Cold Weather in YOUR Airstream... tips

[Ray Eklund]

There are some who do enjoy taking their Airstream or SOB onto the road during frigid Winter months.

This would be during those days where the temperatures may get above freezing, but during the evenings are what many of us term 'hard freezes'.

We Boondock as the Seasons permit. Winter months are excluded. When the snow flies at the beginning of Winter... chances are it may not melt until Spring. This is my experience in the west where a day or two of beautiful, unseasonable weather are followed with snow, wind and severe wind chill from the cold.

HOW do those who do find 'Winter Dry Camping without Power' AND 'Winter Camping with Power' manage to maintain comfort? There are obviously good tips to offer people, as myself, who are too timid to expose one's self to the rigors of Winter Airstream conditions. Stationary or while Mobile.

Tips for either would be greatly appreciated!

Please elaborate. I among many are interested. A post is never too long when the information is of importance. Another Thread concerning Wintering in an Airstream has some valid contradictions.

Lets hear how one can manage to Winterize our Airstreams!

[Ray Eklund]

OK. Let me be the first.

I am not going to be standing in a swimming suit for the New Year's Ice Lake plunge in Colorado, this year or any year.

Saratoga 'Hot Springs', Wyoming with the very hot spring water flowing and the dense fog rising into the freezing air temperatures... Yes. The getting into the hot springs was a delight, looking forward to the jumping into the steamy pool.

Getting Out... That is our Airstream as it comes from the factory experience in winter. Not for those without thick layer of blubber for protection.

[Adventure.AS]

1. Tow for at least several hours with the furnace on so that the trailer is already warm when you get to your campsite. The goal is to get everything warm inside - counters, walls, bedding etc., not just warm air as otherwise it takes too long to warm up the thermal mass.
2. Have lots of propane.
3. An electric site is ideal to keep the battery charged as you need 12 v power to run the furnace, fridge etc. If you have 30 amp power you can also run some portable electric heaters. An electric floor mat near the door is great for adding heat and also melting the snow from your boots.
4. Use Reflectix and cut to fit your windows, Fantastic vents etc. for use at night to keep the heat in and reduce drafts. I have considered using indoor shrink film kits, but haven't yet as fitting them around curved windows might be tricky.
5. I have blocked off most of the fridge vents to stop drafts and to allow the fridge to work better at low temperatures. Be sure and keep some venting to the outside for the propane exhaust if using LPG.
6. Cover the water heater hatch from the outside to prevent drafts (as you won't be using it during winter camping.
7. Use disposable cutlery and paper plates to avoid the need for washing dishes.
8. Bring enough drinking water in jugs (or empty jugs if water is available from the camp ground and keep it inside the heated space.
9. We use "Wag Bag" human waste kits. The bags fit inside the toilet bowl and have double zip-lock bags for disposal in garbage cans. I know others who use a plastic bag and cut up diaper.
10. An old fashioned hot water bottle is great for sleeping. Fill with hot water and pre-warm the bed for an hour before bedtime. Re-fill with hot water and they are good for the rest of the night to help keep you warm. Keep it next to your body and the temperature of the water stays at body temperature and if you need to move the bottle to another spot it is still warm all night.
11. Install a Dickinson boat propane fireplace. They add dry heat and ambiance and don't require any 12 volt power (although there is a circulating fan that can be used.)
12. Ventilate. In the winter the cold outside air is dry (even if the relative humidity is high). When you allow your moist inside air out and replace it with the dry outside air it will reduce the inside relative humidity as it warms up.
13. In hanging closets and drawers where you store clothing and linens, use desiccant de-humidifiers like Eva-Dry which absorb moisture and can be re-activated at home by plugging them in. Damp-Rid also works, but is meant to be disposable.
14. Have warm slippers for wearing inside as the floor is usually the coldest spot. As mentioned in # 3, above an electric floor mat can also be used under the dinette too as they only use 90 watts of 110 volt power.
15. Enjoy a fire in the outside fire pit. Make a wind screen with reflective Mylar and it will direct the heat to you.
16. Please don't bring a generator as the sound will destroy the peaceful tranquility associated with winter camping.

Remember when you are planning for your outdoors camping adventure (any season) that there is no such thing as bad weather - only bad clothing.

[Alluminati]

Per our owner's manual, we turn on the furnace the same time we turn on the fridge before leaving home. We set the thermostat to 72 while we are in residence, and 68 at night or when we're out. We keep plenty water in the tank. We always boondock while we are in transit, and only get hookups when staying more than two nights.

I figure if we can't afford the propane to keep the trailer comfortable, we can't afford the trailer.

[Adventure.AS]

17. We are considering having a canvas shop fabricate a skirt to go around the bottom of the trailer that can be fasted on with dome fasteners at the campsite. Stopping the wind from blowing under the trailer will stop a huge amount of radiant heat loss from the floor and make the trailer feel more comfortable.

[Rharter]

I live in Lake Tahoe, where temperatures often drop below zero. I have an heated hose for water hookup, keep my thermostat at 58-60 degrees and pour 1-2 qts of anti freeze into my black water tank after draining to keep drain valve from freezing. One important lesson I've learned is to NOT use portable heaters. Airstreams are designed to keep pipes unfrozen when the built in propane heat is utilized. I used an electric heater to save cost of propane and the result was frozen pipes.

[nvestysly]

Lots of good tips from Adventure.AS in post #3.

Regarding tip number 11 - the Dickenson propane fireplace... How does that compare to what is commonly referred to as a catalytic heater?

We purchased a used catalytic heater - very similar to an Olympian (Camco) Wave 6 heater. We installed it in our trailer and it does a good job keeping the trailer warm. It requires a small amount of ventilation but does not require power. It won't do anything to keep your pipes from freezing. I've considered using some sort of portable, folding, reflective material to "direct" the heat to parts of the trailer - bedroom during sleeping hours, living area during waking hours.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

Lots of good tips from Adventure.AS in post #3.

Regarding tip number 11 - the Dickenson propane fireplace... How does that compare to what is commonly referred to as a catalytic heater?

We purchased a used catalytic heater ,,,

I think that you will find that using a non-vented propane heater you may have a humidity problem. When you burn a hydrocarbon fuel, such as natural gas or propane in a catalytic heater, the fuel reacts with oxygen producing heat and two primary combustion products: water vapor and carbon dioxide. A 10,000 Btu/hour unvented gas heater will produce about 14 ounces of water per hour — about 2.5 US gallons per day if operated around the clock.

The Dickinson propane fireplace is a direct vent appliance. This means that the combustion air is supplied from outside. The chimney vent has an inside and outside section. The hot combustion gases go out the inside pipe and fresh air is brought into the fire box through the outside pipe. This type of appliance does not consume any of your oxygen inside the trailer and does not add any combustion products to your inside air. In addition you have the ambiance of a gas fireplace.

This heater only needs a couple of inches of clearance from combustable walls etc. and doesn't require any electric power to run (although there is a 12v fan to circulate the warm air if you choose to turn it on.) The only negative is that you have to create a 3" hole for the flue pipe. We have a great location for the heater (replaced the dinette television.)



There are several YouTube videos of installations in boats.

[$hide]

Stationary in an Avion here. Subzero temperatures the last two nights. Single digits and teens the other nights.
Exterior water line is heat taped and insulated including the entire 2-1/2' of faucet post. An additional insulated cover over that.
Sewer is a solid pvc pipe with a good slope. Grey valve open. Black is emptied the night before a spell of freezing daytime temperatures even if I have to add a lot of water. My valves will freeze but I can go a week to ten days between dumps. We haven't ever had daytime temperatures below freezing for a week and my valves and pipe are on the south side of the trailer.
Inside all the windows have shrink style plastic except for the small bathroom one (so I can vent if necessary after a shower) and my front and rear curved ones. The rear curved windows have reflectix which I can pop out on nice days. The front curved windows I just put down the rock guard when it's cold and windy and up on nicer days.
I am in an Avion so all my water lines are above the floor so keeping a few cabinet doors open helps. The underbelly of my trailer in the tank section is heated by the furnace so I always keep the furnace running in temperatures below 40. I have an old style spring thermostat so I don't know what temperature it is set on. Thermometer next to it reads around 72-73 degrees but four feet away it reads around 65. Temperature on the nightstand is 58-60 degrees. I run an electric heater up front (I have a front kitchen) to keep my dinette toasty and to cut down on propane. I have 40 lb bottles but for the winter I have a 300lb bottle refilled by truck. Much easier at my age.
No experience at boondocking whatsoever. I have lived in a trailer for over 23 years, not a camper. Just moved a lot with work.

[$hide]

Also I have never skirted either my previous Airstream or either one of my Avion. I did skirt my first trailer, an sob, 20 years ago. It froze quite often. None of my aluminum trailers froze up but I did have a little more experience by then.
I also haven't had a dehumidifier since my son and the dog moved out eight years ago. Just my spouse and myself now. 32' 1986 Avion.

[Alluminati]

Originally Posted by Rharter

Airstreams are designed to keep pipes unfrozen when the built in propane heat is utilized. I used an electric heater to save cost of propane and the result was frozen pipes.

Excellent point!

Nothing is safer than your furnace. But we spend $70 on a heater so we can save $6 on propane, then we try not to set the trailer on fire while we're stepping over the heater.

Try this: Fill your propane tanks. Crank up your furnace so it's nice and cozy inside. Cook a delicious breakfast. Bake some cookies. Take long hot showers. ENJOY your trailer until the propane is gone. Then refill the propane and see how much it cost you. Divide the cost by the number of days it took to deplete the propane, then you'll know your propane per diem cost. It's less than you think. And it sure makes your trailer a pleasant place to be.

If you want to be miser, sell your AS and go get a tent.

[m.hony]

Furnace, small space heaters, warm clothes, heated mattress cover, electric blanket, cats, dogs (three dog night), big campfire-
Snug as a bug in a rug-
I have only cold camped when it was down into the twenties- not sure I want to camp in any teens, single digits, or below zero weather.

[tjdonahoe]

When cold and snow here, the state puts chloride on the roads, it is like salt and eats on everything, so I do not take my new ram out and the as will stay under its lean to, no fun with 20" snow and 39 mph winds with 0 degrees....LOL...

[tevake]

It's getting cold here this last week, teens at night. fortunately it's still warming up in the daytime so it hasn't been too hard to keep things flowing.

Spent the afternoon getting foam insulation 4' x8' sheets with metal film on one side, to cut up For skirting around the back part of my Moho. It will be interesting fitting a piece across underneath the coach to seal up that section.

I'm planning on sealing the back part where the tanks and exterior plumbing are located and hanging a drop light inside for heat at night.

I also just put pipe insulation on the supply hose.

Using electric space heaters and opening certain cabinet doors to get heat to inside plumbing.

I'm now a couple of year on the mainland after a life Hawaii and the South Pacific.
So just getting used to this winter reality, still not quite sure I like it �� But I'm getting better at making it thru it.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Cheers Richard

[tevake]

OH, I also put some shrink film over some of the Windows last week.
This is really significant in keeping the cold out and heat inside.
Easy to install, hardly noticeable visually, but quite a bit more cozy with it in place, may cover more Windows with it if needed.

Not sure about removing the double sided tape after the winter, fingers crossed it comes right off.

Cheers Richard