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Old 11-15-2013, 01:22 PM   #1
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What do I need to know about cold weather dry camping?

I am in my first year of trailer ownership and so far have only camped in warmer weather. I have had my camper winterized but will be taking it out again next week. It will be in the 20s and 30s for a low so I will be dry camping and using the campground bathhouse. I will have electric hookup and run the gas furnace. Is there anything special I should know about this kind of camping?

Thanks.
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Old 11-15-2013, 01:38 PM   #2
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If you learn how to winterize yourself, (there are many threads on here detailing the process) you can usually re-winterize with a couple of gallons of anti-freeze for around 10 bucks. if you have tank heaters, this would allow you the use of water. I've already winterized mine once and will be using it again the end of November, water and all!

You may also think about investing in an electric space heater to save on propane use since you'll have electric.
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Old 11-15-2013, 04:30 PM   #3
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If you learn how to winterize yourself, (there are many threads on here detailing the process) you can usually re-winterize with a couple of gallons of anti-freeze for around 10 bucks. if you have tank heaters, this would allow you the use of water. I've already winterized mine once and will be using it again the end of November, water and all! You may also think about investing in an electric space heater to save on propane use since you'll have electric.
Hmmm. Free electric. Break out the heaters.
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Old 11-15-2013, 06:57 PM   #4
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Condensation! We camped just last week and the temps at night were in the upper 20s & low 30s and there was condensation on all windows, vent covers and some walls! Of course there were 2 adult people and 2 boxer dawgs so a lot of hot air was produced but I was still very surprised at the amount of condensation.

We ran the furnace and I did have a vent open some, I dried the windows with towels in the mornings and hung them outside to dry, ran the fans some & I cooked outside but did wash dishes inside. Advice I got on another forum was to use a dehumidifier.
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Old 11-15-2013, 07:47 PM   #5
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Condensation! We camped just last week and the temps at night were in the upper 20s & low 30s and there was condensation on all windows, vent covers and some walls! Of course there were 2 adult people and 2 boxer dawgs so a lot of hot air was produced but I was still very surprised at the amount of condensation. We ran the furnace and I did have a vent open some, I dried the windows with towels in the mornings and hung them outside to dry, ran the fans some & I cooked outside but did wash dishes inside. Advice I got on another forum was to use a dehumidifier.
You need to crack open some windows. Condensation can cause big problems.
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Old 11-15-2013, 07:55 PM   #6
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You need to crack open some windows. Condensation can cause big problems.
This was the first time we camped with the nights that cold. I'll be better prepared next time!
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Old 11-17-2013, 07:03 PM   #7
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Condensation is what I was afraid of. I camped in some cold weather the last time I was out and the windows had a lot of condensation. It wasn't as cold then as it will be this trip.
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Old 11-18-2013, 06:10 PM   #8
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x2 on the electric heaters and opening the vents. I've camped down to about -5 F with electric on 2 heaters.

If you're on 30A, you can run 2 heaters simultaneously, just make sure they are on different breakers. I usually plug one into the GFI protected outlets near the kitchen, and another from a regular outlet in the bedroom. I've known some people to actually run an extra 15A extention cord from the post in through a slide seal to get a 3rd heater going, but I doubt you'll need it.

Open the ceiling vents, and crack a window or two if you can. Get as much fresh air flow as you can wihtout loosing all your heat. This will reduce the condensation. In my rig I find that the cabinet interiors are prone to condensation on the exterior walls, so I keep doors open where possible to get some airflow in there.

Even if your rig is winterized, you can still use the toilet if you want. Use a jug of water to flush, and dump some antifreeze down so you can dump if needed. I've heard of some people using antifreeze alone to flush using no water, but it's up to you if you need to be that extreme.
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Old 11-18-2013, 07:46 PM   #9
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x3 on the electric heaters and opening the vents. We use an electric radiator-style heater for a 32' 5th wheel. It keeps things very comfortable and there is no fan noise. I have 2 roof vents open year-round no matter what.
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