ATL
California
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Joined: 06/07/2009
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Fresh off the Trail
Having just returned from a 3-day/2-night dry camping trip in the 'cold' mountains of Southern California, I thought I would share what I learned from the experience in my Jayco PUP.
On this trip I had no external power source, no extra water or propane easily available. No hookups at all.
The temps ranged from a high of 50 to the low 20's. No precip, just dry cold weather, with plenty of wind.
What I did right:
1. At a cost of about $20, I insulated the bunk ends (under the mattress) with 1" thick Insulfoam. This stuff works great, and even provides a little extra cushion for the mattress. This is a 1 hour or less project.
http://www.insulfoam.com/
I bought it at Lowe's.
2. Upgraded my battery to a Group 29 Deep cycle. My old battery was shot, so it was a perfect opportunity to significantly increase our house power. Power was never an issue during the entire trip, my volt meter never dropped below 12V.
Lesson Learned
1. Don't try to heat the camper - I went through a 5 gallon tank of propane in less than 10 hours trying to heat the camper. The heater ran constantly.
Better Solution: Invest in good quality sleeping bags and make sure they are temp rated below what you would expect to encounter.
Save the propane for hot water, cooking and refrigeration.
I thought about bringing extra propane, but I thought it would be a hassle.
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bldrbuck
Boulder, Colorado
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Joined: 02/11/2001
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For the future add another propane tank or a larger one. Get a propane heater that does not use any voltage and leave a vent open. Mr Heater makes some that will work well. Cut insulation to fit the sides and bunk ends and throw a tarp over the roof. Your sleeping bag idea is good. Have fun.
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ATL
California
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BTW, we did not have sleeping bags, just blankets. And while the blankets did work, a sleeping bag is what we really needed.
I'm going to look into the Mr. Heater, and yes I was using the built in heater and I'm not sure how much power it draws, but I would guess a substantial amount. Thank you for that tip.
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Beacher
Long Beach, CA
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Joined: 05/07/2004
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Glad to hear that you had fun!
We also camp all year long in Southern California, Sometimes we get caught in the snow in Julian or Big Bear, as cold as minus 10F degrees with the wind chill.
Besides insulating under the mattresses, I also use some home-made insulating reflective foil inserts in each bunk end window flap. Some thick throw rugs on the floor, and the furnace cycles on for just about 30 minutes, and off for twenty minutes throughout the night.
We still use about 5 gallons of propane for about four COLD nights, but it's expected, and my two little kids under 10 years old stay warm even if they crawl out of their sleeping bags in the middle of the night.
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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Hi,
The sleeping bags will work great, and I suggest that you wait to warm the tent until you are awake.
I have a 6,000 Btu Olympic Catalytic heater, and it does not use any 12 volt power, just a gallon of propane every 15 hours. There is about 95,000 Btu's in a gallon of propane, so if you have a 16,000 Btu furnace, it will take about 6 hours to use one gallon.
The Mr. Buddy heater does not use 12 volt power either. However it does use high pressure propane tanks inside the area being heated, and I do not agree with a high pressure tank being adjacent to the open flame - just seems some logic is missing from this design. Also Mr. Buddy heaters are not allowed to be used indoors in Canada, because they produce to much carbon monoxide.
I have Reflex insulation in the windows of my RV to help keep the heat in, and the light out. You might want to try to line your inside of the tent with some 48" wide reflex insulation (Lowes or Home Depot). I put some under my bed too - it is about R4 insulation.
It is nice to have the Olympic heater - the Catalyst helps prevent carbon monoxide from forming while the heater is burning fuel. You do need a vent open, and with the tent material, and a little wind, it is like a window being open. But with no wind,open a window of some sort a little bit.
The group 29 battery is a much better choice over a group 24 or 27. The extra weight means more capacity.
Good Luck,
Fred.
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red31
Bryan
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Joined: 08/04/2008
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glacier bay r value test of reflectix = 0.67!) Reflectix reports ~ R of 1
A 3.4 amps/hour for the furnace, and ~20-25 hours of use, that's one battery per cylinder of propane!
I set my thermostat at ~50-55 at night and turn it off in the day when away. The wind along with low temps is a bummer!
Mr. Heater warns against using the buddy while sleeping.
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RJsfishin
Winston Or.
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Joined: 10/16/2007
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Our Olycat (both when needed) stay on day and nite. Very little vent, and no battery is needed.
Rich
'98 Flair, 454, Onan Microlite 4k, Intel PD 9155 w/ wizard, Sta-power 1500 watt Inv, 2 6v batts, ammeters, KingDome/sat, Oly Catalytic Heat, hauling 2 Bent Bikes and sometimes towing a Tracker F&S boat.
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Ace!
So Oregon
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Joined: 05/23/2005
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Good post. You're spot on about the sleeping bags.
I snow camp, in a tent so I have pretty good sleeping bags.
What I've found is a heater isn't needed if you have good sleeping bags, but since the PUP has a heater, I usually use it. I set it to the lowest setting and it'll cycle on and off a few times, but not constantly, even in some of the lowest temps. Good sleeping bags allow you to set it to the lowest setting, or turn it off until you wake up in the morning (to knock down the chill).
I have two deep cycle (golf cart batteries) and two propane tanks. So, I use one tank at a time, and again, set the thermostat to the lowest setting if I use it at all.
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brittsnbirds
Missouri
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Joined: 09/13/2005
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When I had a pup and camped in the cold climates I used some cheap sleeping bags on the inside. I put a bungee on both ends and drapped the sleeping bag over the shephards pole then hung the ends of the sleeping bag over the bungees. That insulated the ceiling keeping it from "raining" on me in the morning.
I also used the Big Buddy heater and ran a hose to an outside 30# propane tank. The buddy had a fan accessory as well. Stayed toasty warm.
Putting down some carpet on the floor helped very well and putting down insulation under your mattress makes a ton of differance.
Got the sleeping bag tip from an Elk hunter in Montana on another site.
Pat
2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Z-71
2009 Forest River Wildwood 27RBEC
Equa-l-izer hitch
Sig Sauer P245
3 Brittany's and a ton of trout rods!
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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Dang I had two of those batteries and two propane tanks and was not brave enough to take my old PUP out into 20F weather. It may have hit freezing once for me. Glad to hear it is working for you.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
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