# 4 Season Camping



## leszcz (Jul 15, 2007)

We are in the process of purchasing a travel trailer for the first time. We have been tent campers for about 15 years. I have been reading posts at this forum for the last three weeks and you guys are just great with giving advice based on your knowledge and experiences. The trailer we like the most is the Outback 21RS. I have read that this camper is a 4 season camper at other websites (rv sales sites) because of the heated underbody - yet I have yet to hear any of you mention doing any winter camping. Iâ€™ve also heard you describe the underbody as a thin sheet. So I'm thinking that claiming the Outback as a 4 season camper is a sales pitch, not a reality. Not being a 4 season camper won't be a deal breaker for us, just a bonus if it is. Thanks!


----------



## Crawfish (Sep 14, 2005)

The Outback is a four season camper for the deep South and Southwest. As for the heated belly, it does get some heat from the heat ducts but not enough to keep the water lines from freezing.

Leon


----------



## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

l said:


> We are in the process of purchasing a travel trailer for the first time. We have been tent campers for about 15 years. I have been reading posts at this forum for the last three weeks and you guys are just great with giving advice based on your knowledge and experiences. The trailer we like the most is the Outback 21RS. I have read that this camper is a 4 season camper at other websites (rv sales sites) because of the heated underbody - yet I have yet to hear any of you mention doing any winter camping. Iâ€™ve also heard you describe the underbody as a thin sheet. So I'm thinking that claiming the Outback as a 4 season camper is a sales pitch, not a reality. Not being a 4 season camper won't be a deal breaker for us, just a bonus if it is. Thanks!


First of all, welcome to the forum. And the 21RS is a great camper...I oughta know....I own one!

Now about the claim of Outbackers being a 4 season camper. I think this might be stretching the truth a bit.

The so called "heated underbelly" is basically a plastic skin screwed onto the underside of the camper. The heating part come from whatever heat is lost from the furnace ductwork. There is no direct ducting into the belly of the camper.

I am sure these camper's tanks will do fine in late fall and early spring. But NOT in the dead of winter.

There are some who use their campers in the winter and have faired well. Maybe they will chime in with their experiences.


----------



## mollyp (Aug 10, 2005)

I have no advice for you about four season camping, but wanted to welcome you to Outbackers and wish you good luck with your purchase of the 21rs.

Happy camping!


----------



## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

Moosegut camps in the winter.

You might try pm'ing him for details.


----------



## justinsnow0 (Feb 5, 2007)

We have the 21rs also. We have camped in very cold weather, below 32 and we did fine. BUT, it did heat up to over 32 during the day so it was not a continious below freezing. We purchased the outback for winter camping and will really be testing it in November when we go back to Massachusetts. I think if you add heat tape to the tank and maybe do some little mods to the underbelly it can be easily done. The heater in the 21rs is great, it heats up in seconds.

I do also think that by claiming it's 4 season is a sales gimmick but it's easier to be done with an enclosed underbelly model than one that is not enclosed.


----------



## Bill H (Nov 25, 2006)

Keep in mind also that not many campgrounds will keep the water flowing when the temps fall below freezing. We kept out 28bhs when we had it at a winter seasonal site and used it all winter for skiing. With a couple of ceramic heaters and the furnace, is WAS quite warm inside. The campground had bathrooms/ showers that were heated all winter.......


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

In Idaho it is not really 4 seasons but we do get 3 and half. As long as the day time temps get up to the low 30's then you are normally okay but you do have to take precautions and run your furnace. Uses a lot of propane and a lot of people like to use eclectic heat but that is no help for your pipes under the floor.


----------



## h2oman (Nov 17, 2005)

I've been in my OB down to 14*. It really uses up propane fast below feezing. You may want to consider something else.

John


----------



## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Also look into Artic Fox campers. They seem to be true winter campers.

Randy


----------



## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

You may also find that condensation is a problem. Metal framed windows will sweat like crazy. I agree, sales bull s***.
Bob


----------



## HTQM (May 31, 2006)

We camped last winter during three days of 20 degree weather(ten day forecast was way off when we made the reservations). Like Camperandy said, we used a lot of propane at first till we kept a better eye on the temp setting during the day. Kids running in and out made the furnace run all day.

We didn't have heat tape for the fresh water hose and that became our only problem. I tried loosening the camper connection to let it drip the first night, no luck and the hose froze solid. Second night I let the bathroom faucet run at about a pen sized stream, left the front tank dump valve open(had full hook-ups) and all was well in the morning. Usual use of water during the day kept the line clear.

It would seem to me that being prepared for the camping adventure your going on makes the camper perform as you need. Many folks on here do a lot of dry camp and as such have the dual 6V batteries, photo charging cells and an excellent waste water management system. The same preparedness could be applied to winter camping... heat tape for the water hose, heater setting for propane conservation, etc..

The kids still talk about building a snow man while camping.

Hope this helps,
Dave


----------



## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

My DW and I are avid skiers and we both wanted a 4-season TT. Our top pick was a Bigfoot, second was the Arctic Fox. Unfortunately, both were too heavy on the hitch for our TV. We settled on the OB simply because it was the easiest to make into a 3.5 season TT. I say this because the enclosed underbelly can be well insulated after installing tank heaters.

I don't know, maybe we're fooling ourselves into believing it will work. But I'm still going to give it a try!

If you really want a true 4-season TT I HIGHLY recommend looking into a Bigfoot.


----------



## h2oman (Nov 17, 2005)

It will work. I'm assuming you guys go to Mammoth to ski. That's where we go. It will work but there are gaps in the storage areas that let cold air in. It will work but because of the gaps the heater stays on pretty much uninterupted all night. So you will use propane like crazy. Also, like the others said you need to unplug the city water connection at night and run off of your fresh water tank to prevent freezing.

Have fun in it,

John


----------



## NobleEagle (Jul 8, 2006)

3LEES said:


> We are in the process of purchasing a travel trailer for the first time. We have been tent campers for about 15 years. I have been reading posts at this forum for the last three weeks and you guys are just great with giving advice based on your knowledge and experiences. The trailer we like the most is the Outback 21RS. I have read that this camper is a 4 season camper at other websites (rv sales sites) because of the heated underbody - yet I have yet to hear any of you mention doing any winter camping. Iâ€™ve also heard you describe the underbody as a thin sheet. So I'm thinking that claiming the Outback as a 4 season camper is a sales pitch, not a reality. Not being a 4 season camper won't be a deal breaker for us, just a bonus if it is. Thanks!


First of all, welcome to the forum. And the 21RS is a great camper...I oughta know....I own one!

Now about the claim of Outbackers being a 4 season camper. I think this might be stretching the truth a bit.

The so called "heated underbelly" is basically a plastic skin screwed onto the underside of the camper. The heating part come from whatever heat is lost from the furnace ductwork. There is no direct ducting into the belly of the camper.

I am sure these camper's tanks will do fine in late fall and early spring. But NOT in the dead of winter.

There are some who use their campers in the winter and have faired well. Maybe they will chime in with their experiences.
[/quote]
Dan,
I have to disagree. I am going on my 2nd year with this TT and we used ours all winter long and had no problems. I will go as far as saying it is definately a 4 season TT and works great for us. 
(Winter gets to 30Â° for a few hours a day if we are unlucky and even thats only for about a week out of the year...We're in Florida too).















Paul


----------



## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi l'ski









I just wanted to say Hello and







 to Outbackers!


----------



## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Y'all have 4 seasons???

Seriously, though, I would not want to rely on the advertised "4 season camper" to be very accurate if, in fact, you are planning on camping in below-freezing temperatures for an extended period of time. If you do, I'd make sure my tanks were heated, my water lines wrapped and heated, especially the ouside ones, and have extra propane available.

I'm not a cold-temperature expert, by any means, (Heck, I don't even like cold weather), but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Enjoy your Outback.

Mark


----------



## pjb2cool (Apr 8, 2004)

skippershe said:


> Hi l'ski
> 
> 
> 
> ...










X2 Congrats on your Outback , I hope you enjoy her, and have fun


----------



## snsgraham (May 18, 2004)

We also had a 21RS and used it year round. We actually camped on the Washington Coast for New Years Eve a couple of years back and the temps dropped overnight to 27*. We had no problems with anything freezing except us! Sleeping in the rear slide was very cold even with the furnace running all night. It is very poorly insulated (just hanging out in the air) and that is part of why we no longer have the Outback. We went to a Dessert Fox that is a true 4 season trailer and love it. The Artic Fox is made by the same people and is just not a toy hauler. We loved the Outback too, just not in cold weather when we had to sleep in the slide out!

Sherry


----------

