NW Winter Camping - tell me I'm crazy!

[Penney H. & Mike E.]

Ok, so the lovely 2 week trip to California to celebrate a BIG birthday is likely going to be canceled do to sciatic pain - 2400 miles is just too much sitting in the car. It's a big disappointment, and part of the disappointment is we didn't do any fall camping due to preparations for the trip. Now I'm thinking, as I sit here on a sunny Oct. day (it WAS down to 36 last night), camping in the northwest the first week of November - hmmmmmm. I REALLY dislike being cold, but can stay cozy at night if the days are good. But then the days are also short here in the north.....and November is traditionally one of our rainiest months, but this has been an odd weather year. We'd likely go to the coast, avoiding mountain snows.

What are other's experience with winter camping. I know there's been some old posts about this.......

Penney

[Chester Taje]

This article is on the left side of page.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/winter_camping.html

[Donna D.]

Penney, it was a while back but I remember several members who purchased molded trailers specifically for winter camping... they were snow skiiers and were going to camp in the parking lot of the ski facilities. They were asking about how to insulate the floor areas... I remember a Scamp in particular. So no, you aren't crazy ;-)

[Janet H]

We camp in winter occasionally, but draw the line at towing in snow. Generally we will head for state parks and sites that have electric hookups. Heating the trailer with propane gets expensive in really cold weather. You might consider heading inland to avoid rain... Oregon State parks are fabulous.

[Vickie B.]

Penney, we may give this a try ourselves---we've only camped in our Bean 3 times since getting it last a year ago Sept. Took it in to a friend's shop 4 weeks ago to have it painted and a few things "tweaked", and haven't seen it since! (OK, I've seen it, cuz I stopped by to pick out paint, etc. but you know what I mean!)

Anyway, I keep watching the beautiful fall weekends go by, and it's killing me! I've read the above mentioned article about cold weather camping twice, so I'm willing to give it a try when we get Bean back! (But I think I'll head alittle south of Nebraska to try it---maybe southern Missouri or Texas.) We'll see-----I just want my camper back!!!!!!!!

[BruceG]

We camped in Minnesota the first weekend in October and the temp dipped to 30 degrees F. most of the night. We had found a campground with electric hookups and were cozy all night under a big quilt with the electric space heater running all night. If camping longer in cold weather I would make sure that the water tank is drained and the sink trap is drained or has antifreeze. We put drinking water in jugs. I would not want to be pulling the camper in snowy or icy conditions however.

[Penney H. & Mike E.]

At this point thinking maybe camping part of our vacation, won't be like camping in CA! But we do like the WA coast in winter, maybe we'll get lucky and not have too much rain! I think a weekend would be okay, but not for 10+ days! We'll see what the weather does......

Donna, I would love to have a winterized trailer! My dream, when someone gives me lots of money, would be to buy a winterized Escape. Until then, will just snuggle under the covers and run the heater - not very efficient or 'green'. We do carry an electric heater for the reasons mentioned, quieter for when you need to run it all night.

Penney

[barring]

We've camped over to Buena Vista CO with the days in the teens and the nights colder, so we could snowshoe up that way. Lesson learned: Boiling water for pasta supper means icicles in the AM dripping on your head when you turn the heat back on. Also, don't expect to find too many outhouses unlocked at the few campgrounds that you can get into. And don't go onto the back roads too far, as you may not get out till spring! But it beats winter camping by a lot, and gives you a nice cozy base to come back to after a day of exploring the woods.

As Bruce says, water in jugs, and keep them in the trailer so they won't freeze too solid. Coleman stove for outdoor cooking. Bring a good book as you will want to get into the sleeping bag early, to get your feet off the floor. And bring a friend - two are always warmer than one.

And boy, is it nice to be able to just roll over and turn the furnace on in the AM! The season need not end, if you're careful with the driving.

[Roger C H]

Winter camping? We suffered 25º F temps at Bryce Canyon in mid July! Of course there was no snow because the days warmed nicely.

BTW Look at what Chicago is looking forward to:

Storm To Be Among Worst In 70 Years « CBS Chicago – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and the Best of Chicago

I often wonder if Boeing execs still think their move was a good idea.

[BobB]

Winter camping can be pleasant and it can be awful, depending on what the weather throws at you. A couple years ago I was caught out in endless rain and 50 mph winds. Although the Bigfoot is a decent 4 seasons set-up, my awning tried to unfurl and a substantial amount of rain came in the refrigerator vent to get the floor wet. Most of the time California doesn't have serious freezing temperatures unless you go to the ski areas. Good idea to avoid extreme weather camping, if you can.

[Vickie B.]

Forget it---guess I'll wait till Spring! Sounds dreadful! Gotta go flip on my gas powered fireplace and watch the weather channel about Chicago!

Added:
Yikes! Watching the news-----everybody by careful today!

[RSchleder]

OK, your nuts for camping in the winter!!

[Cyndi B.]

People do it all the time in Montana. It's called temporary housing.

[LSChilders]

My brother live in Indianapolis, IN. and doesn't have a spare bedroom. We have spent a week in their driveway with night time temps at 3* and daytime temps at 18*. We were a toasty 70* in the trailer, with a couple gallons of RV anti freeze in each tank.

[Cyndi B.]

LSChilders:

You ever had a relative in Iowa City, IA?

[Gina D.]

one advantage to winter camping is that you can often enjoy your favorite campground free. Not all have gates. Many forest service campgrounds pull the toilet paper, lock the potti doors, shut off the water and allow nature to take the campground over until spring.

It is quite OK to use them, you just won't have any services and may have to clean your table and fire ring before you use them.

Of the 11 campgrounds I worked this summer on the McKenzie River, only 3 have gates. I closed down most campgrounds last month. 2 more close tomorrow, the one I lived in being one of them. It has a gate.

I leave here tomorrow for the desert, taking the coast route. I will stop in at ranger stations to find out which ones alon the way are not gated. They are happy to tell you.

[LSChilders]

Originally Posted by Cyndi B.

LSChilders:

You ever had a relative in Iowa City, IA?

Nope, ... Sorry, .... I've only been there once, and no relatives

[Byron Kinnaman]

We've had some great week-ends in January and February. The furnace keeps us nice and warm. When the weather is sunny camp in sunny spot and enjoy. We spent about 4 days over the New Years holiday at the Oregon beach. One of our more fun trips. Pick a spot where there's a couple museums pretty close. Cold days can often be spent enjoying local museums.
Somebody mentioned staying is a place with electricity thinking it would be cheaper. My experience would indicate over wise. We generally camp in FS, NP campgrounds without hookups. With our Golden Age passports the average night costs less then $10.00. A place with hookups is generally at least $20.00. I can buy a lot of propane for the difference, about 1 tank a day.
The bottom line is don't let the weather stop you. Why do you have a trailer if it isn't to keep you warm and dry when the weather is nasty. Prepare for it warm clothes, hot drinks, and hot food. Bring along a couple good books, a few games, and topics of conversation.
Enjoy

[Ray N]

Winter camping is great.....(of course winter camping here in Florida isn't quite the same thing as what you're talking about).

Byron, we just returned from a weekend at a beautiful Florida Forest Service park (Krul Lake Recreation Area), with full electric hook-ups and, with our half price discount, it was only $8.00 a night. There are very few parks here in Florida that don't have electricity, even at the less expensive places - probably because AC is so important most of the year. If I lived "out west," or in many areas of the North, I would have probably gotten a propane equipped camper, but around here, all-electric works out just fine, and they don't seem to charge much, (if any) extra, for it.

[Carol H]

Ray I can honestly say I have never thought I would see Florida and the term winter camping used in the same discussion! ROFL What do you need to do to prep for such a trip. Turn the AC off? :-)