Does anyone know anything about winter camping in a camper? I'm toying with the idea of purchasing either a camper or camper van to live in, beginning this fall. I live in the WI where temperatures are often below 0 in the winter months. I know that he pipes on a camper are too thin to use in the winter, but if I am not using water in them, will they be fine? Also, does anyone have any creative ideas on how to find places to plug in so that I'll at least have heat some of the time? Where could I shower in the winter? I know the easy solution would be to drive somewhere warm in the winter, but I don't think that will be an option, as I'm hoping to continue school this fall. I would just like to simplify and lower my expenses. Thanks for any suggestions!
I knew a married couple of teachers who stealth camped in their van for 5 years to save enough money to build a house without a mortgage. They had a website, can't find it. It would be hard in WI to do this, most campers aren't insulated well enough to sustain you in that climate. You'd need a small LP furnace to stay warm, very easy to install just be careful of carbon monoxide. As for pipes. just dreain everything completely, if there's nothing in the pipes to freeze you won't have a problem. That includes the water and waste holding tanks. I couldn't stand your Great Lakes region winters more than 3 in a row when I lived in the UP. My advice if you truly want to do this is to get yourself a good down sleeping bag rated at zeroF and make sure you have at least 4 20# propane tanks and a good working RV furnace. They're actually pretty cheap on eBay, there are two or three stores that sell exclusively RV parts. As for plugging in, you need to find places that will look natural if you're parked there. Auto repair shops, body shops, gas stations that close overnights, places where if you're seen from the steet won't look suspicious. Some shopping centers have 120VAC outlets on light poles in their parking lots for sweepers to use. The alternative is to put a few solar panels on the roof and power the RV with two marine batteries. They charge during the day when you're not using much and you have plenty of eletricity at night. But that limits you to mostly 12V DC appliances, but totally doable. Good luck!
I traveled around and lived in a van for a while. One winter I stayed in it for a while in Colorado, it sucked I wouldn’t recommend it. I went to the public recreation center a lot and used the pool and hot tub. The van was customized and insulated it was actually quite cozy for a van. I had a 5-gallon propane tank and a stove that was also a heater. I used to visit friends a lot in the evenings but when the days started to get short and it started to get cold it got depressing. You can’t really keep heat in a van or a camper when you turn the heat off it gets cold again in 10 or 20 minutes and you have to keep them well ventilated when a gas heater is going. I just got depressing climbing in a small cold van every night and I always had to worry if a cop might show up and give me a ticket for camping in city limits. In the summer I liked it because I could just go to the forest and sit around a campfire it was great fun but in the winter getting stuck in town sucked. One day about half way into winter I was reading a paper and it had the weather in the south at like 80-90F and I though fuck this. I put my van in storage and got a bus ticket to Mexico. A week later I was laying in warm white sand listing to the waves break. I stayed in Mexico until March. I had some of the best times of my life living in a van but in the winter I hated it. It just sucked it was like survival and depressing after a couple of months. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Thanks for the tips guys. I'd actually like to do it because I want to save money and don't like having roommates. I don't spend a lot of time at home, so I'm not too worried about the warmth because when I'm there, I'll likely be sleeping or cooking. I appreciate all of the advice!
winter camping in a vehicle?? don't do it unless you have a strong constitution and some serious non flammable insulation and good ventilation. go somewhere warmer and continue your studies there.
pretty miserable...wouldn't recommend it. i've only done it when forced to. i wouldn't even consider it unless you invest some serious cash into a really fantastic sleeping bag that can keep you from freezing in your sleep. hypothermia is alot easier to get than ya think.
