As fall approaches and I plan on staying in colder weather with my RV, there are some things that my husband and I do to get ready to survive the winter. There are only small differences from a house, but preparation can be critical when it comes to your RV. Plus, how much fun is it to set out mums and pumpkins and light seasonal candles inside to add to the homeyness?
During the winter, my husband and I usually sit stationary, and this can be a problem for the wheels on our camper. We elevate our RV wheels off the ground to prevent dry rotting and to keep them from freezing to the ground. In the Winter of 2017, our family had a ski trip planned for the North Carolina mountains, and we had not moved our RV for six months. If we had not elevated our tires on wooden planks, they would have torn off when we rolled out. In fact, our jacks were sitting on cinder blocks, and even they had frozen to the ground. It took us 30 minutes to sledge hammer the blocks off the ground so that we could roll the truck passed them. It was a rough start to the vacation, to say the least!
Next, the seals on your camper need to be checked and redone if necessary, especially if they have been hardened and exposed to extreme temperatures and dry rotting. My neighbors suffered a major leak during the spring when the seals along their roof had expaned and contracted from water freezing in them throughout the winter. If my friends had checked the fall before, they would have seen that they needed a new, more flexible seal to give and take with the expansion of the freezing water.
Third, we always stock up on propane. If and when the power goes out at our campground, our source of heat is our propane oven and center furnace that operate on propane. I have awakened several times on snowy, cold winter days with no heat but was able to switch on the oven to heat the camper. If my microwave is out, I can always cook on my propane stove. I am almost fully functional without any electricity if I have enough propane!
Further, with cold temperatures and some heat sources come a ton of moisture inside your RV. I recommend getting a humidifier and doing what you can to cut down on creating moisture. Moisture gets stuck in tight places like inside your cabinets, so occasionally opening them and letting air circulate is very helpful. One year I opened my pantry door to find ice in the back corner, and this froze and ruined all of my items on that level. Taking showers in bathhouses whenever you can helps decrease the moisture level as well. Also you can let moisture escape by opening your ceiling vents periodically.
Finally, a trick that helps with my minimal space but ever-expanding wardrobe is that I pack and store my summer clothes at my in-laws’ house and fill my RV closet with my fall and winter clothes. Yes, I kind of feel like I am cheating, but I either store the kayaks in our storage bins below the RV, or I put all my summer clothes there. I have done both successfully, but I prefer having a little extra space under there. Additionally, I get rid of things that I did not wear during the summer. A good rule of thumb to follow for me is that I determine that if I do not wear something for a year, I get rid of it. I like to either donate my clothes or sell them to Plato’s Closet or a store that buys good used clothing. Completing this task is so satisfying, and I get so excited about pulling out tall boots and comfy sweaters for the winter! I love fall and I hope these few tips help you prepare for fall and winter in your RV!
