14 Tricks How To Survive Winter In Your RV
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The opportunity to be spontaneous is one of the nicest parts of being a full-time RVer. However, if you intend on living full-time in an RV for the winter, you’ll have to do some pre-planning to avoid freezing to death.
RVing in the winter allows you to enjoy a range of outdoor leisure activities, such as skiing and snowshoeing, as well as simply wandering around in a snowy wonderland with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.
Here are some tips for Full-time RV living in the winter: How to survive winter in your RV
How To Survive And Tricks To Stay In Warm
The easiest way to remain warm and comfortable in your campervan or motorhome throughout the winter seems to be to stay at an RV park with full hookups.
Some additionally provide warm showers including the use of toilets. You could also choose to spend the winter in a climate-controlled RV, including an all-season trailer or motorhome.
Here are some pointers to how to keep a camper warm in the winter, to prepare for the impending winter months.
Tip 1: Appropriate Clothing
Bring appropriate warm clothing for your winter excursions and stays. There is no such thing as being overly prepared! We advise that full-time RVers carry adequate socks, gloves, and caps on their trip. Also make sure to check out our complete guide on Layering Hacks For Cold Weather.
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Tip 2: Bedding
You can use this tip on how to keep RV warm in winter. You may improve your bedding to help you stay warm throughout the chilly evenings. Bring complete sleeping bags, thick blankets, and/or a decent, warm mattress pad to do this.
Tip 3: Portable Heater
Portable heaters are particularly popular among RVers throughout the winter months. They may be a terrific method on how to keep trailer warm in winter when full connections are not available or even when you simply need to have some extra warmth.
There are several portable heater alternatives on the market. A decent one for RVing will include a tip-over function, as well as an automatic shut-off in the event of overheating or fire dangers.
Check out our detailed review on the Best Portable Heaters for cold weather.
Tip 4: Skirting
Before going on a winter RV trip, be sure your trailer has a nice RV skirt. This is an excellent technique to preserve your heat inside your travel trailer rather than losing it through open external parts.
[ Also Read: What is RV Skirting And Why You Should Skirt Your Camper In Winter ]
Tip 5: Generator
During harsh weather, an excellent portable generator will act as a backup to run your heating source during harsh weather. When complete hookups aren’t accessible, you can utilize your generator to generate power.
Tip 6: RV Windows Should Be Insulated
Insulating your RV windows will assist in avoiding heat loss through them. This is a piece of great advice for full-time RV life at any time of year, but it’s extremely critical in the winter!
Full-timers insulate their windows using reflectix insulation, a kind of insulation. It gets excellent evaluations and operates admirably in the extreme cold of the winter months.
To minimize moisture build-up, make sure to air out your trailer whenever feasible.
[ Also Read: How To Keep Moisture Out Of An RV During Winter ]
Tip 7: Adding Insulation to Your Slides
It’s a good idea to insulate your full-time RV slides to avoid heat loss. Adding RV slide toppers is an excellent method to achieve this.
These are excellent full-time RVing equipment for keeping your slide-outs safe over the winter! Full-timers should use these even if it isn’t particularly chilly outdoors to avoid heat loss, damage, and water build-up on the slides.
They’re available at RV dealerships and living supply retailers.
Tip 8: Ensure Your Propane Tanks Are Full
You can find yourself running out of propane in the middle of the night if you don’t maintain your gas tanks full. This is not a desirable condition.
Propane is used to power the majority of RV heaters. It’s also critical to check for propane leaks before utilising your heater in winter RV camping, especially if it’s been turned off for a while.
Before entering the winter months, make sure you perform adequate maintenance.
Tip 9: Don’t Let Your Pipes and Hoses Freeze
Winter may be difficult on your RV, particularly if you reside in a colder region. You’ll want to use insulation or heat tape to insulate any pipes and hoses from cold temps.
Tip 10: Water Hoses
Ensure that your water lines are properly insulated. If you don’t want to spend the money on this kind of protection, make sure to cover your water lines in a towel before heading to bed. This will keep them from freezing overnight, but they’d still freeze during the coldest parts of the day. Another fantastic method is to use a hot water hose!!
Read our guide on Best Heated RV Water Hose for cold winters if you do not own an RV insulated water hose.
Tip 11: Sewer Hose
Even though you won’t be hooking up your sewage line until the hotter months of the year, when full-time RV life begins, it’s still critical to keep this hose from freezing.
Using a ladder system to ensure that almost all fluids drain out would be a fantastic method to safeguard your sewage hose while connected. It will prevent frozen waste from forming in your hose, which might cause harm to it.
Tip 12: Protected RV Exterior
Before full-time winter RV living, make sure your RV’s exterior is clean of dust and dirt. It will make it easier for you to remove the ice buildup, which if left ignored for too long might cause damage to your car.
Another excellent suggestion is to clear any snow accumulation as soon as feasible. Allowing snow to accumulate on your RV can cause serious damage and/or prevent some components from functioning correctly, such as entrances and windows. You do not want moisture build-up or water intrusion.
Tip 13: While Still Living In Your RV, Winterize It
Winterizing your RV for living purposes is not the same as winterizing it for storage purposes. If you want to live or camp in your RV, you should winterize it carefully, but not as well as if you were storing it full-time.
Perform a thorough check of your RV and make a note of any potential leaks or damage caused by the weather, such as rain or snow. Before winterizing your car for full-time habitation, you should address these concerns first.
Tip 14: Mould, Ventilation, and Heating
Whilst your initial instinct may be to shut everything up and keep all of the heat in, you must vent your RV to avoid mold. In case you are looking for a RV Vent, we have a detailed guide on the Best RV Roof Vent to let the fresh air in.
In winter, be careful to air your full-time winter RV living accommodations. This will help prevent mold from forming on the inside of windows and other moist or wet surfaces during the colder months.
In addition, since you are full-time RVing in the winter, you might consider utilising a dehumidifier.
Damp rid is another fantastic product that aids with absorbing moisture. Damp Rid is a solution that helps prevent mold formation by absorbing excess moisture. Simply apply the product in places of your car where moisture is a problem, such as a restroom floor.
What's Next
Summer may be the most frequent season for road trips. But that doesn’t mean you have to pack and leave your camper frost at the first sign of frost, especially after learning how to keep camper warm in winter. So, plan ahead of time for winter, and you’re good to go.
Jules and Ken
We are outdoor lovers, travellers, and writers all rolled into one. You have seen our posts here reviewing lots of different types of outdoor gear, camping equipment, RV equipment, kayaking, to cycling. Our reviews are guided by our years of experience being outdoors. We are happy to share our knowledge with you to make a better choice when you are outdoors.
We hope you enjoyed this article and if you have questions about How To Survive And Tricks To Stay In Warm or want to leave your own personal comments, feel free to leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!
