Hello! It’s my first winter with me and the wife in our RV. We are going to be boondocking!! Looking into solar and learning it atm. Question is what about insulation or heat? I have 2 mr buddy propane heater. Any tips or tricks for winter rving? Im in the blue ridge mountains.

theoutsider711:

Diesel heater… Maybe 2? They run on 12v and 400w solar, 200ah battery will keep up no problem (unless you go 2-3 days with no sun).

Skirting and duct some heat into the underbelly.

tomcat91709:

A word of caution on propane. They generate CO gasses and can poison hou in your sleep. Be sure to have a really good CO detector, first!

Also, propane heaters generate humidity in your rig, which can lead to mold and eventually destroy them. Humidity and water leaks are the mortal enemy of RVs.

Humble-Presence-3107:

We are east of you in the woods outside of east Charlotte. We do not get as cold as the mountains (more like hills comparing to Arizona where we came from) but a skirt around the bottom will be your biggest return. The air flow under the trailer is what will really sink your temps. You can diy a solution or look at prefab solutions. This is a niche market so the price will sting a bit if looking at prefab kits.
Careful running open flame heater buddies. I know they are reduced co (carbon monoxide) emissions in the newest models but I am skeptical. Just get a co monitor installed.
Stay safe and enjoy!!

JF42:

The Will Prowse videos (and book) on Solar are really great. He’s got other resources on his website as well.

mrpopo573:

We’ve been full time boondocking (nearly) for four years, winter is tough because of limited peak sun hours + in certain temps you’ll lose capacity in lead acid or be blocked from charging lithium due to sub freezing temps.

We chase good weather, moving every two weeks typically. I am in Arizona for a reason haha.

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First and foremost make sure you’re safe with any auxiliary propane heat, you need ventilation if you’re going to rely on buddy heaters. I would be mindful off grid that these can kill you if you misuse them in a confined space, it just happened to a person in an RV Park in Georgia yesterday.

TheMacaroni2020:

I have a 1992 rv and everything runs on propane except the electric sockets and air conditioner. When I boondock, I run on propane and use a solar panel to charge a portable power station. The whole setup costs about $200.

Super-Disk7158:

I would not run a standalone non-vented propane heater in an RV for any extended period of time, you’ll end up with major condensation issues in places you can’t get to which can lead to mold and mildew on the inside of walls etc.

Source: Hello! It’s my first winter with me and the wife in our RV. We are going to be boondocking!! Looking into solar and learning it atm. Question is what about insulation or heat? I have 2 mr buddy propane heater. Any tips or tricks for winter rving? Im in the blue ridge mountains.