[david_g]

Some thoughts from a full-timer.

Choose your vehicle wisely.
First of all. You’ll often hear/read about “four season” campers as Pippi mentioned. That’s what you want, but don’t believe most of that. I’ve seen “four season” campers advertised that are far from it in the north. In Alabama they might be fours season campers, but not in North Dakota.

Once again, from my experience – few things you want to look for.

1) Insulation, Insulation, Insulation. It is key. Once you get your camper and park it for winter use, you’ll want it skirted, perhaps build a little porch for the front door, maybe use some heat tape, etc.

2) You want an RV with storage under the floor. This is called the basement. With these models, your plumbing runs through the basement. Hanging a couple 60 watt bulbs in the basement keep it nice and warm when the weather is cold.

Be extremely careful with your pipes.
Other precautions include letting water trickle on subzero nights and possibly constructing some kind of dead air space around the sewer pipe so it doesn’t freeze if we get to -30 like last winter! This is advice my dad gave me – don’t even risk it, temperatures in wintery areas can drop fast and even driving on the highway can have the water freezing and destroying the pipes.

You can even use the trailer without using the water lines – just bring along water in other containers, enough for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

Stay warm.
Your main concern will be heating the unit. On batteries with no gen set your very limited, the furnace will eat up your battery in no time. While a hot topic among forums there are many types of propane heaters available to use safely with caution of course, our favorite is Mr Buddy. It, despite some people saying other wise, is safe to use inside 24/7. Just be careful with the size: you might have an issue with condensation if you use an oversized heater in a small space.

Condensation… well.
I try to open a window for at least a short while each day to reduce condensation, but a dehumidifier would be a good idea too (we use Pro Breeze in our 31 length, it does have small capacity but for our vehicle that’s ok + we have a heater I’ve mentioned above). Watch anything which comes in contact with walls, such as your mattress at the top of the bed, pillows since they will pick up condensation and mildew.

And choose your location.
It really depends. For instance, Montana is very capable of having week long stretches of sub -20 degree weather. If you catch such a streak, it is virtually impossible to keep everything unfrozen. At a minimum you will need to have a heated and insulated water hose and access to a heated and insulated water spigot. And if you’re going to stay in warmer states, that won’t be very different from your summer camping.

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