Winter Camping

[keikomika]

I am looking for some suggestions for camping all winter long in the Oak Grove area of MO. Other than making sure I keep the underside warm to prevent water and sewage tanks from freezing, how much of a hassle is it to camp in the midwest in the winter. And please, don't respond and say it's a motor home, go to florida for the winter...Don't have that option...Any suggestions you can post here would be appreciated. Thanks...Bob

[J79 Engine]

Can you go a little South like Arizona, never been there in the Winter but heard it is popular like Florida but less crowded. MidWest in the North gets mighty cold in the Winter months. Understand the cost factor but Mother nature does not care when she brings Winter on.

[Arthur Hayes]

http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/2007/01/ ... gging.html (http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/2007/01/cold-weather-rigging.html)

I have spent three winters in the Grand Canyon experiencing temperatures below zero without have any problems utilizing the tips you will see on the above web site.

Art

[JoeS]

That is an awesome blog with a lot of great and useful tips. A couple of things I would also add is stocking up on clean water bottles, altho the heat tape should do the job you never know if the power goes out due to a snow storm and the tape will not do its job. I would go and get some Extra blankets and stock up on supplies like you were going to be tenting it(as an example). The winter storms can be brutal and since we are in the El nina season you never know about about how cold it can get till it gets that cold.

[tarheel]

You've already been given some good information. I've been using my motorhomes for the past 18 years during the winter at or near ski slopes for extended periods of time. There are a few additional things that I have found that works for me. Even if I have hookups, I keep my MH water tank full and use out of it since my bay is heated and refill it as needed. The same thing with my sewer hose, I only take it out to dump. We've spend many nights when the temps got down as low as -22 on the slopes. I've also found that bringing the slides in at night reduces the amount of space that you will need to heat.

Also keep in mind that if the sun comes out during the day and the toppers are covered with snow, even though it may stay below freezing, some snow underneith will melt and when the sun goes down, ice will form on the topper, and if it is fabric, it becomes very hard to get off. I left my slideouts out once covered with snow, and the morning I planned to leave, the fabrid was caked with ice that I had to beat off in order to get the slides in.

If I have electric hookup, I also run a couple electric space heaters to supplement the propane heat. As has already been mentioned, you will use a lot of propane. You can get an adapter to connect to your propane system that will permit you to hook up an external tank of propane to avoid having to leave your site to get refilled. I have found a couple of places that I could get my on board propane tank filled at my site. I usually seek that information out as soon as I get to a location, so that I can make my plans as to how long I can stay.

We've stayed as long as two weeks in a location with electric hookup when the temps never got above freezing. If you enjoy winter, sitting in your MH looking at a ski slope as it snows, having dinner at dusk, and watching deer roam around your rig is an awesome experience for us!

[keikomika]

Thanks for the tips. They all look like they are worthwhile information. I will take all of the tips and put them to good use. Thanks...