We were winter camping in Whistler - Fiberglass RV
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Old 12-16-2013, 02:17 PM   #1
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We were winter camping in Whistler

Just returned from 3 days near Whistler, BC, Canada. We stayed here: http://www.whistlerrvpark.com (clean washrooms, hot showers, quiet and, of course, snowy!) The owners are great hosts, they even gave us a bottle of wine as a gift for staying!

This was our first winter camping experience (4 of us in a Trillium) and we had a great time and plan another trip soon.

Here are some things we prepared:

- Chains for tow vehicle and for trailer. (And, of course, snow tires) The hill up to the campground is quite steep and we nearly didn't make it up without chains.

- Bubblewrap on windows as per another post on this forum. That worked very well, helped with heating!

- Bought DriZAir with the faint hope it would remove humidity but really did not (no surprise as it more for long term storage use). We just cracked a window along with the ceiling vent open and it was nice.

- Boot tray (a must for snow covered boots)

- Put wet coats in vehicle to keep moisture down.

- Thermometer (helps to figure out balance of fresh air and temperature)

- Electric heating pads, just in case. Did not use them but still comforting to have.

- Hot instant soup and tea!

- Silent small electric heater: http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/...ws/reviews.htm

Didn't prepare:

- Propane furnace didn't work. Not sure why. Fan would blow but no heat and would eventually turn off. Stove worked so it wasn't a gas issue. Yet to check it now that we are back home.

It was lots of fun and we hope to do it again soon.

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Old 12-16-2013, 05:43 PM   #2
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You all are hearty stock. I get cold just going out to Scamp in my garage in S. UT. Glad you had a great time.
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Old 12-16-2013, 05:52 PM   #3
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Got pics of everyone swimming?............lol
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:11 PM   #4
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I loved hearing about your winter camping experience! Thanks for sharing this Paul. Winter camping can really be an adventure! I like the winter also, as long as you are prepared for it. Sounds like you had a great host as well. Now you are officially in the top 1 percentile. HA!
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:16 PM   #5
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4 in an Outback? Do you have bunk beds?

I love winter camping, just don't do enough of it anymore. Thanks for sharing the experience. Good to know that the small electric heater was enough (as if 4 bodies in a 13 footer wasn't already almost enough!).
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:41 PM   #6
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Paul you were a brave guy to take the trailer up that campgrounds road in the winter! Good thing its been a pretty light snow year in the area so far this winter. LOL
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:55 PM   #7
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4 in an Outback? Do you have bunk beds?
Yes, bunks in the front. We have two girls, 11 and 4. The 4 yr old sleeps with mom in the big bed, I get kicked out to the lower bunk and the 11 year old gets the top. We had the same arrangement 3 years ago when we travelled from the Pacific to the Atlantic and back (summer), 15,000 km (9320 miles) so although I'm a bit lonely at night, I'm used to it.
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Old 12-16-2013, 07:14 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Carol H View Post
Paul you were a brave guy to take the trailer up that campgrounds road in the winter! Good thing its been a pretty light snow year in the area so far this winter. LOL
Brave or stupid, the jury is still out. I have to say I was nervous about it, even though I'm originally from the East Coast of Canada where winter driving is more of a sport than it is something to avoid. But with AWD and the option to put chains on the tow and trailer I felt we would be ok. As so many have said before: the key is "slow, slow, slow". Even then, I know it is a risk, but living without risk is akin to being dead, so off we go.

That being said, I am craving other peoples experiences and tips in this regard. Just determining if one can put chains on all 4 wheels of a CR-V took a full day - and I only *think* you cannot (not enough clearance on the rear says Honda Canada and the manual, and indeed I measured only 1/2 in). But the dealer said "No problem with chains on all 4". I went with Honda's advice instead.

Also, we monitored the weather and road reports very carefully and we were ready to stay put if anything looked icy, even if it meant staying longer than planned. And we only travelled between 11am and 3pm. We also called the campground ahead to ask if their road was clear. We did some spinning of tires on the road up to the site but not enough to put on the chains. And by the time we left the road down was clear.

Still lots to learn. Maybe others have tips...
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Old 12-16-2013, 07:24 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by BCPaul View Post
Brave or stupid, the jury is still out. I have to say I was nervous about it, even though I'm originally from the East Coast of Canada where winter driving is more of a sport than it is something to avoid. We also called the campground ahead to ask if their road was clear. We did some spinning of tires on the road up to the site but not enough to put on the chains. And by the time we left the road down was clear.

Still lots to learn. Maybe others have tips...
I thought you brave as that campground has had a bit of a shaky past/start and has been known to not do the best in maintaining the road up at the best of times - even the summer! Not sure I would be really thrilled with towing down that road if there had been a surprise dump of snow overnight. For winter camping in that area and to avoid to many ugly surprises most folks I know who camp up that way in winter tend to use the campground a couple of miles north of Whistler. They actually clear the pads really well.... its kind of cool to camp in the middle of Feb with 15' or more of snow piled up around your trailer. They also have some heated pads as well.
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Old 12-16-2013, 07:35 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Carol H View Post

I thought you brave as that campground has had a bit of a shaky past/start and has been known to not do the best in maintaining the road up at the best of times - even the summer!
There is a new owner since this spring. The new guys said it is their first winter. Good to know about another option. Heated pads? Again, I'm learning! Who would have thought? Thanks for the tip!
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Old 12-16-2013, 08:01 PM   #11
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The other Whistler RV park is called the Riverside Resort and its not as rustic as the place you stayed as its closer to Whistler town center. They even have a free shuttle bus to the ski lifts in the winter.
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Old 12-16-2013, 08:14 PM   #12
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The other Whistler RV park is called the Riverside Resort and its not as rustic as the place you stayed as its closer to Whistler town center. They even have a free shuttle bus to the ski lifts in the winter.
That really looks interesting and tempting.
Being from Ark/Okl I could reverse snow bird in the winter.
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Old 12-17-2013, 07:19 AM   #13
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How did the chains on the trailer perform?
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Old 12-17-2013, 08:59 AM   #14
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I have not needed the chains yet, we managed up the hill with just snow tires on the tow. Besides, it would more for helping stop the trailer on the way down (we have electric brakes). I was hoping to try them but was also glad I did not need to. (What's the smiley for happy and sad at the same time?) :-/ ?
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Old 12-17-2013, 10:39 AM   #15
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Way to go! Camping in the winter is a whole different experience, one I used to enjoy very much. I have to ask did you do a campfire?
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Old 12-17-2013, 10:46 AM   #16
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We had wood but never got around to making a fire. Instead our chef friend cooked lamb kabobs on a propane grill outside. Nothing beats hot kabobs and a glass of wine in the snow.
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