- 26 Degrees | Everything is fine

[Steamy1]

Welcome to Steamboat!

I admire your sense of adventure in coming up during the winter. Our AS is in storage in Craig. We can hardly wait to get it out this spring. It is a 19' Bambi, so I do not think it is set-up for the cold weather like the larger units.

Today is one of those days you dream about: Colorado blue skies, great snow, and no wind. Perfect.

Have a great time.

[Colonial Airstream]

The last two days it has dipped into the teens here at Colonial Airstream on the Jersey Shore. Currently, we have two different sets of customers staying in their recently purchased 2008 Airstream Classic Limited travel trailers at our facilities. I am glad to report that they are extremely happy with the winter capabilities of their Airstream trailers.

I would highly recommend using a dehumidifier, as Airstream mentions in their owner’s manual. One customer had their trailer at 74 degrees and with three people and a dog inside, it did build up quite a bit if condensation on the panoramic windows. They also went through a whole 40# bottle in about 24 hrs. I believe the entry door being constantly opened and closed was the blame, as they were moving all their belongings from their trade to the new trailer.

I would like to mention, that there are certain models and floor plans that Airstream produces that would be a better choice if winter camping is one of your main needs when making a purchase decision on an Airstream travel trailer. Based on Customer Feedback and some obvious characteristics the best model to choose would be one with the lined/ finished interiors V.S. exposed aluminum interior, the center bath configurations V.S. the rear-corner bath models, remote waste gate black and grey dump valve system V.S. exposed waste gate systems & the island queen beds V.S corner double or Twin beds in the FB or rear.

[CanoeStream]

Good insight Patrick. I think Airstream needs to think through the outside showers and place cutoff valves inboard to keep water away from the outside shower for we early & late campers. I've looked at adding those to mine but need to find a plumber under 80# to fit in the wardrobe. It would be easy & relatively cheap to install during manufacture!

I'll leave a roof vent opened slightly and a window unlatched somewhere to give moisture some path out. We have a couple microfiber cloths to wipe windows in the morning.

My experience has been to set the thermostat no higher than 65. Otherwise the furnace is firing nearly constantly. I'll have it closer to 60 when all are tucked in to bed. And keep it down around 45-50 if one must tow with the furnace on in frigid conditions -- wind chill takes away much more heat and the furnace runs a lot more. I once burned almost 30# in a 6 hour drive because the thermostat was up around 65-70. Put a thermometer down near plumbing and check that at refueling or comfort stops.

Towing with LP appliances running deserves a heavy dose or warning and caution. Contrary to some perceptions, OPD devices do not prevent mass exit of tank contents if a line separates in an accident.

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by eubank

You know, our 67 is presumably winterworthy, but I wouldn't trust it that far, not even here in Angel Fire, where it's been somewhat warmer than Steamboat. We're even supposed to have above-freezing temperatures tomorrow!

Lynn

Lynn, Plz don't take this the wrong way but..
You gotta turn the "Furnace" on or, atleast plug in the electric heater~!!

[Gene]

We keep the temps around 63-65˚ and turn it down to 55-60˚ at night. When humidity starts to build up, we open the Fantastic Fan door and may run the fan a little, or open the shower vent and run that fan. At 74˚, you use much, much more fuel. I don't think opening and closing the door a lot makes a tremendous amount of difference unless you leave the door open for a long time—how many times do you see someone open a door and stand there in the door for a while or not close it for a minute or two while they get something? Same deal with a refrigerator in reverse. It's the objects that hold the heat, not the air.

I suppose if I lived at the beach, I'd love the outside shower. I worry that it doesn't drain properly when I winterize, but haven't traced the water lines to it. I expect some sort of miniature space alien plumber would be needed to put a shut off in those lines. So I rely on hope that Airstream designed that thing properly when I'm traveling and the outside temp is 20˚. We haven't turned on the furnace while driving relying on the motion of the trailer to keep the tanks from freezing, though the water in the shower faucet wouldn't move much. I could put some insulation in there, but with the shower head, there's little room.

Gene

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

I suppose if I lived at the beach, I'd love the outside shower. I worry that it doesn't drain properly when I winterize, but haven't traced the water lines to it. I expect some sort of miniature space alien plumber would be needed to put a shut off in those lines.

My thought exactly!


And you'd need those long fingers. At the back of the wardrobe on my 25' FB there is a horizontal panel held in by screws. I've taken that off and used a mirror and trouble light to visualize -- the PEX piping for the outside shower goes out of sight behind the inside shower enclosure. Down low behind the pump there's not much space to get to things. So far I've concluded that I'd blow out the lines and just use it as an aluminum tent. I'm not a snowbird, so haven't had any reason to be traveling in full winter. Still would be an easy factory fix... One warranty repair would cover the cost of putting shutoffs in 50 units.

We've used the outside shower when the dogs have gotten into poison ivy. It's also neater washing hair out there.

[Wisco]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Wisco, you are dedicated. It sounds like you're on a job and I hope you make enough to pay for the propane.

I noticed when in northern Canada and Alaska, they don't use propane for their houses because of the experience you're having. They use fuel oil instead.

Gene

Have any experience with the wood burning marine stoves?

[Gene]

Wisco, no. I do burn a lot of wood at home and it's messy, ash disposal can be a pain and the air is a lot less clean. Wood means a lot of little pieces and ash inside a small space. I've got lots of trees, so wood is "free" minus chains for the saw, fuel, many hours of work, and the aches and pains of cutting wood (plenty of ibuprofen). CLeaning the saw is a constant job and would also mess up the trailer.

Gene

[eubank]

Yes, same here. We burn wood in the evenings and nights through the main part of winter, and it is messy ... and involves a huge amount of work. On the other hand, compared to the forced-air heating system, it's very quiet, the heat is soothing, and it heats the house very well.

At this point, I think we have enough wood left for about three or four more weeks, but by then the temps should start moderating some anyway. Heaven forbid that we go seriously downhill again on the weather, because we're reading less than 70% on propane, and we're completely inaccessible to the delivery trucks, given the snowpack.


Lynn

[chaimemet]

its 57 at 12:30am, AC has not run for over a week! After reading these posts I have now lost my motivation to try "winter camping".

[Aage]

I was going to ask whether that -26 was F or C degrees, but then I remembered that at -44 they are the same.

So, no matter how you measure it, -26 is dang! cold.

We had -39­°C here (with winchchill) last week, I think it was Thursday. Now THAT made for a frosty time shovelling the driveway. But the air, it's like... sharp as a tack, super clean. Actually, I gotta admit, I love winter, and I don't even ski!

Of course, the key is to dress for it. You don't, you can be in very bad shape VERY fast, if you do, it's fun!

[trucker101]

Originally Posted by markdoane

J-,

Thats darn cold.

I believe if it gets much colder, the oxide layer on your aluminum skin will start to slough off, leaving your Sovereign with a perfect mirror finish. Please report if this is true.

In Alberta where my Airstream is parked it regularly gets down to the -40f mark in winter. And the oxide layer is still firmly attached. lol

[gtijewlr]

Well, here in central Alberta, it has finally warmed up enough to get out and do some work on the Airstream-would be nice if the cold temperatures did peel off the clearcoat-but it just doesn't happen-so I've been using Circa 1850 paint stripper and-believe it or not-Gel-Gloss to polish and it's doing a great job. Will try and post some pictures when the job's done. Happy trailering;
Garth & Joanne