Winter camping - Page 2 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Camping | Places, Gear and Planning > Trips and Travel Planning
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-27-2015, 06:55 AM   #21
Senior Member
 
skiman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Jeromesville, Ohio
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21' pulled with 2014 Silverado Crewcab
Posts: 853
Quote:
Originally Posted by yardsale View Post
Me too. Wonder if the 160 watt solar panel and dual 6v could manage it.
Don't think so. You could run it on the road but would need to be plugged in to 110 at night. I think pads are several 100 watts. Would eat the battery in short order.
__________________
Carl,

"Isn't it amazing how much stuff we get done the day before vacation?"
Zig Ziglar
skiman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 01:07 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
bdornbush's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Trailer: 2015 19 foot
Posts: 439
Quote:
Originally Posted by yardsale View Post
You sure about the 19? We saw one in Utah a month ago and I thought it had the offending pipe. Perhaps the 5.0 and the 21?
Our May, 2015, 19 has the short pipe from the black and gray tanks as shown in the photo.
bdornbush is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 01:26 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
float5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdornbush View Post
Our May, 2015, 19 has the short pipe from the black and gray tanks as shown in the photo.
Just to clarify, if you are referring to the photo in post #15, that is our 21'.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
float5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 02:17 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
bdornbush's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Trailer: 2015 19 foot
Posts: 439
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floating Cloud View Post
Just to clarify, if you are referring to the photo in post #15, that is our 21'.
Yes, I was but shouldn't have. Our 19 has the same set of valves but there are just inches of pipe between the valves and the tanks.
bdornbush is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 06:48 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
alanmalk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Arvada, Colorado
Trailer: 2015 E'21 - 'Velocity'. Tow: Toyota Tacoma V6, 4X4, manual.
Posts: 1,680
Quote:
Originally Posted by kym View Post
Thank you all for your your responses. We are not
As a new escape owner, your comments and ideas are appreciated.
Ken
Hi Ken,
I just returned today from a 3 night trip in central Colorado where the temperature dropped to 19F/-7C at night, but warmed to "almost pleasant" mid-day.

Steps I took:
Didn't use the black tank - parked close to the outhouse. (Only one other brave camper in sight, we had private outhouses.)

Drained the grey water tank every night into a pail and disposed in the outhouse. The campground water system was off so I had to be conservative with water.

Ran the propane heater after dinner and before breakfast for a couple of hours. One tank of propane went empty but I don't know how full it was prior to the trip.

Always kept the bathroom vent open and one MaxxFan open - all the time. Ran the fan on exhaust while cooking or dishwashing to remove moisture. No condensation problems.

No heat while sleeping. Interior got down to near freezing. Praise to those geese who sacrificed their down to keep me warm.

No heat pads installed and no 110v power available at this campsite.

I did have ETI install 12v heat tape on the waterlines that are below the floor on my '21 but as an experiment did not use it. No freeze issues. Probably would have been more useful to have 12v heat tape around the waste tank valves. My 6 feet of tape draws 1.5 amps which would not have been a severe drain if used only at night or for a few hours prior to dumping.

I did have ETI run a cheap tube from near the hot water heater to near the fresh water tank. They would not hook it up to avoid code violations, but I did - so I can run hot water from the hot water heater back into my fresh water tank and warm the entire tank up a bit. I did one night but suspect it was unnecessary since the daytime temps were nicely above freezing.

I purchased a 150W solar panel and placed it on the ground aimed at the noon sun. It provided more than double the amps that the fixed ETI panel provided, due to being pointed directly at the low angle winter sun. Probably won't take it camping in the summer unless in a shady campground. Very happy with that purchase.

Hope some of that helps...

--
Alan
alanmalk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 07:10 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,528
Great write up of your procedures, Alan. Did you not find condensation building at night as the temps drop to near freezing. I found if I kept the temp up to 9°C (48°F) it reduced the condensation effect quite a bit.

Interesting too on the portable solar panel. I am still contemplating which way to go, mounted with a possible supplemental panel like you did, or just use a portable 160W only, as it would not be needed on short stays at all.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2015, 10:40 AM   #27
Senior Member
 
alanmalk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Arvada, Colorado
Trailer: 2015 E'21 - 'Velocity'. Tow: Toyota Tacoma V6, 4X4, manual.
Posts: 1,680
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
Great write up of your procedures, Alan. Did you not find condensation building at night as the temps drop to near freezing. I found if I kept the temp up to 9°C (48°F) it reduced the condensation effect quite a bit.
If I had access to 110v I would be running a small plug-in heater for that purpose. But this trip I was away from civilization and camping solo. Being solo there was much less tendency to form condensation than typical. (Showers and camping solo don't mix )

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
Interesting too on the portable solar panel. I am still contemplating which way to go, mounted with a possible supplemental panel like you did, or just use a portable 160W only, as it would not be needed on short stays at all.
I don't intend to carry around the portable panel in the summer when there are longer hours of sunshine and higher sun angle. The roof mounted panel should provide all I need. Of course, your personal electrical usage and camping style will dictate how much power you actually need.

--
Alan
alanmalk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2015, 11:45 AM   #28
Senior Member
 
MyronL's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
Next to the Rio Grande River. Mostly had the place to ourselves. Looks colder than it was.
Attached Thumbnails
WinterCo2.jpg  
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
MyronL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2015, 04:23 PM   #29
Senior Member
 
EDarby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Trailer: 2015 Escape 17B - 2009 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
Posts: 551
Great info, Alan -- I took a screen shot! Thanks!
__________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
–– C.S. Lewis
EDarby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2016, 08:26 AM   #30
Senior Member
 
Daubsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2009 Escape 19'
Posts: 242
I didn't want to start a new thread so I'm just posting here...

My wife and I want to take our Escape to Denver, CO around mid-March. Should we be concerned about ice and snow at this time?
Daubsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2016, 10:28 AM   #31
Senior Member
 
escape artist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Thomas not BVI., Ontario
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0TA / 2016 Ram Eco Diesel 4X4
Posts: 8,035
Hi: All... No ice here except in the ice house. Gulf St. Pk. Alabama is huge. Over 6100 acres and hundreds of sites. They put us on site #1 so "Escape Hatch II" gets lots of attention. First folks to stop in left their 19'er back home in Colorado and are wintering in a mega 5th. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
__________________
Quote Bugs Bunny..."Don't take life too seriously, none of us get out of it ALIVE"!!!
'16 Ram Eco D. 4X4 Laramie Longhorn CC & '14 Escape 5.0TA
St.Thomas (Not the Virgin Islands) Ontario
escape artist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2016, 08:51 PM   #32
Senior Member
 
alanmalk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Arvada, Colorado
Trailer: 2015 E'21 - 'Velocity'. Tow: Toyota Tacoma V6, 4X4, manual.
Posts: 1,680
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daubsy View Post
...
My wife and I want to take our Escape to Denver, CO around mid-March. Should we be concerned about ice and snow at this time?
March is usually the month with the greatest total monthly snowfall, so yes, do keep an eye on the weather. The good news is that the sunshine is usually strong enough in mid-March that the roads in the Denver area rarely ice up. The mountains west of the city are another world altogether. There is an old saying up there: "Its still winter" which may be true through June some years.

--
Alan
alanmalk is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:54 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.