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Winter camping - any advice?

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YODT View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote YODT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Winter camping - any advice?
    Posted: 12 Feb 2018 at 5:49pm
I plan on taking my 179 to Rio Grand del Norte (north of Taos, NM) the first week of March for some winter fly fishing and maybe a day skiing.  While days might touch on 50 deg, the nights usually hit the upper teens.  I have some anti freeze in both the black & grey tanks but any advice for the freshwater tank & pump?  I used the compressor method to winterize for Dallas, so the fresh line is currently dry.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote RichC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 8:17am
I no nothing about skiing but out West I start fly fishing with Prince nymph, elk hair caddis for dryBig smile.  
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mcarter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 8:31am
I take it you will be boon docking. It would take cold for a considerable time to freeze the fresh water tank. However you can carry water for drinking and cooking and leave the tank dry. Any water you use from freshwater tank is going to go in the black and grey tanks. Same for latrine use. If you are camping at an improved site, they make a heated water hose, that I found handy. My last experience in winter camping, what froze were the drains. I didn't have a "Y" drain hose, so I hooked up to the black and the grey drain froze.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote YODT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 8:50am
Yes I will be dry camping, with solar panels on top I will have fully charged batteries at the end of the day. I can leave the furnace running most of the night at a low temperature so that should keep the camper fairly warm. And midges work well for winter flies!
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Post Options Post Options   Quote texman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 9:59am
yodt

I was in the Rio Grande outside taos last march in our 182g twice.  What elevation will you be camping at?  I had no problems and like Mcarter said, it takes a long time to freeze that water and most of the fresh water plumbing is somewhat enclosed anyway.  I would fill up the fresh water tank and use it.  The heat from the ground will help provide some heat to the bottom of the pod and the furnace takes care of the inside.  you can leave a small drip as well and use the vault toilets if you have them. 

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Post Options Post Options   Quote RichC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 10:21am
Originally posted by YODT

Yes I will be dry camping, with solar panels on top I will have fully charged batteries at the end of the day. I can leave the furnace running most of the night at a low temperature so that should keep the camper fairly warm. And midges work well for winter flies!

Midges sound good--except I need about 4x magnification to tie them on.

Seriously, my wife and I traveled from Chicago to California and back this January. For most of the trip the temps were around what you anticipate. Second day out we de-winterized and carried some water in  tank for flushing. Jug water for drinking. We left thermostat at 50-55. We were fine. Re-winterized the day before we got back.

Have fun--wish I was fishing.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote YODT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 10:41am
Thanks for the great advice all, I'm looking forward to the mountains as always!
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 1:11pm
+1 on keeping the freshwater system winterized and carrying fresh water for drinking. We have a Reliance Products Hydroller 8-gallon water carrier that we have used on winter trips. We used RV antifreeze for flushing #2, not needed for #1. Since we were traveling for much of this, most needs were taken care of at rest stops. It was just nighttime that it became an issue.

Definitely lower the thermostat at night and, if you have them, use sleeping bags to stay warm. Turn the thermostat up during the day for comfort. That way, you will conserve propane and battery power.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote SkiPod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jan 2019 at 8:41am
We just went up to Taos Ski Valley from Dallas for the long weekend to go skiing in our 2016 176 Rpod.  I wanted to have access to water and shower so I put heating pads on the three tanks, 12V self-regulating heat tape on the exposed fresh water line from tank and wrapped in the pipe insulation with aluminum tape going on before and after.  I also put the heat tape around the grey water valve.  Last weekend it was subzero, around -6 at night in the ski valley but was warming up to near freezing during the day.  The only trouble we had was that in the morning each day the hot and cold water to the shower as well as the toilet water was frozen.  We left the electric heater on high all day (took a generator with us) and when we got back the lines were no longer frozen.  The lines are not exposed but run through the floor.  So I suspect that just being adjacent the bottom layer of the floor was enough to freeze the lines at these temps.  Not sure what can be done about that except maybe putting insulation under the Rpod or adding a skirt?  The electric heater would keep up with keeping the RV warm inside, even too warm.  We didn't add any extra insulation anywhere.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jan 2019 at 8:47am
Skirting would definitely help, but that only works if you are going to be in one place for long enough to make the work worthwhile. It does not work when you are in motion. Neither does the heat pads unless you have a high enough amperage output of your tow vehicle to support it plus charge your battery/batteries. You could run a generator also while going down the road, but even that might not work since the airflow would tend to negate the heat of the pads unless you also were able to cover the bottom of the RPod to help seal in the heat. If you covered the bottom, foaming in the spaces around the tanks and lines would also help, but you would have quite a time in getting to any wiring or LP lines if work needed to be done.
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