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Old 11-06-2017, 11:56 AM   #1
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Cold Weather Boondocking

Any cold weather campers here? It's getting to be that time of year that most people are shutting down for the season here in the north east. Anyone do extended or cold weather boondocking? I'm thinking of using my trailer for rifle deer season and here in PA, the temp can range from 70 all the way down to the teens depending on the year. Other than the typical having enough propane and power to get me through, what other tips or tricks do you all use for extended cold weather use?
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Old 11-06-2017, 12:53 PM   #2
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You will have it really nice in that TT. My neighbor uses an old PU for deer hunting. It is really funny looking. He has many rolls of Reflex that he completely covers the PU in. He also runs a propane powered catalytic heater inside with an oxygen depletion sensor, as it takes no electricity to run. For him, it works.

My biggest concerns on your TT, would be keeping the tanks warm enough during those very cold trips.
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Old 11-06-2017, 01:44 PM   #3
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We winterize the TT and dry camp through the winter.

I pour some antifreeze in the black tank before we leave and we use a water bottle to flush the toilet. No big deal to us since we're used to tent camping all winter, it's luxury living for us
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Old 11-06-2017, 02:55 PM   #4
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Yes, my tanks are my biggest concern. I have an enclosed underbelly, but no tank heaters. I like the idea of just bringing some extra water along with us and using that to flush.

I'll try that this weekend with the family. It's supposed to be near 20 on Saturday morning, so maybe we will try going to our regular boondocking spot while winterized. We already done several nights in the ~30 range this fall with no issue. There's enough heat in and around the trailer with the furnace running to keep the tanks happy at that temp. I don't think I'm brave enough to try 20 without winterizing with a new trailer.
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Old 11-06-2017, 05:25 PM   #5
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With the overnight low's in the low 20's with day time highs well above freezing, we have not had any issues. We do have an open underbelly with no heat pads. I have to admit, my DW refuses to camp in the cooler months without electric.
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Old 11-06-2017, 05:38 PM   #6
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With the overnight low's in the low 20's with day time highs well above freezing, we have not had any issues. We do have an open underbelly with no heat pads. I have to admit, my DW refuses to camp in the cooler months without electric.
Just to confirm, this is with water in your tanks and lines correct?
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Old 11-07-2017, 09:03 AM   #7
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During cold weather you'll use a lot more electricity. If you are plugged in that's no issues. When boondocking get you'll need to run the generator a lot more to power the furnace fan etc. Some folks run the Genny all night if they are in really cold temps. If you are running the generator
that opens up lots of heating options like an electric blanket.....
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Old 11-25-2017, 05:15 PM   #8
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OK, a couple of observations to add to this thread.

First, we are having no issue with keeping the trailer warm for now. We've been down to approx 20 briefly without a problem. That of course is with the days being well above freezing and running the furnace.

As mentioned above, we are having to run our generator nearly all night to keep up with the furnace use etc. Still loving every bit of this, but will need to rethink our long term generator situation if we continue this on a regular basis. Ours has been on its last legs for some time and it really messes up the peace and quiet of where we are camping, so maybe Santa will bring me a new setup.
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Old 11-25-2017, 05:31 PM   #9
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We're in Maine. The TT is fine if you treat it as a hard sided tent
The propane is useable.
Water systems aren't
We carry a couple of gallons in the cab of the truck which isn't frozen during transit
In the am you have to thaw.
The bathroom is off limits. We carry wag bags and a bucket with a seat
But in reality campgrounds that are open have heated bathroom facilities

We don't winter camp per se but the annual
trip to Florida requires not dewinterizing till we get to North Carolina

Sleeping below zero is fine without heat with appropriate sleeping bags
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Old 11-25-2017, 07:10 PM   #10
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We stayed in a family member's 32TSBH for a week for hunting season. We had shore power and ran 1 space heater in the rear bedroom for the kids. We also had the furnace set to around 70*. It kept the trailer comfortable (although I would have killed for a digital thermostat like I have) but we sucked a 30lb propane bottle dry after 4 nights with temps just below freezing at night and warmer during the day. We didn't bother with water in the lines as the trailer doesn't have the thermal package or the heated enclosed underbelly. It can be done, but it definitely costs to keep a trailer that big warm.
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Old 11-25-2017, 08:21 PM   #11
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Quote:
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Just to confirm, this is with water in your tanks and lines correct?
Water in all the tanks, and all the water lines.
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Old 11-25-2017, 08:32 PM   #12
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Water in all the tanks, and all the water lines.
Thanks. That's what we have been doing also. So far so good.
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Old 12-06-2017, 11:52 AM   #13
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I am new at this but do a lot of research. First off is it an all male trip or do you need to make provisions for females . I have moved into my X213 which has an heated underbelly and still have it winterized. What I do for the call in the middle of the night is use a plastic ( 48 oz 3lbs) coffee can for my liquids and a 10 gallon garbage bag in my toilet. It fits well under the seat. You can put a cup or two of cat litter for the smell. But I would dispose of it promptly . Water is in the form of jugs . I use plastic utensils and paper plates. Since I'm using a generator at night I keep one jug of water in front of a heating vent so that by time the heat is turned off in the morning it doesn't get cold enough to freeze by night . The weather has been mild so haven't seen 20's yet but I am sure It will be fine . Heat still goes on a lot even on low. Extra blankets. Any time it is in the high 40's I have heat off as long as I can. I try to use the microwave for as much as possible to save gas .Try to face the biggest window to the south for as much sun as possible for solar affect . Oh and I close up my bed slide out to make the camper smaller to heat while sleeping . Ok I hope some of this helps and I am using all the other suggestions too. Good Luck and Happy Camping
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Old 12-31-2017, 10:42 PM   #14
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My experience...

I've had a few, three-day/four-night boondocking trips that at night it got to the high teens/low twenties. I had full fresh water and wastewater in my gray and black tanks. I kept my heater at 65deg during the night and turned it down to 40 during the day. The day temps were in the high 40's/low 50's. My trailer has a sealed/heated underbelly, a heater duct that dumps hot air into the underbelly. My heater did run a lot during the night, but my single 80Ah battery had no issue keeping the heat on at night. I use a 15w solar charger to help top off the battery during the day, and I run my generator about 20-30min each morning to run my electric oven for breakfast.

When I pulled out from camp to head home, I drained the fresh water, drained the water heater, and opened the valves to drain the plumbing lines since I turned the heat off for the trip home.

If I go out now during the peak of winter, I have my trailer winterized. I have three 7gal water jugs I use for drinking/cooking, dishes, and to flush the toilet. Before going out, I put a splash of RV antifreeze in all the p-traps/gray tank and black tank. When I get home, I dump the tanks and add antifreeze to the traps and black tank again. I don't use the black tank flush in the winter; I don't want to have to blow anything out after each winter trip.

A long-winded way of saying, if temps are going to be way below twenty then I shift over to semi-dry camping with water jugs. High teens/low twenties I keep an eye out for any issues, but I use the heater to keep things warm and thawed out. On one of my trips, the last morning we woke up with 6" of snow on the ground.
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