Question About Bigfoot Trailers

[TetonTele]

I'm looking for a Bigfoot trailer to live out of for about 14 months while I'm travelling around doing clinical rotation for physician assistant school. I've seen some ads specifying trailers that are four-season ready and some that haven't, but I've also talked to some people who have said that all Bigfoots come ready for winter camping.
If a Bigfoot isn't four-season ready, is that an easy modification to make?
Any advice or experience with this? I'd hate to pull the trigger and then find myself with a trailer that I can't use for the entire year.
Thanks for the help.

[Bob Miller]

Buying new or used... New is very, very expensive....
There is a "Four Season Option" that isn't included in all BigFoot trailers and adding it would be very expensive, starting with all new, double pane windows and lots of added insulation. Where will you be doing your winter rotation?

[carlkeigley]

Here's a website I've come across and bookmarked for future use:
I'm looking at options for when I'm able to get back into a camper........

This website gives some pricing and then the standard and option list at the bottom.

Bigfoot Travel Trailers

[TetonTele]

Definitely buying used - hoping to stay around or under $12,000.
Rotations will be mostly around the Pacific Northwest, but I could end up in the Rockies for some.

[Jack L]

The winter package became available in maybe 2005 ?? I'm not exactly sure about the date but a used unit with the winter package will be newer and more expensive. Very nice but more expensive. If my memory serves me correctly, I saw a 17.5 with winter package for about 15 K . Used 17's are less money. The winter package has enclosed tanks and the furnace heats the area around the tank.

[Bob Miller]

The next question is "What are you going to pull it with?" While FGRV's are a bit lighter, Bigfoots, especially the 17.5' vs the earlier 17', can get real heavy.

[Donna D.]

Not all, not all.. pre-bankrupcy Bigfoots were four-season trailers. I don't know about the product since then. If you are buying used... ASK. Four-season should (at the very minimum) include heated tanks and double-pane windows.

[TetonTele]

I have a Highlander right now, but will be selling that for a larger pickup depending on what type of trailer I end up with. I'm hoping for something in the 15-21 foot range.

[jjtotten]

Regardless of what the description might communicate even the Winterized Big Foot is really cold to try to live in during freezing and below temperatures. We have spent several nights in freezing weather and we almost froze too. Keeping the trailer heated during freezing weather takes lots of propane and power to run the fan in the furnace since ours was a forced air furnace. Most of the water lines are run inside the trailer as the water storage tank is located under the bed but they have to be kept warm to keep them from freezing. The same applies to the gray and black water storage tanks which are mounted underneath the trailer. Some of these tanks are heated with a heat tape to keep them from freezing. This means that you have to have power supplied also to keep the battery or batteries charged. Gone are the days when we had a wall furnace that was thermostatically controlled and kept the trailer warm without all the fancy furnaces that are now installed. Good luck with you plans.

[kootenaigirl]

So John, I am curious are you saying that with hook ups and all heating systems going it was still cold inside or are you describing camping with no electric source in the winter?

[jjtotten]

What I was referring to was dry camping with no hook ups. Even with hook ups the propane is going to be used up pretty fast because of the forced air furnace method of heating the trailer. I am aware of many who camp in cold weather but power of some sort is a necessity in those cases.

[Bob Miller]

I hope that the OP was talking about living in a BigFoot near where he was doing his clinical rotation and would at least have shore power and, hopefully, water & drains. Of course having shore power would also mean using electric heater rather than propane. Going a full winter "Boon docking" is pretty much a non-starter in my book anyway.

[Evergreengirl]

I was thinking along the same lines as Bob Miller. If the OP will be staying in campgrounds/RV parks with full hook-ups it should be a very doable proposition. We've camped in freezing or near-freezing weather in our 1987 17' Bigfoot and been comfortable. We use a small electric heater to keep the trailer warm. If the campground has weatherized, frost proof water hook-ups water should not be a problem. We usually disconnect our water hose at night if we think it's gong to be cold enough to freeze the hose or one could use a heat tape on it. As long as there is a source of heat at all times, I don't think the black tank would freeze unless it got very, very cold. I suppose you could add some RV antifreeze to your black tank if you were worried about it. Many folks who live in trailer parks over the winter add some type of skirting around the outside of their rig too.

[TetonTele]

Thanks for all the thoughts on this.
I'm hoping to find places with hookups, but won't have any guarantees they'll be somewhere available.
If it looks like low temps will be a problem for one or two rotations mid-winter, I might end up looking for a short-term room.

[steve dunham]

Some of the campgrounds in our area (very few ) offer sites that are available year round. Those sights have metered electrical power and you pay for the power you use . Trying to heat a trailer with electric heat , even one that is insulated and has thermal pane windows would be cost prohibitive. We use the strip heater in our A/C and a 1500 watt portable heater to warm our trailer so we can load /ready our trailer before our trip South in February .The heaters run 24/7 . The cost is over $10 / day . Paying over $300 /month for electric plus site fees may be cost prohibitive , In cold climates propane is the only cost effective method of heating unless you can find a campgrounds that includes electric in their site fees

[Badger]

While I don't own one I have been researching Bigfoots pretty extensively for the past couple of years. Here is what I have found. If anyone here sees an error in any of this please speak up.

Bigfoot came out of a bankruptcy in 2005 and all trailers since have been the 2500 series and come standard with the winter package of thermal windows, extra insulation and enclosed heated tanks. Prior to 2005 the winter package was an option and the trailers are designated as a 1500 series.

Also I want to mention that in my experience not all sellers are familiar with what was included with this package and there has been some confusion. I don't think anyone is deliberately misleading anyone. It's just that some owners are more informed than others and I think some folks assume they have a winter package because their trailer is insulated in some way. I have seen at least one post that stated that you can tell if the tanks are enclosed and heated as the underside of the trailer is all fiberglass. In contrast on the regularly equipped 1500 versions the tanks are exposed underneath. I'm not 100% sure on this point. Hopefully a Bigfoot owner here can help. It would be a pain to travel several hours just to find that the trailer your looking at is not what your looking for.

Also I don't want to discourage your dream and I'm sure that there are deals out there that don't make the internet. But I have checked this site and fiberglass-rv-4sale.com every week for the past year and the lowest listed price for a 2500 series 17.5 foot I have found was $15,000. So if $12,000 is a firm ceiling I would concentrate my search on a late 90's 17ft 1500. At that price they are definitely available but you may have to travel to find one. The good news is that you are in Oregon which is the area of the country that most of them seem to be.

Good luck.

[Bob Miller]

The underside of our 1998, 17', Lil'Bigfoot was covered with a fiberglass pan and it didn't have any tanks underneath. Didn't have doube pane windows either.

[Badger]

Thanks Bob, like I said I'm not sure where I read that. So can any Bigfoot owners clue me in as to the easiest way to check if it has the winter option?

[janiszs]

Hello,

I have a 2006 Bigfoot Trailer currently for sale if you interested. PM me if you are interested. 503-507-7090.

Steve

[Rick M]

Hi I own a 1999 21ft RB. It is a four season. The four season models started when the 21 ft was designed, so that would be around 93. I had a 1987 Goucho normal windows. If you have dual pain windows it is most likely a 4 season. But it only is a 4 season as long as you can run your furnace than all the tanks are heated. So if you are going to dry camp for the year or whenever would be great to have some solar panels as to charge those batteries as u never know when you will need that furnace. Good luck finding a trailer. Go to http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/ they have every fiberglass trailer for sale in North America
Rick