Full time in winter (insulation)

[Obinja]

Hello everyone. I'm considering buying a Casita I saw posted for sale. Does anyone know if a 2004 is insulated? If so, would it withstand below freezing temps?
TIA

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

The under 19 foot fiberglass trailers are small enough that even with minimal insulation easy to heat. But trailers should be winterized for optimum care of your trailer.
Any water line or holding tank with liquid may be subject to freezing and damage if the outside temperature is too cold. So winterize and heat and it will be much better than a tent.

[ShelbyM]

Full time in CO? No. Minimal insulation, the heater would have to run constantly. You would not be able to use the plumbing, the tanks are unheated. In a warmer location, the occasional drop below freezing can be dealt with.

[Obinja]

Thanks for the replies. I figured as much. I'm wanting to live full time in a small trailer. I'll heading toward building out an enclosed cargo trailer. I can insulate the heck out of it.

[Jon in AZ]

If you happen to find one at a decent price, a Bigfoot 17.5’ is a small(-ish) four-season egg-type trailer with thermal windows, 1” rigid insulation, and enclosed heated holding tanks. You want the 2500-series 17.5’, not the 1500-series 17’, which is only a three-season trailer. The larger 21’ model is more common and has a dry bath, which I’d consider an advantage for full-timing

[Obinja]

Hey, thanks for the information. That is incredibly helpful. Now, I know what to look for.
Thx
R

[Jon in AZ]

I see I didn't quite finish my last sentence... I was going to add the 21' requires a full-size truck to pull, while the 17.5 can be towed with a number of mid-sized trucks or larger SUVs.

I have some personal experience full-timing in a four-season travel trailer in the mountains of eastern Arizona several decades ago. Winter low temperatures averaged around 20*F and got as low as 0*F occasionally. Electric and propane consumption was significant, as even a four-season travel trailer is still far less efficient than a modern house. I used heat tape and insulation to keep water flowing through the city water connection. Storm-related power outages were a problem because you lost heat in the trailer and pipes. To avoid frozen and burst pipes, I had to let the faucets drip during outages and whenever I left the trailer overnight in winter. If I were to do one thing differently, I would have added an insulated skirt or hay bales around the bottom.

I lasted four years before I decided it was time for more conventional housing arrangements. I saved enough money during the four years to afford a down payment on a small house, so it was worth it.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by ShelbyM

Full time in CO? No. Minimal insulation, the heater would have to run constantly. You would not be able to use the plumbing, the tanks are unheated. In a warmer location, the occasional drop below freezing can be dealt with.

Yeah I go operational in the winter sometimes with my Scamp. Busy about three times a year. Generally about 3 to 4 days each time. You absolutely have to have heat for your propane tank. But Amazon does sell a nice propane tank heating blanket pretty cheap. And it works wonderful. Even if I am incident command and my door is opening all the time, I can keep it reasonable in 0° weather.

I generally put antifreeze in my gray tank. Find some other way to deal with the doo doo. And then do use my sink. And then use my stove for heating water as I need it instead of my water heater. But I can't imagine successfully full-timing in my 16-ft scamp. A lot of times when I come back from an incident my gray water tank is frozen and won't drain. It doesn't damage it because of the antifreeze. But still I have to wait for several warm non-freezing days before I can drain it. Now that works for what I'm doing but I can't imagine doing that for full timing

[JJW]

We lived in a 2008 Casita for 8 days during a winter storm - we were park hosts at the time. It hit minus 9 one night. It is definitely a three season trailer, but with planning it can survive some brief cold spells. We had a heated water hose and left the water dripping and the grey tank open and that worked well. The black tank turned out to be a problem and the pipe froze solid. We used the heat strip on the AC supplemented by the propane heater with an extra tank. We had no damage from the storm, road it out, and enjoyed some beautiful scenery. I am glad for the memory, but would rather not do it again.

[Bgreat1]

We live out of our Casita in Lake Stevens Washington. We keep it under a 20'X10' canopy. We have power. I cover the 3 windows in and out around the bed (table) with a 2 layer sandwich of reflectix. The outside I tape on with Blue Painters tape that removes easy when it warms up. I winterize it then put a gallon antifreeze in the black & gray tank to fill the pipes. We fill a garden sprayer to "flush" with. We have done it for 5+ years without any problems. We do have the use of our daughters house for cooking, showering and such. Currently in AZ and heading back home after Thanksgiving.

[Stephen_Albers]

I've been working on a four-season unimproved-road friendly Casita for a couple of years. My target is continuous no-fuss operation -20F to +130 F. This will accommodate 98% of the weather conditions in the Americas.

The stock windows and floor are a disaster. Merely swapping them all out for thermal windows and insulating the floor will work miracles. So far my tested results are 110F OAT with 70F inside using the air conditioner alone. I haven't tested the lower limit yet. But I'm fairly confident of good results.

[Bgreat1]

What windows did you use in your replacement?

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Obinja

Thanks for the replies. I figured as much. I'm wanting to live full time in a small trailer. I'll heading toward building out an enclosed cargo trailer. I can insulate the heck out of it.

Might look for a "4 seasons" camper. That means designed to also do winter.


Don't forget that you have to find a place to hook up and most close with the seasons.

[Bgreat1]

What windows did you use for replacements?

[Obinja]

I'm going toward living full time on private property. Also, hoping to be fairly self sufficient. No black tank. A composting toilet.

[mariaandskip]

When I lived in AK I knew a couple of people who rented a heated garage and pulled their trailer into the garage. Garages where kept at 60 so it didn't take much to bring the trailer interior up to comfortable . Garage had a 1/2 bath so showers where taken in the trailer and grey water was disposed of using one of the rolling tanks. Propane was NOT used!

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Obinja

I'm going toward living full time on private property. Also, hoping to be fairly self sufficient. No black tank. A composting toilet.

Still going to have to figure out gray water ;-)

[Stephen_Albers]

Originally Posted by Bgreat1

What windows did you use in your replacement?

The specialty Texas firm that handled my windows upgrade et al is headed by Chris Moore (cmooregalaxy@gmail.com). He knows all the Casita window dimensions. FYI, the windows are not intended for the RV industry but for the oil exploration industry. They are employed in both the Artic and Arabian deserts. For improved security, he installed an additional front window so the tow vehicle and hitch area can be viewed from inside the trailer. Chris also has the specialty high pressure equipment to test the windows to verify there are no leaks, another key requirement for an all-season trailer. My trailer has been through TWO hurricanes tied to a telephone pole with all systems operating and no leaks.

[Bgreat1]

Thanks

[ShelbyM]

Today is Thanksgiving and I'm grateful that housing isn't one of my worries. Hopefully OP's situation will improve.