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Old 12-22-2020, 07:04 PM   #1
Das Jackmanz
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Talking Gonna try winter camping!

So we've been camping a couple years and we upgraded to a new to us 2012 Hideout 31BHDS.

It was winterized when we bought it but we've been itching to camp it so leaving the weekend after Christmas for a couple day get away.

Looking for suggestions from seasoned campers on winter camping.

Gonna take space heaters so we don't burn thru so much propane. Was thinking of filling my freshwater tank for use and emptying it and dumping before we head home instead of staying hooked on a full hookup sight and taking the chance of something freezing.

Really looking forward to the tips and tricks you all can offer.

Thanks in advance!!
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Old 12-22-2020, 07:38 PM   #2
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Be sure the furnace runs enough to throw some heat on the dump valves.
Fort Richardson State Park ain't bad.
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Old 12-22-2020, 08:07 PM   #3
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Be careful with the space heaters, we used an infrared heater when we winterwd over in a permanent spot in Idaho.we still used a bunch of propane. I'd also bring an electric blanket if you're plugging in to a parks power supply.
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Old 12-22-2020, 10:29 PM   #4
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I see Hillsboro as your location, TX or OR?
If Oregon head for the coast, temperatures are mild in the winter mostly above freezing.
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:32 AM   #5
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When you get ready to leave, don't forget that your dump valves may be exposed outside the under belly and could be frozen even though you have had the heat going.

Years ago on our first winter outing, I was going to dump and didn't pay attention to the above - I pulled the T-handle and rod right out of the frozen solid dump valve. Needless to say, we had to wait until the valve got thawed out and then had an absolute mess on our hands getting the valve open, the tank emptied, and the valve replaced.

Our relatively new trailer has the dump valves at the tank and up under the coroplast (spelling?). But the secondary "last chance" valves are outside right at the end of the dump line and exposed. So those valves get left in the open condition (with a cap) if it is going to freeze. No matter what the circumstances, I am always "gentle" with all the dump valves.
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:41 AM   #6
Das Jackmanz
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I see Hillsboro as your location, TX or OR?
If Oregon head for the coast, temperatures are mild in the winter mostly above freezing.
lol, Ohio actually. We’re headed for Amish Country for a few days.
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:42 AM   #7
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A Harbor Freight heat gun and a good extension cord can be your two best friends..
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Old 12-23-2020, 07:03 AM   #8
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Really depends on the what the cold temps are at and for how long. If it warms up daily above freezing I would not worry much at all. Run the RV furnace to make sure under trailer tanks and pipes doe not freeze. To help, leave the floor cabinet doors open.
If its below freezing the whole time, and your in a park. Want to keep it simple, keep the unit winterized and use the park restrooms. Use water from a bottle. I have winter camped since before school age. During hunting seasons and all types of things can and do go wrong. Mainly due to how cold and for how long.
We go knowing it's cold and bring more blankets and winter clothes, tried different extras like electric blankets, space heaters. But I am talking dry camping. We just bring enough propane.
If at a park with unlimited electricity than bring what you want. They likely sell propane there if you need more. Your not living in it all winter using propane. Propane use will not ruin your savings account.
Remember it's not built like your home with 1 foot of insolation under the floor or 6 inches in the walls. Water pipes buried under the freeze levels.
Bottom line is it's a just a RV, the floors, walls windows will be cold to the touch. You will build up lots of moisture from just breathing. Pipes will freeze if temps stay below 32F for days unless you make lots of improvements. Even so, it still can happen.
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Old 12-23-2020, 07:21 AM   #9
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Funny how age changes needs and perspective. In my youth camping in winter (mainly packing in for hunting) consisted of drinking water from a spring or melting snow. Shelter? Yes, I took a tent instead of just the sleeping bag and the only freezing concern was my fingers and toes. Now, I want all the comforts of home and dislike it when I have to take the dog out in the cold (at home we open the door and let him run).
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Old 12-23-2020, 08:40 AM   #10
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I see Hillsboro as your location, TX or OR?
If Oregon head for the coast, temperatures are mild in the winter mostly above freezing.
Or North Carolina, or Ohio, or Indiana?

If camping in cold weather where you WILL be in freezing weather, dry camp, like you would in a tent. No water in your tanks. Use a port-a-potty you can dump every day in a pit toilet or campground sewer system. use water from containers, and put no water down the sinks. Take cat-baths with water warmed on the stove, and use lots of paper plates and plastic dinner ware so you can minimize dish washing. Keep your furnace running, don't cheap out here. Your furnace will help keep the underbelly of the camper a little warm too, even if it's not designed for that, it just happens and helps the floor from being so danged cold.

If you are in a freeze zone state, and you do use water in your camper fresh water and drain systems, you WILL need to winterize when you are done, or you WILL have frozen pipes and broken valves, and leaky sink faucets that spew water everywhere, and broken pipes under the floor.

If you are in an area where it just drops down to 32 at night and then warms up in the day, you'll be fine with water in your tanks.

If you ARE in a freeze zone, you do NOT want to hook up a water hose to your trailer and leave it turned on. It WILL freeze and break.

Again, your best option for a couple day journey is to use no water in your camper systems. Bring your own water, dump everything outside the trailer, and absolutely nothing goes down the sink drains or toilet.

We use our Montana High Country all winter long. We do not have running water in it, even though it's rated for zero degree weather. But in order to accomplish that, the furnace will run through a 30 pound tank of propane above every 24 hours. it costs, yes. But it's worth it. And absolutely no water. We use a port-a-potty.
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Old 12-23-2020, 08:50 AM   #11
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Or North Carolina, or Ohio, or Indiana?

If camping in cold weather where you WILL be in freezing weather, dry camp, like you would in a tent. No water in your tanks. Use a port-a-potty you can dump every day in a pit toilet or campground sewer system. use water from containers, and put no water down the sinks. Take cat-baths with water warmed on the stove, and use lots of paper plates and plastic dinner ware so you can minimize dish washing. Keep your furnace running, don't cheap out here. Your furnace will help keep the underbelly of the camper a little warm too, even if it's not designed for that, it just happens and helps the floor from being so danged cold.

If you are in a freeze zone state, and you do use water in your camper fresh water and drain systems, you WILL need to winterize when you are done, or you WILL have frozen pipes and broken valves, and leaky sink faucets that spew water everywhere, and broken pipes under the floor.

If you are in an area where it just drops down to 32 at night and then warms up in the day, you'll be fine with water in your tanks.

If you ARE in a freeze zone, you do NOT want to hook up a water hose to your trailer and leave it turned on. It WILL freeze and break.

Again, your best option for a couple day journey is to use no water in your camper systems. Bring your own water, dump everything outside the trailer, and absolutely nothing goes down the sink drains or toilet.

We use our Montana High Country all winter long. We do not have running water in it, even though it's rated for zero degree weather. But in order to accomplish that, the furnace will run through a 30 pound tank of propane above every 24 hours. it costs, yes. But it's worth it. And absolutely no water. We use a port-a-potty.
What a depressing scenario! And what the heck is a "cat bath". Cats lick themselves to keep clean and I couldn't reach any really important parts with the licking technique!
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:43 AM   #12
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Did the OP ever divulge which Hillsboro their hanging out in...

In Hillsboro, Texas or any place in Texas including the panhandle we (as in the DW & me) camp year-around regardless of the cold.. About the only thing that'll keep us home is road closures.
We use a Pirit heated hose and that's about it.. Other than wrapping the dump valves and pipe that was exposed under the trailer with pipe insulation and duct tape.

In the Cougar we spent a week camping in Caprock Canyon and the temps would drop to 10`F during the night and 28`to 35`F during the day with snow on a couple of those days. We went through nearly 90 pounds of propane in those 6 nights.. but never ran out.

We ran the fireplace during the day and set the thermostat at 65` and at night turned it down to 60` About the only thing we'd do different is get an electric blanket for the bed.

Caprock is not a full hookup park so I used the portable dump tank to haul the bath water off every other day and I used the heat gun to thaw the cap off the 3"..

I can't even count all the nights we camped in weather where the temps got into the mid-teens at night and the above is pretty much all I've ever done.. other that keep an eye out and try to avoid trouble..

We're headed out for a week Friday..

Good camping and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year..
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Old 12-23-2020, 12:07 PM   #13
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... And what the heck is a "cat bath". ...
You must be much younger than I am and not familiar with some the terms we grew up with 50, 60, 70 years ago.

Cat Bath: When you use a minimal amount of water, in a small basin or even a small pot, a small wash cloth, and a bar of soap. That's all the water you use and you toss the used water on the ground when done.

I was in the Army from 1982 to 1988 and even then, we were taught to take "cat baths" using our steel pots (helmets without the liner) and one helmet full, was all the water we got.

They instructed (basic training), brush teeth first, spit the water on the ground. Wash face with a wash cloth, rinse. Ring the wash cloth out on the ground. Get it wet again, more soap and move downward, doing under arms and "privates" last. Rinse wash cloth one more time and toss out remaining water from the pot (if any left).

This is a cat bath.

If the camper is already winterized and the original poster is planning on winter camper and camping in freezing weather, he will either need to unwinterize, keep pipes from freezing, and then winterize again when done. Or ... dry camp and run no risk of waterlines freezing.

And just for the record, if you've never heard the term "Navy Shower" either, that is a term that came from the military where sailors on a ship were given a limited amount of water to take a shower. Because the water was so limited, a Navy Shower means, turning on the shower, get wet, shut the water off. Soap up. Turn water back on and rinse... all within a specified amount of water run time. Which is very short/
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Old 12-23-2020, 12:27 PM   #14
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You must be much younger than I am and not familiar with some the terms we grew up with 50, 60, 70 years ago.

Cat Bath: When you use a minimal amount of water, in a small basin or even a small pot, a small wash cloth, and a bar of soap. That's all the water you use and you toss the used water on the ground when done.

I was in the Army from 1982 to 1988 and even then, we were taught to take "cat baths" using our steel pots (helmets without the liner) and one helmet full, was all the water we got.

They instructed (basic training), brush teeth first, spit the water on the ground. Wash face with a wash cloth, rinse. Ring the wash cloth out on the ground. Get it wet again, more soap and move downward, doing under arms and "privates" last. Rinse wash cloth one more time and toss out remaining water from the pot (if any left).

This is a cat bath.

If the camper is already winterized and the original poster is planning on winter camper and camping in freezing weather, he will either need to unwinterize, keep pipes from freezing, and then winterize again when done. Or ... dry camp and run no risk of waterlines freezing.

And just for the record, if you've never heard the term "Navy Shower" either, that is a term that came from the military where sailors on a ship were given a limited amount of water to take a shower. Because the water was so limited, a Navy Shower means, turning on the shower, get wet, shut the water off. Soap up. Turn water back on and rinse... all within a specified amount of water run time. Which is very short/
I'm 71 and that ain't what WE call them baths...

WE called them (rhymes with OAR) baths... was what we called them
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Old 12-23-2020, 01:42 PM   #15
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Growing up in my house those were "spit baths", who, how, why they were called that I have no idea.
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:43 PM   #16
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Growing up in my house those were "spit baths", who, how, why they were called that I have no idea.
Maybe it's because if we didn't do it right ourselves, our mothers would "spit" on a rag and rub the skin off ever spot we missed! Mostly, behind the ears? Been there, done that ... or should I say, ... been the "victim" of that!
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Old 12-23-2020, 07:49 PM   #17
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Any problems with using the slides when it’s really cold? Wondering if the motors draw more amps when the grease or whatever lubricant they use is cold. Should the seals have conditioner on them?
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Old 12-23-2020, 08:11 PM   #18
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Any problems with using the slides when it’s really cold? Wondering if the motors draw more amps when the grease or whatever lubricant they use is cold. Should the seals have conditioner on them?
As long as the inside is above freezing you shouldn't have any problems although you probably will need to clean off any accumulated ice and snow.
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Old 12-23-2020, 08:53 PM   #19
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As long as the inside is above freezing you shouldn't have any problems although you probably will need to clean off any accumulated ice and snow.
Ok thanks ..appreciate the info
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Old 12-27-2020, 09:41 AM   #20
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So we've been camping a couple years and we upgraded to a new to us 2012 Hideout 31BHDS.

It was winterized when we bought it but we've been itching to camp it so leaving the weekend after Christmas for a couple day get away.

Looking for suggestions from seasoned campers on winter camping.

Gonna take space heaters so we don't burn thru so much propane. Was thinking of filling my freshwater tank for use and emptying it and dumping before we head home instead of staying hooked on a full hookup sight and taking the chance of something freezing.

Really looking forward to the tips and tricks you all can offer.

Thanks in advance!!
For a weekend I personally would dry camp. Keep the rig winterized and take some jugs of water for drinking etc. No water into your rv systems. Put a bucket in the sink for dish and hand washing and throw it outside. Use a port-a-potty or campground restrooms. My Monty 5er has a winter package with heated tanks etc. and I have lots of heat wrap and heated hose, even with that If I go camp for just a couple days I dry camp. Make sure you have plenty of propane and run the furnace. It will put heat in the underbelly which you want. I also use electric heaters during the day to supplement the furnace. At night I use a heater and electric blanket in the bedroom but the rest of the rv is heated with the furnace. Turn it down to around 65. Bedroom stays toasty with electric heater and blanket. So for just a weekend camp, I would recomend dry camp. If longer freezing camps, you need more heated equipment. Good heated water hose, lots of heat wrap for dump hose and valves, and I even wrap the campground water spigot. My rv tanks are heated so the heat there is on. I have an extra 30 pound propane tank and rotate it as I run through my other tanks. Never run out. Im always in a Rv park so not boon docking. Just need the right equipment for the situation. Have fun!
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