# Winter Camping?



## The Stephensons (Jul 10, 2007)

We've never had an all-weather travel trailer before (previous pop-up and tent campers - camped only in summer). So I'm sorta excited to try extending our camping season. We **DO** have plans to join the Champoeg PNW fall rally and the After-Thanksgiving Fall Rally as well. AND I've made some reservations next spring (mostly in Eastern WA - greater chance of sun & warmth).

But wondering about camping in Jan/Feb - our wettest months here in the Pacific Northwest. DH wonders why I'd even want to! Any of you do "winter" camping? Pros? What is there to "do" when it's cold & wet outside? Not sure I relish the idea of towing under slippery conditions, either.

Just curious...
Cindy


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I never stop camping through the winter. I am just not out as much. I have been out in below zero temperatures with water on board and have not had any issues with freezing. I do use an electric heater to supplement the propane heat since the campground only charges $10 a night for a site with electric. I do still need to use the propane heat to keep the underside heated so the tanks do not freeze. The only item I have had to take care of was the low point drains. I wrap them in foam pipe insulation to keep them from freezing.

As far as activities to do while it is cold, wet and rainy/snowy. I will still sit outside at times with a campfire going. I will go in and out of the trailer to get out of the wind, but the fire is generally hotter than in the trailer. I also enjoy walking the trails and seeing the wildlife that is not around in the summer because of people. I will also use the time out to get some work done on the trailer.

Brent


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

I despise towing in snow. Sure there is plenty of go power but stopping is another topic. I back the gain off the brake controller some and let the truck do more of the braking. Only once did I forget that and the trailer started to slide around a corner coming down a mtn pass, it wasn't that bad and there was no traffic and we were able to just let it roll downhill and come back on track, but still not fun. As you can see in my sig we camp in the snow but I do try to plan for good weekends.

Activities... Our kids love playing in the snow so normal house things. Snow men, snow angles, BIG camp fires and early nights in the TT with a movie or DVD. I want to take them sledding this winter.

I don't worry too much about frozen waterlines if the furnace is running. I've already been out at 22* this year at 11k feet last week.

Good luck and have fun.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

Cindy,

I camped for 5 months through the winter last year on McChord AFB. I posted a thread about it here. Good luck, and please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> DH wonders why I'd even want to!


Me, too!









I don't like cold weather. That's one reason I live in Texas!

But, if you decide to brave the cold, remember to take special care of your pipes.

Have fun!

Mark


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## roo camper (Sep 17, 2008)

We too plan on extending our season this year, last year was our first year with a TT and we ended the season right after Halloween and felt that we could have gone another month at least. I plan on a few more trips this year after Halloween. I am looking forward to spending time with the kids in the woods with all the leaves changing and falling. Having said that I think I will spend the snowy months in the house by the fire.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

The Stephensons said:


> We've never had an all-weather travel trailer before (previous pop-up and tent campers - camped only in summer). So I'm sorta excited to try extending our camping season. We **DO** have plans to join the Champoeg PNW fall rally and the After-Thanksgiving Fall Rally as well. AND I've made some reservations next spring (mostly in Eastern WA - greater chance of sun & warmth).
> 
> But wondering about camping in Jan/Feb - our wettest months here in the Pacific Northwest. DH wonders why I'd even want to! Any of you do "winter" camping? Pros? What is there to "do" when it's cold & wet outside? Not sure I relish the idea of towing under slippery conditions, either.
> 
> ...


In the PNW, we typically don't have really cold winters







, so you should have no problems. For the most part, I think PNW Outbackers blow out their water lines vs. using the antifreeze. This allows you to make a decide on Thur to go camping on Friday with hardly any "de-winterizing" effort.

If you didn't know, we have a PNW Rally at Cape Disappointment over President Day Weekend. Here is the link. Was a GREAT time last year!!!

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26658


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

We camp all winter long... OC is right - here in the NW there is no need to truly winterize - we just blow out our lines. If it is going to be really cold we will turn the heater and open up the cupboards to allow for the heat to help keep the lines safe.

As for why? Well, there is nothing like waking up to a crisp cold morning, sitting around the campfire having coffee. The greatest part is looking around and realizing you have the ENTIRE campground to yourself, minus the camp host. Then you get to see the deer, raccoons and birds. You also get to know your camp host pretty darn well - they will come over for coffee, join you for dinner and spend some quality time at the campfire with you. You also get some extra special privledges when you are the only one there.

We have never set out to camp in the snow, but have woken up to a nice dusting of snow around us. We have camped in temps as low as 24 degrees and while it is a bit chilly getting out of bed, it is just another excuse to spend more time snuggling. Besides, that is what that lovely furnace remote is for... warm up the trailer without getting out of bed.

We dry camp about 95% of the time so we have set ourselves up pretty good for cold weather, dry camping. A couple things I would suggest if you have the bed slide is this:

1. Memory Foam - it blocks the cold pretty darn good and holds the heat once it is warm
2. Insulate under the mattress - we used Refletix, but carpet or even space blakets would work
3. Cover the slide window with a real curtian - really helps keep the cold out.
4. Get a 12 volt heating blanket - we plug ours in about 15 minutes before we go to bed to take the chill off.

You have to be pretty die hard to camp in some of the conditions that we do - rain, snow, 60+ mph winds, cold. It is not for everyone, but this is what we do instead of staying at expensive hotels and eating out all the time. I would say give it a try - one trip and you will have an idea whether or not it is something you like to do!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

OregonCampin said:


> You have to be pretty die hard to camp in some of the conditions that we do - rain, snow, 60+ mph winds, cold. It is not for everyone, but this is what we do instead of staying at expensive hotels and eating out all the time. I would say give it a try - one trip and you will have an idea whether or not it is something you like to do!


I'm in!!! When and where???


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> You have to be pretty die hard to camp in some of the conditions that we do - rain, snow, 60+ mph winds, cold. It is not for everyone, but this is what we do instead of staying at expensive hotels and eating out all the time. I would say give it a try - one trip and you will have an idea whether or not it is something you like to do!


I'm in!!! When and where???








[/quote]

We do a lot of coastal camping from November to March - we ride the dunes, remember??







Driftwood campground is usually where you find us, alone, all winter long...if you come we will let you try a bike in the sand... you might be surprized at how addicting it is...


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

I think riding YOUR bike in the sand would be awesome.


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I think riding YOUR bike in the sand would be awesome.


You are more than welcome to try it! Then, when your done you can look at how clean everything is - nothing like a good sand blasting after a summer of dirt riding to make it look all brand new again! I know you are worried about the salt and sand but I have buddies that have ridden their bikes almost exclusively in sand since they were purchased (one is a 04 & one is an 05) and there is not an ounce of rust or wear on them (other than normal wear and tear). It's all about how well you clean them when you are done. I honestly think cleaning the sand off is easier than cleaning the dirt off and I have done a lot of both! The problem with sand on a bike is you either love or you hate it... but you gotta try it to know and then YOU have to hope your family hates it....


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

Oregon_Camper said:


> You have to be pretty die hard to camp in some of the conditions that we do - rain, snow, 60+ mph winds, cold. It is not for everyone, but this is what we do instead of staying at expensive hotels and eating out all the time. I would say give it a try - one trip and you will have an idea whether or not it is something you like to do!


I'm in!!! When and where???








[/quote]

I do already have had my firewood delivered. 2 cords, 1 for the house and one for camping. I have headed out in the snow, ice and wind. I have only a 15 minute ride down the road so I usually dont worry too much about towing, if the roads are that bad when I have to leave, I will leave the trailer and come to get it when the roads are better. Living on an island that does not really get too much snow when it does snow the cleanup is horrible, it will take two days before the roads are even clear. I spend more time in 4 wheel drive here in the winter than I do in the summer, or when I go for weekend ski trips in Pennsylvania.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

OregonCampin said:


> I think riding YOUR bike in the sand would be awesome.


You are more than welcome to try it! Then, when your done you can look at how clean everything is - nothing like a good sand blasting after a summer of dirt riding to make it look all brand new again! I know you are worried about the salt and sand but I have buddies that have ridden their bikes almost exclusively in sand since they were purchased (one is a 04 & one is an 05) and there is not an ounce of rust or wear on them (other than normal wear and tear). It's all about how well you clean them when you are done. I honestly think cleaning the sand off is easier than cleaning the dirt off and I have done a lot of both! The problem with sand on a bike is you either love or you hate it... but you gotta try it to know and then YOU have to hope your family hates it....








[/quote]

How hard is it to change over the tires to paddles from knobby?


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> How hard is it to change over the tires to paddles from knobby?


Since we do a lot of sand riding, we have full wheel assemblies with our paddle tires always ready to go. I have never tried to change one myself, but most bike shops charge $20 for a change. Or, you can buy the "spoons" to change it yourself. The first couple trips I would ride on knobbies if I were you - let the air out and the bikes will do almost anything our bikes will with the paddles, except the big hills. I almost think the kids and the wifely one should probably go on knobbies the first time out - when those paddles "hook up" the bike takes off pretty fast - kinda scary if you are not expecting it.

I have a buddy that makes custom flag mounts for bikes - they sit along the exhaust rather than at the tire level which keeps the flags from breaking as often and gets them out of the way when the rider is trying to get on the bike. If you decide you want to try it, I will get some measurements from you and we will get him started on some mounts.


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## Northern Wind (Nov 21, 2006)

We camp every winter! it's Canada, Winter is over half our season! Towing can be tricky, but stay to the main roads as they are plowed and salted. I increase the gain on the fiver brakes so it doesn't push the truck but with the weight on the truck traction is usually not a problem, use four wheel drive if you have it! Wash your trailer as often as you can so the salt spray doesn't build up on it to bad. We camp basically until we can't get the fiver out of the driveway anymore. If the snow is deep enough build it up around the open space below the trailer and this will save having to drain pipes at night! If not just open the low point valves and drain lines, It would take several days of sub zero to freeze the holding tanks so that's not usually a problem, also if you are using the furnace it will keep the lines open most of the time. I did pull off the under paneling and spray with spray insulation and that works great as well. I also insulated under the sink as its right beside the outside kitchen which has no insulation at all on the back side. Winter camping is one of the best times of the year as it is very beautiful and peaceful, you can see lots of animals, follow tracks and get fantastic pictures that you will never get in the warm weather. Oh and my favorite NO BUGS!!! In Ontario there are only a few Provincial Parks open and the have great comfort stations with coin laundries and hot showers so really you don't have to suffer any of the inconvenience. At 30 below your furnace will be running almost constant so take a couple of spare 30 pond propane tanks and always make sure when you go to bed at night you have lots of propane on standby. We put a electric fireplace in our fiver a few years ago,(see our albums) and that's great even just coming inside and seeing it, warms you up and it has a built in heater for extra heat if needed. Dress for the weather and use common sense and you will open up a whole new experience that can easily become your favorite time of the year!


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