Winter Travel

[mickie]

We have a 2004 28ft Safari/with slide. I am thinking about taking it to Mass. in February so we can see the grandkids play basketball. We would rather travel in our Airstream than stay in motels. Is this a doable idea? While traveling during the day do you leave the heater on so that the tanks stay warm, etc? I realize that finding RV parks along the way may be an issue but will deal with that the best we can. Concern is for what to expect if we do this and any suggestions and ideas about this plan

[idroba]

I do not think a trip from CO to MA in Feb. in your Airstream is a very good idea. You could luck out with the weather, of course, but you could also wind up with some major cold, snow, ice and so on. The salt used on the roads in the east is not good for your trailer, keeping it warm can become a problem, the almost total lack of open campgrounds in the winter in the east is also daunting, and your slide is just one more potential trouble spot.

I too hate motels when the Airstream is available, but some trips are just not worth the hassle.

But, once again, you could just luck out fine and have no problems at all but Feb. is a very difficult month to travel in, in the area you are going.

[TG Twinkie]

Knowing where you live, obviously you have it winterized.
I would leave it that way while traveling. Consider the use of a porta potty for those "unscheduled" stops.
Once you get where you have full hookups. You could use electric space heaters and only use the furnace periodically to prevent holding tank freeze.
The grey water with full hookups is not an issue. As you can keep the dump valve open. BW however is another story.
We just returned from a trip to So. California. Via Raton Pass in both directions. Spent 3 unscheduled nights at the Pueblo south KOA in what amounted to a foot of snow on the trip south. Then 5 unscheduled nights near Socorro, NM on the return trip. Waiting for the snow and ice to be cleared on I 25 between Albuquerque and Colorado City.
I de winterized once we got far enough south. Then winterized again before leaving Socorro, NM.
Running the furnace while traveling will use an enormous amount of propane. When you stop, use space heaters and the furnace to warm the cabin up quickly.
During the trip in the cold country. I used RV antifreeze to flush the toilet. But no solids or toilet paper were put in the toilet.
We travelled in temps as low as +8 F.
While the BW dump valve was froze enough to where I didn't want to force it open. About 5 minutes with a hair drier and it worked freely. The waste water ran right out. But it was slushy.
We did use city water in NM but had to disconnect the hose before going to bed to keep the faucet and hose from freezing. In places where it was too cold to use city water, we used the onboard tank. But did not flush the toilet with fresh water, only RV antifreeze. At less than $3 a gallon it was worth it not to have frozen and perhaps damaged holding tanks.
Good Luck on your trip.
As you are probably aware, most states have websites for road conditions. ie www.cotrip.org Many have web cams on the major hiways.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by mickie

We have a 2004 28ft Safari/with slide. I am thinking about taking it to Mass. in February so we can see the grandkids play basketball. We would rather travel in our Airstream than stay in motels. Is this a doable idea?

Yes, although it may not be worth it.

While traveling during the day do you leave the heater on so that the tanks stay warm, etc? I realize that finding RV parks along the way may be an issue but will deal with that the best we can. Concern is for what to expect if we do this and any suggestions and ideas about this plan

You can do it either way. I offer these observations:

1) It's relatively easy and workable to camp when daytime temps are above freezing even if nights are colder.

2) As temps get colder it becomes impractical to use hookups because the hoses freeze and the plastic cracks instead of flexing.

3) In most cases, cold weather camping requires electric hookups because the furnace will drain the battery otherwise.

4) As a rule of thumb figure that a cylinder of propane will last about 2 days. Plan propane purchases as part of your trip planning. In extreme cold weather (10 degrees F or below) you will not be able to use the last of the propane in the standby tank because it will not vaporize. Consider bringing extra or oversized cylinders or arranging delivery of a bulk tank

5) It is possible to camp in a winterized trailer by refraining from using the plumbing, if you have access to a building for showers etc.

5a) It is possible to camp in a winterized unheated trailer if you use sleeping bags. This is not my thing but I can appreciate that there are situations where it may make sense.

6) Road salt is tough on aluminum.