Winter RV Camping Tips To Keep You Warm

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Sunday, April 13th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

With winter RV camping increasing in popularity every year, here are some basic winter RV camping tips to keep you warm and safe this winter.

Clothing

Your first main concern is to stay warm in and outside of the RV. If you are going to travel through really cold regions where you expect heavy snow falls, make sure that your clothing will give you adequate protection.
There are lots of things to see and do in winter like skiing, snowboarding or maybe just taking a walk to enjoy the wonderful scenery so make sure that your clothing is not only going to protect you from the cold but more essentially from the wind and moisture from the snow. Snow boots and gloves are also a must if you are going to venture outside.

RV Warmth

The next of the winter RV camping tips is to make sure that you will stay warm inside the RV especially while sleeping at night. A lot of people prefer to sleep in their sleeping bags. Today you can get special winter sleeping bags at most camping stores and in my book, that beats carrying a lot of blankets any day. However if you do not like this idea, ensure that you take an electric blanket instead.

The forced air furnace that is found in most RVs is an excellent source of heat. However, if you are planning to make a stop at a campsite that does not provide electricity hook-ups, you will have to use LP gas instead. So make sure that you check the level of the tanks before you leave. Please also be aware that the stove will be running on auxiliary power from the batteries meaning that they could drain fairly quickly and that they would also need to be checked prior to leaving as faulty batteries will result in no heat from the furnace.

It is highly recommended that you plan your trip so that the campsites that you are going to stop at offer electricity hook-ups. It’s a lot easier and a lot less dangerous when compared to open flames and LP gas.

Most RVs that have been conditioned for winter have pretty good wall insulation but some parts of the RV like the glassed areas basically offer no protection at all. A good tip is to use drapes or anything that will keep the warmth in and the cold out. It is also a very good idea not to open the RV’s door(s) too often, as this will let the heat escape very quickly and use more power to try to get the heat rising again.

Dealing With Water

If you are planning to go where the temperature might get below freezing, then you need to realize that any water left in tubing or pipes could freeze making them useless and effectively ruining your camping trip. One way of avoiding this is to have your system changed to winter by a professional and use an anti-freeze for your various other holding tanks. You can also let the pipes receive some warmth by leaving the cabinet doors open.

You also want to be sure that you know the location of the tubing system of your RV as some RVs have a portion of them under the floor hence completely unprotected from the elements. If that is the case, your local hardware store should be able to supply you with heat tape that will protect the exposed pipes.

It is also wise not to let your holding tanks fill up before you empty them as they could freeze causing major and expensive damage. So try to take very quick showers and limit the number of times that the toilets are used or use the camp ground facilities as much as you can if they are open.

Driving And Parking

It goes without saying that any kind of speeding is out of the question when travelling in bitterly cold conditions but in case that the roads are frozen, make sure that you have your chains ready but most importantly you need to have them serviced before you leave. If you haven’t used chains before, it can by quite tricky and a practice run is highly recommended before leaving. The last thing you want to happen is for your RV to be slipping and sliding around while you are driving or not being able to gain access to camping sites in you don’t have them.

If you are going to stay at a site for a little while, it is also a good idea to park where you will get maximum exposure to the sun throughout the day and some protection from the wind. If this can’t be helped, you should try to let either the rear or front of the RV bear the brunt of the wind instead of the sides.

So there you have it, some general winter RV camping tips to hopefully make your RV camping trip a lot more enjoyable and full of warm memories.

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