Cold Weather Camping - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

Luckydog671 · 05-12-2014, 10:10 AM

Hi all,
I was curious as to how well the Hi-Lo's do in the cold weather when camping? Are they well-insulated? Do the top half-to-bottom half seals present any problems?

miniceptor86 · 05-12-2014, 06:17 PM

What is your definition of cold weather and what are you willing to put up with?

Luckydog671 · 05-12-2014, 07:27 PM

Howdy Jim,

Since I live in Southern California, anything below 60 degrees is cold! Ha ha!

I'm thinking right around freezing. We actually live in the SoCal mountains (above 5,000 ft) and would like to camp in the Sierras and some of the western National Parks such as Zion, Bryce, Great Basin, etc. The upper campground at Great Basin (Wheeler Peak) is around 9,900 feet in elevation so it can get a bit chilly even in the summer! Great question!

hilltool · 05-12-2014, 08:18 PM

I've woke up a time or two with it below freezing. Down helps.

. You need to give a thought to pipes and such. If it just dips down around 30 overnight you are probably ok though you may want to keep a cupboard open to help keep the traps from frosting over. Biggest thing is how do you heat it? Furnace works good but if you are without electric it will go after your battery pretty quick. I like to carry a portable propane heater to take the edge off and save on my main propane tanks. I definitely bring the down compforters and sleeping bags just in case. I suspect you lose more heat through the glass on the windows than you do the seals. Doable.

Rick

sam · 05-12-2014, 11:19 PM

Agree with the previous poster. We've camped with electric in 20 degree weather. You still have to keep your vents cracked a little. Winter pjs flannel sheets and several blankets. In the morning your ac unit may have a heat strip with it to take off some of the chill. You will be using your oven and burners to cook breakfast. This will produce heat. It is very doable to camp where it is cold. Some use a generator and have an extra battery hooked up. The HiLo trailer is advertised as three season with the fresh water tank padded with insulation. Do a search on the internet for ideas for cold weather camping.

miniceptor86 · 05-13-2014, 08:03 AM

Hi,

Condensation can occur also. We've been camping in or 2404T in the lower forties F and while the heater option in the AC unit will take the chill off it is too loud to run through the night and takes awhile in the morning. A little electric space heater that is quiet running would be a good thing to have if you have electricity where your are camping. We don't mind sleeping cold, she's got the quilts, I've got my Marmot (down sleeping bag). I'll get up and turn the AC option heat on or the furnace and then snuggle back in until the place warms up.

Wrascal · 05-13-2014, 12:57 PM

I'll be home if it's gonna be in the 50's; hesitant even if its in the 60's.

Now my bride is happy with 70's, I like the 80's.

Norton Rider · 05-13-2014, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luckydog671

Hi all,
I was curious as to how well the Hi-Lo's do in the cold weather when camping? Are they well-insulated? Do the top half-to-bottom half seals present any problems?

I am also curious.

On our previous trailer we used to camp in many of the areas that Luckydog671 mentioned and never had a problem with temperatures down to the high 20s. We would camp without hookups and used the built in furnace to keep things warm. I used to pour some RV antifreeze in the holding tanks, but would continue to use the potable water system normally. This particular trailer had the potable water tank above the floor, in a cabinet, so the water would stay at the temperature the inside of the trailer was at.

The water tank on our Hi-Lo (2408T) is insulated underneath, so it may be OK. Nevertheless, I would like to find out if anybody has actually camped in sustained, below freezing weather with their Hi-Lo.

Rolff · 05-20-2014, 09:10 PM

My '95 21TL doesn't seal as tight as it should. I have put pipe insulation tubes in the sides where there are drafts to stop the wind. I think I would also use a portable propane heater rather than the furnace. It drains the battery but is also noisy when it runs. This is us at a place aptly named Windy Ridge. Very windy spot near Fish Lake Utah maybe 8000 ft. Just past those trees behind us was a steep 1000 ft hill. We were chilly, had the furnace at 55 and bundled up. But it was a fun adventure our main concern was the 5 miles of dirt road turning to mud and trapping us.

sam · 05-20-2014, 10:32 PM

This past weekend our HiLove NY camping went camping. Both days it was in the mid 50s and about 30 or 40 at night. Our furnace ran fantastic at 68degrees with electric. I have some spots where the seal wasn't able to be changed around the ref. What I did was to buy turquoise bath towels and made insulation "snakes" and filled them with rice. Any where the wall wasn't perfect and let in air/daylight got a custom snake. The second night we actually woke up too hot. Must have been all that good food at the potluck!!. We burned through a serious amt. of firewood to keep warm when outside.

JackandJanet · 05-21-2014, 12:22 AM

We've certainly spent nights in the trailer when it was in the high 20's outside and were comfortable. I've only run the furnace once through the night, and had it set at a low setting so it only came one once or twice.

In these instances, the daytime temps went up into the 60s, so the whole experience was very pleasant. If the days remain cold, it would have been miserable, because we don't go camping to stay inside.

- Jack

Luckydog671 · 05-21-2014, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolff

My '95 21TL doesn't seal as tight as it should. I have put pipe insulation tubes in the sides where there are drafts to stop the wind. I think I would also use a portable propane heater rather than the furnace. It drains the battery but is also noisy when it runs. This is us at a place aptly named Windy Ridge. Very windy spot near Fish Lake Utah maybe 8000 ft. Just past those trees behind us was a steep 1000 ft hill. We were chilly, had the furnace at 55 and bundled up. But it was a fun adventure our main concern was the 5 miles of dirt road turning to mud and trapping us.

That looks pretty cold, Rolff- hope you had 4WD on your tow vehicle!

Luckydog671 · 05-21-2014, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam

This past weekend our HiLove NY camping went camping. Both days it was in the mid 50s and about 30 or 40 at night. Our furnace ran fantastic at 68degrees with electric. I have some spots where the seal wasn't able to be changed around the ref. What I did was to buy turquoise bath towels and made insulation "snakes" and filled them with rice. Any where the wall wasn't perfect and let in air/daylight got a custom snake. The second night we actually woke up too hot. Must have been all that good food at the potluck!!. We burned through a serious amt. of firewood to keep warm when outside.

I'm discovering that the seal between the top and bottom halves of the Hi-Lo's (at least the older ones) may not seal very well. Yesterday, we did an inspection for the first time of a unit for sale. It was a 1999 22C and you could see daylight around three quarters of the trailer and feel the wind coming through. I'm told the newer models have better seals.

sam · 05-21-2014, 11:01 PM

The newer models do have a newer PBulb black that is different from the old seal material. An older HiLo can have the seal replaced by a DIYer.