Dry camping at 9°
Thought I would share my recent "dry" cold weekend experience.
Went pheasant hunting in eastern Colorado this weekend. Only had a dry-camping spot, which was fine with me. Filled the 40-gallon fresh-water tank in my 2416, to 30 gallons. Figured more water would take longer to freeze.
Friday night only got down to about 30°, so we didn't expect any problems (and had none). Stayed plenty warm, with the heater coming on for about 10 minutes out of 25 minutes.
Saturday got up to 55°, but started dropping quickly about 2 p.m. Got back to camp about 7:30, and it was 25°.
Woke up Sunday morning, and it was 9°. Still had hot and cold water, and no problems. Did not try to use the water to "flush" the toilet, as we are all guys, and trees worked fine. Keeping the bathroom/shower closed gave us more counter space for our stuff.
Got back to camp about 1 p.m., and it was 25°. Still had running water. Opened all the drains to drain the water system, and all drained fine. The only issue we had was opening the gray-water tank. It had ice at the drain, and it took quite a bit of working to get it open.
Next time, I will put hot water down the drain, then drain the gray-water tank more frequently, to make sure it does not build up too much.
I love this unit for short winter trips! Stayed plenty warm, didn't use a tank of propane (made french toast and pancakes for breakfasts, heated water for coffee), and the battery held plenty of charge (I assume, as there is no monitor in a 2417). Will not hesitate to take it out again in the winter.
If I was going to do longer outings, the gray water may be a challenge, as well as keeping the battery charged. I would get a generator, and put a light bulb under the gray tank, and box the area in to keep the heat there. Generator would also recharge the battery, so I could stay "dry" for quite a while, if I wanted to.
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