I may be doing some camping "cold weather" in SD, WY in late October. That time of year I've been in 80+ degree weather only to awake the next day with feet of snow on the ground. Freezing temperature at any time. I do have an extra propane heater and foam interlocking floor thats about it for any cold weather prep. I dont want to be in the plains of WY (hunting) only to have my water lines freeze or something even worse.
Any advice? I can go with the Kodiak tent as we've done in past but me getting old I'd like some creature comforts.
Probably your best bet is to duct tape a heavy skirt around the bottom of the trailer that hangs to the ground to create a warm air pocket underneath. The ground should still be warm (well relatively so) that time of year so it probably won't freeze underneath. If you have power then a small space heater below will make sure it doesn't freeze.
The trick will be when you get ready to leave. If it is subfreezing the plumbing can easily freeze while you are driving at 60 mph. You might want to winterize in that case.
David
I camp year-around in MN if it's above 0f.
[img style="max-width:100%;" style="" src="http://i39.tinypic.com/21osoed.jpg"]
But when cold weather camping, I leave the trailer winterized and use 5 gallon jugs of water just like tenters do. I use the grey tank, but I run enough RV antifreeze along with my drain water to keep the tank from freezing. I also added one of the 3-way valves to make winterization with RV antifreeze easier.
Before leaving home, I pore a bit of RV antifreeze in the grey and black tanks and let a bit of it leak thorough the gate valves so that those valves have some antifreeze in the gates.
In your case, I'd probably drain and bypass the hot water heater before leaving, and leave the cold water side 'wet'. Your hot water can come off the stove. It's a hunting shack, right? :)
If it looks like it's going to freeze, I'd do a quick winterization on the cold water side, drain the fresh tank, and either drain the other tanks or load them up with antifreeze.
Mike
+1 here. Go dry if you can. Been in the CL down to -27C. The wet heat from the furnace requires and open vent or two. I also try not to leave any soda or beer etc. in the trailer if it can freeze while I am away.
The battery will also require a charge from a generator if you are staying for a few days and use the furnace. I tend to minimize draw on the battery and run the geny most nights if it gets below -10C (when the furnace is cycling on and off). I used about 1/5 to 1/4 of the propane (20 lb tank) each night if it is between -10 and -20C. Also bring some RV antifreeze to squirt in the door locks if its really cold (-10C) as the humidity from seeping in the trailer will freeze the locks shut during the day if you leave for a few hours on the hunt. I try to park the trailer in the sun if I am camping in freezing weather. The only other lesson learned was the tire pressure difference between +10C departure from home and -10C end of hunting week. Had to add air to the tires and melt the trailer jacks out of the snow.
Oh yeah, you can also use the insulating vent pillows to keep some of the heat in. I use these (from Walmart):
http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/camco-45195-rv-vent-insulator-14-x-14/6000130570759
Thanks for the inputs. I'll probably use the tent. It's a short hunting trip and you never know what to expect for weather.