Cold Weather Camping

I"m taking my '05 2619 TM out for the first time the w/e of 3/24 in central Maryland. The weather forecast says high of 47 and low 20s. We've had some warm weather so I'm thinking the ground has warmed up. The camp site is full hookup - water, electric and sewer. Any advise? Thanks.

Carol

Get a 1500 watt electric heater. Since you will have shore power, why burn up your propane. 1500 watts is probably the largest you could use on the TM circuit. Some people run a second one, if it is really cold, by running an extension cord from another plug if the campsite next to you is vacant. If you choose to use an extension cord for an electric, be sure is is large enough for the task. Cermaic style heaters seem to be the most popular. Search on heaters may find some interesting reading.

Most campers seem to use the electric heat to save propane but still leave the propane furnace on low to keep it from getting too cold if the electric heater can not put out enough heat.

Close off the larger sources of drafts. My largest one is the door bottom. Others report drafts at the bunk ends.

Have fun.

Thanks for the info. I have a ceramic heater & heavy duty electric cord that I'll be sure to take with me. The water was a main concern. Thanks again.
Carol

check my report here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=3782

Bill & Lisa
I don't have access to the link you posted. May be I have limited access. Do I need to become a member? How do I do that and how much does it cost? Thanks.
Carol

[B_and_D]

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=1064

Does this link work for you? It explains how to become a member.

About the condensation - we find that it helps to run a small AC fan to help circulate the air.

sorry about not being able to use the link. Hopefully the other reply gave you the info to join the site. here is a cut and paste of what I posted. There is a ton of this type of detailed information on any topic you can think of available to site sponsors. Well worth the $12. You will get your moneys worth the first day.

Bill

Well, we went out for our monthly escape from life, this time to Cheatam Annex near Williamsburg Va.

We had snow on Saturday although it didn't last too long it was pretty on the trees while it was there. Temperature got down to 18.7 F on Saturday night (lowest I saw anyway). Earlier in the evening when it looked like it go below freezing I went and disconnected from "city" water and filled the onboard tank up about 1/3 (we have the 40 gal potable mod).

No problems with the water freezing up although we think the cold water line to the shower came awful close - when breaking down Sunday, DW couldn't get flow to rinse the Thetford but after using some hot the cold worked again.

Outside was a different matter - Black water Valve was frozen stuck. Took 10-15 minutes of using a hair dryer and cups of hot water to free up the valve. No problem with the grey water valve or the water in the tank freezing.

Since the TM is so easy to winterize I do it every time we break camp in the winter and before I tow it back to the storage location. The drain plugs are not insulated from the cold and a couple of them were frozen. The furthest forward was not a problem (hot water tank drained through it). The drain on the potable tank was a plug of ice that I had to melt with the blow dryer. One of the rear plugs was frozen shut and again the hair dryer was put to use. Even one I got it open very little water came out but it might have been because the forward drain had been draining the whole time. I still ran the hair dryer on them for a while just to be safe.

I was very impressed with the insulation provided by the TM. We maintained the inside at 65 degrees (a 47 degree delta at the coldest point) using 2 ceramic heaters (one in the back bed and one in the front on the floor) with the propane furnace occasionally kicking in if the temp dipped below 65. That is with one of the sky lights cracked and the window in the door cracked to help minimize condensation.

We will be putting pipe wrap on the stub tubes from the 4 drain locations before I put the TM back in stroage.
Bill

Hi Bill,
Thanks for all the info and details about your trip and dealing with the cold. I'll look further into become a site sponsor. This site has been priceless. Thanks everyone.

Carol

Speaking of cold weather camping - here is a link to a story about a family that was snowbound in their RV for 17 days in Oregon. It does have a happy ending and perhaps a take-home message of having extra supplies on hand.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/22/fam....ap/index.html

This past weekend we went on our maiden voyage to Morris Meadows and it was a very positive experience. The TM towed well and went up into place like a dream. The first night temp went down to 38 degrees F. The space heater was on and the furnace kicked on about 3 times when it would go below 60. We were very comfortable and cozy inside. The second night temp only dropped to 42 degrees. The days were cool but a heavy jacket was all that was needed. Looking forward to our trip out to Western MD in May.
Carol