17 years of experience and hundreds of nights FWC-based skiing (lift-served, touring, ski mountaineering and some XC), first a 2000 Hawk, then a 2014 Hawk, mostly in the PNW, almost always self-contained (i.e., no plug-in). Indeed, I do not recall ever plugging in when parked at a lift-served area. We live in central WA and have done camper-based skiing throughout WA, MT, ID, OR and a few other states. Roughly 50% lift-served, 50% touring/ski mountaineering, December into June most years, sometimes July in big snow years.
Lots of good advice here. My contributions (not complete):
-- I concur that condensation control/moisture management is a major issue. We daily remove thermal liners and wipe canvas with a ShamWow-type cloth. In colder temps, this requires running the furnace to melt frost (i.e., frozen condensation).
-- DIY Reflectix covers for all windows, attached via velcro, significantly reduces furnace use. IME, it's a game changer for winter camping.
-- IME, furnace fan is, by far, the biggest draw on batteries. (Note that our 2014 Hawk has a more energy efficient fan than the one in our 2000 Hawk.) My wife and I (long-time mountaineers and backpackers) seldom run the furnace while sleeping, instead relying on high quality mountaineering down sleeping bags, sometimes zipped together.
-- I remove the water pump and purge the water lines before each winter, carrying water in jugs during winter
-- We carry a lightweight step ladder and snow rake to remove snow from roof. PNW wet powder is heavy!
-- Part of our moisture management strategy is use of a hitch-mount luggage carrier, which doubles as a porch. Use a wisk broom to remove snow from boots, etc. before entering camper. We plan to get a stormworthy free-standing tent (tall enough to stand up inside) to place outside the door for use as a "mud room" for putting on ski boots, etc.
-- We carry our skis in a DIY 1000D Cordura bag that we strap on our hitch-mount luggage rack. It slides under the truck when we get into position.
We get out alot. It'd be fun to meet up with some other WTW skiers!
Edited by Big Steve, 13 September 2020 - 09:01 PM.