Cold weather in a camper

[penguine]

Hey folks, I have a 5 year plan going that will see me moving to either Michigan's UP or somewhere along the Lake Huron shore side (East) of the State. With that said, I plan on having 40+ acres that I am going to put a small cabin on, as well as a garden, couple food plots, etc. I do not think I will be able to have the cabin built before the first winter I make it up there so I was wondering if anyone has exeperience living in a camper trailer during the winter? I know I will not have running water at that time, I am mainly concerned with the temperature inside the camper for living. How do you keep it comfortable, lets say 65, when it is 32 or below outside? Is it possible?

Thanks!

[HoboBerg]

Re: Cold weather in a camper

Hi Penguine. I been camping or van dwelling for 3 years now. I have Mr Heater portable buddy, that works pretty good when the temps are in the 20's and 30's. But 32 below seems awful chilly to me. R u gonna be retiring on this land? If so my advice would be pull that thing south for the winter

[terasec]

Re: Cold weather in a camper

what kind of camper is this?
large new well built camper?
or small and drafty?
when using a propane heater, you barely feel the heat further than a couple feet from the source in extreme cold,
that heat should have a fan is you want to warm up something like a camper,
i stayed in a pop up in 17 below, had propane heat, but didnt have battery for the fan,
aside from hands being on top of the heater i barely noticed it more than 1 foot away, drop from 17 below to 0 wasnt much help
whatever your camper, insulating it should be a priority, windows/doors/vents/etc...

many campers will also add a skirt around the bottom to minimize drafts and such

[TroyS]

Re: Cold weather in a camper

There are a lot of portable heaters that you can buy to warm the inside of your camper during the cold months. Just make sure that when you choose one, it is RV rated. They are safer to use in tight and enclosed areas like a camper or trailer.

[Mike]

Re: Cold weather in a camper

Hi Penguine. I been camping or van dwelling for 3 years now. I have Mr Heater portable buddy, that works pretty good when the temps are in the 20's and 30's. But 32 below seems awful chilly to me. R u gonna be retiring on this land? If so my advice would be pull that thing south for the winter

I would have to agree with HoboBerg. I haven't tried living full time in a pop-up camper in the UP, but I have winter camped in the UP of Michigan and that can be brutally punishingly cold even for a couple of days. I think you might start off with bold ambitions, but doubt you will actually pull off living a whole winter in the UP of Michigan in a pop-up camper - essentially a tent with wheels and some aluminum siding.

Heating with a Mr. Buddy?? Are you kidding me?? When that frozen razor-sharp wind starts blowing off Lake Superior with the mercury at -25, that Mr. Buddy is going look like a puny cigarette lighter. You can put the Mr. Buddy inside your underpants and still be freezing cold. No kidding, when it is cold in the UP, you can stand right in front of a HUGE blaring bonfire and still be cold. You can burn your eyelashes in the front while your asss is still cold in the back. I have seen guys shivering around bonfires and get so close that their clothes catch on fire - serious - and they are still shivering cold. Mr. Buddy indeed!

Picture this: you wake up freezing cold. Temps outside your camper -30. Temps inside your camper -20. Wind outside is blowing like hell fury and is rocking your camper like an angry grizzly. Your sleeping bag and all your blankets aren't cutting the mustard. You are freezing and you realize that you are in a dangerous situation. You say, "I gotta get out of here and plan your mad dash to the car and the 40 mile drive to the nearest gas station where you can go inside and get coffee and hope they will let you stay longer than you should. You fumble in the dim light to find your car keys because your flashlight batteries aren't functioning well in that cold. Your eye glasses have a thick layer of ice frost on them that forms as soon as you scratch the old frost off. Never mind that. You make a mad dash for your car with your felt lined Sorel swamper boots untied as you dash through three feet of snow to your car that is half buried in the overnight drift of dense packed ice-snow. Even the door to your car is stiff and unwelcoming. You dive inside, slide across the cold hard seat, stick the key into the ignition and hope for the best. The starter makes a meek squeal a few times and lets you know that the oil is as thick as tar in your engine and there is no way that car is going to start. As you contemplate your next move ice from your panting breath quickly builds up on the inside windshield of your car. Making it impossible to see even if you could get the car started. You think about going back inside the camper that now looks more like a coffin. A blast of icy wind screams across your car and the windows darken from more drifting snow. You have few options - all bad, all dangerous and the best option might just be to dig a snow trench to huddle into - THAT KIND of desperation! You try not to be scared, but your own mortality is very close at hand....

Yup, been there. Done that. Don't want to do that again.

The only reason people live in the UP of Michigan in winter is because they don't have wheels. Your camper has wheels - head south.

[Pauls One Stop]

Re: Cold weather in a camper

If I was you, I would check to see where the camper was made before anything else. Where the camper was made can sometimes have a huge impact on how the camper was made. For instance, there are tons of campers that were designed and specifically made for camping in hot states such as Florida, while others were made for camping in cold states such as Illinois. Once you've done that, then I would recommend getting a minimum of a 20L bottle of propane and a heater that can stay on for long periods of time.

[Joyous56]

Re: Cold weather in a camper

Totally chilling scenario. I hope our happy hiker heeds it.