Winter Camping Tips

jkjenn

I thought that it might be nice to start a discussion that featured winter camping tips. I can't wait to hear everyone's tips! Here are some things I would like to hear about:

• Where do you keep wet boots and clothes to dry?
• Does the T@b have any difficulty being towed over snow?
• Finding winter camping locations
• Do year around campgrounds plow campsites?
• Dealing with grey and black tanks
• Do you dewinterize and rewinterize?

I will start with a couple of Alde tips:

• To warm up the T@b quickly, turn on both propane and electric on the control panel. The Alde will stop using the propane when it reaches the desired temperature.
• Keep the outside vent clear of snow.

Wanderoo

Jenn -- Well, I'm too chicken to tow T@B in the snow!!!  You might try carrying a 12V hair dryer (or an AC mini travel hair dryer) which could be used to dry clothes or the inside of boots if they got wet.  I have a couple Command hooks in the bathroom that I hang wet stuff on.  You could also hang something from a hook on the shower door. . . or a stretchy clothesline could be anchored inside the T@B to hang things from. :(

DurangoTaB

Good topic Jenn...I wouldn't tow the T@B over snow, at least not without putting good snow tires on it, and even then I probably wouldn't. Many of our (excellent) USFS campgrounds are still open...no services and no fee, but their policy is once it snows they close the gates. There may be some KOAs out there, but many close down for the season due to so little business.

jkjenn

Beth - good idea. I happen to have a couple of those clotheslines!

JD - Good to know about the USFS campgrounds. Most of our campgrounds close in October out here, both commercial and public. Maybe Ridgway SP is an outlier?

Nomad

When I've done Google/Bing image searches I've seen T@Bs in snow and at ski resorts.

Verna

I have camped in my Silver Shadow and my 4-wide in the winter and in snow.  My rule is that I won't tow on snow.  While my Escape is a 4x4, my SS is not.  After blowing a tire on dry pavement, I certainly don't want to experience the SS fishtailing behind me on snow and ice. I can wait for the snow plows or Mother Nature to take care of the snow or ice. 

I wonder if those Google/Bing images were photo ops for advertising purposes?

jkjenn

Some definitely go in the snow. Check out this video that shows a T@b at a ski resort.

jbug10

I camp year round, but not when it's snowy.  I go ahead and winterize in November and just not use my water tank etc through the winter.  I have a 5 gal collapsible water jug, and heat water on the stove to wash dishes outside.  I really don't miss filling the tank or dumping the gray water during the winter.    You can call federal and state campgrounds (or which ever agency oversees them) and see which campgrounds are open year round.  Most close here in NW AR at the end of Oct, but several stay open but shut off the water at the campsites.  They still have electricity which is all I need. You also can't reserve sites ahead of time (on recreation.com) so first come first serve.  But that time of the year, I always find a camp site.  My T@b is a 2013, so I have a heat pump but I prefer using a little ceramic heater if it's too cold. 

jkjenn

Thanks, June. It gets harder to find campgrounds further north due to snow. I would love to find some camping places in PA, MD, WV, OH, and NY where I can winter camp!

Verna

Jenn, Indiana does have a few campgrounds that have heated restrooms in the winter, along with electric to the sites.  Prophetstown State Park near Lafayette, Indiana; Ouabache State Park near Bluffton, Indiana (south of Fort Wayne, Indiana), and Brown County State Park near Nashville, Indiana.  I believe there may be one or two in the southern part of the state that remain open in the winter.

tabou

Never been in Quebec no way you can tow a T@b overhere loll in fact the dealer call me this morning i'll receive it next week and hoping for no snow untill then . What about snowtires here it's the law

jkjenn

Verna, thanks for those suggestions. We often have snow on the ground but clear roads so I would like to venture out!

Cheryl74074

It seems like there are 2 vents under the T@b that you should be careful not to block with snow. One is under the fridge and the other may be under the Alde. The Alde manual specifically says not to block the Alde vent with snow.

jbug10

Great video jkjenn!!  It makes me want to go camping in the snow!!

sabel

Does anyone know if the Alde heating can still be used if the T@B has been winterized. In other words, drain the domestic water portion of the system so it doesn't freeze but continue using the heating system during the winter months. Here in Wyoming it can dip below freezing just about every month of the year.

Wanderoo

Yes, it can.  However, Alde advises against using the heat if there is RV antifreeze in the lines.  Look under the Alde post in this Forum for the latest info. 

jkjenn

Judy and Beth, I believe you can get the plumbing changed to include a bypass, which would allow you to use it during the winter. The bypass would prevent water in the pipes (in this case anti-freeze) from coming into the Alde.

deputydog

I used my alde heater all winter after being winterized by having water lines blowened out by compressor. Works fine except propane should be used to bring it up to tempetuer required by you.

Cheryl74074

Winter camping in Ohio... 

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/wintercamping

Cheryl74074

Winter camping in the Northeast...

http://www.snowbirdrvtrails.com/offseason.htm

Cheryl74074

Winter camping in Maryland...

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/campgrounds-open-maryland-yearround-tent-campers-106073.html

Michigan_Mike

I've stayed in Little Guys in sub-zero temperatures and stayed toasty warm with an electric heater.   And since I have no entryway into the trailer I have to take my shoes or boots off, slap them together and I place them in a nylon bag for storage to keep out any dirt or debris from inside my trailer.  Many hikers do the same thing and they place them inside their sleeping bags at the foot of the bag to keep them warm for the next days use.  

As a rule of thumb, I try to keep the trailer off salty roads and rarely have traveled during snowy conditions or on icy roads.  I did however get caught in a snow storm out in Butte, Montana about 4 years ago on the way back from the west coast.  Interstate 90 was getting slick and treacherous with the mounting snow fall so I was forced to pull over and find a place to bed down for the night.  I found an RV park along the service road that was basically a gravel parking lot.  I pulled the trailer in, pointed the front of the car (with trailer hooked to the hitch) into the storm, hooked up my electric heater, cracked open a cold beer and hopped in for a comfortable rest.  I watched some TV and eventually dozed off to sleep.  The next day I drove over the mountain on icy roads (slowly of course!) and stopped in Bozeman, Montana and with about 6" of fresh snow along the roadways that had been plowed by the time I arrived.  

I think it's like anything else, you adapt to whatever conditions you encounter and make things work, even in icy/cold conditions and environment.  

Frontier

I gather that the propane heat can be used when there is no water in the Alde system?  I have ours parked in the garage checking out the electric heat and find that it is slow.  It sure surprised me to figure out that there is no blower, it's radiant heat which doesn't make noise to keep one awake.  I did make some light wooden boxes for small stuff inside the electrical area (behind the breakers) and one at the rear under the long board that is screwed down.  I plan on going to Lowes and buying a piano hinge to use on that "long board" that has a "finger hole."

Cheryl74074

Does that long board with the finger hole lift up?? 

I haven't been able to lift it.

Cheryl74074

Yes, you can use propane when there is no water in the Alde system. You can also use electric, but it takes a long time to get things warmed up. Turn on both propane and electric for a quick warm up, and the propane will automatically default to electric to keep it warm.

Tardisman

For drying clothes, I put up a retractable clothes line form Lowes. it mounts right above the outside light switch and the other end at the corner of my bathroom. If you don't have the bath, the cord would reach all the way across. We typically hang damp items up while we are towing between location, or if we have time to do laundry.

jkjenn

Thanks for the links, Cheryl. Those are great!

John D. I have some rubber clotheslines that work great. I never thought of mounting shook until I saw your set up. I had put the end inside of the bathroom door, but it didn't work with jeans that had been hand washed.

I am not concerned about getting cold as the Alde is so toasty, but I like the idea of bringing a small heater as a back-up. Truthfully, I could stay pretty toasty in my sleeping bag with no heat, too. The Alde is pure luxury.

Nomad

Cheryl74074 - Yes, that long board can be lifted out but there are a couple of screws you have to remove first.

Wanderoo

Jenn -- Another idea to dry heavier-type items, like jeans, would be to get a small tension curtain rod and put it between the walls above the toilet.  I have one that I use for my T@B shower curtain. It's not permanent, so it can be moved to any height or location you want.  It would be stronger than a stretchy clothesline.  Just a thought.  

Tardisman

Jenn, the retractable clothesline is strong and has a lock so it won't sag when you put heavy wet items like jeans on it. Nice thing is it winds back up and gets out of the way.

jdargis

Jenn, I mounted a 1" tension rod form the bathroom wall, passes over the bathroom door to the wall above the entrance door.  Full width of the trailer.  I'm 5' 10"so have do a little bit of ducking, when working in the kitchen area.  The tension rod is kept up with pole sockets on each end, with a super adhesive tape and a single screw.  During the day when traveling, we hang the towels in the bathroom on it to dry.  Another nice thing, is when it's raining, we get in the trailer and hang our wet rain coats in the bathroom, which can be easily wiped down.  At night, we hang the towels on it by the entrance door, so we have full access to the bathroom.  I also mounted a towel bar above the refrigerator to hold our hand towels.
Jeff