I see lots of responses...I confess I didn't read all of them.
I've done lots of cold-weather boondocking...even in a PUP...photo of a trip in March in the
Lost Creek Wilderness in CO. We woke up in the morning with a skim of ice on the dog's water dish. Right on the edge...but with a bit of margin for another degree or two.
With the heat running, everything inside the coroplast is safe. Your furnace should dump heat into the underbelly.
What's at risk? The "Dangly Bits." Low point drains, fresh tank drain, and the all-important black and grey tank dumps...not to mention the city water input...because you said you are boondocking.
What can you do?
1) Get some
self-adhesive duct insulation and tape it onto the coroplast to protect the low point drains and the fresh tank drain.
2) Before you go, and every time you dump, FIRST dump about a gallon or so of RV antifreeze down the toilet and down a sink to get antifreeze down into the exposed parts of the black and grey dumps. Put enough in each to be sure you fill all the exposed plumbing. Flushing and using the sinks/shower won't dilute the antifreeze enough to be a concern unless temps dip below about 20 degrees F.
3) A belt and suspenders approach might include some
fiberglass pipe insulation around the black and grey dumps. But with antifreeze in the dangly parts of those pipes, they should be well protected.
With these precautions, nothing in the 30's will pose a threat...even though freezing is at 32 degrees. If it's predicted to get down to about 27 degrees or lower, you might be wise to dump your fresh tank and low point drains...and LEAVE THEM OPEN. Again, what's up inside the coroplast will be safe so long as the furnace is running.
We boondock exclusively, so we always fill the fresh tank AND carry
four of these 7 gallon jugs full of water to add more without having to find a source. If you are concerned about water, 4 of these, empty, can be used to go get more water if you need to dump...or run out...without having to move the rig. I have a
spare cap, and I adapted the cap with a 1/2" NPT to barb adapter, about 15" of clear hose and a hose clamp, so I can fill my gravity fill tank with ease. The plumbing parts are available at any hardware store. If you have a pressure fill for your fresh tank (part of the city water connection),
you'll need a pump to pull water from jugs and get it into your fresh tank...something a boondocker should have anyway. I prefer 120 volt items if I have a generator.
If you're boondocking and you're far from others, consider running your generator overnight to deal with the heavy 12 volt loads by the furnace, etc. Check your rig. If you have 12 volt tank heater pads, you can use them if the generator is running and replacing that heavy load on the battery. Not able to run the generator because you're close to another rig? You'll have to be a bit more careful.
ALWAYS disconnect any hoses from the outside of your rig. Those of us who live with winter know that a hose connected to one's home will damage the "hose bib"...the outside faucet...because it can't drain properly. NO HOSES SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO ANYTHING when there's a threat of freezing. Any hose of any type (e.g. stinky slinky) can hold water in places where it can freeze...including your dump valves. That, too, is more of an RV park thing, but worth noting.
The second pic is of our new rig in the Lost Creek Wilderness...about 1/2 mile down an ATV trail...in the late fall. Note that the aspens have no leaves.
Good luck on your adventure. Note that large areas are on fire in NM, so plan accordingly. Wildfire smoke travels many hundreds of miles, so make sure you aren't in the smoke plume, or it's VERY hard on your respiratory system. Given this, you might want to
bring a propane fire pit, because open fires are likely to be prohibited. We started using one because of a fire ban during our March trip in the photo...years ago. We actually MUCH prefer it to a wood fire. No smoke, sparks, stench on your clothes, and no threat of setting the world on fire. It's instant on and instant off. And people can sit all around the fire with no need to keep moving to get out of the smoke plume. Plan on one 20# tank lasting 2 days...which is far cheaper than buying firewood at a Seven-Eleven. And, in case you aren't familiar with this, because of the threat of "foreign" insects on drought stressed trees, bringing in your own firewood is seriously frowned upon.
OK, I've wandered away from the question far enough.
~CA
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