Shoulder Season

[Ice-breaker]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

...Roger , my son and I may just go back to hunting out of a tent , a much less expensive option...

Any fiberglass trailer with a propane furnace will be warmer and more comfortable than a tent with no furnace. Any extra insulation that the manufacturer installs will be a bonus to you in terms of ability to retain warmth. Whether or not you will be able to operate the water systems in your trailer will depend on how well protected they are from the cold and on how cold it is.

I would take the fiberglass egg for cold weather camping over a tent any day.

[Hazel in Sk]

In Saskatchewan the term Shoulder Season means spring and fall. Those are also the times we have enjoyed our very best camping! Often we are the only people in the campground, and we truly enjoy the quiet and privacy. Our Trillium stays pleasantly warm with either the furnace or an electric heater if we claim a site with power supplied. We never cook inside and carry water in a container we refill as needed - often there is still water available at the campsite or at a nearby facility. Once we camped comfortably in a blizzard, but mostly the weather is better than that.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

Any fiberglass trailer with a propane furnace will be warmer and more comfortable than a tent with no furnace. Any extra insulation that the manufacturer installs will be a bonus to you in terms of ability to retain warmth. Whether or not you will be able to operate the water systems in your trailer will depend on how well protected they are from the cold and on how cold it is.

I would take the fiberglass egg for cold weather camping over a tent any day.

We boondock hunt for the 9 day Wisconsin Deer Hunting Season. The sites where we camp have No electricity, No water , No toilets, No nothing . The temperatures are below freezing ,often below zero Deg F with many of the days being windy, cloudy or overcast . Right now we haul in water which soon freezes and even in the best fiberglass trailer with insulation ,the water would freeze . When tenting if the water freezes it causes no damage but in a trailer that is not the case
Spending thousands of additional dollars for an insulated trailer ,which is still only useable for 5 months a year in my climate made me question it's value to me for my purpose . I wish someone made a fiberglass trailer that was truly four season at a price less than $50K . Whether in a tent or trailer ,we would still be using an unprotected pit toilet . It seems that our fiberglass trailers are designed for people who live in temperate climates . I can buy a new, good sleeping bag and a winter tent for a more reasonable cost , Maybe I should just hunt in a state with a warmer climate

[Ice-breaker]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We boondock hunt for the 9 day Wisconsin Deer Hunting Season. The sites where we camp have No electricity, No water , No toilets, No nothing . The temperatures are below freezing ,often below zero Deg F with many of the days being windy, cloudy or overcast . Right now we haul in water which soon freezes and even in the best fiberglass trailer with insulation ,the water would freeze . When tenting if the water freezes it causes no damage but in a trailer that is not the case
Spending thousands of additional dollars for an insulated trailer ,which is still only useable for 5 months a year in my climate made me question it's value to me for my purpose . I wish someone made a fiberglass trailer that was truly four season at a price less than $50K . Whether in a tent or trailer ,we would still be using an unprotected pit toilet . It seems that our fiberglass trailers are designed for people who live in temperate climates . I can buy a new, good sleeping bag and a winter tent for a more reasonable cost , Maybe I should just hunt in a state with a warmer climate

I have a brother who sometimes stays in his stick built fifth wheel all winter while working on northern Alberta pipeline projects. That is more severe winter weather than what you are dealing with. Of course, he puts insulated skirting around his trailer, heat traces the water lines, and uses a ton of propane to keep things warm inside. So there are definitely ways to winter camp if you are really set on it. It is all about expectations.

For maybe not so cold temperatures and for shorter durations, one approach to using a camper in the colder weather is to keep it winterized, and do not use the freshwater systems (i.e. bring bottled water) and do not empty anything into the drains (i.e. grey tank). If you use the toilet, make sure to manually add rv antifreeze to flush with. Without the furnace running in freezing weather, it does not matter which trailer you own, it is going to lose heat and get below freezing temperature. If you do not want bottled water or food to freeze during the day while you are out, you will also have to keep the propane furnace running while you are out.

[John Linck]

We have spent many nights below 32 degrees in two Scamps. A bit of anti-freeze in the tanks works well down to about 20 degrees. Below that it takes quite a bit of anti-freeze and your interior plumbing can be a problem where furnace heat doesn't reach. At zero I would winterize the trailer and carry jugs of water and a porta-potty inside. Haven't done that yet. The furnace is quite adequate at these temps. Our battery lasts about 2 days with the frequent furnace use, I did move ours inside to keep it warm. Solar might help but the sun is pretty low in the sky in a Northern Winter and I haven't tried it. Many folks use catalytic heaters with no electricity needed, we haven't. I suppose a generator might be called for, but truthfully I find little pleasure in extended camping at zero. All enclosures (houses or campers) can develop significant moisture issues when used continuously at such temps. Be aware, and have fun.

I think if I were a Wintertime hunter I would put the thousands needed to purchase a camper towards a nice lodge with a fireplace.

john

[David and Nancy]

John, the conditions you describe are challenging even for the best 4-season trailer. My Bigfoot operates fine in those temperatures, but the furnace must be operating to keep the water system above freezing. Without a power supply, the battery won't last more than a day or two without re-charging. Solar re-charging can be marginal in winter weather so that means using a generator. I use a Honda 2000. As for spending 50,000 on a Bigfoot or similar, you can do a lot better in the used market. I still think a winterized Scamp would make a good sleeping and cooking facility in your camp. But a 10X12 wall tent with a wood stove or propane heater would be great, too.

[honda03842]

For you shoulder season Great Lake campers...

The present temperatures of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are 6 degrees F colder than last year, not trivial.

[steve dunham]

We had 30 deg F this morning but a high of 70 deg F is predicted for tomorrow
That is our shoulder season . My wife and I are looking at purchasing a new 21 ft Escape with the optional insulation packages. We were hoping its cold weather rating would allow us to use the trailer during hunting season as well as during the normal camping season. I realize we are asking for something that would not be of use to most people . Thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions

[Raz]

For those of us with EPA wood stoves, shoulder season is when you light the stove and the house fills with smoke because it's not cold enough to develop a good draft to pull the smoke up the chimney. Raz

[David and Nancy]

The Escapes are wonderful trailers, but they are not marketed as a true 4-season unit. The winter temps you describe during hunting season would probably still freeze the tanks in an Escape, making the water system inoperable. Bigfoots and other4-season trailers not only have double paned windows and good insulation to survive the freeze. They have enclosed and heat-ducted tanks and water lines so the furnace can prevent freezing in all aspects of the water system. If you do a search of 4-season RV's you can see what is out there. Bigfoot is the only one that is molded fiberglass, but other companies are making good 4-season trailers, too.

[Joe MacDonald]

We use our old 81 5500 trillium. In hunting season, it's uninsulated, we go through a lot of propane if we don't have electric available. I have to winterize before the end of October, so for hunting we bring jugs of water and use a pit toilet. We only keep the furnace turned up at night, during the day, just warm enough not to freeze the water in the jugs. It's drafty but way better than a tent. Joe

[David and Nancy]

Joe, that's exactly how I winter camped when I had a Casita. It was still worth it to have the trailer for a warm place to sleep and cook, even without full use of the plumbing.

As for four-season trailers out there, Lance and Arctic Fox come to mind as manufacturers that make them. Never priced them, but they are probably much less expensive than a new Bigfoot. Also likely to be some good used ones out there.

Also there are a lot of creative full-timers wintering in places like the North Dakota oil patch. One usual trick is to build skirting around the trailer and put some kind of heat source underneath.