Class C in the winter

[gretchenjack]

Thoughts on RV'ing in the winter?

I have seen RV's in the parking lots of some ski resorts. If anyone has experience with this can you give me your thoughts? Your experiences?

Are some manufacturer's better than others when it comes to cold weather? I am leaning towards Winnebago Navion ans I want to take my RV to go downhill sking.

THX!

[Dakzuki]

We've used our Navion up at ski areas a couple of times and in cold and sub freezing temps in the lowlands. I also know lots of folks that stay in their RVs at ski areas. The following tips are if you're dry camping:

Supplemental insulation: You'll need it of the furnace will be running non stop. You will want to isolate the cab walls/windows/windshield from the house part of the RV. The easy way is to use a good blanket to seal it off. We have a fairly exotic insulated curtain affair we made from Warm Windows fabric that goes around the inside of the cab so the rotating cab seats are still available for use. You will want to cover single pane windows. The easy way is Reflectix bubble insulation. Once again we made insulated window covers that snap in place. Better insulation means less furnace use.

Tanks: Tank heaters can only be run if you have lots of power available..this means with power beyond your batteries. I toss some RV antifreeze in the black and gray tanks to start the trip off so the valves have antifreeze around them. I know lots of folks that do nothing and wait a day after they come down to thaw out.

Fresh water: Keep cabinets open at night so air circulates as close to the plumbing as possible. The plumbing is pretty robust but it's best to not tempt fate. Everyone I know has frozen up at some time.

Batteries: You want to enter the evening with them fully charged so charging during the day is imperative. Many (including me) have little Hondas we use for battery charging so we don't have to run the big generator endlessly. You will want to have good batteries too. When the group 24s that come with the RV **** out, convert over to GC2 flooded batteries at the minimum.

Solar: This will help your cause a bunch but trees and snow can get in the way.

Heat: You can use a portable catalytic heater during the day or plumb in a permanent one. This will save battery capacity as there's no fan involved.

Moisture: It's gonna be a thing. When you get back to civilization you will need to dehumidify the inside of the RV. I live in Western Washington and this is a regular deal after every trip in the winter.

If I think of more, I'll add it.

[memtb]

loggenrock wrote:
I prefer not to expose the underside of my rig to the salt, etc. they spread on the roads! Actually better to be out in bitter cold than marginal cold - when it's really chilly salt doesn't work well, so you don't get the salty brine that rots out anything metal it gets exposed to.

Thank goodness, we use “little to no salt” here!

[loggenrock]

I prefer not to expose the underside of my rig to the salt, etc. they spread on the roads! Actually better to be out in bitter cold than marginal cold - when it's really chilly salt doesn't work well, so you don't get the salty brine that rots out anything metal it gets exposed to.

[pnichols]

Some RV manufacturers have an optional winter package available. Make sure whatever you buy has this, as a minimum.

Just as a reference: Our Winnebago 24V came with the winter package option. This includes two coach batteries and 12 volt electrically heated grey and black tanks. Of course these heaters don't drain the batteries when on hookups because then the stock converter powers them, but being 12 volt heaters they can also be used for drycamping in the extreme cold. All fresh water plumbing and the main freshwater tank are contained within the RV's heated coach environment. We also pack along insulated window covers for every window at all times, just in case we intentionally or by accident find ourselves camping in the extreme cold.

[memtb]

The two previous posters, have more experience than I with a class c in the cold, though we could talk (a lot) about 5er’s.
That said.... we didn’t want to do extensive ( have too many projects now) modifications, so we went with the Bigfoot Class C. The previous owners (avid cross - country skiers) used it (ours now) down to -17 F, with the water system filled and useable.....with very minimal modifications. The “only” thing that they did was to put a little “foil bubble insulation” in a few “strategic” locations, mostly inside the outside bay access doors.
We wanted to test it ( to well below 0 F)last winter, but used it only down into “single” digits! No problem!

Several of the reasons we went Bigfoot was, enclosed, heated tanks and dump valves, one of largest ( if not the largest) fresh water tanks in the class c’s, dual pane windows, and on the E 450 chassis ( many class c’s are on the 350).
The “BIG” negative is that Bigfoot ( although back from the dead) went out of business in ‘09 ( ours is an ‘07). They, while back in business, no longer produce class c’s. Everyone’s loss!

[Photomike]

I have not given up all my winter camping but in the past couple of years the weather has been insane and has put a crimp in my plans. -30 & -40 on the calm days and windy on the warm days that blows vehicles off the road. So I have changed my camping style.

Class C
Still have a class C that is well insulated and winter ready with 4 6V batteries for the house propane system, a emergency cat heater with 1lb propane bottles for when the temps cause issues with the house propane system and a third back-up 110v heater for when I have power. I stay VERY toasty. Here is a link to my current class C

Class B
What I have moved to using more than the C is a homemade class B. This has three batteries inside to keep them warm in cold (2 vehicle and one group 31 house battery), a gas Espar heater (no propane to freeze or fill), a porta potti (take inside any place and dump and no winterizing of a house water system) and easy to drive in the wind. I can easily spend a night in this in the freezing temps, it drives great in the wind (actually drives great in any weather). I also did not put in windows for a couple reasons; First is security - nobody knows what is inside, Second is no cold air leakage. Read more on the van build here.

Many of my winter trips are only a day or two, but if I am out for a long time and it is crazy cold I will stay at a hotel every couple of nights to use their heat & power and have a hot shower and I am all set.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I've modified my class C and have used it at -37 c (-34 f). There is a great thread under the full time forum that has many excellent suggestions of how to modify the unit.

My first Class C had a heated basement. Unfortunately I don't think anyone does that any more. So it is possible (for example I added electrical outlets to run heaters for the waste tank and valves area.

A good start is a unit that does have enclosed tanks and valves.

Photomike is another who has camped in extreme cold (even colder than me).

[Photomike]

Really depends on the brand. Most brands have zero insulation, some have a little and a few have lots. The best Class C that I have seen is a Bigfoot but they are out of production.

Most C's can be used with care in the winter like no onboard water & extra heat but they are not enjoyable.

Things to look for: Insulation, Double pane windows, tanks inside, tanks heated, valves inside, solar, extra batteries

[DrewE]

How well they work in winter depends not just on brand but at least as much on how the particular unit is equipped. Enclosed heated tanks, plumbing within the heated envelope of the RV, dual pane windows, etc. all play a real part in how cold you can comfortably operate.

I have enclosed/heated tanks (via the furnace) and plumbing inside my class C, but not double-pane windows. I've done limited camping/overnighting down in the 20's without it being problematic. It does get a bit drafty inside, and the furnace can consume a fair bit of battery power if dry camping. Dump facilities are even rarer at that time of year around here, and they're none to plentiful at any time.

If you're in an area where they salt the roads, it might be wise to take into consideration the extra corrosion that can bring. Thorough washing/hosing off of the underside with clean water fairly soon after traveling is a wise idea to help limit salt damage. The basic chassis framework and components are not usually the main concern here; rather, the angle irons and so forth that the RV maker uses to construct the RV are usually more prone to damage by corrosion (plus any exposed systems/electrical connections).

My class C handles fine in the snow, based on pretty limited experience. There's plenty of weight over the rear wheels for traction. I try to avoid anything much in the way of winter weather; I don't care to find out how it would behave if things got really dicey and it started to actually get away from me, and can't imagine it would necessarily end well.

[Harvard]

We have an Class C RV that is able to handle the winter EXCEPT there are no dump stations open in the winter where we live. All our tanks are heated by the furnace AND also heated by the engine cooling system. As snowbirds we are able to use this feature because we know we will be south in 4 days where the dump stations are open.