... there is no reason to leave a window open when running the factory installed furnace. It should be properly vented just like your home.
Happy travels 😀
We do more nights camping between new year and April then many do all year. We are winter warriors in Ontario Canada. We camp in sub zero temps and love it. Our coldest was last new years at -28c. So cold propane tanks froze lol. You hit most things bang on. Clothes clothes clothes is so important next to awesome boots. Camping in the snow is the best.
Being from Maine, here are a few tips:
You’re going to want to go with an oil filled electric radiator. These are not only much more durable than electric heaters that blow hot air, but there are fewer mechanical components to fail and they can be left plugged in and on unattended (and overnight) without worry. They also tend to be a bit more energy efficient. They look and function very similarly to steam radiators (but they are a closed system) and are generally light and very portable. Bonus: you can throw your clothes or a towel on them for a few minutes to toast them up. Mine was $40 at Home Depot.
Base layers are key. These can be pricey at well over $100 for a top and bottom, depending on the warmth rating. But they are worth it. You don’t need more than one or two pairs and they tend to last a long time (mostly because they are worn under other clothing and not exposed to the same wear).
A comforter is going to help you a lot more than fleece blankets. Spring for goose feather filled. Look for one rated to below 60 degrees. Because comforters insulate so well they can usually be used year round, insulating against both heat and cold. These are also expensive at around $2-300+ for a quality comforter, but if you use a duvet and care for it properly, they will easily last a decade.
The ski gear company Black Diamond makes a glove/mitten hybrid. These are basically lined and well insulated ski mittens with the pointer finger free. They are genius. That free finger allows you to manipulate many more things without having to take that mitten off, while still providing the warmth that traditional mittens provide.
And don’t try to pet the moose. They are not friendly.
My wife and I lived in an older 32' class A for about five years. We always made sure we were at a site that had electricity and ran a small oil-filled radiator during winter. It worked great.
First person That mentioned a portable radiator! I’ve been thinking about getting one over an electric space heater or propane portable heater. Can you share any pros/cons about the radiator vs. ceramic / electric heaters? Are they noisy?
@@rodgraham8688 we used an oil-filled radiator. Takes a bit of power to run but it is silent. Also IMHO the fire danger is much less as there are no open elements.
Didn’t want to be negative because you guys need to pay your bills like all of us. I’m retired and need a sponsor myself. It was really reassuring when you did your reviews on generators and you said you paid for your generators. It was really refreshing. Keep on makin your great videos and make a buck when you get a chance...
I understand and appreciate your comments. You were nice enough about it. If we ever do a sponsored video it will be clearly labeled as such. Our current rate is to do one every 2 years, lol A lot of people on Instagram and TH-cam do one or two a week. We turn down most sponsors, but L.L.Bean was too good to turn down. They are legit and pretty much everyone I know likes them. Cheers!
I’m an old guy and long for the days when my mom would take consumer reports magazine out and read the latest product reviews from a magazine with no ads. Well, you guys do a wonderful job and we sure look forward to all of your videos. Like I said just a TH-cam friend throwing in my two cents. Get the income you need and take care of yourselfs. We have a few health ailments so your challenges hit close to home. We’re praying for you daily. Thanks for the reply’s, Dan
My Jayco TT has all of the plumbing for water in heated living space behind cabinets, sink etcetera. If the inside of the RV is above freezing, the plumbing is safe. I have been grateful for this. My late wife and I have spent evenings snuggled together watching the snow swirl in the wind with the interior lights off and the outside lights on to see the show while being snug and warm. Even though the furnace has been very adequate to the task, it does chew through the propane but I don't think too much considering the demand that is being put upon it. The one objection she had was the rug by the door would get wet and unsightly, unavoidably. I said that it is great to have a nice warm place in the cold weather and for that I can endure an unsightly rug.
We've gotta say, we've enjoyed being schooled by Alabamans in cold weather camping. 😉 A "hot" tip for cold feet in bed: put boiling water in a Nalgene bottle at your feet, either under the blankets or in a sleeping bag. And microfleece was invented by the Malden Mills Co. of Massachusetts. Take it from us, a Mr. Heater Buddy catalytic heater rocks. And we've wrapped our dump valves in heat tape and insulation. Good tips all around!
In freezing temperature leave bathroom door open and all cabinets with plumbing open to allow warm air in to keep pipes from freezing.
Most 4 season campers have dual pane windows. But also check out the camper manufacturer. Not all four season campers are equal. I chose Arctic Fox 990.
we love our Arctic Fox 29T!
Damart insulated clothing works great!! The underwear line is unbeatable. Used it for years while riding my motorcycle in 30’ temps. Also the glove liners and socks. All lightweight material. Pricey but lasted for years. I grew out of mine.
Warning DO NOT PUT IN DRYER. Spent the winter of 2014 on a mountain. Damart saved my life, literally.
Thanks for this video, well done. This is our second year camping in Kansas in winter, and plan to visit colder sights further northwest after the close of pheasant season the end of January. We’re in a truck camper (Host Mammoth 11.6), that without added insulation uses a 30 pound propane tank ($30 to refill) in about a week depending on the temperature outside. We don’t drop the thermostat too much at night. We run a 1000 watt Honda portable all night with less than 1.4 gallons of gas to keep the batteries charged and use the electrical outlets/electric mattress pad. All our pipes and tanks are enclosed in the main lower compartment shared with the furnace. We are never cold inside. I advise a truck camper for winter, we don’t feel limited by cold at all!
I will share my tip. We are rookies. Less than 5 years with campers. But being from Pennsylvania we know cold. Our trailer is a four season model. We spent Thanksgiving in our trailer. Temps dropped to mid 20s. After three nights we learned how to keep the water moving coming in. The issue was how to empty a frozen grey tank. The line exiting the tank was solid. I used a heat gun but it took a while. Plastic does not transfer heat well. We had antifreeze in the tank just not enough. We added extra after that. Thanks for the tips.
I'm a Kentuckian. It rarely gets below 30 degrees here in the winter. Ever. Last year it was a fluke year and we wound up in Nashville, TN with temps down in the low teens at night. We were TOTALLY unprepared and spent the night and day pretty chilly. You're right that layers are a must! In the bed, for your clothing, all of it. We also have rugs that we put down in cold weather. It helps keep the chill out of our feet. Fleece or flannel sheets help SO much. We have flannel sheets on our bed and they really help keep things cozy. Now that we are a little more experienced when it comes to cold weather camping, we have a way more fun, stress free time than we did last year. When the weather is forecasted to be below freezing, I don't bother with water hookups either. I fill our fresh water tank and call it a day. A few weeks ago we got an unexpected cold snap while camping and we were the only ones in the campground not taking a hair dryer to their water hookups in the morning when everything froze overnight. YIKES! I also have the Mr Buddy heater for when we're boondocking. It's AMAZING and totally worth the money. I totally recommend it.
I use the Mr. Buddy first thing in the morning to bring the temperature up to the sixty degree range. Than I utillize the furnace to maintain the desired temperature. One more suggestion, is to sleep waring a wool cap. We lose alot of body heat through the top of our head. Also, to collect moisture given off by our breath while sleeping, we hang a bath towel in our sleeping areea. You will be amazed how damp the towel will be in the morning. Happy camping. Bob
In the military, and won't get anyone to admit to it, but we wore pantyhose then thermo underwear, then our battle dress uniform (BDU). That thin layer kept you warm in very cold weather.
It's true!!
Remember a space heater keeps you under belly colder. It doesn't allow you normal furnace blowing hot air below.
“Milk house” heater. Safest lowest cost amazing heater ever built. If it leans or falls it shuts off and the amount of heat these 20$ heaters produce is amazing.
Peace
Dustin
Nice idea to intersperse nature photography with your face shots. Even the loveliest of faces gets old after 5 minutes straight. I have not closed the bedroom windows in several years. I enjoy sleeping in a cold room with down comforters, even at home. I only heat during the hours I am awake.
I am using my wheels to make my way south and now find myself in Northern California along the coast. Even though it’s not as cold as Alberta and the rest of Canada was, it’s so damp I’m still freezing! I made the mistake of leaving my space heater at my son’s house. So, even though I’m plugged in from time to time, I can’t take advantage of it and still need to use my furnace, which does use a lot of propane. I learned the hard way to turn down the heat to 5C at night. Also, the fact of how much power the blower takes! Where were you a few months ago when I needed this important lesson! 😉 Anyway, another tip to keep warm is a good old fashion hot water bottle. I winterized the trailer, even though it’s an Airstream. I didn’t want to take any chances. So, I have a large blue Reliance water holder inside the truck that I use to fill my 8 litre smaller holder in the trailer. I use a plastic basin in the sink to catch the water when I’m washing dishes. I’ll also add that the short and wide grey garbage bags from Ikea fit almost perfectly for the toilet. Double bagging and using kitty litter have been a godsend when there hasn’t been a public washroom. Maybe TMI, but it works when you’re winterized!
In mid September 2021 we traveled from Northern Michigan to North and South Dakota. In a new Grey Wolf 26MBRR toyhauler, the cabin area measured 30'3".... We went through 60 gal. of LP Gas in 3 weeks. Kept the indoor temp at 73° ... outdoor temp 38-75°. The RV was comfortable for us. Also had an electric fireplace heater that we kicked on at times. We carried 4x 20 gal tanks.
If you have electric or can build a fire, heat up a rice bag, just plain white rice put into a cloth bag and sew it up or just wrap it up in a pillow case or whatever and warm it up in the microwave or inside of a pan on a fire. It provides a good long source of heat, especially when your in bed, just cuddle up with it, put it on your feet, ect. It will definitely keep ya warm and a plus, it helps real well with aches/pains too. I use mine year around for arthritis pain and in the winter it's my go to for warning my feet. Works great and last for quite awhile. Hope this helps someone this winter.
I stay in a 19 foot trailer half the week while OOT for work. I am hooked up to 30 amp service, so I use 2 of those oil filled radiator heaters on the LOW setting. They have a thermostat and are safe enough (no fire or carbon monoxide hazard) that I can leave them on when I'm not there in cold weather. It is radiant heat but you could blow a small fan on them to move the heat around if needed (I don't). I use an excellent CalAir tiny quiet air compressor to blow out the water lines before I leave.
the oil filled radiant heaters are the least expensive to run
|add to that a small fan powered ceramic disc heater and you will be toasty and the air will circulate great...
i also take reflectix and cut pieces out to the size and shape of the windows and make them attachable with velcro so at night i am insulated and it serves as a black out as well. works excellent.
We live in a small cabin and supplemented this year with a radiator type heater...worked great, wasn't afraid to fall asleep or leave the day to go to the city to shop. I was stunned to see my light bill only went up a little! It is getting a lot harder to do the wood stove now that i cannot cut my own wood. Hard to get good wood for a decent price. Electric might be cheaper or the same next year. I have to say, that propane heat in the TT is wonderful! As good as the wood stove for real warmth. Regular electric heaters can't touch it.
One interesting emergency backup is to heat up soapstone blocks (not big ones) and wrap them in a rag and put them at the foot of the bed. They hold heat and release the warmth over the cold night.
John Seifert - bricks also work. I’ve never used soapstone but bricks are found everywhere in the south - easy and cheap.
I bought the 3M clear plastic film for windows, it is great and you can see through the windows. 12-15 dollars.
essential
Thanks for the tip. that stuff looks great!
Is there some light weight something to skirt it with...would that help? Mine is considered a 4 seasons rv, but wondering...
Not sure I ever will stay where it's cold, rather than following the heat south; but if we ever do I've got this bookmarked. Good information.
Everything you mentioned is correct, here in New Hampshire we follow all the things you mentioned, stay warm and safe. Happy travels........
100 Mile House! Beautiful area on the Cariboo Hwy in BC. Be sure to go back in the summer and enjoy the campgrounds surrounding Green Lake 30 km to the south. This was our honeymoon destination 45 years ago. Summer weather is awesome here!
What I came up with for the bed was to buy 4 new Swiss Army wool blankets (surplus stores about $20.00 apiece) and put all 4 on your mattress then the mattress pad then the sheets. Under most all RV beds is a dead space that the cold air from the floor just gets colder as the night goes on and the wool blankets will insulate you from it. We have been down to 0 and be warm all night with that arrangement with our little Broan set at 50 degrees in a 33 footer with 2 slides.
I didn't have good luck with the Broan (shown in the video too). I bought two. I liked 'em for the first winter, but the elements needed cleaning by then. One burned out in the second year, and the second burned out in the third winter. I did not buy another.
It seems to me that it would be much less expensive and convoluted to skip the multiple wool blankets, etc., and cover the plywood under the mattress with a layer of reflectix.
This is an absolute fact. We have a winter pkg. on our Keystone Passport and we noticed that as well insulated this unit is that sleeping on our bed got cold at night. The see thru storage under the bed is not insulated well and you can see the aluminum framing with no insulation by the bed head area. I will buy some styrofoam boards and cut to fit and adhere them between the aluminum framing. This should cut the cold transfer to the cabin.
I may suggest a cubic mini wood stove. It is a lillte compicated to install with the flue and all, but it will heat my 7 by 14 trailer to over 80 when the outside temp is 30. You need wood in very small pieces but it is cheap to come by. No worry abou condensation from a propane heater and you will want to open the windows because of the huge heat source anyway. Fleece is nice, down is even better.
Most RV and trailer furnaces also duct heat to the water tanks and pump which keeps them from freezing. Using portable heaters may keep you warm, but allow the tanks to freeze. Best is to use the furnace when temperatures drop to below freezing.
In winter when freezing temps are expected we close the grey water valve when hooked up. Water draining in the hose can build up slowly and make an icy mess. But just dumping "warm" water through a cold hose works fine. We use the wheels and the southern winter option most years.
When you're going to be at 40-50 degrees to conserve propane, pack your sleeping bags.
I concur with taking the wheels south, I grew up in upstate NY with snow and cold. Moved to NC 20 years ago to get away from cold. Yup, go South.
First...as we prepare to purchase our 1st RV your channel is so resourceful. Second... as a true Northern Ontario cold weather lover we don’t go near fleece because we use Merino wool base layers (head to toe), wool blanket under your fitted sheet and anywhere you sit (inside/outside) and down duvets (600-800 fill power) that are supper lite and very compact. Thanks again for all your helpful tips 😍
Thank you for another wonderful video. Speaking of hand warmers, I use a rechargeable lithium battery hand warmers that double as a USB power bank, available on Amazon. They came in very handy (pun intended) during military field exercises!
Used an Olympian Wave 3 catalytic heater in our conversion van. Kept setting off the CO2 detector. Opening the window(even slightly) just made everything cold again. Just a vicious cycle. Finally put in a Propex propane heater which works great. It exhausts to the outside, is easy on the propane and batteries, and is small is size!
In my history with other RVs I made our own custom vent / window insulated coverings made out of the same material they use for diving wet suits. Which was perfect but costy.
My Lance came with vent coverings that snap on which have posed to be perfect.
As a sticks-n-bricks Midwestern dweller, I agree wholeheartedly with your advice on layering. It's actually critical unless you're living here and would rather be living in Alaska. Then you're outside in a t-shirt when everyone else is bundled up. Lol.
Once in Northville NY I had my gas regulator stick on me. The tanks were full but I could not get the propano to my furnace. After that cold night I always carry a spare propane regulator with me while camping in the late fall. Glad to hear your health issues are resolved. You were likely in a lot of peoples prayers. Keep the vids coming.
I've done a couple snowmobiling trips this winter with my pickup camper. With the camper, moisture management is a big challenge, especially when combined with riding all day. I turned the bathroom into my gear drying room. That way, I could isolate the most major ingress of moisture (wet gear) into a room without anything that would absorb that moisture, then used a space heater (with proper clearance) and boot dryer to get it nice and hot with plenty of air movement and cracked the roof vent to let out the hot, moist air. I was off-grid, so relying on my trusty Honda for power, but by making my drying system as efficient as possible, the couple of hours of it running in the evenings was enough to do what I needed.
Standard propane furnaces vent the combustion byproducts (moisture and CO) to the outside of the RV and use a fan blowing over a heat exchanger to heat the RV. This results in a loss of efficiency, because not all of the heat generated by combustion is put into the space you are trying to heat. The logic you are using to say that your propane furnace puts moisture into the RV would also point to the furnace pumping CO right into the living space, and this simply is not true. If you are running your furnace, you do not need to open a window based on that fact alone. Now, the Buddy heaters or the other non-vented catalytic heaters do directly emit CO and moisture into the space they are heating, but you are also getting 100% of the heat generated by the combustion of the propane, hence the awesome efficiency and effectiveness of those heaters.
Another thing to consider with your plumbing is what its status is during travel. I'm curious what y'all's experience has been with this. I'm worried about traveling wet during cold weather because the furnace isn't running when I'm going down the road, hence the plumbing isn't being kept warm. I'm not worried about my tanks, since there is a considerable amount of water, but I'd probably run anti-freeze into my plumbing for travel. That sounds like too much hassle, so I've been lazy and kept my camper winterized and camped in locations with public restrooms.
Hey guys thought I’d add a comment just for the fun of it winter camping is always an experience someone should try at least once especially with children our grandson enjoyed going to the Biltmore house in Asheville North Carolina with 16 inches of snow on the ground and we just finished going to the polar express this year. Here’s a few things we found to cut down on drafts you can either used old pillows or if you want to go through the expense of buying Styrofoam insulation you can cut and glue this insulation to your storage bay doors or just line the storage bay door area with pillows to cut down on the drafts it’s probably the least amount of insulated space you have in an RV we tried it and it made a huge improvement. With our 2007puma our tanks are not inside the belly and therefore not insulated what we did to make sure our water supply wasn’t interrupted we used a cheap manual on off switch type heating pad and applied it next to the bottom of the freshwater tank to keep the water from freezing we also took the same type of pad and wrapped it around the termination valves of the waste gates to keep those from freezing. Also the skylight pillows we bought help to keep heat from escaping through the skylight vents. We do also have what’s called a heat tape that we have wrapped around or water hoses for daytime use which does help. If you decide to use one of these are also recommend using pipe insulation around the hose and make sure you take the heat tape up and across any water pressure regulators and all the way against the inlet that’s attached to your camper. And of course if you do not have a dehumidifier by a large bucket or a couple small hanging packs of damp rid it works wonders they offer this in the big bucket they also offer it in hanging packs that you can find most big box stores in the laundry department. We use the damp rid year around just to ensure we don’t have a moisture issue. I hope these tips help and hope that you guys at least try one of them and tell us what you think I definitely would recommend using the old pillows or some sort of foam rubber or even the Styrofoam in your storage bay compartment areas to cut down on the drafts it will also improve the heat retention you may be surprised at how well this works
We do not dry camp a lot but when we do we use the Heater Buddy. We changed out our fans for the maxxfans which have a ceiling fan mode. We set one fan at low with the lid closed and crack the other. With the low setting on the Heater Buddy we stay pretty comfy. The only thing we don't like about the Heater Buddy is that the propane canisters don't last very long and that can get a little expensive. If we dry camped more we might consider a five gallon tank to hook up with the heater buddy (which could be a little clumsy) or some kind of connection to the propane tanks.
Tip, microfiber sheets...the bomb. We also have a microfiber comforter. Comfy & warm.
Haha I have stated my joy over micro fleece for years !! Greatest thing since sliced bread !!!
The space heater I swear by is just a good old milkhouse heater. They have fan, lo, hi, and thermostat settings. They are cool to the touch, and if you knock it over, it shuts off. They usually cost about $15-$20, and can be found at Runnings or Mills Fleet & Farm. Sometimes Walmart. They would keep an RV pretty tolerable. I used 1/2" styrofoam over my windows and vents in Parker, AZ in summer for insulation, and I imagine that it would insulate pretty well in the cold as well. Fairly inexpensive, and can be cut to desired size and shape. Hope this helps. 😀 Thanks for the tips! LOLOHO
Yes Florida girl here, saw snow twice!
I'm in alberta, this is all solid advice and I have nothing to add.
Got a Houselog electric space heater last year. We found this at BJ's Warehouse club store. It cost $16.00 there. I also see them on Amazon for about &32.00. Great little heater. We've camped in weather in the 30's and it's kept our 20' travel trailer nice and warm. It also has a fan feature on it so it can run without heat. This helps to cool the unit down when you're done with it. Very good heater. Small enough to put it on the wheel well under our table and powerful enough that we don't run it on high for very long.
If you going to be in one spot for over a week. Install a Vinyl skirt around your trailer. That keeps the wind out. Also if your at a campsite that has shore power put a heat lamp under your RV next to your tanks and your sewer hose.
I love the drone video of your rig travelling down the road with the mountain in the background.
We drove to alaska from Sept 1 to Oct 14th, we kept warm by putting reflective aluminum foil on all my our windows from the ceiling to almost near the floor. He put heavy duty Velcro on the wall and on the foil. He also added one behind the bed on the toy hauler. On our floor he added a coating simular to raino lining to our aluminum floor. We had a electric heater which we ran on low with a on & off function . We have a heavy alternative down comforter & flannel sheets that kept us warm at close to teens degrees. We carry wool blankets to hang around our bed if need be because 18 degrees at noon meant colder weather at night. We are taking crossing Canada in the winter month. We were prepare for everything, extra food, tires, changes, snow removal tools, thermals, boots, coats etc. We are from San Diego .ca.
Honeywell, HWLHZ7300, HZ-7300 EnergySmart Cool Touch Heater, Black. Used this one when camping in Tuscon over Christmas. Has a timer on it so you can set the shutoff time so it's not running all night.
Great video! I like the idea of using the wheels to find warmer weather. Some day when we run into each other I will tell you a story of a winter survival instructor’s story. I parted his wisdom to my wife when we were first married and still, after 40+ years, have not lived it down.
I have found that the window coverings from WalMart work great on some windows in our RV and we use foam on those that the coverings don’t work on. I use a small electric heater in the outside valve box to help keep them from freezing. We try not to camp in the winter without at least electric.
Our Keystone has the vented underbelly. Works great! We use a Predator 3500w generator and an infrared space heater. Runs for hours and works great!
Speaking of electric heat (and cool) - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Dyson Heat/Cool ... yes, it’s pricey, but if you get the WiFi version it will also track temp and humidity for you as well! ***and my funny boo-boo story about winter camping was last year when I thought it wasn’t humid enough in the trailer and I ran a humidifier AND my propane heat... luckily I was set straight after reading a bit a few nights in ***
Gotta add micro fleece blankets to the list. We've only spent one night in really cold weather and condensation on the inside of the RV was the real problem. I cracked open one window, but by morning it was puddling inside (2 people in a 25 ft RV). The idea of a dehumidifier sounds good if we end up that way again. The idea of heading south seems much more reasonable!
My wife and myself are new to this and we love your channel!! 👍👍👍
To avoid running out of propane I do not turn on both gas bottles. We have 30# tanks and whenever one runs out I know it right away so then I switch manually over to the Full tank and then get the empty one refilled at my earliest convenience.
A lot of RVs here in the cold upper Midwest have “Winter” options that include things like extra insulation and storm windows for your RV. I cannot recommend those storm windows enough!! And if you’re going to do anything more than just a weekend of camping in your RV then dealing with the condensation from the use of propane is an absolute must.
We’re here in Michigan and camp for about 2 weeks every year in the winter so my Propane Furnace is used a lot during that time. So a dehumidifier is an absolute!! We’re using a ABI Leisure Products 30’, 1990 Award Travel Trailer. It has a roof that looks like an inverted rowboat so snow piling up isn’t much of a problem. But we got caught once, 2 miles back in the woods on a 2 track, in the Upper Peninsula in EARLY November by waking up to 16” of snow on our roof.
We did not have 4 wheel drive! It took us 4 hrs. to get those 2 miles back to the road and the help of another intrepid winter camper who did have a 4x4 to pull our trailer for about a mile till the trail was under trees where the snow was less.
We booked it for the bridge and the lower peninsula. It didn’t stop snowing for nearly 2 days. They got 27” of snow in that storm. We made it out ok but for a while there I thought I was going to have to abandon our trailer and call the Forest Service to let them know. Now we have a 4x4!! And I’ll never again park so far back off of a main road in iffy weather times of the year!!
I like the run south option!
Always the best strategy!
I can fully sympathize with you. My wife and I recently purchased a 42' diesel pusher from Lazy Day's in Tampa. It was a used RV, but in new condition. We were told it did not have a furnace. That it had 3 AC units that doubled as heat pumps and running the Aqua Hot on diesel with the fan on was a backup. About the 4th day out that cold spell came through Virginia where we were at the moment on our first trip. The temp got down to 24 degrees that night. The heat pumps were screaming and we were freezing. Lol!!! The next day we did purchase a electric space heater. That really helped. Sorry, but we did run it on low overnight. It was just to cold not to. After leaving Virginia we went to northern Alabama to visit friend's that had recently retired and moved there. Our friend downloaded the original manufacturer's owners manuals. It turns out that not only did we have one furnace, but we had two propane fired furnaces. Lol!! We froze that one night for nothing all because Lazy Day's assured us we didn't have a furnace. With the owner's manuals we learned that we had the furnaces and how to turn them on and operate them. At night we did disconnect our water line and bring it back in the coach. The bays are heated so we didn't have to worry about freezing tanks or pipes. Our bays are also insulated. When buying a used RV it definitely pays to make sure you have all the owners manuals and to read them.
The wife and I and the dog spend a lot of time cool weather camping! We have found that a Big Buddy heater tapped into the propane system with a 12 ft. quick connect hose is essential for us. The heater has three temperature settings. I select a setting that is low enough to allow the furnace to come on a couple times thru the night which sends enough heat to the water system to keep things from freezing. The heater will use just about half as much propane as the furnace does and no battery power. We don't leave home without it!!!! We have three slides (all with covers), so its quite a bit of area to heat. With the heater setting in the middle of the living room floor and a window cracked, we are warm and comfortable no matter what temp is outside. We use the Big Buddy anytime it's even when we have electric. It's so much more efficient and you don't have to listen to the constant cycling of the furnace on cold nights.
I love camping in the winter time
We love our Dyson Hot/Cool Air Purifier. We have a hybrid trailer and have been "heated out" of our trailer with it. Granted we have never done below freezing glamping but in 40 degrees, we've been perfectly comfortable.
Something we used in Europe a lot were hot water bottles placed in the foot of your bed. Keeps the bed nice and toasty. :)
you must be from Czechoslovakia : )
@@Ferda1964 Obviously, two wild and crazy guys.
If in case u ran out of propane, sleeping bags are lifesavers ,you can get them with different temperature sensitivity please get not cheaper than 80$ I like 20' f used them in - 25 f and had webasto heater on felt good.
Thank you guys for great reviews, tips and videos.
We camp in a hybrid camper. We were camping in weather that was dropping down into the mid 20s at night. We had electricity so we ran a Lasko Ultra Slim tower heater (model CT14101). That little heater keep us nice and warm all night.
Before we got the camper i had a pop up. We used a little buddy heater to heat it up before bed and when we got up. Before bed I would use body warmers with adhesive tape on bottom to heat the bed. I would put 2 at my feet one at my knees and 1 around my waist. Kept the bed warm. Unless you rolled over on one.
I boondock 95 percent of time. With the new camper I still use the little buddy heater before bed and when we wake up.
We live here in Alberta Canada and we winterized and put our RV in storage for the winter by the end of September. We are big chickens....not as hardy as you southerners. Lol.
I've used a Mr Buddy heater to heat my tent trailer quite often. It's a catalytic heater, so it's safe to use inside but you will get condensation. A standard 1 pound green propane can only lasts 7 hours, so we got the adapter hose and connect to a separate propane tank, which we leave outside the tent and route the hose in to the heater.
Hi guys. Love your videos! We use a Soleil Digital Ceramic space heater that is awesome. It has a built in digital thermostat control with 3 heat settings (Eco, 750 and 1500 watts). It also has a built in 60 second “cool down” mode that blows cool air over the element before shutting off the heating element which I like a lot). We have a 32 foot Class C and it heats the living space great. Granted, I am married to a wonderful woman who is too cold at 69 degrees and too hot at 70 degrees (which makes temperature control quite challenging) lol!
Micro fleece is basically plastic and yes, it keeps in the heat like crazy! A micro fleece sleeping bag insert is THE best for keeping warm. It’s also very soft.
I used to freeze in our Canadian winters because I was not dressed properly! Long johns, undershirts, a hat and scarf - I had to learn these things as a Canadian adult - how ignorant! The first winter I dressed appropriately, I was warm no matter what, when I went out! Thanks for the tips!
First time I’ve heard of using wood for the stabilizer jacks to keep from freezing to the ground. Good one!
Timely, excellent video. Sean, when you do the Mr Heater Buddy review, please take the time to take it apart, as if you are changing out the pilot light assembly. These heaters don't last long and it's usually because they stop lighting, even after cleaning them per the instructions in the manual. (I have a small tuft of Q-tip cotton stuck down in there as we speak. Can't get that sucker out so I could use a hint on what tool to use!)
It would also help if you included using a larger tank and their specific Mr Heater Buddy hose for those tanks. I have a 6' hose and there's something tricky about those too. Currently, my Mr Heater Buddy is on the fritz, after the 20# tank went dry. Hasn't lit since and I'm blue in the face from trying to resuscitate it. (Literally feel like I've been doing CPR with all the pressing down of the pilot light button.) Many thanks, sweet couple.
PS: Got a question on the window insulation. Are you placing it with the reflective side facing in? I've only seen these used in hot weather to block the sun.
Wow. Breathtaking views at Yellowstone.
We camp in winter in Idaho often, including the last week Yellowstone park is open to cars. We always bring a backup heater. A Mr heater buddy heater with a few extra bottles of propane, but have not had to use it yet .
0:56 My brother in law is from Oslo Norway and lives with my sister and kids in Colo Spngs. Every time I go visit and I gripe about the snow, he always says that saying.
We traveled many times from Wyoming to southern destination in February & March when winter is still a factor, we would warm the RV & use water from 1 gallon jugs until we got south enough to add water to the coach. Also I carried a small air compressor to blow out lines when returning to sub zero weather..Did this for years & worked well..Hope this helps, Ken
Great video. We are experiencing our first winter fulltiming. Our coldest night so far was 23. We have fled cold snaps below that twice now. One additional tip is to open your cabinets with plumbing to help get the heat to the pipes. But we don’t have enough battery power to run our propane furnace though the night. So below 30 we’re looking for at least partial hookups. Our rig also has tanks heaters another reason for hookups.
We were at Yellowstone October 4th -6th 2016 also. We camped at the Madison campground and we left early because of the snow. This was our first trip in our teardrop and day 4 of 22 on that trip. SEEYA on the road.
Ha! We were probably in the Madison campground together at some point. We stayed there and later also at Mammoth.
I usually just open the shower and lavatory vent and leave the fan off. So far it has worked down to the mid 30's and it keep the moisture down and not let much heat out.
You talked about wool socks. You should also know that a stocking cap can do a lot to keep you warm. Up to 25% of your body heat can escape through your head.
As a former Scoutmaster, whenever a boy complained his feet were cold I'd tell him to put on a hat! It works wonders.
Well, I did mention balaclavas- although your wife may object to you wearing that one overnight. 😜
You do not lose 25% of your body heat through your head. That is a myth.
I definitely wore a beanie cab while sleeping.
warm feet, better sleep
WOW great idea on the microfleece blanket! Thanks for the video
We LOVE your videos! Thank you for all your experience and advice! I have used a "heat seat" similar to (Field & Stream Heat-A-Seat, available at Dick's Sporting Goods) since the early 1970's. It's a cell foam (feels like the insides of an old bean bag chair) that uses your own body heat to keep you warm without batteries, chemicals, or other heating sources. When I was in Girl Scouts, I'd use it to sit on while outside & then carry it to my tent and keep it at my feet in my sleeping bag, all night. My friends wanted to borrow it. I could have rented it out by the hour! I'd stay warm all night long. I still have, and use my original one!
If we have electricity, we run both the gas furnace and occasionally the heat pump. It helps keep the humidity low to run the heat pump.