winter camping

[jvuser]

I recently purchased a 2006 Montana with the arctic package. Can I camp at minus 10 celsius? Or even minus 20 celsius?

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by jvuser

I recently purchased a 2006 Montana with the arctic package. Can I camp at minus 10 celsius? Or even minus 20 celsius?

The names they give various packages are a tad misleading. I am guessing Keystone never took a camper into the Arctic and tried to camp. I do think it means that you have an enclosed underbelly with heater outlets to keep things from freezing if you run the propane heater during those cold stretches and it will take a lot of propane. You will need to do other things to camp in those temperatures like perhaps use skirting, use a heated water hose and insulate and perhaps heat your dump hose. An RV has just a little more insulation than a cardboard box and hopefully more experienced cold weather campers will jump in here with tips. The Arctic package is just another advertising gimmick for the most part.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by jvuser

I recently purchased a 2006 Montana with the arctic package. Can I camp at minus 10 celsius? Or even minus 20 celsius?

i’d list all of details of your planned camping trip…are you boondocking in the middle of nowhere? at a campground with full hookups? one night or many days?

if your at a campground you “could” leave all of your plumbing shut off and use the camp facilities and then use electric heaters

if your planning on using your rv for bath and showers you may want to fill the fresh water tank and turn on tank heaters if you have them and don’t use a fresh water hose or at least have a heated hose.

your gonna need lots of propane if you plan on staying any more then a day or two.

[travelin texans]

As already stated at those temps you better have LOTS of propane as the onboard furnace will likely never shut off. Also if boondocking you'll need a generator to keep the batteries charged or they'll be dead quickly also from running the furnace. That furnace is the biggest LP & 12 volt power hog on the entire rv yet barely adequate in those temps.
Personally unless it was absolutely necessary I'd pass on that camping trip as you'll spend all your time trying to stay warm & the rv thawed.

[sourdough]

My question would be "why"? Why camp in weather that cold? Unless it was absolutely imperative I would pass. Lots of things to go wrong if you aren't very familiar with your RV, RV systems and prepared. BTDT

[wiredgeorge]

I imagine the fella has a camper and is wondering what his camping season is realistically up there in the north. Looked at temps for his town and in the coming week below zero F a couple of days and not much over 0F. I hope he didn't buy his camper based on the "Arctic Package" label. I probably wouldn't own a camper if I lived where it got that cold for that long during the year but I am a wimp. In fact, I wouldn't live in a place that got that cold that long during the year. Anything below 60F is cold...

[fjr vfr]

No..No! People from your area use their "Artic Package" trailers in places like Yuma, AZ, Southern CA or Mexico. We are in an RV park in Southern CA and 75% of the people here are from BC or Alberta.
Keep it winterized till you get down here and join us! We're waiting to welcome you...lol

[jvuser]

Originally Posted by fjr vfr

No..No! People from your area use their "Artic Package" trailers in places like Yuma, AZ, Southern CA or Mexico. We are in an RV park in Southern CA and 75% of the people here are from BC or Alberta.
Keep it winterized till you get down here and join us! We're waiting to welcome you...lol

Well, I don't mind a little cooler temperature. I should have provided a little more info I see now. I was not intending to be out for weeks on end, just a long weekend, or even a few days mid week, when the temperature got nearer the zero celsius mark. Which it can do in Southern Alberta for days and even weeks at a time. There was good advice by others, suggesting I not hook up to any water, and I would not have done anyway as they are all turned off mid October and some even by the end of September. But my arctic package does spec some insulation; R14 in the roof, R9 in the side walls and R21 in the floor. So, yes, some additional propane would be good to carry and there are site in Southern Alberta where I can still access power. ( I was not intending to do any boon docking) Thanks for all your advice! However, I will not be joining the rest of the Albertan's in Yuma or Southern California.

[fjr vfr]

Originally Posted by jvuser

Well, I don't mind a little cooler temperature. I should have provided a little more info I see now. I was not intending to be out for weeks on end, just a long weekend, or even a few days mid week, when the temperature got nearer the zero celsius mark. Which it can do in Southern Alberta for days and even weeks at a time. There was good advice by others, suggesting I not hook up to any water, and I would not have done anyway as they are all turned off mid October and some even by the end of September. But my arctic package does spec some insulation; R14 in the roof, R9 in the side walls and R21 in the floor. .

Wait a minute! Zero degrees Celsius is very different than the minus 10 to -20 you posted in the original post! At 0c nighttime temperature you don't need to worry much especially if it gets above freezing during the day.
We have often experienced nighttime temps around -5c without doing anything...as long as it warms up during the day.
If it stays freezing during the day you can still do it using your internal tanks since you have an enclosed bottom. Like others stated, you'll burn through a lot of propane. You'll need the propane heater to keep the internals warm enough for the plumbing not to freeze. Keep the hot water tank on.
Electric heaters will work if you stay winterized. They do nothing for the bottom areas where the plumbing is. You'll also have cold feet...lol
Have fun.

[jvuser]

Zero Celsius during the day. Minus 10 at night.

And the electric heater is a great suggestion. Thanks.

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by jvuser

Zero Celsius during the day. Minus 10 at night.

And the electric heater is a great suggestion. Thanks.

When I lived in Idaho that was a typical late fall day......the best time of the year to camp.

[Hankster]

If you can find a site that has electricity. Get yourself an infra red heater. Ours is in a nice cherry wood cabinet and we use it as a foot stool. When we wintered over n our camper in Idaho the winter of 2018-2019 we'd get about half a week on 2 -20# propane bottles. Luckily we didn't see too much really cold weather that season. Teens Fahrenheit for a few days in a row IIRC.

[vipermike]

My wife and I have a 2006 Montana 2955RL with the 'arctic' package. We were 'camping' at an rv park in cottonwood, AZ last weekend. The nighttime temps were around 30 degrees F. The outside water hose froze. The temperature in the trailer was about 40 degrees. We had an oil filled electric radiator and quilts. We ran the propane furnace to warm up in the morning and evening. There is a heating duct in the belly.
Yes, you can camp at -20C but I wouldn't.

[Gary Rivers]

I found this type of camper most useful for camping in winter weather.
It eliminates need for skirting and is better insulated for cold weather.
https://icecastlefh.com/castles/rv-m...x-22-hybrid-rv.
I hope to trade up to one someday.

[larryflew]

Originally Posted by Gary Rivers

I found this type of camper most useful for camping in winter weather.
It eliminates need for skirting and is better insulated for cold weather.
https://icecastlefh.com/castles/rv-m...x-22-hybrid-rv.
I hope to trade up to one someday.

My son has a 20 foot Ice Castle. Even as set up as they are for winter and that the bottom is closed sitting on the ice they still go through a couple 30 pounders in a little over a week in mild temps at or near freezing so they supplement with electric and run the generator.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by vipermike

My wife and I have a 2006 Montana 2955RL with the 'arctic' package. We were 'camping' at an rv park in cottonwood, AZ last weekend. The nighttime temps were around 30 degrees F. The outside water hose froze. The temperature in the trailer was about 40 degrees. We had an oil filled electric radiator and quilts. We ran the propane furnace to warm up in the morning and evening. There is a heating duct in the belly.
Yes, you can camp at -20C but I wouldn't.

We year round host in the lovely state of Oregon. We see below freezing temperatures many times. We have enclosed belly, and tank heaters. We have an insulated water hose with heat tape. We use RV Comfort Systems “Cheap Heat” electric add on unit to the standard gas furnace, we can heat with either gas or electric at the flip of a switch.
We have been without power for over a week with temps in the low to mid 30’s and would use a 30# propane cylinder about every 2.5 days.

[geo]

Jvuser,
Look at the sticky message under "Modifications and Upgrades" I posted a long time ago. That is what I did to my 2010 Alpine. That said, I will also state that one shouldn't trust what is stated as sidewall insulation. Most times, that insulation is just stapled or literally "laid" in place. As you travel down the road, that insulation will break loose and settle at the bottom of the wall leaving most of the wall an open area.

Somewhere on this Forum is a great "quote". If I remember it correctly, it states, "Keystone RVs are 4 Season RVs as long as one season is not winter."

Ron

[InkedMarie]

Arctic package is much like half ton towable. Mostly feel good terms used to reel you in.

Marie

[LHaven]

Does having electric tank heaters reduce your requirement to warm the underbelly with lots of propane?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Does having electric tank heaters reduce your requirement to warm the underbelly with lots of propane?

IMO, the only advantage of electric tank heaters is to prevent the tank from freezing. While it's true that there may be a limited amount of "radiated heat" from the tank heater, the tank contents and the tank itself that "might help warm the immediate area around the tank", the electric tank heaters will do "precious little" to warm any plumbing runs at the opposite end of the trailer belly. So, turning on the three tank heaters "might" keep your black tank and gray tanks flowing, any exposed valves, drain runs, fresh water hot and cold runs will all remain "subject to freezing" if they are located in the belly of the trailer.

Just the heat loss from all the holes in the frame rails (which are not insulated) and the minimal "feel good insulation factor" of coroplast will, in freezing conditions, pretty much assure that those three "electric heat pads" won't do much of anything to keep the "entire underbelly from freezing"..

Heck, even with that "infamous 2" heat duct that's dedicated to the underbelly" can barely keep up with freeze prevention above around 15F. Below that temperature, it's anybody's guess if you'll have water at the faucets come daybreak...

So, keep the furnace running to deliver some "waste heat to the belly" or plan on no water when the thermometer plunges.