While RVing, Preparation is Key
When Noah rolled out of bed this morning, we covered his eyes and surprised him by opening the door of the RV to a magical winter (fall) wonderland. The smile on his face was priceless!
As happy as we were to see the snow falling right outside our front door, life in an RV can be turned upside down if you aren’t properly prepared for frigid temps and falling flakes. We had been watching the weather forecast and knew that the snow and the dropping temperatures were most likely going to proceed our Montana departure date. Prior to leaving our home in the desert, our neighbor told us about the importance of having a heated hose on hand. Just incase we found ourselves in a situation like today, Alex purchased the hose from our local Las Vegas camping store. We are so happy that he did! Not having one could have led to all sorts of costly repair bills.
I added a couple pictures of the hose and I can’t stress enough the importance of having the black foam cuff pushed up against the spout and also against the opening on the RV. Having a support for the sewer hose is also important. Leaving it on the ground can lead to all sorts of problems in freezing weather. A couple days ago we purchased a few bottles of antifreeze specifically for RVs. They had it on a display at Walmart right when we walked in the door. I believe the price was about $2.50 a bottle. If you plan on living in your RV throughout the winter in a snow zone, I suggest you read more about how to winterize. But if you are like us, and just happen to have found yourself in a cold weather debacle, I hope these pointers will help prevent costly repairs.
While Noah and I threw on our snow gear and grabbed our sleds, Alex climbed on top of our rig and cleared the snow and gunk from the roof and most importantly, the slides. Let’s just be honest, RVs aren’t known for their durability, especially in inclement weather. Being that we have been parked under a canopy of trees for several weeks, the leaves and pine needles had really piled up on the slides. The combination of the falling snow and the mound of debris could have easily resulted in a disaster.
While inside we have found that using a couple of space heaters creates the perfect amount of warmth for us. By using electricity, we have avoided the use of our gas fueled furnace. We have been monitoring the weather intently and have decided to leave Montana three days earlier than planned. Hauling a nearly ten ton 5th wheel in a snow storm can prove deadly. We will also be skipping our stop in McCall Idaho and heading a bit more south to avoid any additional potential calamities. With all that said, I’m going to sit back and enjoy a hot cup of hot cocoa while I watch the snow fall. This may be the last blog post until Utah so I want to include how awesome our stay has been at the Outback Montana RV Park!
For all of you fellow RVers, please feel free to leave a comment or insight on your experiences about winterizing or preparing your RV for the snow and below freezing temperatures.
