Winter Camping in Rhode Island

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We will be winterizing our Casita 17’ Spirit Deluxe in the next couple of weeks using Charles’ instructions that we found on this forum. However, this is not to say that we will not be camping anymore for this season. As Charles just recently said “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.” My question to any of you out there is this. a) After winterizing is done could you fill the fresh water holding tank with RV antifreeze and use it along with the pump to flush while winter camping just as you would if it were filled with water? or B) Do you just keep a gallon or two of antifreeze in the bath for pour and flush at each use? We have had our SD since June 27, 2002 new from the factory so we have not been through a New England winter with our “Cherokee Rose”. I want to use option (a) if this is possible. I know that antifreeze is not “free” like water but have any of you done it this way before? Thanks for all replies and suggestions.
Sara

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It's great you're considering doing some winter camping! Most state parks stay open year round here, with electricity to each campsite. I think it's almost manditory to have electricity ... so take that into consideration!

When you winterize your trailer, don't forget to run some RV antifreeze through the shower hose ... and into the shower drain!

Now, after you winterize ... you could, in theory, use a fresh water tank full of RV antifreeze, to take care of flushing tasks ... we've never done it ... but, in theory, it would work.

It's much easier to use a jug or two in the bathroom for flushing duties (if you stop and think about it, using a jug is the same principle as using a pump/fresh water tank).

If it's just going to dip into the low 30's or high 20's during the night, you probably don't have to worry about using RV antifreeze.. and could use gallon jugs of water.

We've even camped in the low 20s, high teens ... but "prime" the toilet with a half gallon jug of RV antifreeze first.

I had to be scatological here, but you are going to be adding 98 degree F (36.6 degree C) liquid to the black tank ... it will take a while to cool that to freezing! (Occasionally the dump valves will freeze. No problem, just thaw with an electric hair dryer!)

Much colder than that, we do flush with straight jugs of antifreeze.

Pam heats water with an electric teapot to wash her face, do dishes, and yes, make use some tea during the winter. We don't worry about pouring water into the gray tank ... nothing's under pressure there ... so freezing won't hurt anything!

Remember to rewinterize your sink traps and toilet with a couple of cups of RV antifreeze when you get home!

Hope you enjoy winter camping as much as we do!

Nothing like waking up to fresh snow in an empty quiet campground.

I can't wait!

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Charles,

What do you like about winter camping?

We have been talking about camping through the winter but have never done this before (not really appealing when tenting But now that we have a Casita, the idea seems attractive. Course we're in Alabama and it doesn't get below freezing very often or for very long.

Can you (and anyone else out there) elaborate on the pros of cold -weather camping?

Thanks!

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Charles, thank you so very much for your speedy reply and as usual your very helpful information. I have been reading Casitaclub.com forum and this one since before we purchased our Casita. I am very shy when it comes to posting and have done very little of it but I do enjoy reading every comment, looking at all the wonderful pictures and getting to know (as much as you can on line) everyone that post. Carl, my husband calls me an addict because I log on every single day and read everything I can about our wonderful Fiberglass RV's. I could not be happier with ours and I can't show it enough. I just want everyone to be as happy with theirs as we are ours.

Kim, in answer to your question about the benefits of winter camping, I can't really tell you from experience as I have not had any as you can tell from my emails. However, I am looking forward to trying it this year. Rhode Island can get very cold and we can have a lot of snow or just a little, you never know about it here in New England. The favorite saying here is "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change" and I have found this to be very true. Charles on the other hand lives in I believe one of the coldest states around so I figure he knows what he is talking about. I can tell you this though and that is that there is nothing like taking a walk during a big snow storm. It is the quietest sound you will ever experience but the most "awesome". I am originally from Savannah, Georgia but due to my husbands job transfer we have been living here in Rhode Island for 20 years now and call it home. I truly love the four seasons that we have here and anticipate each one with great expectations. I love the Fall which we are in right now and am loving it. We just came home from our first extended period of camping in our Casita (10 days) and we just loved it. This year in New England the weather was not so kind to us as it rained almost all the time we were gone. Our trip took us to The Berkshires in Massachusetts to camp on the Mohawk Trail one night. We then moved on up north to Stowe, Vermont and stayed there for three days. From there on to Lake Champlain, Vt., Lake George, New York, one side trip to Montreal, Canada (we did not take the Casita) as we were using Lake George as our home base for a couple of days. From Lake George we returned back to our beautiful "littlest" state with the "biggest name" to get a look at our Fall Foliage that was coming into peak this past weekend. We camped at our home state park called Burlingame Camp Ground (no hookups Charles and they will close this coming weekend) and camped there for our final two days of vacation. Our "Cherokee Rose" kept us very warm and dry and happy and I was very sad to return to everyday duties. We have had no problems with our trailer since we took delivery of it at the factory in Rice, TX in June.

I love camping in the State Parks and Forest but our little state only has a couple and they close this weekend. I am in the process of looking for alternative places to camp here as even most of our private campgrounds close too. What a shame. Looks like I will have to travel to Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine where some of the parks stay open due to Skiing and such winter sports. Awesome, again even if you don't participate it is just wonderful to dress like you sky and sit in the wonderful lodges and sip hot chocolate. What a life. I can't wait!!!!! Can I tell you anymore about winter camping and the pluses, Kim? If you love the out doors as all campers do then you should find a lot of wonderful things to do in beautiful Alabama. I know that it is beautiful because I have been there many times. I have a sister that lives in Mintone, Ala. which is in the upper North Eastern corner of Ala. I love it there.

Shy me will go for now, happy camping to all.

Sara

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Sara, where in R.I. are you located? I live in Preston, CT. I am sure you know where Foxwoods is well I am about 1 mile from that, right between Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.

There is a campground in Lisbon, CT that is called Hillcrest I believe. We stayed there a few days to break in our Casita and it was a pretty nice campground. I believe they are open year round with elec. and cable too. My wife said that she believes they are on line also.

Please give us a shout and maybe we can join you, if not we would surely like to come and visit you to say hi!

Have you got your Casitaclub.com # yet from Roland? We are number 1024 and our Casita name is (Great "Egg"spectaions). We'll have to do some rally going and camping together some time.

Steve, Julie & Michael # 1024
Great "Egg"spectations

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3db4aec966e37tirecover1a.JPG/>

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Hello Steve, Julie and Michael,

I have been reading your emails and post since you started and I have been keeping up with you guys on your travels. I remember the first time that your picture was posted on the Casitaclub.com forum with your new Casita and your new little baby boy and your surprise when they selected your picture for the opening page.

Thanks for responding. It would be nice if we could get together sometime for a weekend.

We live in Coventry, RI which as you know is not far from anything, even Preston, CT.

I must tell you that you are much younger than we are but that really doesn't matter to me if it doesn't to you!!! Of course we don't look or act our ages if we can help it. I love children and I make a wonderful grandmother to our 9 year old grandson so I am sure that Michael would not have a problem with me either.

We do plan on camping at the Charlestown Breachway here in RI during the month of November. However, for your information there are no facilities there except a big parking lot with 75 parking spots so you must be fully self contained to camp there and also, know of a dump station nearby. Usually you go to the State Park Burlingame and dump there since both Campgrounds are State operated. However, Burlingame is closing this next weekend for the season. We will be looking for another place with a dump station nearby. As of this time we don't know when we will be camping again but we will let you know. If you are not familar with the Breachway here in Rhode Island it is a camp site right on the Beach with an Ocean Inlet that comes in on one side and feeds the Salt Ponds in Charlestown. One of our favorite spots to go since we love the beach and everything about it. We are also Scuba Divers and Lobster lovers (to eat them that is). We always try to camp where there is water of any kind, beach, lake, pond or puddle.

Thanks for the information on the camp ground in CT. Maybe we can come there and camp with y'all sometime. Take care and keep in touch.

Sara
"Cherokee Rose"
Sara & Carl
#1111

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Sara ... you were right on the money! There's nothing more exciting than walking through fresh snow!

Kim ... to each their own ... but we love winter camping because:

1. The campgrounds are sparsely populated, if not empty.

2. Sitting (even cuddling) around a campfire (for warmth, not appearances), under crystal clear winter skies, sipping hot chocolate or drinking hot tea. (We often have our fires in mid afternoon and retreat to the warmth of the trailer at dusk!)

3. Sleeping close together under a pile of blankets, hoping it will snow overnight.

4. Stepping out of the toasty warm little trailer in the morning to walk the dog into almost take-your-breath away cold air.

5. Hiking in the barren woods, crunching across a sea of frozen leaves, back to frozen waterfalls. (At one state park, Starved Rock, ice climbing is big sport during the winter)(we watch, because we have more sense than that!)

6. Since there are few people in the campground, and since deer are overpopulated, and winter forage is hard for them, there are almost always deer grazing at the woodline or open campground.

7. Reading a good book or browsing through Reader's Digest, or just midday napping, snug as two bugs in a rug.

8. It's hard to describe the quiet ... and the way the quiet blankets the campground. It's almost unreal. If you listen real hard, you can hear the ghosts of mid-summer campground noise ... but you are smothered in quietness.

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;)

That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for! Definitely images my cuddly husband will relate to and be motivated by.

Now I can't wait for winter!

Thanks again,

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Hello Everyone!!!!

I have just found this post and am very imperssed with the knowledge and information posted....

As the owner of a Slide in truck camper.01 lance 11&1/2 footer with slide out,I have camped many time in the winter with my rig......
First and formost I would not fill the fresh water tank with Non toxic Anti/freexe because no matter how hard you try you will still get a after taste no matter how many times you flush...

I belong to a Slide- in truck camping club called-- North East Truck Camping Cluband ever year we do a mid winter "camp/out" at Meridith Woods in New Hamshire...
What amases me more than anything else is all this money my fellow campers have spent on Winter packages and Storm Windows and such and DO NOT use their water systems in the winter...
Heres the symple things and precautions I tell people!!!!

First check to see if you can get axcess to the bottom of you black& gray holding tanks.....If so Camping World makes a wounderfull "Pad Type Heater"120 volts A/C that you would attach to the bottom of eack tank....On my Lance- after the bottom of the tanks is a fiberglass shroud thats not to bad to remove and you would adhear one pad to eack tank and re install the protective shroud.....No more fear of freeze up in either of the tanks,and I have not have any problem using the dumping valves do empty the holding tanks at the end of the weekend....If one have a problem all you would have to do is put a strip of that 120 volt heat strip and rap it around the dump valves--oh buy the way my dumpvalvesare actually inside a heated compartment altho I would gather by looking at the 2 inch heat vent that come off my heater its never much above freezing...
Second -by another heating pad and you will need to try and find away to fit it around your fresh water tank..In the Lance it put my Pad between the outside wall and the tank....
Third---you will need to do a bit of detective work because all rigs are different..but on My lance all the water lines route under the sink and go behind the stove underneath the heater to the bath sink dont to that heated storage ares and up to the shower/tub outlet.....What I do is remove completely the sink and bath cabinet doors so heat will more freely circulate where those water lines are located......
I have camped up in the Loon Mountain Area for 2 years now and have see a low of minus 15 degrees and have never had a freeze up yet....be prepaired to use some serious propain but to wake up in the morning with virgin fresh snow on your rig is so pretty and awsome...
Yes you will need 120 volt shore power to keep every thing up and running because your using up a lot of juice....
I probably Winter wize & Un Winter wise my rig 5/6 times a winter .....
Oh some have asked why why I dont use a 120 volt ceramic heater
and save on the propain....its simple really the ceraming will certainly help heat the Rig but will keep my Main heater off for longer periods of time but I feel that when you are looking for trouble because you are not pumping heat into those dumpvalve areas and the return air for the main heater is right by the long run of hot and cold water lines and iIwant to keep the hot air circulating along those lines..

Mike Tassinari

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts
Sara ... you were right on the money! There's nothing more exciting than walking through fresh snow!

:wave Charles, Did you have snow this weekend?

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>>did you have snow

Hi Michael! No, darn it! Just got back from putting the trailer away. We had a great weekend!

Overnight lows in the high F 30's (3 C), light rain. Forecasting chance of snow flurries later this week, lows in the mid F 20's (-3 C).

Always next time! See y'all been busy while I was gone!

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Mike T >> no matter how hard you try you will still get a after taste

Hi Mike! Welcome to the group! Hey, my wife is pretty particular about taste. We've been using RV antifreeze for years in our fresh water tank, pulling it through the water pump and lines. In the spring, after flushing the system a couple of times ... I occasionally purify with a little bleach (sometimes not), then add a little Camco water freshener to the next tank (or add baking soda)(or is it powder?) ... our water is sparkling fresh after that!

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Unlike Charles, we did get snow in our part of NE this weekend (the Berkshires). In fact, this was our second snow storm of the season so far. Alas, all the snow melts within a day or so still as it goes above freezing during the day.

It'll be a great winter for snow if it keeps up like this. Cool, as we bought a HUGE snowblower with track drive last winter and haven't had a chance to play with the new toy! We'll need it to keep the driveway clear to get the trailer out for winter camping ;-)

Nathan and Daisy

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Hello everyone!!!

I just use 2 cups of bleach to 6 gallons of water but do not dump it into my freah water tank,,since it Non toxic anti freexe any way,,,I just hook it up to the outside potable water feed and uses my transfere pump to flush all the lines..

Well my Lance gets droped off to the dealer tomorrow and then off to a long trip back to Lance cal.....Gonna miss the fall camping period all together ......:sad :sad