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john hd · 12-18-2004, 04:59 AM

i use my trailer for deer hunting every year in november and stay in it on new years for our new years celebration.

i have wet camped in temps down to the low teens with no problems. the furnace does keep the tanks from freezing.

as for towing on snow, you need to pay patricular attention to how hard your trailer brakes are set. too tight and you will get the trailer sliding sideways, too loose and you can jack knife very easily.

and of course, you want the friction sway control set at a minimum or just take it off. you don't want the trailer steering the tow vehicle.

good tires and four wheel drive is a must.

john

andyfuson · 12-19-2004, 04:22 AM

We went to FDR State Park (Warm Springs, GA) earlier in Dec.

I am sure that we will make another short trip in Jan. as well. I just don't know where yet. That is part of the fun of owning an Airstream. You know that you will be having a great time somewhere, sometime.

Kinda like waiting to open a Christmas present.

Merry X-mas to all.

74Argosy24MH · 12-19-2004, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaplain Kent

The experience was so good we are planning a trip over New Years to visit a friend and see the Rock & Roll Hall Of fame in nCleveland,OH. What better time with no crowds and empty state parks?

Check ahead, a lot of parks (public and private) in the frozen north are closed this time of year. Too much work and expense to keep them open for the few campers they would have.

John

Pick · 12-19-2004, 06:46 AM

Last January, I left Ohio with the Airstream for Florida. It was 12 degrees out, and the tires were frozen to the ground. We had to jack the frame up to pop the tires off the ground

My planned 9AM departure time ended up being 4PM. Well it started to snow. And snow it did. Blizzard conditions all the way through Ohio and part way through WVA, on I77. Stayed in 2 WD for most of the trip. Never made it above 50 MPH, until halfway though WVA. After the Viginia-North Carolina border the rest of the trip was a breeze. Coach was a mess from all the salt and crap in the northern states.

raebaker06 · 12-19-2004, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pick

Last January, I left Ohio with the Airstream for Florida. It was 12 degrees out, and the tires were frozen to the ground. We had to jack the frame up to pop the tires off the ground

My planned 9AM departure time ended up being 4PM. Well it started to snow. And snow it did. Blizzard conditions all the way through Ohio and part way through WVA, on I77. Stayed in 2 WD for most of the trip. Never made it above 50 MPH, until halfway though WVA. After the Viginia-North Carolina border the rest of the trip was a breeze. Coach was a mess from all the salt and crap in the northern states.

Towing in the winter is a bad idea from the start. Hope you didn't try to sleep in it. Remember that the framee /interior/and the outer skin are aluminum. conducts the heat and the cold like ....well you know what.. Be sure towash the salt from the trailer or the salt will change the aluminum to aluminum/chloride and like rust it will dissappear..
Iam sure you enjoyed the Florida winter. I do in Key West Florida., but I come before tand after the snow.

Rae Baker Key West Florida.

Tarheel · 12-19-2004, 08:05 AM

We just got back from Mrytle Beach. We had temps in the low 20's and the water hose did freeze. Went to Lowes and purchased some 3/4" pipe insulation and placed it over the water lines feeding the trailer. Used a ceramic heater and the "Wave 6 catalyic" heater and turned the furnace thermostat to 55. Stayed nice and warm in the trailer. Day time temps were in the low50's.

gardener · 12-19-2004, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomW

My four year old, after helping me do some Airstream odds & ends yesterday afternoon, wanted to sleep in the Overlander last night. With the temperature in the high 20s, I grabbed a couple of quilts while he rounded up his choice of music & movies. The furnace kept us nice & toasty all evening while we enjoyed his tapes, and into the night as we both slept very contentedly. Tom

To my mind, that's what it's all about! WHERE or HOW doesn't matter as much as: making memories.

Excellaphant · 12-20-2004, 09:38 AM

Even with unseasonable temperatures down here in NW Florida it's still
pretty good living. I have to thaw out the hose every morning before I take
a shower. But a few small electric heaters and the big bad gas furnace
will make the Airstream more than comfortable. Eating warm food also
helps greatly, easy to sleep with a belly full of stew.

I did move to a park that has a lot of tree's and that helps a lot. Blocking
any amount of wind helps the Airstream stay much warmer.

Lows in the high 20's though so it's not really that bad.

Trailerbunny · 12-20-2004, 01:03 PM

I suppose you could say I am Winter "camping" in my 24 ft Argosy...only it's not moving anywhere and I plan to live in it for the next 2 years or more...so I can't report on road conditions etc... and no snow...just frost. I also have the advantage of being hooked up to external power and water sources.

I moved in on one of the coldest nights of the year here and had to figure out how to rally around frozen water and a non functioning water heater (now working fine).

I've decided to use my space heater only for emergencies to keep the inside pipes from freezing (I set it in front of open sink cabinets) and save on LP gas. I only run elect heater for the crucial times and turn refridg to off or gas to avoid overloading the circuts. The unit really heats up amazingly fast.

I have an elect blanket with quilts piled up on my bed (I don't keep elect blkt on for very long since the covers and my body heat keeps me warm all night)...down booties for getting up in the night...

I wrapped outside hose with foam insulation and duct tape...and will let water trickle in the sink to avoid freezing...but that's only if the temp is predicted to go below 35 deg F which is only a few nights out of the Fall and Winter months here...and keep bottled water just in case for flushing things, etc...The tricking water gets saved for some of this.

Sofar this system has been working out for me...I've gotten through a few rainstorms and nothing leaks....Yahooooo!!!!

Oh yes, I've crudely installed the mylar insulation over some of the windows for insulation when it's cold and breezy.

I removed the outside water filter( between hose and connect to traailer system) under the assumption that it might freeze...but am considering putting the replacement filter back on since the well water here is hard...I can always wrap it with some insulating material if we get another freeze.

swebster · 12-20-2004, 01:11 PM

I winter camped last year on several occasions. The longest and coldest of which was to upstate NY in mid December. I spent about four days in the Syracuse/Rochester areas and had no problems running everything in the coach. I was comfortable inside even thought it was 20 degrees and snowing outside most nights. I tried to hook up the city water when my water pump failed but the hose froze up in about ten minutes. I ended up buying and installing a new pump and everything was fine again. The driving up and back was clear and I had no problems traveling on plowed, dry highways, however the coach was an absolute mess when I got back to Louisville. I had to wash everything three times to get all the grime off.

We're planning a January mountain bike trip in either KY or IN and after last year I don't see anything that would hold us back except bad driving weather.

Ga Pockets · 12-29-2004, 01:48 PM

I have worked in the construction industry for more years than I will admit and for the last 9 years spent 80-90% of most years in my RV. I did it for several years in a couple of 31' Excellas that I had a ball with. My wife was able to spend a good bit of time with me eventually and we traded for a 36' Kountry aire 5r in order to have more room. Ivan damaged the 5r and rather than accept a sub-OEM repair to the roof I negotiated a total loss on the 5r and have just purchased a 88 34' Limited (very excited to get it set up). I am working primarily in the southest now and can get home most weekends so the wife isn't traveling with me. I have spent winters & summers in upstate NY, Washington State, and Idaho Falls ID as well places and seasons in between. As such I am prepared for some of the cold weather issues.

I have a 25' "winter hose that has a heavy duty heat strip taped to it, foam insulation over that and a new layer of good grade of duct tape every season. I only use this hose during freezing months and it is retaped and put away untill the next year.
Make sure your waste hose is on a good slope as grey water & poop freeze just about as easy as your water supply hose except it is about 3" thick. I know from experience.
When I traveled in a AS I used "rubbermaid" type storage containers that I lined up on the windward side of the trailer to help slow down the wind blowing under the belly of the TT. I have a number of friend who had canvas or vinyl skirting that snapped all the way around the TT as under pinning and it does seem to help with cold floors.
Also if you use electric space heater to augment your furnace, make sure you run your furnace enough to keep the belly of your unit above freezing ( I also know about frozen grey water valves that were enclosed in the belly of the 5r)
If you set up in the snow and plan to stay through the spring thaw be prepared to relevel your rig as the frozen ground turns to mud. ( Up State NY).
On your roof vents that you don't plan to open fill the void with inulation and get one of those square aluminized covers that velpro up (Camping world or cut up one of those automobile sunshades that protect your dash) to hold it in place. Moisture build up can be a problem during the winter so I used a small de-humidifier part of the time and drained it in the tub.
I guess I have rambled enough unless someone wants to talk about towing in mountains and snow & ice.

Pahaska · 12-29-2004, 03:53 PM

The WBCCI Mid-Winter Board of Trustees rally is coming up in about 12 days in Montgomery, TX. Most units here in Texas are helping out at the rally (serving meals, etc.), and there should be a couple of hundred units there. We'll be there a week.

Right now, my trailer is winterized, but since I blow out the lines with compressed air and use antifreeze only in the traps, it takes only a few minutes to get back in full operation. I'll put the filter back on the water pump and get all the valves set up the day before, so as soon as the lines and water heater are free of air, we are in operating condition.

With luck, I may not have to winterize again after the rally. The computer rally is in late February, but I'll probably visit a state park or two between the rallys.

Chaplain Kent · 01-04-2005, 08:29 AM

My wife and I just returned from a trip to Columbus, OH over the New Years holiday. As it happened we were close by Jackson Center when it was time to find a place to camp for the night so we stayed at the Airstream plant. Needless to say it was not hard to find a place to park. The electricity was turned on and I was able to get through the snow to use the dump station. We walked downtown and had a pizza at the only place open and then saw a movie- admission $2.50 all seats. Met some nice people who we chated with and then returned to our coach. There was no ball drop in Jackson Center so we went to bed early. Two years ago we were in London, England for New Years and I can assure you we spent a lot more than the $14.00 for the pizza, $5.00 movie, and free lodging. I can also tell you the accomadations were more comfortable and the traveling nicer this year.

Theo · 01-28-2005, 10:43 AM

Wow, found the link to this board again. I now have a new computer, and lost all my favorites.. Oh well.... all's well now. We spent a few nights in very cold weather, snowed in to a KOA in I65, just south of Louiville this month. Temperatures were down to 11º F with quite severe winds. The furnace, and a supplimental fan heater kept us really warm, with no ventilation problems at all. We too were very concerned with the water lines, so first day, I winterized for the first time.. Thankfully this beautiful long home of ours has the easy winterize thingy at the pump. hopefully I did it right, as we are now in Northern Indiana, enjoying temparatures down to -6 º F... We leave for warmer climes in a couple of weeks - I am getting a "wi-fi" card for my laptop, and my beautiful Sissy just completed her first eBay transaction, and bought herself an IBM laptop, similar to mine,which will also have a "wi-fi" card. With memberships from Starbucks, Flying J and another whose name escapes me, we should have good connections all over the country. I looked into satellite, and decided that it is not within my budget - the wi fi memberships are annual, and total $350.. higher admittedly than dial up, but I do not need any phone hook up, which can be awkward, and don't have to stay in one place.. That money for that advantage is a good deal.

The trailer tows really well, and actually keeps the towing vehicle straight. We hit a couple of icy patches on the way up here, and the rig straightened out really well - again, I feel the money I spent on the Hensley Arrow hitch is very well spent. The only problem we have had, with the bitterly cold weather, was an ice storm that covered the trailer in ¼" of very solid ice.. we needed to melt the lock to get into the trailer, and my bumper storage is frozen tight. The long hinge is solid..... So, when we go south again, we can open it.

Theo

driftwood · 01-28-2005, 06:54 PM

Traveling 16,800 miles this last Spring & Summer, I found absolutely invaluable a WiFi Signal Detector.

You could try: http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/smartid...or-review.html To begin your search.

I bought the one from ThinkGeek.com , the WFS-1 which still works flawlessly. (the one pictured in the gadgeteer link above)

Absolutely great ... hold in hand - point at buildings while driving past courthouses, offices, banks, and best of all - libraries - see the signal ... stop, boot the laptop & search or email away!

I stayed about one week at Flathead Lake in Montana ... go into town (Paulson)to shop, park in front of the library for 5 minutes, download my email and on my way.

Most hotels, marinas and even motels now have wireless links that are not password protected and the price is right. Sometimes the transmission antennas require you to be just in the right place.

Theo · 01-28-2005, 08:50 PM

I would need a geek sitting next to me, to explain that.. I am almost totally none geek. I like the idea of finding a wi fi easily, but have not yet got any skills in the jargon discussed anywhere about wardriving.

Theo

housebg · 02-09-2005, 09:38 AM

about two weeks ago made first trip in my airstream to the coast in Louisiana first night was cold 30 deg warm up rest of the week to 50 at night but last night there it drop to 20 and had a fifty mile and hour wind it blew so it set off the camper beside me car alarm off at 1 am .the day before it temp drop girls were sunbathing in Bathing suits.
Many persons from Minn,Ohio And In and about ten seperate campers from Canada