winter camping for the first time... help!

[coralcrazed]

ok going camping in below zero temp for the first time... I sure could use some advice on do's and don'ts... what to do about the water hose during below zero temps at night? day? sewer lines? are there any precasions to take with onboard water supply? do you fill the water tank? drip the faucet to prevent freezing? pour anti-freeze in the sewer tank? will the onboard heat sorces be enough to keep the camper warm at night? do you reccomend bringing allong additional electric radiators/heat sources for supplement? is the 2730 insulated enough to keep the heat in and maintain a comfortable interior temprature? is there air infiltration through the flaps...? lots of questions. If you've been camping in the winter or traveled in your camper in cold months... I'd like to know tips/tricks/advice/warnings... thanks in advance.

[scrubjaysnest]

your best answer:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...t=17+days+utah

[coralcrazed]

I can not access that link unfortunatly...

Originally Posted by coralcrazed

ok going camping in below zero temp for the first time... I sure could use some advice on do's and don'ts... what to do about the water hose during below zero temps at night? day? sewer lines? are there any precasions to take with onboard water supply? do you fill the water tank? drip the faucet to prevent freezing? pour anti-freeze in the sewer tank? will the onboard heat sorces be enough to keep the camper warm at night? do you reccomend bringing allong additional electric radiators/heat sources for supplement? is the 2730 insulated enough to keep the heat in and maintain a comfortable interior temprature? is there air infiltration through the flaps...? lots of questions. If you've been camping in the winter or traveled in your camper in cold months... I'd like to know tips/tricks/advice/warnings... thanks in advance.

My advice is take the TM to the nearest Holiday Inn and park it. I would never attempt that kind of venture, that is way to cold for me. I am freezing in Arizona now and it is 53 degrees. You got me "scared" just the thought of that...

[Bill]

Originally Posted by coralcrazed

I can not access that link unfortunatly...

Coralcrazed -

Back in May, you asked the same question - why can't I access a link? At that time you were advised that the problem is that your 30-day Trial Membership has expired. That is still the problem. You need to become a Sponsor, and in May, you said you were about to sign up. Apparently you have not yet done so.

The fee is nominal, and most people agree that it pays for itself many times over. And it is the Sponsor fees that keep us from having to endure advertising on this site. Once you become a Sponsor, you can access the entire content of the board, including the given link, and also use the Search function on "winter camping". There has been a lot of discussion of the topic.

For info on Sponsorship, you can go to the entry page of this forum at trailmanorowners.com and click on the Sponsorship link. Quick, easy, and inexpensive. Join us!

Bill

I have camped in tents at 18F and had no problems. I have never camped below 40F in the TM.

Just make sure you can stay warm and dry. My sleeping bag is rated for -20F. Take three dogs (play on the name of an old band)

Prevent water from freezing. If it was me I would leave the TM empty of water and only use the water I would carry in my 6-8 gallon portable water containers. If they freeze and crack they are cheap to replace.

At some point in temperature propane has a problem. I have never had a problem with Coleman fuel (aka white gas). I would take one of my 6 white gas stoves, just in case.

If you are not in a campground with rest rooms, then I do not have a solution for that issue, other than a good shovel.

Take a quality snow shovel. Have a means of removing snow from the roof. Probably a push broom and step ladder if the snow is light. If the snow on the roof gets deep and freezes then you have a serious problem.

Take a generator to recharge you batteries. Discharged batteries will freeze sooner than fully charged batteries.

Use pool noodles, or equivalent, discussed elsewhere.

Place insulation in the two roof vents.

Sealing off the a/c is probably helpful.

Off the top of my head, that is all I can think of.

Bill is certainly correct that being a member of this forum is well worth the $12 if you have a TM. When I had one, sometime earlier in 2011, it was well worth the $12.

I may have let my membership lapse, but I no longer have a TM though I am quite fond of them.

Still I try to drop by from time-to-time to help out newbies and answer questions. We put a tens of thousands of miles on our TM and we used it literally every month and sometimes more than once a month.

I haven't camped in temps as low as 10 degF, but at just under 20 degF don't count on the shore water line to work. If you are going to use the interior tanks, be aware that when you move your TM the TM's interior is going to get mighty cold and tanks may freeze. The gray water tank is not insulated so I would expect it to be frozen solid at 0 degF. The black water tank on the toliet MAY be OK but I am not sure how the interior dump valve would respond 0 degree temps.

[T and C]

Here is a link that has some posts about my own experience of camping (unexpectedly) in sub-freezing temperatures.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=11319

A few things I learned:

1. Electric heaters in the TM are a big help. They can be set to maintain the temp above freezing level while you are away. They also keep the temps high enough at night to keep from having to use the TM heater. It heats very well, but it sounds like a hurricane is passing through your trailer.

2. If you keep the interior above freezing, the fresh water tank and toilet don't freeze. The grey water will unless you put some anti-freeze in it. Leave the cupboard doors open on the sink side to let heat in where the water is, and leave the bathroom door ajar.

3. You can let it get pretty cold at night in the coach if you have good warm covers or a good sleeping bag.

4. The water hose will definitely freeze. Don't use one of those exterior filters in low temperatures. They split when they freeze up. Do use the pressure regulator, they are metal and don't split. You just turn the interior water pump on in the morning until the hose thaws out.

5. Many people use flotation "noodles" on the bed ends to keep out drafts. We just carry some towels for that purpose. Whatever works. We never have felt drafts through the flaps.

Tom

I don't recall the OP mentioning if hookups were available or if he would be dry camping. No hookups means no electric heaters.

Also, running electric heaters will use a lot of electricity. I have heard, but have never seen, that some RV parks have metered electric. This may be more for the full-timers and is a bigger issue in the summer when everyone is running their a/c.

We have done fine with the gas furnace. I set it overnight at the lowest setting, about 55F. It is noisy, but once we fall asleep it does not wake us.

Running dual 1500 watt heaters will probably require dual power service. I plug one into a TM outlet which is using the 30 amp plug and I run the other with a heavy extension cord plugged in to the 20 amp circuit on the power pedestal. I just run the cord up through the seals between the front upper shell and the lower shell.

I keep the bathroom door open to allow heat into that room.

[scrubjaysnest]

we use a Mr Buddy heater....no electric or DC power needed. We also don't run it at night. We ran the built in heater for 3 mornings, about 30minutes and you are roasting