Camping when the temps are below freezing

[cookinwitdiesel]

I will be out there for Christmas, so late December through early January - you know, the cold part lol

I will not be living in the trailer once there, so plan to fully and properly winterize it since we will be there a couple weeks before heading out again. I don't need to keep the trailer livable, just want to keep it alive!

[FT4NOW]

I will be out there for Christmas, so late December through early January - you know, the cold part lol

I will not be living in the trailer once there, so plan to fully and properly winterize it since we will be there a couple weeks before heading out again. I don't need to keep the trailer livable, just want to keep it alive!

Not sure if you installed a washer or not, but sometimes the washer prep connections get overlooked when winterizing. And if you did install the washer, that should get winterized as well.

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[Nuffsaid]

I will be out there for Christmas, so late December through early January - you know, the cold part lol

I will not be living in the trailer once there, so plan to fully and properly winterize it since we will be there a couple weeks before heading out again. I don't need to keep the trailer livable, just want to keep it alive!

I carry a small air compressor with me all the time so I can top off tires if needed. I bought a small California compressor and there are others for around 100.00, good to have. Make or buy fittings to go from compressor to hose fitting on trailer inlet and blow out lines with air when you are ready to put her to sleep for a couple weeks. Drain the water heater and make sure to blow out the outside shower fittings very well. When you are ready to leave, turn on heat and add water. I always try to travel with full tank of fresh water, especially after I found that having an empty water tank adds about 500 lbs to the pin weight since the water tank is located behind the rear axle. I prefer not to use rv anti freeze because of the time it takes to flush it out and the amount of water and the taste. I make sure to open all faucets when blowing out with air, cycle the toilet to get water out of valve they freeze easily and crack. Disconnect shower hose from shower valve so it doesn't trap water or use RV anti freeze, your choice. Keep a hose coiled up in storage that is free of water so it will be ready to use.

[D2Reid]

Giving we will be moving frequently while in a non-winterized state, any tips/tricks to follow?

First tip, leave the sewer pipe connection open. That little bit of drip you can get will collect in the end and freeze the pipe closed. It's not enough to be a hazard to others so let it drip free.

Having traveled from Texas to Colorado or Utah in late November early December for the last 5 years I think you will be just fine. Have enough latitude in your travel plans to be able to hunker down for 3 days if necessary. I will not tow my 5th wheel on icy roads, I am not a good enough driver for that and the risk is not worth it to me. So watch your weather, if a big storm comes through you will know it well in advance. The road crews in those states are well practiced on clearing the roads. If they are requiring chains just stay put.

We typically travel 5-6 hours per day, sometimes more, but not often. When I stop for lunch I turn the heater on and put some heat back into the coach. I make sure that the power wire in the 7 way light connection actually works and supplies power to the trailer while traveling, then I leave the tank heaters on.

It's generally easier to arrive at the nights stay a little early when the temps are somewhat higher, put water in the holding tank, then remove the hose and run off internal tank than it is to mess with heated hoses. Dump all at once, don't leave the sewer hose on the ground.

My 2 different 5th wheels never reached freezing temps during travel, they will get pretty chilly, but not freeze. Back to 6 hours of travel not 12. Days are shorter, I hate setting up in the dark, DW doesn't like getting up before the sun.

I did freeze my Cedar Creek 5th wheel. Oddly enough it was in Amarillo, TX. We were on our way to ski country, kids talked us into to staying in S TX for Christmas, so it was New Years Eve. They got a blue norther come down. High winds, sub-zero temps, and I was not prepared. Tank heaters failed. Batteries failed. I was lucky I didn't bust anything. First place that could help me was Camping World in Denver, they put it inside over the weekend to thaw out. 6 days in a motel 6 with an unhappy wife, two Chihuahua's and a cat.

Travel cautiously.

[cookinwitdiesel]

Thanks for the tips all!

[Nuffsaid]

Good tip on the sewer cap. I have a cap with a hose fitting so I can let gray water run, but it can freeze up pretty quick when temps are around 0. Road splash from the tires if wet and freezing can also turn everything to a solid ice blob. I have driven 1000nds of miles on snow covered roads, and I would rather drive on fresh snow than plowed snow/ice any day. Snow and ice driving requires paying attention and slowing down and making sure brakes are in proper proportion.

[dosmith]

Thanks for the tips all!

So we are sitting here in the Badlands National Park in South Dakota where we had freezing rain and snow last night. There are a few other campers here and I noticed that none of them have there slide outs deployed. Wife says that maybe the seals could freeze and won’t be able to retract. I thought maybe it’s because there is less space to heat. The campground is one that you pull of to the side of the road. I was concerned about someone hitting the slides so put up orange cones along the slides. So maybe that’s the reason. I didn’t see this addressed so wondered if cold weather has an impact on the slide outs.

[Nuffsaid]

Freezing rain will form ice, ice build up on the roof of the slide can be a PIA. I have had to break it up in order to retract the slides, so that water doesn't pool on the inside of the trailer. When camping in snow, removing the snow asap will help prevent ice forming, if allowed to melt, sometimes I have to break the ice to remove it. I am thinking of getting a large squeegee to help remove snow/water from the top of the slides so it doesn't form ice. This would help prevent damage to the rubber roof too. A stiff bristled push broom might also work.

[dosmith]

Thanks. I guess I read in previous posts about snow/ice building up on the roof and slide toppers. Didn't make the connection to the top of the slides themselves. Looks like one more thing to remember to pack.

[D2Reid]

So we are sitting here in the Badlands National Park in South Dakota where we had freezing rain

I admit I have not had to deal with freezing rain. When I lived in TN we got an "ice storm", interesting, it rained and froze and literally covered everything in a sheet of ice. That would be very bad for slides. The rubber seals aren't that robust, ice, acorns, sticks... all tear the rubber seals when the slide goes through them. It eventually causes them to fail.

So your neighbors may have had their slides in for other reasons, but in that situation I would keep an eagle eye out for ice formations.