Brrrrrr

[Baronent]

I have a 2017 x213. I want to take my family to Lake Tahoe for a few nights in December, before the holidays.

We are new to all of this, and loving it. All your posts here have been incredibly helpful. But I can not find too much info on winter camping other than people putting their baby to bed.

Anyone ever been in cold weather in an x213? Am I being crazy taking my family into the mountains for a few nights with this thing, even if it is at a Good Sam spot?

Before I bought the x213, I expressed to the dealer my wanting to use this year round with my kids. He said this trailer can handle cold, but things "may freeze".

Will it be a fun adventure, or will we be miserable and want to go home...

Thoughts?

[tomahawk]

I have not done any winter camping at Lake Tahoe, but I lived in that area and still visit at least once each year so could not resist chiming in.

You say you are new to towing? We have gone thru cold nights in our Jay Feather and never had an issue. Now by cold, I mean in the low - mid 20's but then I have become a Southern California cream puff. The heater kept us toasty and because we were on shore power, we turned off the heater and wrapped up in heated throws, which the little kids love doing. Also, we have the underbelly cover and that may have helped to keep things from freezing.

My bigger concern is towing . . . anything . . . in snow. I hope others respond to that issue as that might be the bigger concern.

Good luck!

[bansai]

Taking a 3 season camper into season 4 is not something I'd experiment with myself.

If you have Full hookups, and keep your fresh water tank Dry, and the furnace going quite a bit (assuming you have the thermal package too), you might be ok. Hit a cold front out there and 'may freeze' turns into 'will freeze'. Even safer option would be to dry camp and you'll be just fine. Not sure if that's an option for you guys. Donner pass can be a bit treacherous in December, not sure how experienced you are towing in those conditions, but it should also weigh heavily in your decision.. If you are unlucky and get hit by a decent storm, might want to research the Donner party for some tips on how to survive that scenario Good luck in any event! If it was me, I wouldn't do it. The lack of posts about winter camping is because the vast majority either store their camper or snowbird somewhere warm. You won't see a lot of TT's north of Texas.

[Jagiven]

How cold is Lake Tahoe that time of year?

We have been out in our 23B, with overnight lows around 24ish degrees, day time highs above freezing, no problems. Our tanks are exposed, but they are large and have a huge thermal mass. we keep our FW tank full, and do not use the city water connection when below freezing. Remember water freezes from the top down. When we are out when it is cold, we make sure to leave the cabinet doors open that have water pipes running through them, so the heat can get to them a little easier.

Typically all we heat with is an electric heater. We will turn on the gas heater in the morning just to bring the temp up to a more comfortable range. with your hard side pullout bunk, you will probably stay warmer than us. We do have aftermarket mattress pad heaters on our bunks.

I meet someone last fall that takes their TT (not a hybrid) to northern Minnesota to a couple State Parks that have a few plowed campsites. When it is that (well below zero) they say they just bring bottled water, add a bunch of windshield washer fluid to the black tank, and use it. All other water goes out the door, not down the tank.

[bankr63]

We often camp in the cold (sub-freezing temps overnight) here in Canada during shoulder season. Looking at the climate data for Tahoe for December, it looks like temperatures can stay below freezing for a large part of the day, and overnights hit 24, so I would not count on the trailer heat keeping things from freezing. Without underbelly heat, things are going to freeze down there. Certainly winterize the camper, so that means no running water.


It is easy enough to keep the camper relatively warm. We bundle up at night and just use the furnace to take the chill out first thing in the morning and a couple of times a day. I know others that run the furnace full time, but that will eat through a couple of tanks of propane very quick. I would not plan on spending a lot of time at the campsite however; that would probably be miserable. We tend to spend our days out and about, and maybe have a very quick campfire in the evening. Campfires are a lousy way to stay warm, so just long enough to make the s'mores, then off to bed.

[Baronent]

I am all for roughing it with the wife, but not sure how far I want to take that with the kids. If a storm hits, I do not want to be anywhere near that area with a trailer. It is scary enough in a car with chains. I guess I will have to bypass that area. Bummer.

I have images of being in the trailer while it is snowing outside. Seems like such a cool experience for the kids. Being a California guy, I want to see snow! I want cold! I want to use the heater in this trailer!

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by Baronent

I am all for roughing it with the wife, but not sure how far I want to take that with the kids. If a storm hits, I do not want to be anywhere near that area with a trailer. It is scary enough in a car with chains. I guess I will have to bypass that area. Bummer.

I have images of being in the trailer while it is snowing outside. Seems like such a cool experience for the kids. Being a California guy, I want to see snow! I want cold! I want to use the heater in this trailer!

Want to consider a house swap in February? You can have all the snow and cold you want. I'll even leave you the keys to our trailer...
(Warning, overnights here will often tip in around -40 in Feb)