Have you ever tried winter camping? If you enjoy winter outdoor activities like skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and sledding then winter camping might be for you! There’s nothing like making new winter memories in an RV, and while it’s an unique and enjoyable experience, it should be noted that everything is a bit harder and takes more time and planning when it’s cold and snowy out. The snow is inevitably coming so here’s my favorite winter RV camping tips to get you started!
Stay Longer
Winter camping requires some extra work and additional steps to make sure that you’re comfortable, therefore, it’s more suited to longer stays than short weekend getaways. You’ll need to take some extra to set up, so stay at your site a little bit longer to make it worth your while!
Propane Upgrade
You’ll be using more propane when it’s cold out, so if you’re planning on camping during the winter, I recommend upgrading your 20lb tanks to 30lb tanks and to keep the 20lb tanks as spares. You will likely need a new rod holder kit for the larger tanks and this can be easily purchased online.
Stay Stable
Stabilizing jacks can freeze to paved or concrete pads, so I recommend placing wooden blockers beneath them. If they freeze into the ground, it’s easy to leave them behind.
Warm Spaces
Electric space heaters are one of my favorite winter camping accessories. They prevent you from using up propane quickly in your furnace and keep small spaces nice and warm. I like to keep at least 2 on hand for winter camping trips - one for inside and one for under the rig.
Speaking of furnaces, inspect yours before you leave to make sure it works! Clean the filter and make sure it’s in top shape before heading out.
Embrace Electric
You’re more than likely choosing to camp at an RV resort with hookups during the winter because your electrical needs will have increased. Instead of using the exterior plugs, I recommend plugging your electrical accessories directly into the electrical panel located on your site. This includes the interior space heater, vehicle block heaters, and the space heater under rig. The electrical panel may only have one outlet, so make sure to purchase an outlet extension and additional extension cords.
Happy Hoses
Prevent your water hose from freezing by wrapping it in foam insulation and securing the wrap every few feet with duct tape. Alternatively, you can also purchase a cold weather heated hose. You will also want to wrap your spigots (at the water source and where it enters the rig) to prevent freezing.
There’s another hose you should consider, and that’s the sewer hose. I recommend only connecting it when you want to drain your gray and black tank or you may end up with a nasty sewer poopsicle.
Exterior Protection
I recommend you install vent covers over your vents to keep airflow moving during snowfall. Vent covers are easy to put on and stop moisture from being trapped inside your rig by snowfall.
An RV skirt is useful for temperatures that are single-digit or below zero to keep your undercarriage from losing heat. Similarly, use a slide topper to keep snow and moisture off of your slide and ice from accumulating or be diligent about keeping these spaces free from snow and ice by clearing them often.
Photo courtesy of Custom Skirting via https://togorv.com/rv-living/rv-skirting-solutions/
Before heading out for the season, inspect your window seals and re-caulk where needed. Also take a close look at the weather stripping on exterior doors and access panels and replace components where necessary.
Are you ready to enjoy camping year-round? It’s extra work, but in my experience it’s always worth it. If you don’t have an RV yet, remember that it’s never too late to get one when you’re enjoying it all year. Visit our sponsor partners at Revival Powersports, they can get you set up a with RV financing so you can buy from places like KIJIJI or Facebook Marketplace!
As always, thanks for reading!
Your friend,
Fred