Cooler weather camping

[bicefamily]

We are planning a trip late October through mid November in our Escape 23 from Ontario through upstate New York, Vermont, and then down and over to Tennessee. We are new to this and I’m told that the temperatures can go below freezing that time of year. I don’t want to ruin anything on our water system. Any suggestions for us? We will be mostly boon docking along the way. Should we exclusively dry camp? We do have the insulation underneath, but no heat pads installed.

 

[Ron in BC]

I've done a lot of cold weather traveling. My guideline has always been dependent on how long the freezing part of the day was. If it's above freezing during the day and only drops below freezing overnight and then warms up I don't winterize. Full time freezing, yes, I'd dry camp.

Ron

 

[alanmalk]

Keeping the interior of your trailer at 68F/20C will send a bit of heat into the fresh water plumbing below the floor. Probably enough to keep everything safe during a 3-5 degree excursion below freezing.

I have found that the most vulnerable part if the system is the dump valves since they do not benefit from the interior warmth. Now I pour a gallon of RV antifreeze into otherwise empty grey and black tanks before starting out on a winter trip. It collects in the dump valve area where it is needed most.

 

[brroberts]

If it’s below freezing for long periods, and I want running water, then I want shore power. Like Ron, if it’s not always below freezing, then I’m okay. The cold weather issue for me always comes down to battery power vs furnace operation. If I never run out of electricity for the furnace, then I’m good. What can your battery (ies) deliver in cold weather becomes my limiting question? If that’s a problem, then it’s dry camping.

 

[CE Vogel]

My trailer is not an Escape, but I have relevant experience. The bottom of all my tanks are below the floor insulation, therefore, exposed to freezing temperatures. The fresh water pipe from the tank to the water pump is exposed below the floor insulation for about 18", therefore, exposed to freezing temperatures. I have camped in overnight temperatures into the mid 20s (F) without any trouble. I think if you have the heat on in the trailer and daytime temperatures get above freezing, you will probably be OK with light freezes overnight.

 

[bicefamily]

I've done a lot of cold weather traveling. My guideline has always been dependent on how long the freezing part of the day was. If it's above freezing during the day and only drops below freezing overnight and then warms up I don't winterize. Full time freezing, yes, I'd dry camp.

Ron

Thanks, that’s a good guideline.

 

[LRL]

We are planning a trip late October through mid November in our Escape 23 from Ontario through upstate New York, Vermont, and then down and over to Tennessee. We are new to this and I’m told that the temperatures can go below freezing that time of year. I don’t want to ruin anything on our water system. Any suggestions for us? We will be mostly boon docking along the way. Should we exclusively dry camp? We do have the insulation underneath, but no heat pads installed.

We picked out our E213 in March 2024, and had pretty much any weather you can imagine on our two week trip home to Northern California (freezing, snow, rain… pretty much everything but bright warm sunny days). The trailer did not come with spray on foam insulation, as our prior E21 had. On one cold morning, when nighttime temperatures dipped into the low 20’s F., we got up to find our fresh water intake pipe frozen. As the day progressed, it thawed and all was well. But we’d never had that experience in our foam-covered E21. I’ve since done a spray on foam insulation at home (a miserable job and it sure doesn’t look pretty), and it seems to have done the job. We spent a week in Yosemite in January this year, and had no freezing problems.

 

[MissElaineous]

I have found that the most vulnerable part if the system is the dump valves since they do not benefit from the interior warmth. Now I pour a gallon of RV antifreeze into otherwise empty grey and black tanks before starting out on a winter trip. It collects in the dump valve area where it is needed most.

Two other areas I know others have had issues with

1. In the bathroom the toilet valves near the floor. This is mostly because very little warm air enters the bathroom especially if the door is closed.

2. The area where the water pump and water heater is located. If you can keep that area open or warm at night this should help keep it so nothing freezes.

 

[Perry Butler]

We've camped in our 5.0 at 15-25 F too many times to count. If the next day's high is above freezing we keep our water running. Below 15F we see what the next day highs will be. We've rarely winterized, but have on occasion.

It takes many hours to freeze a line (we had ETI's foam underneath) and a day or more to freeze a tank. In those situations we add a 1/2 gallon of antifreeze to the grey and black so you can still dump.

Food for thought,

Perry