Living in an RV in the dead of winter (or even late fall in some areas) is not for the faint of heart. It takes planning and resources to properly enjoy cold weather camping. We did not plan on spending any time in the northern states during the winter months, but plans changed as they always do. Today I’m sharing what we did and what we recommend if you are planning on living in your RV in the cold.
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First of all, no matter what the manufacturer says, your RV is not built for winter camping (nor are they really built for living in). Those polar or three season packages are just clever marketing. Most RVs are built with minimal insulation and single pane windows. If you don’t take steps to prevent it, things will freeze.
So how do we keep things from freezing? We didn’t answer that question until we had our our fresh water tank and water pump freeze, repeatedly. We’re slow learners. We had several days without running water before we decided we had to do something.
Exterior Solutions
On the exterior we created a makeshift skirting out of an old tarp for the rear of our fifth wheel, where the fresh water tank and water pump are located under the kids’ bunks. The skirting prevented wind from blowing underneath and pulling out any heat we had. Since we were only going to be stationary for a few weeks we decided not to skirt the entire RV.
RV skirting can come in many forms. You can DIY it using plywood, heavy tarps or plastic, solid foam boards of insulation, or anything you find lying around (but don’t steal). Most RVers will caution against using things like straw bales because they attract rodents and most RV parks have banned them. You can also purchase professional skirting that is attached to your RV using snaps or Velcro and both methods have their pros and cons.
We also purchased a fresh water tank heating pad to prevent our water from freezing. The pad is stuck to the bottom of the tank using a strong adhesive and has an internal thermostat that turns on and off at certain outside temperatures. Since we installed the heating pad we haven’t had any frozen water.
The last thing we did was purchase an extra propane tank. During our winter stay the temperatures ranged from single digits above 0 degrees F (with single digit below zero windchills) to the mid 40’s above zero. We burned through a 30lb propane tank every 1-3 days so an extra tank allowed us to make fewer trips into town to purchase propane.
Interior Solutions
The first thing we did on the inside was plug in the space heater. Our furnace does not do a great job of keeping the bunkhouse warm so we placed an electric space heater back there to keep the kids warm. We also ended up buying a propane space heater for those times we are not plugged into shore power.
The next thing we did was add Reflectix to some of our windows. The Reflectix helps by preventing heat loss by way of insulating the windows and can also be used to keep the inside cool during the summer by reflecting the sun’s rays. In addition to the Reflectix, we added fiberglass insulation to as many places as we could, including around the water pump and fresh water tank, the battery compartment, and the storage bays. We also added a vent to the wall between the water pump compartment and living area to help circulate warm air around the water pump.
Tips for keeping warm
- Add insulation wherever you can.
- Use space heaters.
- If you’ll be stationary for weeks or months at a time, consider making or purchasing skirting.
- Purchase a dehumidifier if you don’t already have one. Moist air is cooler than dry air.
- Dress in layers. Sweatshirts and blankets make all the difference.
- Purchase an extra propane tank or two.
- If you’re in an area with a lot of snow, take advantage of that by banking snow along the sides of your RV. Snow is surprisingly good at insulating.
- If you are hooked up at sewer at a campground or RV park, do not leave your black and grey tank valves open. The last thing you want is the contents of those freezing. My advice is to keep liquid in all holding tanks at all times and only empty the tanks when you need to.
- Purchase a heated water hose, or wrap your existing hose in heating cable. This is especially important if you are connected to a hose bib. It may also help to wrap insulation around the hose bib to prevent it from freezing.
We only spent a few short weeks in freezing temperatures, and we do not wish to repeat the experience. We started this lifestyle in part to escape winter. However, if we do find ourselves in cold weather again we’ll be more prepared for it. Have you camped in the winter before? What tips do you have for staying warm? Share them with us in the comments below! Do you have any questions for us? Feel free to email us. We look forward to hearing from you!
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