Using camper off-grid in winter

Originally posted by David and Danette   When we camped off grid during cold temps we used a portable Mr Buddy propane furnace. We used a solar pannel and a generator to help keep battery charged but found the camper furnace drained the battery to fast, we only had one battery.

We have spent traveled and camped in the trailer at temperatures in the low single-digits. No water in the tank. Use RV antifreeze to flush if needed, but try to avoid using the toilet in the trailer. You will use a LOT of propane trying to keep the trailer at usual room temperatures. We kept the thermostat lower and dressed warmly. We also tried a Mr. Buddy. The small one was adequate, but top-heavy. I was always worried that it would tip over without me being there to catch it. I ended up returning the little one and got the Buddy which had much more output than we needed, even on low, but it was much more stable.

The coldest weather we have camped in over the past 14 years with our 177 is 22 degrees F.  The propane furnace ran a lot and we kept the windows on both side of the bed open about 1/4" for ventilation.  The times we kept everything closed, even at 35-40 degrees was not good, a lot of condensation on the walls, actually too much!  There is a way to avoid condensation but I don't recommend it - stop breathing - not a viable option for sure!  We have camped in cold weather but used compressed air to clear the lines and basically dry camp.  As has been stated above, the r-pod is not intended to be used in cold winter climates, unless you are going to dry camp, and from your post, that is not your intent.

Originally posted by TimeOutside Thank you everyone for your input.  It's not what I wanted to hear, but it is what it is.  I simply had no idea that campers would be made that could not be used year round.  It still baffles me that is how the industry works. But since the majority of the outings I purchased the camper for will be in seasons where a freeze is possible, I do want to explore options that will let me utilize the camper as intended as much as possible.  I hate to think I wasted my money.  (My wife will be really pissed.)  So, let me ask some additional questions and get your input, since I still don't know what I don't know. Assumptions: I'll be camping in my home area of southern Missouri &/or south. I'll be able to view the forecast and have time to fully winterize if there is a long period of freezing temperature coming. In my home area, the typical freeze is no lower than 15 degrees F.  Sometimes it is in the mid-20s.  Usually it is in the upper 20s. Rarely does it remain below freezing during the day. At 15 degrees F, with 15 gallons remaining in my fresh water tank and a starting water temperature of 40 degrees F, it will take almost 34 hours for the water to freeze. At 15 degrees F, with 2 gallons in a grey or black water tank and a starting water temperature of 40 degrees F, it will take almost 4.5 hours for the water to freeze. See the Water Freeze Time Calculator for other values. You can probably get by into the mid 20s for a few hours, but it's risky.  The tanks don't have to freeze solid for you to have a problem. So, for the tanks: It seems to me that if I start out with a full 30 gallons in my fresh water tank and don't let it dip below 15 gallons that I have a very low risk of running into trouble, as long as I keep an eye on the forecast. It seems to me that if I dump some food grade antifreeze in my black and grey tanks (and the lines leading to them), I should also have a very low risk of them freezing. Does this seem correct to all of you? Yes. Do I have access to the bottoms of the tanks?  (I won't have the opportunity to look until later this week.)  If so, I can stick heating pads on the undersides.  I have a hybrid truck equipped with a 2k watt pure sine wave inverter.  I will always have access to AC power, although I don't want to run it continuously. Now about the lines: The lines are more problematic. Do I have access to the length of all the water lines?  (I won't have the chance to look until later this week.)  If so, I can attach heat tape to them and wrap them with insulating tape.  The current draw of such tape is well within my ability to manage even when boondocking. If I don't have access to the length of the water lines, for example the line to the shower being buried, then I have a problem.  I could leave the water dripping, but without a way to get the water back into my fresh water tank I'll drain the tank too quickly.  Also, I'm not sure it would be good on the pump. How much do you know about electricity?  If you are powering heating pads and tape with your inverter hooked up to the Pod battery, you won't make it through the night. Running your truck all night might work.  A generator would probably be better, but a lot of campgrounds don't allow generators after certain rather early hours. It's not a big trailer.  It's about 52' around the outside.  I have the option of skirting it.  That would help a bit. Yeah, that will help a bit. About condensation: As a long time winter tent camper, I'm familiar with this problem.  But I just don't know about campers.  How well insulated are the walls?  If I'm running a vent and have heat, is condensation really an issue at 20 degrees? That will probably work.  You can adjust the vent depending on your results from night to night. Thanks in advance for you input on all this detail. Andrew

+2 to what everyone else has said. There are things you can do such as have the bottom sprayed with insulating foam and have heating pad installed on the tanks (but require your to be plugged to shore power). But none of these will make the Rpod of 4 season rig.