Community Forums

Fffrank · 10-14-2020, 09:50 PM

Recently purchased my first RV and going to start outfitting it. We are planning to travel this winter and will spend quite a lot of time boondocking at snowboard resorts. What are some must-haves that I need before we leave on our first trip?

Isaac-1 · 10-14-2020, 10:43 PM

If you tell us the type of RV we might be able to give a bit more advice

SomeDay · 10-14-2020, 10:50 PM

For boondocking, even with large solar array and plenty of ah batteries, as well onboard generator, our must have (furnace too inefficient), our go to has got to be our Mr Buddy Heater. We don't leave home without it

If you are into Snowboarding then it's going to get pretty cold where you are locating by the sounds of it. Unless that's a typo and should be snowBIRD??? So plenty of warm clothes and bedding. Depending on temperatures you are going to be in you may want to be winterised and use carry on waters as well.

Would help to know a lot more detail of rig and where you are planning on being and when?

Congrats you must be so excited.

twogypsies · 10-14-2020, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fffrank

Recently purchased my first RV and going to start outfitting it. We are planning to travel this winter and will spend quite a lot of time boondocking at snowboard resorts. What are some must-haves that I need before we leave on our first trip?

You may not have a good concept of what 'boondocking' is. It's not at a 'resort'. It's parked on public lands.... BLM & national forest are the common ones. You would drive, most likely, on a gravel road and pick a clearing, preferably that someone has already used that is worn so as not to create a new one by driving over vegetation to make your new spot. You would park and that's it. There would be no water or sewer hookups and no electric. . just out in nature. Sometimes there will be other boondockers in view but not close to you; other times you may be by yourself. It's in the 'boonies'.

You would need a generator to keep your batteries up and many boondockers have solar panels on the roof. A furnace runs down the batteries fast so seasoned boondockers would have a propane stand-alone heater made especially for RVs. You would arrive with a full tank of water and empty grey and black tanks. When the grey/black get full you would need to find a dump station to dispose of your waste. We could last 2 weeks on our tanks by being very conservative with water use. By that time we were usually ready to move on to another spot and we would dump our tanks and refill fresh water enroute.

If you're new to RVing and want a general packing list is are some to get you started... add/delete to fit your way of living. There are many more if you do a Google.

https://www.campanda.com/magazine/rv...sts-printable/

You mentioned you'll be doing this in winter. I hope you mean in a southern state. You can't let your piping to freeze and nights can be very cold in some places.

JohnBoyToo · 10-15-2020, 12:28 AM

What are some must-haves?
It's not a house and must be used differently...

A LOT of knowledge about what you are trying, it's not as simple as just doing it...

a week staying in your driveway to see what you NEED, and not get the things you think you need that you will store and not use...

let us know your rv type, year, is it "4 season" LIKE or REALLY 4 season ?

your water system WILL freeze and burst pipes whenever it stays below 32 degrees for any length of time,

your holding tanks may not last more than a couple of days depending on use... (and they will freeze too - frozen poop ?!?! ),

you sound like you are in for a rude awakening until you learn a good bit... good luck

Fffrank · 10-15-2020, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

You may not have a good concept of what 'boondocking' is. It's not at a 'resort'. It's parked on public lands.... BLM & national forest are the common ones.

A snowboard resort is not an RV resort. It's a big snowy mountain with a parking lot. No hookups, no sewer access. Perhaps not your definition of boondocking so what would you call it... Dry camping? If so... That's our plan.

Fffrank · 10-15-2020, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

If you tell us the type of RV we might be able to give a bit more advice

38' Monaco Diplomat. Full cold weather package that we will supplement with add'l heat in the basement if it proves necessary. Should be a REAL 4 season unit. Will also add solar and more propane capacity if required.

Mountain towns are not as cold as many "northern" places in the country..... Typical night time lows are only 10-15F. I understand that may be cold by this forums definition, it's our idea to escape the REAL cold of the upper Midwest where it doesn't get above zero for weeks on end.

Fffrank · 10-15-2020, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnBoyToo

you sound like you are in for a rude awakening until you learn a good bit... good luck

Sounds like an adventure! We are experienced campers and boaters. And quick learner's! And if this all goes south we are pretty good at finding a room at a Ritz Carlton!

Xmcdog · 10-15-2020, 03:02 AM

I can understand you doing this. After all we have winter sports that are very popular.
Just not for me.
So a very good on board genset and a upgraded heating system would be my first thoughts. Basement heat as well. New batteries, both house and chassis.
Insulate holding tanks.

Sorry but my idea of a RV is that it is mobile and when it gets cold we move it and us to warmer climes. Like a magnet to steel!

Good luck

Persistent · 10-15-2020, 08:25 AM

You may have RV experience already. If not, get some before extreme adventure.

I always carry enough RV antifreeze to winterize if things go wrong.
Wood boards sized to take leveling jack pads. You can drive away leaving the wood frozen to the ground if necessary.
A bag of coarse sand or small gravel to improve traction in a pinch.
An aluminum coal scoop shovel for snow removal.
Possibly a push broom to remove snow from roof and slide awnings.
You may consider personal cold weather survival gear in case of equipment failure and mountain pass snowed in.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

UTTransplant · 10-15-2020, 09:18 AM

As others have said, a lot depends on what type of rig you have. A full-sized Class A with a heated underbelly and built in generator? You just need lots of propane and a good amount of fuel for the generator. A travel trailer bought from Camping World? Probably doesn’t have a heated underbelly to keep pipes from freezing or a generator. Staying at ski or snowboarding resorts isn’t unknown, and a number of people do it each year, but you need the right rig.

Fffrank · 10-15-2020, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Persistent

You may have RV experience already. If not, get some before extreme adventure.

I always carry enough RV antifreeze to winterize if things go wrong.
Wood boards sized to take leveling jack pads. You can drive away leaving the wood frozen to the ground if necessary.
A bag of coarse sand or small gravel to improve traction in a pinch.
An aluminum coal scoop shovel for snow removal.
Possibly a push broom to remove snow from roof and slide awnings.
You may consider personal cold weather survival gear in case of equipment failure and mountain pass snowed in.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

Thanks! Girlfriend grew up spending summers in a TT. I've rented a few times but understand we are in for something new.

Your list was exactly the type of info I was looking for. We have some large pack shovels that we will use for snow removal but I wouldn't have thought about the sand/gravel. We will also have chains with us (plenty of passes through the west that require them to be on board (at the minimum) during certain months.)

Donskiman · 10-15-2020, 09:34 AM

There are some tips here:
https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/winterize-rv

A big difference is they stayed at an RV park with access to electric, water & sewer. Since it sounds like you'll just be staying in a parking lot, you'll probably have to run your generator almost nonstop. Without electric you'll have to rely almost totally on propane to keep your coach heated enough to prevent your water systems from freezing. Even if you use bottled water, you'll need to use it in your toilets and keeping your waste tanks from freezing will be imperative. While it's possible to use an RV all winter, boondocking will make it far more challenging.

twogypsies · 10-15-2020, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fffrank

A snowboard resort is not an RV resort. It's a big snowy mountain with a parking lot. No hookups, no sewer access. Perhaps not your definition of boondocking so what would you call it... Dry camping? If so... That's our plan.

Oops.... I read too fast... thinking you said snow'bird'; not snow'board'. Sorry. We don't normally see snowboarding on this forum.

So parking on the resort's parking lot during the winter.... depending on your state you'll probably need chains along.

A propane heater would help a lot as a furnace goes through a lot of propane... the heaters do not. However, only using the furnace with heat ducts in the basement will work to keep the basement warm.

Your jacks may be frozen when time to leave. If only going to be there a weekend or so I'd try not using the jacks and just live with the RV feeling unstable. Try to park where it's flat.

You'll need to protect your pipes from freezing. If being there only for a few days you could probably function well by winterizing your system and then using jugs of water for minimal cooking, sponge bath and toilet flushing. Your holding tanks would do ok for a short time until you can get somewhere warmer to dump them. Add some RV antifreeze in the tanks while using them. You don't want to try and dump the black tank if contents are frozen.

Have fun!