Can You Use A Trailer Tent In The Winter?
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Trailer tents are a great alternative to basic tents and full caravans, they are also more stable then tents and warmer as they provide more layers of materials which can cause a more compact space for heat to stay in.
Trailer tents can be used in winter but there are some things you need to take into account before you set out. You need to bring extra warmer layers, have a heater or heated blanket along with blankets and waterproof layers.
In this article we are going to talk about how you can still enjoy your trip away in your trailer tent in winter, what you should do to be prepared and extras to pack to ensure you stay warm.
Can You Use A Trailer Tent In The Winter?
You can use trailers tent during winter but not without taking safety measures to ensure the vehicle does not get damaged. Some adjustments should be made to the tent trailer, so it would do a better job of not letting heat escape from its interior.
If steps are not taken to protect the vehicle from the harsh winter, you could be setting yourself up for a nasty camping experience since living in the trailer tent in winter can be both challenging and inconvenient.
Before hitting the road in your tent trailer during winter, make sure you have checked the weather forecast for the period you would be out camping. Get clothes and camping gear that would keep you warm inside the vehicle. Also, it would help if you are familiar with the terrain you would be navigating because you can get your tent trailer stuck in some snow if you go in blind.
Additionally, have the contact information of first responders before leaving, so you can reach out to them in case of an emergency. It would be terrible to get stuck in your tent trailer in the winter during winter so take this advice seriously.
Pack up enough thick clothes that would help you withstand cold weather and keep you warm especially at night. Blankets are a good recommendation, so bring a few of those with you.
Tent trailers usually have enough room to store items, so bring more protective clothing than you think you might need because you do not know what can happen when the snow hits hard. Also, winter conditions would not let your clothes dry as fast as they would in the summer, so it would be nice to have some backup.
Winterizing Your Trailer Tent Would Help
Most campers forget that winter conditions will affect the sewage system in their tent trailer and get caught unawares when traveling. The way around this is to switch to composting toilets which are not only environmentally friendly and reduce carbon footprints but also stop solid wastes from freezing over and damaging your sewage line.
Have windscreen fluids and ice scrapers handy before setting out in your tent trailer during winter because they would be essential. When you park your vehicle overnight, you might wake up to thin sheets of ice on your windscreen or some snow on top of the vehicle that would need some attending to before you can move your vehicle.
The windscreen fluids would help to defrost some ice on the windscreen and the ice scrapers would do a good job getting rid of the snow. However, make sure you have enough in store because the ice scrapers can break due to prolonged usage and the windscreen fluid would run out quickly since you would be pouring it all over the windscreen.
Is It Safe To Use A Trailer Tent In The Winter?
Yes, it is safe to live in a tent trailer during winter but as expected, there are safety precautions to be taken.
The cold in the air would be the toughest thing to deal with because it would be unrelenting and ever-present. Ice and snow can be scraped away but you almost cannot chase the cold away. You have to put in the work needed to make the tent trailer interior as warm as possible.
Be sure that your trailer tent is designed to prevent heat from escaping. If it has small air leaks then you would have to seal them or else you would be wasting your time and energy raising the interior temperature. The importance of ensuring the trailer tent is completely insulated cannot be overstated because if not, you would lose a lot of heat throughout the night.
- Installing plastic sheeting on the windows of the tent trailer and placing an extra layer of it around the vehicle’s door would help to provide more insulation and keep the heat inside.
- Space heaters heat small spaces like the inside of a tent trailer well as it should be an option one should consider when camping in the winter.
- Thick high-quality blankets and comforters are must-haves as they do a great job in keeping one’s body warm.
More Tips to Camp Safely During the Winter
The possibility that unforeseen circumstances happen while you camp in your tent trailer in the winter is not far-fetched but with adequate preparation beforehand, you can spend less time worrying and more time focusing on the business of the day. Keep the following tips in mind and use them next time you take your tent trailer out for an adventure during the season of snow.’
1. Never let the content of your fuel tank drop below half.
When the weather is cold, fuel tends to deplete faster and some might evaporate overnight. So, resist the urge to leave your tank near-empty especially on nights where the temperature is below freezing point because you can get stranded thereby ruining the whole camping experience.
You do not want to walk several kilometers looking for a petrol station.
2. Keep a fire extinguisher close.
Water and electricity are not a good mix and since you would need power in your tent trailer to produce heat, it would be wise to have one or two fire extinguishers in case anything goes wrong.
Also, if power goes out, you may use a candle – which is a direct flame – which can be dangerous if left unattended. A fire extinguisher would help to reduce the damage fire would cause if an accident occurs.
What Do I Need to Know About Using a Trailer Tent in Winter?
It takes a lot more preparation to get ready for a winter camping experience in your tent trailer than it would when during the summer or spring. In the summertime, you would be greeted with sun and sand at your campsite but the battle with cold and snow during winter is something entirely. Here are some additional things to note when carrying out this activity.
1. Do not ignore mold.
Mold is one thing that campers tend not to pay attention to when preparing to take their tent trailer out for a camping expenditure in the winter. If there is no proper ventilation in a place with humid air then mold will start to form.
Note that the air inside your trailer would be filled with moisture when you wake from a long night of sleep and you would need a mini dehumidifier to keep the moisture levels down and prevent mold from growing.
2. Have enough blankets and heat sources.
It is impossible to stress the importance of having more than enough cover cloths and heaters ready to use throughout the length of your trip because you have to keep your body warm. If you plan to wash the blankets and reuse them on the trip, it might not work because the weather might not be the best for drying things outdoors.
It is easy to catch pneumonia, flu, cold, or even have frostbite in the winter and since you did not go out in your tent trailer only to get sick, you have to protect yourself.
Electric blankets are also an option but be careful and read the instruction manual to know how the right way to use them. However, if you do not find a way to connect a power cable to your tent trailer, then they might not be useful.
3. Some tent trailers have built-in heating units.
Not all tent trailers out there were made to be used during winter. However, some have heat pumps that are built into the roof as well as an onboard furnace that uses propane as fuel. If you intend to spend a lot of time inside the tent trailer, then know that you would burn a lot of propane.
Also, the heat pumps are not made to make the interior feel as hot as a stove. If you overwork it, you might burn it out. The heating units were made to help warm the trailer down to a livable temperature and to stop your items from freezing over. Electric space heaters are a good supplement to the heating units and fortunately, they do not need so much amperage to run.