What is the coldest night used in your rig?

[agate]

So what is the coldest night you ever stayed overnight? We keep talking about if we should use our Hawk for staying oveernight ice fishing? It would be -10 - -20 at night. I have the furnace and did fine in Sierra's when it got down to 5. Of course it would be dry. What do you think?

 

[Barko1]

So what is the coldest night you ever stayed overnight? We keep talking about if we should use our Hawk for staying oveernight ice fishing? It would be -10 - -20 at night. I have the furnace and did fine in Sierra's when it got down to 5. Of course it would be dry. What do you think?



I should of know this was a Minnesota thread The lowest I did was 9 in Green River Utah one night. Of course the water system would be in peril so I guess that would need to be empty. I'd plumb in an extra Wave heater to save fuel, both propane and electric, and still keep you toasty. A back up heat system would help me sleep better at those temps. I lived in MN for nine years and never did stay out on the ice over night

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Coldest for me in the ATC shell was -3F in El Morro National Monument, New Mexico. ATC's arctic pack, a down sleeping bag, a down jacket, pile pants, and my Heater Buddy kept me warm.

My hike around the monument the next morning was a bit brisk!

 

[Lighthawk]

We hit 9 F. degrees at Benton over Thanksgiving in our 08 Hawk.
We were equipped with factory 12k(?) furnace and installed reflectix insulation.
Our water pump did freeze for several hours due to a night of 20 degree temps in unoccupied camper the night before we left for our trip. But I thawed it with hot water bottles under the sink and by the water tank and it stayed functional the rest of the trip.

 

[riz]

I regularly camp in ski area parking lots when the temps are sub zero. I don't use my water tank in the winter. I use a flexible 5 gallon jug in the sink. With the "arctic pack", down bags and the factory furnace set on about 50 degrees, we're quite comfortable. -10 is not at all unusual outside. I don't think -20 would be bad at all... except when you needed to go outside to use the "facilities".

 

[jmodge]

Agate,

Good to see a post from the northwoods. I use mine muzzleloading and late doe season. I have been out in single figures. I use a 5 gallon jerry can for water and I bought a wave 3 that I run continuously while I am hunting. My furnace is noisy so I do not use it, but my 4wc is on a Blazer, so I can fire the truck for quick heat. Tracking in snow or having wet gear is something to deal with. The fabric on the walls gets cold to the touch. I found some very thick wool blankets I am going to try next year as an artic pack. It can get challenging. I have a blast with it though. How many people will you have in your rig?

 

[Jon&Sue_DeArman]

Sue & I have spent 5 nights in a row at 0 degrees F while x-country skiing in eastern Washington. No arctic-pack, 0 degree down bags, and no water in the tank. We run the heater only until the last one falls asleep. When we wake up, it is 0 degree F in the camper. I flick the heater switch from the bed and 5 minutes later it is 40 degrees; and 5 minutes after that, it is 60 degrees. The factory heater is really overkill for my 2007 Ranger. However, we have set up removable hooks by the door to dry wet ski gear and the powerful heater works wonderful for that. Sue makes me carry the port-a-potty in winter, so there is no going outside until the sun comes up. We get up, make coffee, wipe the condensation of the inside with micro-cloths, pop down and head into town for breakfast. I have an arctic-pack but have never used it. We have friends who have a conventional cab-over camper and they have the exact same problems except there heater does not cycle as often, due to more insulation. There is no magic bullet.

 

[kcowyo]

5*F, and probably 10 degrees colder than that with the wind chill, on the south rim of the Grand Canyon last November. No Arctic-Pack liner, just the furnace roaring until bed time. Woke up with condensation icicles hanging from the ceiling... I'd complain, but the 3 guys in the site next to us, who set up a tent but spent the night in their little Honda Civic with the engine running all night, had it much, much worse.


.

 

[UglyScout]

I used mine in the teens just a few weeks ago. No problems - the waste water line froze so we had a small sink backup in the morning - but that was too be expected.

I did 'build' the reflectix tin foil arctic pack.. It works great! Keeps the cold and frozen stuff on one side and the not frozen stuff on the other side. Zero condensation on the inside layer of the reflectix.

And I run the heater all night, call me a wuss but Pfff... that is why I bought a camper! (And I have a 1 year old that kicks off his blankets...).

 

[Mikeb]

On those rediculously cold nights has anyone tried lowering the roof just before bed and sleeping on the fold out couch.

I would think that you would have a insulated camper more like a hard sided TC. The furnace would have an easier time of keeping up with the demand.

Mike

 

[rotti]

-17 degrees on Guanella Pass, Colo at 11,700' on a Boy Scout polar bear trip from hell. At least I was in the camper but to be fair to the kids I didn't use the furnace. I kept the top down and had a good down bag but I'll never forget that nature call in the middle of the night with the wind blowing! Had to boil my contact case in the morning to retrieve them from the ice.

 

[n0izh]

So what is the coldest night you ever stayed overnight? We keep talking about if we should use our Hawk for staying oveernight ice fishing? It would be -10 - -20 at night. I have the furnace and did fine in Sierra's when it got down to 5. Of course it would be dry. What do you think?

We camped at the Grand Canyon over Thanks Giving. Over night temps were at 9 degrees. We have Refelectix for our ArticPac, and a Wave6 in addition to the furnace. The Wave6 on the low setting is the same as a Wave3 on high. We had no trouble staying warm...just the opposite. The Wave6, even at 9 degrees outside puts out enough heat that we still had to crack the bed windows an inch or so to keep it cool enough to sleep. That's in addition to the roof vent open an inch, and the turnbuckle door open a couple inches for normal ventilation. We have also double insulated the water lines, tank and pump against the cold too. We haven't been anywhere cold enough to have anything freeze inside yet so I don't have enough info tell you that's a perfect solution, but so far it's worked for us.

John

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

-17 degrees on Guanella Pass, Colo at 11,700' on a Boy Scout polar bear trip from hell. At least I was in the camper but to be fair to the kids I didn't use the furnace. I kept the top down and had a good down bag but I'll never forget that nature call in the middle of the night with the wind blowing! Had to boil my contact case in the morning to retrieve them from the ice.


I have an old plastic water bottle with a very large P painted on it that gets used when nature calls on those very, very cold nights. Why step outside my comfy camper until I have to, eh?

 

[rotti]

I have an old plastic water bottle with a very large P painted on it that gets used when nature calls on those very, very cold nights. Why step outside my comfy camper until I have to, eh?


Bad aim

 

[Barko1]

Hope his aim is better than his backing up?

 

[craig333]

No where near as cold as some of you guys. My old dog shivers when it gets cold so I run the heater all night (yes thats my excuse) to keep him comfy.

 

[BSS]

I'll be spending the night in my FWC in Tahoe tomorrow night, supposed to be below zero. I'll have the top down, but I'm not worried about getting too cold.

Got my reflectix for the windows too.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I'll be spending the night in my FWC in Tahoe tomorrow night, supposed to be below zero. I'll have the top down, but I'm not worried about getting too cold.

Got my reflectix for the windows too.


It's much more difficult to use the P bottle with the top down. That's my experience, anyway.

 

[BSS]

It's much more difficult to use the P bottle with the top down. That's my experience, anyway.



Yeah, especially when I'm laying on my back.

I've never quite been able get the P to stay in the bottle.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I'll be spending the night in my FWC in Tahoe tomorrow night, supposed to be below zero. I'll have the top down, but I'm not worried about getting too cold.

Got my reflectix for the windows too.


Where did you camp around Tahoe and what were the temps? Do you ski from your camper?