We did it! 20s for two nights in a row :-) / SW WI 60+ mph

[TheRealRoland]

Two-part story:
Last wednesday into Thursday a pretty big storm hit (among other states) SW WI. In the area 65+ mph wind gusts measured. So i was not entirely sure what i would see when driving up to the camper this weekend. But, the thing was still standing!

Upon closer inspection - the trailer's tongue was moved by about 5" to the side! It was still on its supports, no damage observed. The winds came roughly from the SW, hit the trailer head-on-ish, so i'm sure when that thunderstorm front came through it hit that trailer pretty hard!

So, part of the saturday morning was spent on repositioning that thing. Glad i spent the time the first time to set it up properly, make sure the jacks were all good, etc.

Amongst other things, i'm thanking the scissor jacks we put between the wheels to improve stability when in the camper. One was moved out of place, i guess those things held the trailer mostly in position when hit by the biggest gusts.

Oh, the solar panels... Two sets of 2 panels were ok, they were toppled over, but no damage. However, a set of 4 (25w) panels, was flung at least 200 ft away, where it landed, and one of those panels broke in half. I had quick-disconnect connectors on those, so i guess that helped not dragging all panels along with it! Wow. I mean, tornadoes in the area, that wind must have been howling...

Then, heating:

Wow, that 2610ML is hard to keep warm without modifications. We arrived at the camper, it was 23F outside, 33F in the camper. We kept the slide in, thinking that since all vents are on the right-hand side, the lefthand slide can be left closed without impacting things. Had to run the heat for 3hrs straight for the inside to hit 60F (remember, my thermostat doesnt go any lower :-( )

The batteries (2x 100Ah) won't take that abuse, so gotta figure out why, though, in the spring. I ran the generator to keep the furnace going without eating into the batteries.

That night temps would go down to 18F - upon waking up it was 33F in the camper. That down comforter was very nice
The same for the second day - during the day didn't heat that much, but had to run the heater again at night.

On the day of leaving, we again ran the heater, made sure to wipe down all melted condensation from doorway and window frames, the windows, and so on. I did install those vent 'pillows' -- three square 14" ones, and one rectangular one for the bubble in the shower. I like to think that those things helped keeping some of the cold out!

No snow there yet, so no stories about how yuck the inside of the camper got

Anyways, that's my story. Happy the camper is still in one piece, still sitting on its supports after that storm. I guess getting that wind slightly head-on must have been 'easy' on it.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Will it sounds like things could have been much worse. If you are leaving it in place have you given any thought to anchoring down the trailer by the axles.

Here is an fyi, We were warned by GD that the x chocks have the potential to bend the axles if on to tight. That said we have used them for several years with no axle issues. Be sure to not use them as your only
Source of chocking the tires.

 

[huntindog]

Two-part story:
Last wednesday into Thursday a pretty big storm hit (among other states) SW WI. In the area 65+ mph wind gusts measured. So i was not entirely sure what i would see when driving up to the camper this weekend. But, the thing was still standing!

Upon closer inspection - the trailer's tongue was moved by about 5" to the side! It was still on its supports, no damage observed. The winds came roughly from the SW, hit the trailer head-on-ish, so i'm sure when that thunderstorm front came through it hit that trailer pretty hard!

So, part of the saturday morning was spent on repositioning that thing. Glad i spent the time the first time to set it up properly, make sure the jacks were all good, etc.

Amongst other things, i'm thanking the scissor jacks we put between the wheels to improve stability when in the camper. One was moved out of place, i guess those things held the trailer mostly in position when hit by the biggest gusts.

Oh, the solar panels... Two sets of 2 panels were ok, they were toppled over, but no damage. However, a set of 4 (25w) panels, was flung at least 200 ft away, where it landed, and one of those panels broke in half. I had quick-disconnect connectors on those, so i guess that helped not dragging all panels along with it! Wow. I mean, tornadoes in the area, that wind must have been howling...

Then, heating:

Wow, that 2610ML is hard to keep warm without modifications. We arrived at the camper, it was 23F outside, 33F in the camper. We kept the slide in, thinking that since all vents are on the right-hand side, the lefthand slide can be left closed without impacting things. Had to run the heat for 3hrs straight for the inside to hit 60F (remember, my thermostat doesnt go any lower :-( )

The batteries (2x 100Ah) won't take that abuse, so gotta figure out why, though, in the spring. I ran the generator to keep the furnace going without eating into the batteries.

That night temps would go down to 18F - upon waking up it was 33F in the camper. That down comforter was very nice
The same for the second day - during the day didn't heat that much, but had to run the heater again at night.

On the day of leaving, we again ran the heater, made sure to wipe down all melted condensation from doorway and window frames, the windows, and so on. I did install those vent 'pillows' -- three square 14" ones, and one rectangular one for the bubble in the shower. I like to think that those things helped keeping some of the cold out!

No snow there yet, so no stories about how yuck the inside of the camper got

Anyways, that's my story. Happy the camper is still in one piece, still sitting on its supports after that storm. I guess getting that wind slightly head-on must have been 'easy' on it.

Cold weather camping does require differnt methods. For one, you need a lot of power. Forget about just using the batteries. A generator and a lot of fuel will do the trick. You were flirting with a waterline freeze up, by not using the heater constantly. Oh yeah, a LOT of propane will be needed too. I bring extra. For my November hunt, I brought 10 extra tanks, and still needed to go get more. As for the condensation, that needs to be controlled. The condenstation you can see isn't the worry, but it is a warning sign. When you can see condensation, simply wiping it away doesn't solve it. The trailer is having condensation in places you cannot see as well. And that is what will lead to delamination. There are two ways to control it. You can open some windows or vents, which has the downside of losing precious heat, or run a dehumidifier constantly. Another reason for the generator

I have camped in very cold conditions a LOT. I like it, as most everyone else goes home, leaving the woods empty. That is when the hunting is the best..... High winds, yes I have done that too. I don't like it at all. you need to position the rig into the wind, and leave it hooked up, so you can reposition it as needed when the wind changes direction. This can be dangerous, and for sure is not comfortable. At 45 MPH, I stow the dish. At 60, head into the wind. A rig can handle a lot of wind head on. One trip it hit 110MPH. I hated it, but we got thru it.

 

[TheRealRoland]

Yeah, good point about the dehumidifier - indeed, why not run it while the generator is on! D'oh!

Trailer is is winterized, we're bringing in water ourselves, and emptying stuff outside.

And yes, good point about the propane - i will be carrying one extra each weekend we're up there. Also looking into getting one of those 100lb tanks, but then probably need an extension hose to get from the regulator to the bottle.

Leaving it hooked up - wish i could do that, but we're only able to be there over the weekend, and this storm was smack-dab in the middle of the week :-(

 

[Petrovsky]

Will it sounds like things could have been much worse. If you are leaving it in place have you given any thought to anchoring down the trailer by the axles.

Here is an fyi, We were warned by GD that the x chocks have the potential to bend the axles if on to tight. That said we have used them for several years with no axle issues. Be sure to not use them as your only
Source of chocking the tires.

Interesting, I have been using x-chocks for years. I do however, also use heavy duty chocks. I never really have them on too tight however but never considered that I could bend the axles buy putting too much outward pressure on the tires. I will keep that in mind.