Carry the following (overkill for most anticipated scenarios):
- Recovery Traction Boards
- Snow Traction Devices (chains, wraps/socks, etc.)
- Dehumidifier.
- Extra Propane Tanks AND your hookup hose (If you only are running onboard tank – go get it fitted for supplemental external tanks, or you will be sad. As you will if/when you forget your connection hose).
- Heated & Insulated Water Hose. I would personally advocate making one vs. buying one based on [potentially outdated] research of online product reviews and testimonials. You need: Hose, (plumbing/pipe) Heat Tape, Reflective Tape, aluminum foil, foam pipe insulation, duct tape
- Extra electric space heaters. Yes, really.
- Crazy warm clothes, base layers, sweater, socks, gloves, hats and outwear. You don’t know the struggle until you try to get out of bed and it is at or below freezing because you ran out of propane while you were snoring.
- Boots for recovery.
- Frozen environment emergency survival equipment. Don’t leave home without emergency blankets.
- Christmas lights and hot cocoa + mugs. You’re welcome.
- Cat/Dog sweater & mittens & heated bed.
- Tools, shovel, and heavy duty ice scraper.
This is what I made sure to have for ski bumming. I used everything listed here annually, plus more. Don’t want to commandeer post, but happy to answer any and all questions related to winter camping. Could go on for days, as I remember most articles related to snow RVing being relatively redundant / not the most helpful to people who can lose it all by sliding off the road.
Relevant experience: Full-time boondocking with random hookups every 5 days or so in AK, CO, ID, MT, UT, WA during winters for skiing and snow adventuring. Had cat.
PS: Wrote this all and realized most people probably go to a campsite during the winter and back home. This list is assuming winter nomadic rambling, and should provide very, very basics to help GTFO of hairy situations. In spite of the added preparations, winter camping is some of the best times I’ve ever had.
I just got “Charlene” last weekend and began preparing her for winter trips:
- A thick curtain to separate the cab and cabin areas (quilted jacket material + a decorative side).
- Reflectix in all the windows. I used the old exterior cab cover, so the covers are a bit creased and don’t sit perfectly, but it’ll do.
- Skylight covers with a quilted layer, Reflectix and a decorative cover. Partly functional, partly pretty.
- Mats on all floors to take the chill off.
- 1.5kg of desiccating salts to keep air humidity low in cold weather.
The water and heating systems run side-by-side and on the interior, so the on-board water is safe as long as there is heating.
I was warned that at freezing temperatures propane will last me 6 days. At -10C, it will last 4 days, and at -20C it will last 2 days. Using electrical heat extends that significantly, and keeps me above freezing in conditions under -30C. Wind chill is a factor too. Yes, I plan on spending time up in Lapland and above the Arctic Circle 🙂
2 things I learned from our recent Thanksgiving in Colorado:
-
check propane levels regularly. It was 22F overnight, and we ran out at 2am, and weren’t able to get refilled until 10am. That was a cold night!
-
A heated water hose seemed like a luxury at first — I thought I’d just disconnect at night & reconnect in the morning. But, overnight, our spigot froze, and it took until 8-9am before it thawed enough to get water, which meant no toilet flushing. I’ve seen YouTube videos where people make their own for cheap, but I know that we’ll have something lined up for our next cold-weather trip.
Far from the most important, however:
I have done one cold weather trip so far. What bothered me most was that air near walls was pretty cold. Much colder than a house. If I do it again, i might cut some foam insulation and temporarily mount it against the walls where we sleep so our head temp is closer to our feet temp.
I’ve learned a Diesel heater with a thermostat is awesome during winter
Pay particular attention to an stack vent on the roof, and accumulations of snow. Stack vents are often associated with bathrooms and washer/dryer plumbing vents. They look like a little mushroom on the roof.
If you are staying in the RV while snow has accumulated on the roof, it is very common to have snow get sucked in through those vents, into the roof cavity. It’s a VERY common source of mold and dry rot. If the snow is more that 2” of so on the roof, brush off the area around the stack vent.
Get an insulated hose
