Ski RV's, who's sleeping in parking lots?

[wolfelot]

This thread is awesome and I have never actually slept in my car or an RV. That will change.

[HikeforTurns]

locked and loaded.



doh!

[Teh Poacher]

I just bought a rolling condo. 35' of Winnebago bad-assery. Should be great for building some family memories. I'm looking for a bit of advice though. Some have mentioned getting a couple of catalytic heaters to heat the rv without haveing to run down the batteries. I've also been told to get a seperate generator that can be used to power the furnace. What's the best way to go?

Install an Olympian Wave 8 - 8000 btu of winter goodness. Use your furnace sparingly to stir the air as needed, either manually or if you keep it on a low (60'ish) setting it will only cycle when needed. This combo works best if your wall thermostat is not close to your Catalytic, many RV's place them near the bedroom which is perfect if your Cat is in the living area. Install Max-Air covers on your roof vents if you don't have them already so you can use them with snow on the roof. Cross ventilation is crucial with catalytic heaters in RV's to minimize condensation.

Forget the extra generator, you should already have at least a 4kw and it is more than sufficient. Instead, invest in 6 Volt house batteries if not already equipped. Two would be good but if you can expand the battery tray, 4 is ideal. New 6 volt batteries are rated upward of 300 amp-hours each and you will never run out of battery power. This will also allow you to run electronics via an inverter so you can watch movies or run the microwave (popcorn etc..) without the generator running.

The big question I would have is.... is your coach a basement model? If so, do you have basement heat? That is a bigger issue than anything else. Many Winnebago's have the water tank located under the bed, if yours is one of those be certain to look very closely at where your water lines are routed as they will go through the floor and along the frame rail, which are prime locations for a freeze-up. Solutions here include heat tape and/or spray foam. Heat tape can be plugged in as needed in really cold weather and works wonders.

[BeardedClam]

I will be cruising through the Heather Meadows lot, Lot 3, Lot B, and the overnight undercover spots I know of at W/B this winter break. Just put a collapsible sleeping deck in the back of my 4runner and plan to spend some quality time hiking around the Northwest from Dec 10 to Jan 2.

[skiing-in-jackson]

4 nights in the Valet front parking of major hotel in Albuquerque, NM!

Not a single question. I was dirt baggin' it for sure. Things got a little dicey at end as word got out I was camping across from the convention center and a constant litany of visitors from a medical foot conference started coming by to see me. It all ended well though.

At the end I tried to pay for my space and they said it wasn't necessary!

~7:15 AM Downtown Albuquerque:



I poached a spot at a Hampton Inn in Phoenix for a few nights. I rented a conference room there, but no sleeping room. It got sketchy though- as cops were coming and going all the time. 24 hours a day/they came buy to get coffee and in the AMs- eat breakfast for free. I had to keep it on the extra down low.

[boltonoutlaw]

4 nights in the Valet front parking of major hotel in Albuquerque, NM... and a constant litany of visitors from a medical foot conference started coming by to see me.

Why is that? Were you "working" the convention?

[skiing-in-jackson]

I was a fun and fresh speaker in a world of stodgy foot guys- Orthos, C. Peds, CPOs, PTs, etc.

I also had a fun medical magazine medical article written about me and the magazine was distributed at the conference.

[Trefmawr]

Diggin' the stealth! Getting pumped up for this season! Had to trip back to the flatlands for some fam time, but will be headin' out West right after Christmas to Whistle town for a bit. Prolly gonna drop down Souf for a while then back up to the Rockies. See you Mags out there!

[philth]

Hey Poacher, I'm installing my Wave 3 heater now. Balls they sent me the wrong hose but i can fix that. Do you think I can run that on small camping LP canisters or do I need a full bbq style tank? I have a truck camper in my 2000 Tundra and no room for a large propane tank. Also, is it mandatory to have the propane source outside of the camper?

Hikeforturns...Am I missing something? Whats with the upper attachment point on the tiedowns? Is that some kind of eyehook? Why not attch to the bottom hole on the jack stand bracket? I have almost the same setup and its bomber.

[El Chupacabra]

is it mandatory to have the propane source outside of the camper?

Hikeforturns...Am I missing something? Whats with the upper attachment point on the tiedowns? Is that some kind of eyehook? Why not attch to the bottom hole on the jack stand bracket? I have almost the same setup and its bomber.

It's an RV standard to have the propane tank outside the living space of the camper, with a lower vent point, in case of a leak (propane is heavier than air, and will settle downwards). If your tank leaks inside the living space, it could be a Very Bad Thing.

Re: tiedown to camper jack stand bracket -- this might work, or you might rip the jack bracket right off. I think the brackets are typically just attached with screws. The tiedown anchors on campers are typically sandwiched plates, or at least an outer plate and some large washers on the other side of the camper frame. I would be hesitant to use a jack bracket for a tiedown anchor.

[philth]

I hear ya on the LP setup Chup, Thanks. As far as the tiedown goes my corner jackstand brackets are sandwhiching another bracket that has a larger/Lower hole. This is the recomended tiedown point as stated by the manufacturer. If I wasn't retarded I would post up a pic. Leaving next week for a week at Abasin then 3 weeks at Alta....Schweeeeet

[HikeforTurns]

New to the whole slide in camper scene, but from what I was reading you want a good angle on the tie downs, pulling the load towards the cab of the truck. If i connected it to the jackstand bracket it would be close to 90 degrees vs 50-60 as is.

I think i found a work around though with an aftermarket locking fuel door. It has a smaller diameter opening that will hopefully allow access for refueling.

[El Chupacabra]

hikeforturns -- you can also play with the positioning of that Torklift bracket -- maybe switch the left and right sides, or turn it upside down -- to see if that gets you some extra clearance around the gas tank door.

[philth]

Hike, I am kinda new as well but I had the owner of Truck Camper Wherehouse in NH set the whole thing up for me. He is THE DUDE in the east coast according to truck camper magazine. I have 4 tiedowns like yours. The front and rear are a bit different. The front 2 go from the frame extension (like yours) to bottom hole on my jack bracket at just below a 90 degree angle. The rear 2 go from attchmnt points mounted by the dealer on the outside corner of my Tundra bumper to the bottom holes on the rear jackstand brackets. My camper manufacturer recomends the tiedowns be attached to the jackstand brackets, yours may not. My setup is bombproof and I take my rig on rough terrain. My bud sitting next to me, who is often full shit, seems to think the eyehooks on your camper are used if you use the internal bed tiedown meathod, ie....using anchor points mounted on the floor of a truck bed. I can't see the rear tiedown setup in you pic. I almost went with a sweet popup rig like yours but opted for all aluminum hardsided camper from Livin Lite thinking it may be warmer in winter. Its only 900 lbs too! I will prolly regret that choice come summer though. Nice ass truck btw.

[HikeforTurns]

Thanks. I guess the first thing that comes to mind with your setup, is the fact that many people run with the jackstands on all the time to take the camper on and off a lot. So that would leave those mounting point unavailable in those scenarios.

My rear set up is the same as the front, tork lift tie downs that mount to the tow hitch and come out from below the bumper. I still need to buy two more turnbuckles though, rolling with ratchet straps for the time being.

[philth]

That sounds like a nice setup. On my rig the attchment point on the bracket is still there when I take the jackstands off so our rigs are very different. Sounds like you have yours dialed in.

[Teh Poacher]

Hey Poacher, I'm installing my Wave 3 heater now...........

Yes, use a 5 gallon (or smaller, depends on duration desired) bbq bottle outside on the ground for all the reasons Chup mentioned. If you are doing a permanent mount, you can easily install a surface mounted quick connect to the camper behind the wheel well that will be protected as it is inside the truck bed and easy access for hose connect/disconnect. Drop the tank on the ground while parked and you are good to go. Disconnect and store inside the camper while on the road. If you decide to just crack a window and run a hose thru it from tank to heater, that works too and your ventilation is already taken care of.

Sidebar...... A 5 gallon tank is huge for this application, weekend trips you might use a gallon or 2 with the heater running full time. However, there is nothing worse than running out during a storm cycle if you decide to stay extra days.

[Roacher]

Joining the ranks this year. Plan on chasing the snow and rambling around. Found some goodies so far.

Got pictures of the truck: 1992 Sierra with a new 350 in'er

Camper: 1986 Vanguard

Parking Spot: Logging roads and rec sites near Smithers B.C, displaying home defense/meat gathering ability

Recent stoke from the area.


I'm pretty pumped about the season, happy to be moving and not dumping my money into a resort again. A bit worried about living in perma cold/wet. I hear propane heat isn't the greatest for drying shit out. Little things like doing dishes without a water heater and crawling around my vast quantity of junk prove to be problematic at the moment. Will probably stink to high hell too.

But whatever, freedom 55, living the dream. This thread is full of useful tips.

[Trefmawr]

^^^^ Nice!

[HansJob]

[JHoback]

[QUOTE=Parking Spot: Logging roads and rec sites near Smithers B.C, displaying home defense/meat gathering ability[/QUOTE]

With that piece you holding, you just missin' some antlers above your door!

[SkiFaxon]

Ordered Wave 3 and 6 heaters for the 'Bago. Thanks for the advice Poacher. Will post pics of install.

[Trefmawr]

Love it! Are those wheel from a MkIV golf? Where are you located in the pic?

Cheers! Keep em comin'!

[ACH]

Saw this posted in the Spokane craigslist...

Hard Too Find 4 Wheel Drive, 460 V/8 Engine, Automatic Transmission,Power Steering and Brakes,Tilt Wheel and Cruise Control, Aux Fuel Tanks AM/FM Cassette/CD, Fully Self Contained, Onan Generator, Roof Air Conditioner, 3 Burning Range with Oven, Gray and Black Water Holding Tanks, Gas Electric Refer, Space Heater, Reciever Trailer Hitch,Stainless Wheel Liners

[Schnappi]

^^^ That thing is sweet.