Hard Wintering in a Class A

by Outahere

Hi folks,

First timer here who will have to be in Ottawa over the winter. I've read it's a really bad idea and shouldn't even be attempted but I have to think that other folks camp in winter. Any out there?

Thanks,

outahere

Comments for
Hard Wintering in a Class A

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Oct 29, 2011

We Did it Last Winter
by: Annie

We have a class A Bounder and spent last winter in it in upstate NY. We put skirting all around the rig (we used the blue foam board from Lowe's and covered it with plastic tarp - some people put hay bales under their rig but we were afraid of attracting rodents), wrapped the water hose and spigot in heat tape and those insulating noodles you find at Home Depot or Lowe's, used the same noodles for insulating water connections and hung 60W lightbulbs in the wet bays, had the local propane company connect an external 100-gallon propane tank and refill it once a month. We used a couple of wireless thermometers to monitor the temps in the water bays. I hung a small coil of christmas lights (NOT the newer LED type) in the outside refrigerator compartment to keep the drain tube from freezing.

Inside, we used the plastic heat-shrink window kits for all of our windows and hung blankets over the largest windows. We also hung a blanket on a shower rod across the drafty entry door to act as a wind break. We wore lots of layers (and it helps to have cats curled up on your lap) and used some supplemental electric heat for cold evenings. Besides a thick comforter on the bed, we used a heated mattress pad.

Though it was a really cold winter, with lots of below-zero (Fahrenheit) days, we fared alright. Mind you, we were parked in our own driveway and could have abandoned the RV at any time and moved back into the house but we didn't. We had moved into the RV over the summer in preparation for fulltiming on the road and were determined that we wouldn't go back to the house unless absolutely necessary.

So, it can be done, it just takes a lot of prep. Good luck!

Oct 25, 2011

Thanks and checking with the Spence's
by: Bryan

Thanks for the heads up. I checked their blog but they don't have any seminars listed after 2010. I emailed them and hope to hear back.

Oct 25, 2011

RV Wintering
by: Dee

You need to contact Frank and Lucy Spence. They run seminars on winter camping.

http://fourseasonsrving.blogspot.com/

Oct 19, 2011

Hard Winter
by: Anonymous

Rent an apartment til spring. We traveled to Minnesota in April and May, froze, furnace runs all the time. Best thing we bought was an electric mattress pad.

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