25 Winter RV Camping Tips to Keep Safe and Warm

Packing for a winter RV trip isn’t quite the same as getting ready to hit the road during a warmer time of year. You’ll need to choose your apparel wisely, as well as make sure you pack the right safety and survival gear to make sure you can handle whatever you might face on the road. In addition to the items below, be sure to check this essential winter camping checklist for must-have items that you need to pack.

• Pack clothing you can layer – Even though you can control the temperature inside your camper, it will still most likely be cold outside for most (or all) of your trip. You don’t want to have to spend all of your vacation time huddled beside the heater in your travel trailer or motor home. Be sure to pack plenty of warm clothing, particularly items that can be worn in layers, and thick socks. If you’ll be moving around or traveling through warmer areas, take some lighter-weight options, as well.
• Take winter outerwear – Be sure to take a warm winter coat as well as a few lighter-weight jackets. Be sure that at least one is a windbreaker-style jacket for days when it may be raining or particularly windy. In addition to tennis shoes and hiking boots, also take some kind of waterproof footwear that you can wear when the conditions outside are snowy or icy. Don’t forget hats, scarves, and gloves.
• Hang heavy curtains – Just like you need to add layers to your body when it’s cold outside, you can also help keep it warm inside your RV by putting up thick curtains over the windows. This adds a layer of protection against the freezing temperatures on the other side of the glass.
• Put rugs on the floor – Just as heavy curtains help reduce the amount of cold that can creep in through the windows, plush rugs can help keep cold from seeping in through the floorboards. With that in mind, add rugs to the floor of your RV. Not only will the rugs help keep your feet warm, but they’ll also help the RV hold in heat.
• Create a winter safety kit – Never set out on an RV trip without appropriate safety and survival supplies. Be sure to pack a first aid kit, flashlight, headlamp, weather radio, batteries, extra blankets, and other important RV tools and emergency supplies. It’s also a good idea to pack a dual fuel camp stove and/or a small charcoal grill so that you’ll have a way to cook if there is a problem with the stove in your RV. Just be careful not to use these indoors, or you could create dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
• Pack a few space heaters – It’s a good idea to take a few space heaters on winter camping trips so that you can stay warm even if the power goes out or if something goes wrong with your RV’s heater. Consider taking at least one small electric space heater, as well as one that is propane-operated.
• Take a blow dryer – Even if you don’t blow dry your hair, it’s a good idea to keep a blow dryer in your camper during the winter months. If you do find yourself dealing with frozen hoses or water lines, you’ll be really glad that you did. A blower can help you gently warm frozen lines so that they will begin to thaw.
• Stock up on shelf-stable food – Make sure you have plenty of food on hand in your RV in case conditions get bad enough that you have a hard time getting out to shop for groceries for a few days. Stock plenty of items that don’t require refrigeration or cooking, including items that can be prepared quickly and easily on a camp stove or grill, such as meals in a bag or these one-pot backpacking meal ideas.

Maximize Warmth and Safety at the Campsite

Once you arrive at your campsite with your RV, there are a few other ways you can maximize your warmth and safety. Consider the following tips.

• Supplement your RV’s heater – Propane is expensive, so when you are at a campsite with an electrical connection, you may want to use an electric space heater at least some of the time. Consider using your RV’s heat to get your camper warm, but then turn the thermostat down and maintain the heat with an electric space heater. This can help you stay toasty with minimal expense. Be sure, though, to turn off any space heaters when you are away, and check that your space heater is safe to use in enclosed spaces.
• Use an electric blanket – If you want to save on propane but like to sleep warm, invest in an electric blanket to sleep under. When you’re at a full hookup RV site, you can turn the heater way down at night to save your propane, but still stay toasty warm while you snooze. You won’t even need to leave a space heater running overnight.
• Open cabinet doors – When it’s cold outside, open the doors of the built-in cabinets in your RV. This sounds odd, but the reality is that this will help the heat in the RV reach the pipes in the walls behind where the cabinets are installed. This small step can reduce the risk of frozen or burst pipes.
• Cover your air conditioner – You won’t be using your air conditioner when it’s freezing outside, so cover it up when you are camping during the winter. This will help protect the unit against winter precipitation as well as keep cold air from seeping in around the edges. For the best fit and protection, purchase a cover made for an RV air conditioner unit.
• Protect the RV’s plumbing – Prepare your RV’s plumbing for cold temperatures by installing a self-regulating heating cable on water lines, drain pipes, and holding tanks. This specialized cable has a built-in thermostat, so it adapts to the weather conditions by heating up when it is cold enough for the pipes to need protection and cooling down as the temperature rises.
• Avoid external water hookups – When you’re at a campground and it’s freezing outside, it’s better to rely on your holding tanks for water than to connect to an external water source. Doing this will allow you to completely disconnect the external hose from your freshwater tank. You can reconnect it when the temperature rises above freezing.
• Protect freshwater lines – If you want to keep a hose connected to your freshwater tank, invest in a Freeze Ban heated drinking water hose. This hose has outstanding reviews on the Camping World website. Multiple full-time RVers describe it as being the best option out of several they have tried.
• Delay dumping the blackwater tank – While it may sound counterintuitive, it’s better to avoid emptying your blackwater and greywater tanks as much as possible when conditions are super-cold. Hold off on dumping them until they are full. When they fill up, if the temperatures are still below freezing, empty them only partially. Having stuff in them will help minimize the potential for damage due to freezing.
• Skirt your RV when parked – When you get to your campsite, you’ll be able to help keep your RV safe and warm by placing skirting around the bottom exterior of the unit. Foamboard works perfectly for this. You can cut it to fit before you leave home and easily transport these lightweight pieces to put in place once you arrive.