Weekend skiing

[Deffj40]

Hi All, very new to the forum and wondering about using an Airstream for winter skiing on weekends, not full time winter living.

Is this at all practical? I have read a few forums on winter living and have a few questions.

Which Airstreams are better equipped with insulation and a furnace that could handle very cold climates like occasional single digits? Or is insulation and heating standard equipment on all models?


Assuming we kept the tanks empty, could we shut off the heat during the day and when we were not there? are the furnaces capable of heating the trailer relatively quickly or would it take several hours for them to warm the trailer from cold temps?

How much propane would we use to heat a 25 ft for two days in freezing temps?

Any other issues I should be thinking about?

Has anybody on the forum taken their Airstream on skiing trips? How did it go?

Thank you!!

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the Forums!

Airstreams (and most travel trailers) are pretty much "3 season" trailers. The walls are only 1.5" thick, which doesn't give you much room for insulation, there are plenty of single paned windows, which bleed heat, and the interior and exterior walls are joined by aluminum ribs that conduct the heat right through the wall. I have heard rumors of special order trailers that have double-paned windows throughout, but I would think this would be a rare unicorn, and that the window and insulation configuration in most AS trailers is going to be pretty standard.

That being said, people use their trailers in freezing temps all the time, it is just a matter of brute force. Some tricks include making reflectex (shiny bubble wrap) window shapes to put between your screen and exterior window to slow the heat transfer through the windows, add portable electric heaters (which will require an AC connection), insulate (like the windows) the roof ven holes, and do not fill tanks or run water down the drains.

The propane furnaces can take the chill off pretty quickly, but if you intend to use the trailer without any shore power connections, not only are you going to burn through propane, but the DC motor of the furnace will also suck your batteries down relatively quickly. For this reason, many people use propane driven catalytic heaters when shore power is not available, and/or add additional batteries and solar.

good luck!

[wulfraat]

There are folks that do it. Keeping the plumbing empty / winterized is the route you will want to take if you are only using it on weekends.

You’ll go through perhaps 20-30lbs of propane in 2 days in the cold winter. (1 bottle).

You’ll need shore power access or a generator for winter living if you have basic batteries from the factory.

Bigger challenge is towing in snow country, if you plan to shift the trailer around.

[kidjedi]

I have turned our Airstream into a proper "4 season" rig, and my initial intention was specifically so we could use it for skiing. However, now that I'm "there," I have found that the issue isn't really the cold, but instead, the road conditions. It's really not safe to pull a trailer this size up icey mountain roads. When things are dry, it's great, and we've gone a lot of places in the winter, but if you're going to do it, be prepared for long term unexpected changes to your stay. i.e. If you're parked in a lot on a mountain, and you get three feet of snow, you're not going anywhere for a while (possibly days ore more).



With the "traveling in snow is dangerous" portion clearly conveyed, I *will* say that I love winter camping. However, my restoration was a complete frame-off, and I devoted a lot of time and attention to insulation when putting things back together. I have a "Mr. Buddy" portable propane heater, and it takes about 15 minutes to go from 40 to 65 or so (bigger variances take longer, but I'm perfectly happy to camp in sub-freezing temps). We have two 40# tanks, but last Thanksgiving we drove from Denver to Cleveland and back over a full month and we didn't even empty a single tank (I did plug into shore power and use a radiant electric oil heater when we were driveway surfing in Ohio). All my plumbing is run in an enclosed area that can be kept heated without having to heat the entire trailer, and I added a 10 gallon auxiliary freshwater tank to the interior (under the dinette bench) that we switch to in freezing temps.


Aside from better insulating the walls and underside, your main problem areas are the windows and ceiling vents, but it's amazing what just covering them up can do. Stuff a pillow in each fan vent, and hang a blanket over the windows. Reflectix only has a placebo effect. Any material will work just as well, and something with a lot of air in it (like a pillow or comforter) is *way* better.


Have fun, but be safe!



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[Deffj40]

This is really great info thanks for all the replies!

Do all Airstreams come with propane heaters or is that an option?

Sounds totally doable and I will have shore power.

Thanks!

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by Deffj40

This is really great info thanks for all the replies!

Do all Airstreams come with propane heaters or is that an option?

Sounds totally doable and I will have shore power.

Thanks!

A propane furnace is standard equipment for all modern Airstreams.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One issue not yet mentioned: When you are *in* the trailer the humidity will go up. As the trailer cools down, the humidity will condense out. The moisture dumping inside the trailer will take some effort to address.

Bob

[OTRA15]

These "aluminum tent winter" search results may lead to some interesting tips:

https://www.google.com/search?q=alum...com&gws_rd=ssl

Have fun!

Peter