Thread: Winter camping
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Old 08-07-2009, 06:19 PM   #4
grakin
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I've camped quite cold - down below zero, with quite a bit of wind. No problem, but I don't use the water system below freezing. I rely on campground facilities for most of my needs (washing dishes, shower, toilet) and use a small portable water container drained into another container for essential needs.

You can use the toilet below freezing, if you keep the inside warm (I leave bathroom doors open and the lid up on the toilet) so it doesn't freeze, but I wouldn't recommend trying to operate any of the valves below freezing. I've done it a few times, but I don't recommend it - unless you know you can dump before you leave (and thus it will be above freezing when you do), you'll be leaving with a toilet with water in it when it is below freezing, with no heat in the TM - it won't take long to freeze.

If you need to have a "fully functional" camper in winter, including water system, I would recommend something other than a TM, an actual 4 season camper. The TM is really a 3 season unit. That said, if you can live with a nice warm place to sleeep and cook, without bathroom or sink, you'll do great.

One more caution: opening and closing with snow on the roof is very difficult and it would be easy to damage things. And you'll want to keep snow from building up too high on top (it can damage the roof if it gets deep enough). It has to be pretty much 100% clear of snow and ice to raise/lower, and that's pretty difficult (not impossible, but not fun either). Snow/ice on the roof makes it darn near impossible to lift the shells if they are closed, and makes them come down *very* fast and *very* hard when packing up (and you still will need to clear the back shell of snow to get the top shell down).
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