winter camping

[ICOMMANDER]

hi all . does anyone use their camper slide in winter? i plan on doing some camping "dry" , heater , water jugs,porti potti for a weekend at campground.will openning slide in very cold under 30 derees weather damage any seals ? thanks , tom

[GeorgeG]

First off Tom, welcome to the forum. Last year we did some winter camping and there were a couple things we found out. Our trailer was on a site leveled and plugged in for the winter. We put the slide in when we were not there. We found out that heating the trailer before putting the slide out, made it easier breaking the ice around the slide seals and easier on the motor. The second thing we found out is, if you have a awning over your slide, make sure you have a way to get up and clean the snow and ice off it before putting the slide in. Lesson learned, in winter when slide awning is cold and brittle and has some snow and ice on it, it cracks and rips easy and cost money to replace.



George

[coastn]

George:



Most excellent advice. Thanks for your post.

[GeorgeG]

Oh yeah, don't forget the rock salt for the TT steps and just around steps. Always look at the steps before you step out of the trailer. Trust me on this one, and don't ask.

[onlyrj]

Originally Posted by GeorgeG

Oh yeah, don't forget the rock salt for the TT steps and just around steps. Always look at the steps before you step out of the trailer. Trust me on this one, and don't ask.

Are you sure that was ice or slippery steps???

[GeorgeG]

Both

[ICOMMANDER]

i don't have an awning on slide side - dat covered ! getting into back to turn on heater will be challenge. climbing over sofa , past dining table to engage t-stat on + warm ! i will bring a electric heater also. i will send my 8 year old to climb,read + do settingsi can barely on a good day read t-stat as close as it is to other wall. it needs to be further (farsighted) away . thanks Tom Edited by: ICOMMANDER

[GeorgeG]

With not having an awning over the slide, you will want to have a broom that you can sweep any snow off before putting the slide in. Be careful of the rubber roof on the top of the slide.

Leave roof vents cracked when heat is on, to help eliminate moisture, and when cooking. Cook in a crock pot and electric skillet or griddle to save your propane for heat. Use electric heat to help heat the trailer and keep on low to help maintain temperature.



For hot water, we use a 64 cup coffee pot. Water is on for tea, hot choc and washing dishes. If pot is type that does not have legs and sits right on the counter, put a hot plate under it to avoid discoloring counter.



Just some lessons we learned.

[RKamperRV]

We use ours thru January every year. The main thing I do is keep al of the dump valves open so the tanks drain immediately. While the tanks are heated in the underbelly, the valves are still exposed.



This year I did blow the water system out with air because we had some extremely cold temps last week. I'll refill the system before we go out again next weekend. When we return, I'll winterize for Feb and March, then back at it again in April.

[Dayle1]

If you have slide-out awnings and are camped in freezing rain or snow, you will need to close the slide-outs at regular intervals to keep the weight from tearing the fabric. I've watched mine close and it dumps ice very nicely with none of it sticking to the fabric. The good thing is that the awning protects the seal from damage.



I've also camped for several straight days with temps in the mid to upper 20's using only electric heaters w/o the furnace running, none of the water lines in the basement including the pump pickup tube were affected.



Lowest overnight temp this week was 22, again w/o problems. Six hours later the temp was 75 and the A/C was on instead of the electric heaters. That is Texas in Jan.