Winter camping

[steve dunham]

When camping in winter we wrap a tarp around the trailer to seal off the undercarriage and then stack square hay bales around the trailer. Keeps the floor warmer.
We do not use the trailers water system when hunting / winter camping. We use a temporary pit privy ( A 3 sided box with a toilet seat and a 5 gallon bucket . No privacy but simple and it works.
We dig a hole if the ground isn't frozen and dump our gray water in the hole.

**NOTE ** Daytime temps in the teens - twenties. Nightime temps in the teens to single digits . More like Fall weather not really Winter.

[canyonrider]

We've used our 19's water system with no modification on trips with multiple nights in the low 20s with no issues. We have the optional insulation and foam but no heating pads or heat tape.

Daytime temperatures play a big role, though. On those trips the daytime highs were in the 40s and 50s. We may not have fared as well if it was only getting into the 30s during the day.

I think the bigger issue for the OP is going to be condensation, especially if there are more than one or two people on board.

[cpaharley2008]

You can use your trailer down to at least 30 without freezing issues and if you winterize the water system,, down to zero as long as your have electric available and an electric heater if you run out of propane.

[yardsale]

Originally Posted by davedru

Yardsale - thanks for the tips! Really good to hear from someone that had used these rigs in cold weather for skiing! The details are awesome, and generally we don't mind keeping it fairly minimalist in terms of water use to avoid more work.

We just moved up to Seattle from Utah. Super cool that all of the ski areas around here let you park RV's - some with hook ups if you want them. We used to have a stick trailer that had terrible insulation and we learned our lesson on the winter camping side... I'm stoked to take this thing up to Roger's Pass in BC this winter, and will definitely make a run back to Utah - maybe with a stop in the Tetons- one of my favorite places to ski. Ever skied 25 Short inside the park? Got to be one of favorite all time shots.

Getting pretty stoked to get this show on the road!

It is cool that many western ski areas are RV friendly! You should also be thinking about chains for your tow vehicle and the trailer if you are thinking about Rodger's pass. We skied there once. One of my favorite places to ski in BC is Kootney Pass, and of course Whitewater. 25 Short is on my list for next year! If you want a tour of some of the lines in Teton Pass, stay in touch.

[richardr]

What does everyone do about towing when it is below freezing? Do you turn on your furnace and set the thermostat to the lowest possible setting? Do you secure any cupboard doors in the open position to get heat to the black tank and other piping?

[davedru]

Originally Posted by yardsale

It is cool that many western ski areas are RV friendly! You should also be thinking about chains for your tow vehicle and the trailer if you are thinking about Rodger's pass. We skied there once. One of my favorite places to ski in BC is Kootney Pass, and of course Whitewater. 25 Short is on my list for next year! If you want a tour of some of the lines in Teton Pass, stay in touch.

Stay in touch for sure- I have family up in Nelson, so I ski up there a lot.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by richardr

What does everyone do about towing when it is below freezing? Do you turn on your furnace and set the thermostat to the lowest possible setting? Do you secure any cupboard doors in the open position to get heat to the black tank and other piping?

We have never run our furnace when driving.
When we get to our destination we turn the furnace on while setting up the trailer . The propane furnace warms the trailer up in short order. Cabinet doors are latched and in normal tow position when traveling , we open them up once the heat is on.
We have traveled in temps ranging from 0 deg F to 27 below F and have never had any problems.
We have encountered more problems traveling in hot weather than we ever had traveling in cool / cold weather.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by richardr

What does everyone do about towing when it is below freezing? Do you turn on your furnace and set the thermostat to the lowest possible setting? Do you secure any cupboard doors in the open position to get heat to the black tank and other piping?

We don't tow a lot in freezing but have headed south from MA in January the last 2 winters. We run the heat on low while we travel till we get where it's above freezing at night. We get a full serve site and dewinterize. Did the opposite on the way back for the last 2 years, winterized before getting too far north but didn't bother with the heat as we were on our last stop.

We decided to use the heat at the last minute last year, didn't want to mess around with not taking things that could freeze or move them to the truck.

As we were winterized we didn't worry about the plumbing.