If you fear RVing in chilly weather, these 10 cold winter camping tips will convince you to give it a try. Why let lower temperatures keep you from enjoying your camper?
These Cold Winter Camping Tips Keep You Comfy
Some of the most beautiful times of year to visit the country are also the coldest. From snow-frosted mountains to icy lakes, winter turns green trees white and pastures to beautiful seas of snowy powder. To less hearty people the weather is unfavorable. But savvy RVers embrace these 13 cold winter camping tips to enjoy year-round outdoor fun.
1. Insulate RV windows and floors
Directly underneath the floor of your RV is earth and cold air. The slightest breeze can seep into your RV and bring down the temperature. To stay warm, just add rugs and thermal curtains to trap heat inside. By adding thick rugs to a linoleum floor, you keep cold air out and warm air in. The rug also feels much more comfortable on bare feet when walking around your home.
Remember that windows are evil heat stealers. They deplete your warmth supply quickly if not properly sealed and covered. You can keep heat inside by covering the windows with Reflectix, bubble wrap or foam insulation boards. To add extra warmth, hang heavy thermal curtains to cover the already insulated windows. By adding the extra layer of curtains, you’ll be able to maintain even higher temperatures inside.
If it’s sunny outside, keep the windows uncovered. This helps sunlight shine through the windows and add extra natural warmth. Be sure to re-cover them once the sun goes down.
Some downsides of covering RV the windows during winter include eliminating natural light in the camper, trapping condensation on the windows’ interior, and of course blocking gorgeous views.
Ready for more cold winter camping tips? Learn different ways to insulate your travel trailer.
2. Keep humidity away
Humidity is not your friend. Purchase an exterior vent cover to promote air circulation. This will reduce condensation in your RV when humidity builds up after showering and cooking. By reducing excess moisture inside the camper, you’ll stay warmer and ultimately prevent mildew in your rolling home.
An additional way to prevent humidity inside RVs is to purchase a small space dehumidifier. The dehumidifier lowers the humidity level within the RV to keep the inside dry and mildew-free. It also helps keep RV air fresh and smelling clean.
3. Choose a smaller RV
One of the best winter camping tips is to consider buying a small travel trailer, micro motorhome, van or truck camper. A smaller interior space warms up quicker than a big one, and uses less energy too. Anyone thinking of camping during the coldest months of the year will find that sacrificing size for warmth is often the way to go. The smaller the RV, the less propane or electricity it takes to stay warm when winter camping.
4. Snooze inside a sleeping bag
Sleeping bags are meant to be used inside a tent or under the stars. But using a sleeping bag inside your camper is a great way to shake off the cold at night.
It is best to choose a sleeping bag with a lower temperature rating than you expect to encounter. For example, if you think your winter camping weather will typically be around 35 degrees Fahrenheit, select a bag rated to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. If you become too warm, vent the bag to promote air circulation, or even shed a layer of clothes.
You’ll also want to prevent heat loss from your head. Some sleeping bags offer a hood to trap heat in the bag and around your head. By utilizing a hooded sleeping bag, you can prevent sacred heat from escaping. Select the appropriate sleeping bag for the weather conditions and you can count on a good warm night’s sleep.
5. Use your RV oven
Use your RV oven to bake good food. Heat will naturally escape and act as a secondary heat source. The tasty food that comes out of it can warm up your body. When the baking is done and the oven is off, leave the door open to fill the RV with the fading heat.
6. Stay active, get outside
When it’s snowing outside and the temperature inside is almost as cold, it’s natural to want to bundle up in a blanket. But before you regret your decision to winter camp, get your exercise on instead. Working up your internal body temperature will actually help you maintain heat longer. Even a short minute of jumping jacks will do the trick.
7. Install cold weather RV skirting
Want to make your RV feel pretty? Put a skirt on it! Just kidding. The real question is, do you want your RV to stay warm inside when you stay put for a while? If you answered “Yes!” then learn how to skirt your RV for winter.
An RV skirt is insulation material that wraps around the RV exterior to protect the “underthings” from freezing. RV skirting also keeps excess cold and wind out to keep warmth inside your camper. And it can also lessen the impact of strong winter winds blowing underneath.
RV skirt insulation board is created in a variety of materials to tolerate different weather conditions. You can attach to your RV with heavy duty Velcro. This lets you easily remove the skirt when winter is over, and re-attach the skirt for the following winter season.
You’ll find a huge selection of RV skirting materials that are customizable to the size of your RV. Pricing ranges from $100 to $400, and it’s well worth the investment when winter camping in one spot.
If you’re towing a fifth wheel, check out the best skirting for fifth wheels.
8. Winterize RV plumbing
During extreme cold, pipes, tanks, and hoses need protection from the elements to keep water and waste from freezing. Prep exposed RV plumbing for cold winter months to keep plumbing working and increase the longevity of your RV plumbing system. Check out these ideas about how to keep RV plumbing safe in winter, such as:
- Leave your fresh water tank empty and use bottled water for dishes, drinking, and brushing your teeth.
- By leaving the tank empty you’re eliminating the risk of your fresh water freezing in the tank.
- If you decide to utilize fresh water or use water hookups, insulate the RV water hose and exposed plumbing.
- Put antifreeze in gray and black tanks. Simply pour some down the drain and down the toilet
- According to experienced RV winter camping expert Dave Hegelson:
“Keep your holding tanks and valves from freezing by adding RV antifreeze to the tanks. The amount you will need to add will be proportional to the contents in each tank. Also, if your travels to and from the campground will be through winter conditions, be aware that ice can build up on your dump valves and termination cap, which makes for an interesting proposition when you go to dump your tanks.”
- According to experienced RV winter camping expert Dave Hegelson:
9. Get a tune-up
Whether you’re handy with RV maintenance or you’re willing to pay someone else, give your RV a checkup before winter. By ensuring that your home is “healthy”, you’re avoiding common winter camping problems that can make you even colder during winter.
For example, although driving charges your RV batteries, in colder conditions batteries don’t hold a charge as well or as long. Cold weather camping activities like running the furnace will drain the battery much quicker than you might expect. This obviously isn’t an issue if you’re staying at a location with full hookups but something to consider if you’re going to be winter boondocking.
10. Get in a “cold” mindset
By mentally preparing yourself to be cold and uncomfortable you’ll trick yourself into thinking, “Oh, this isn’t so bad!” and you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of cold winter camping instead of resenting it.
Instead of being tense and thinking you’ll never warm up, relax. When we’re cold we tense up our muscles and our mind is aware we are cold. By learning to relaxing our muscles our brains are “tricked” into thinking we’re comfortable.
Think warm thoughts…picture yourself basking on the hot sand at a beach. Like meditation, through practice, you have the ability to persuade your mind into a warm state.
Conclusion
The winter is a stunning time to camp and explore. With fewer campers willing to tolerate lower temperatures, RVing in the coldest time of year can be a magical experience. By following these winter camping tips, you’ll be able to witness the true exquisiteness of winter that others will never encounter. Stay warm my friends.
Live in a camper trailer during summer months, now required to travel for work. Like the idea of living in trailer wherever I go. Not sure how to keep warm during winter though. Water lines are outside, have heat hose, use propane. Would say self contained. What else would I need. Park in rv. area.
I live in an older 24 ft camper in northern Minnesota. I only have an electric connection with 2 circuits,nothing else. Space heaters only. During the brutally cold months/days,nights with temps nearing between -10 and -30s plus,plus. That is the time to section off campers interior with layers of sheets,and/or light blankets. long winters will beat you down badly,so you must be strong to survive the many months. I have so far. The outhouse trips at night are simply horrible,and dangerous to ones health. The experiences though surrounded by rare silence are spectacular. Not to mention my wolves,etc. etc.etc. Cheers!
RM
I have solar panels that keep the fridge on. but also let me run a small ceramic heater that has a thermostat.
I am currently dry camping in wisconsin in a 34 foot 1993 rockwood motorhome. Propane would be a ridiculous cost and the blower motor would run my batteries dead in no time. I have 2 kerosene heaters. One is a 10,000 btu radiant heater i use for 20 degrees Fahrenheit and warmer weather and the other is a 24,000 btu convection that so far has kept the temp inside at 68 degrees when it was -14 below zero outside. This is not a well insulated motorhome and it also has drain slots cut under all window channels. Find kerosene at a local supplier for a decent price not at a store for a $20 2.5 gallon jug. I’m paying $3.79/gallon at dj’s in chippewa falls, WI. Use a carbon monoxide detector as they can produce some if not adjusted properly. The 10,000 btu heater uses 1 gallon of kerosene to run 16-17 hours and the 24,000 btu heater runs for 12 hours on 2 gallons.
I use to use kerosene heaters in Japan you must leave a window open or it’s posion becareful
I like the helpful info you supply for your articles. Thanks for sharing a smart thought.
Seriously thinking of an RV as a permanent home. Do you have to use propane? Or can it be hooked up differently?
We have an all electric rig. Aqua hot and heat run on electricity as well as diesel. We will see how warm we stay this winter. This is a new rv for us
Rv skirting is a new term to me. I have a small Mercedes Sprinter Van. Even small spaces are hard to keep warm, so I can only imagine a Class A or Class C RV trying to keep it warm. Always learning new tips and tricks for what to try. Thanks for sharing your experience and ideas!
I’ve always wanted to live in an RV for a few years to travel the world but the cold always makes me hesitant. You make a great point about using a thermal sleeping bag for those cold nights. If I ever end up getting an RV I’ll definitely invest in some of these.