RV Residing: Winter Tenting in Winter Climate
Once you consider RV residing within the winter… do not you image the snowbirds who journey South within the winter for delicate climate RV residing?
Properly, that is not us – we do issues a bit in another way from the norm – simply ask our household!
Our fulltime RV residing alternative discovered us on the banks of the Missouri River the place we at present work as camphosts at a personal campground and are on the brink of spend our third 12 months of winter tenting in Missouri the place the climate will be balmy in the future and brutal the subsequent.
Plenty of folks assume we’re loopy… loopy for this life-style of fulltime RV residing, however even crazier for spending the winter in Missouri once we may very well be in Arizona or Florida or Texas the place the winters are heat and sunny.
Oh nicely – we’re accustomed to raised eyebrows!
We had those self same locations in thoughts till the campground proprietor employed us for the year-round job and we fell in love with the attractive setting on the banks of the Missouri River.
We determined winter tenting within the chilly and snow could be a brand new expertise so as to add to our adventurous fulltime RV residing journeys.
Possibly it was the problem to determine how one can comfortably survive RV residing in winter that drew us in, or possibly it was the Universe telling us that it was time to alter our notion of winter.
(We’re massive time complainers of snow and chilly.)
Really, it was each!
Little did we understand that our first expertise of RV residing in winter climate would happen throughout the BLIZZARD of 2011!
Little did we understand how a lot our perspective could be tried and examined when the entire snowfall for the winter set a brand new report for our space… 43 inches to be precise!
Our preparations for RV residing in winter climate have been useful classes in survival. Our solely winter preparations earlier to this was to maintain the snow shovel and ice soften helpful by the entrance door.
We spent hours Googling ideas from different RVers. It took some digging to search out the proper info since most ideas for winterizing an RV centered on making ready the RV for winter storage – not RV residing IN winter.
We made numerous journeys to Lowes, Westlakes, and Bass Professional to ask for help with our RV residing in winter mission. (once more, the raised eyebrows from the clerks who tried to assist us!)
Essentially the most useful useful resource of all was discovered at a neighborhood cell residence provider. It was there the solutions to all our questions have been answered by educated individuals who knew how and what and the place and why to guard our truck camper for RV residing throughout winter. Their options have been sensible and easy… they have been extremely obsessed with serving to the loopy couple who’ve this notion of RV residing in winter climate!
For starters, the entire pipes, inside and out of doors that I might handle to achieve have been wrapped in foam pipe insulation. The empty areas across the pipes and holding tanks have been stuffed with insulation. The within ceiling vents have been coated with plastic to assist hold the chilly air out. Straightforward to do – acquainted duties to any home-owner… and particularly important for RV residing in areas the place bitter chilly and snow and ice assault you for a number of months.
I learn a number of ideas of masking the home windows as nicely to maintain out the chilly, however simply could not carry myself to dam my view, particularly since I can look out my window and watch the river – it’s my saving grace whereas holed up inside whereas the snow flies and the temperatures plummet.
This sort of view is what makes RV residing so worthwhile.
We rapidly realized that for RV residing in winter climate, it was mandatory to guard our water provide and the sewer hose from freezing temperatures. With the assistance of the workers on the cell residence retailer, we designed a water hose from a small plastic pipe fitted with connections to the campground water pump and our camper. This pipe was wrapped in an electrical warmth tape, which was then wrapped in foam pipe insulation.
Our versatile sewer hose was inserted into a bigger PVC pipe for added insulation. It took a couple of tweaks to search out the proper elbows for the pipe, however we did it! Now the skin hoses have been protected and we had a protected water provide for our first RV residing expertise with winter tenting!
These fixes labored nice to guard our water provide and sewer hose; however, once we unhooked all the pieces to take a highway journey, we quickly realized how “EXACT” our parking needed to be once we returned residence. It took a number of makes an attempt of backing up – pulling in a little bit nearer – backing up – pulling to the proper a little bit extra – nope – angle it extra to the left… again and again till the pipes lined up good for reconnecting.
Usually, no massive deal to do that – however it was bitterly chilly that day. Simply one other a part of the method of studying the artwork of RV residing in winter climate.
As we started our second season of RV residing in Missouri’s winter, we seemed for different options that will assist us simply and rapidly reconnect our hoses. We needed to discover extra flexibility.
Google looking got here by way of once more as we researched extra methods to outlive in winter climate. The following winter, our water hose was wrapped in heavy obligation aluminum foil, adopted by the warmth tape, adopted by the froth pipe wrap. We additionally bought a brilliant heavy obligation sewer hose that is ready to stand up to frigid temps. Now we had flexibility! No extra inflexible pipes to reconnect once we arrive again on the campground.
Probably the most treasured discoveries in making ready for RV residing in winter was the electrical radiator heater. These heaters work nicely as a supplemental warmth supply in small areas and keep heat with out utilizing a lot electrical energy. As a result of pure convection distributes the warmth, there is not any fan to make noise, making them extremely quiet. We did not must run the furnace always, by no means needed to fear about working out of propane in the course of the night time and waking as much as a chilly camper.
With all these fixes in place, the one massive drawback we encountered for surviving RV residing in winter was condensation that constructed up beneath our mattress the place the chilly outdoors air meets heat our bodies. (our mattress is over the cab of the pickup)
The answer?
Create an air house between the mattress and the ground of the mattress. I headed to Lowes with measurements in hand and requested for assist determining my loopy thought. Fortunately, I used to be helped by somebody who knew precisely what we wanted –
boards to make use of as slats and 1/2 inch foam board to put on high of the slats and beneath the froth mattress.
Now the air can flow into… and the very best half is the froth board added safety from the chilly flooring of the mattress.
I AM a cheerful camper… RV residing within the winter is a bit of cake!
Two years in the past, we have been stocking up on meals and flicks and water as a result of the forecast referred to as for a blizzard! We had anticipated a lot of new adventures with RV residing and winter tenting, however, a blizzard was one thing we had by no means skilled! Nineteen inches of snow fell as we have been snuggled safely in our camper.
The following day, we have been like little children. We could not wait to get out and tromp round within the deep, deep snow that had drifts a number of toes deep.
If we had determined to take off that winter and settle into RV residing in sunny Florida, we’d have missed the magical views of snow coated fields glowing like fairy mud within the mild of a full moon, surrounded by stillness.
If we had headed South for the winter – certain, we might have performed on the nice and cozy, sandy seashores, however we’d have missed sinking as much as our thighs in snow – identical to we did once we have been three years previous and three toes tall!
I might have missed that magical January morning after I headed to the river, wrapped in my sub-zero sleeping bag, digicam and occasional in hand… and watched the fantastic dance of the gulls swooping and swirling with grace and majesty.
Full time RV residing is our life and our dream.
It offers us freedom. It additionally offers us alternatives to make the very best of any scenario.
What’s that saying – when life offers you lemons, make lemonade?
Properly, for RV residing throughout the winter, when life offers you 19 inches of snow, you get to be a child once more!
#Residing #Winter #Tenting #Winter #Climate
RV Residing: Winter Tenting in Winter Climate
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