Winter camping

Hi All I am thinking of popping to Devon for a few days in November. I was wondering does anyone use their bus (for camping) during the winter and how do you keep warm? Do you use the warm air heating system etc.?

Take care all

Bob K

We have a £20 electric heater from b+q which we leave on over night if its really cold. Also we dont put the roof up which keeps heat in. Been ice and snow outside and we've been fine, did get ice on inside of front window however.

We agree, the pop top is the biggest heat loss area so keeping it closed helps keep the heat in. We have an oil radiator that helps a bit but our best investment was a £20 electric under blanket from Argos.

We have a regular blanket over the bed/seats, the heated one on top of that and a regular sheet on top of that and it works a treat.

The first time we used it (November 2012 in East Anglia) we had to wait for the bed to cool down before we could get in!

It does mean that hookup is a must, but the combination of radiator and blankets keeps all of the snow and ice on the outside, Tallulah has been used all year round.

We have a 1kw oil filled radiator, they have a built in thermostat so it just clicks on and off when needed.
Thermal window mats will help reduce heat loss out the windows, as long as you can get them to stick properly.

We doo agree with Matt's comments.
However, Scooby will take us out for days over the winter, but we do not generally camp.
We doo not now expect to be camping until March next year at the earliest.
Roo b Roo

Okay, so I am taking the winter camping plunge in Devon just as the temperatures decide to take a dip. On the advice of forum members I have my oil filled radiator, electric blanket, thermal screens, kettle and single malt. Why I am so excited about freezing my hind off I don't know.. It's the camper effect I think! Wish me luck folks!

Electric Blanket!! That is genius - don't know why I didn't think of it - am going straight out to buy one!

Best of luck, Hemlock
Roobarb's tip - of at bedtime, standing up the unfolded buddy-seat cushion across the inside of the tailgate - works a treat
osg

Thank you roobarb, every degree helps!

We find having a fat schnauzer on the bed helps too...

We also have the small oil filled radiator which is fab. The pop top gets cold for Phoebe so she now has a toasty electric blanket (thanks to Mrs harry hornet for that tip on last years halloween bash).

We started off with an oil filled radiator but found it not very good so got an electric convector heater which is much better.

Matt wrote:

We started off with an oil filled radiator but found it not very good so got an electric heater which is much better.

. . . and if you have already paid for the hook all electric heating is free!

It is also the same if you have an electric kettle instead of using your own gas

I am pleased to report that with all the top tips my first intro to winter camping was an unqualified success.. Apart from the fact that I should have chosen a site with 'facilities' !

Well done ! I expect you battled more with rain than cold. What facilities did you lack?

It was a field with a view and hook up but nothing else! Very glad that Mabel has a fully fitted buddy seat

While we out and about this weekend, popped into Dunelm Mill and got one of these.


http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/white-ptc-heater-484681


It is really compact, and has two heat settings 750 and 1500 watt. It also doubles as a fan for those heat-waves we are going to get.  

Already used it to dry out Pats Mini, which can get a bit damp inside this time of the year.

Unfortunately it only comes in white, or with a red trim.

It was a field. With a view. Nowt else!

Hemlock wrote:

It was a field.  With a view.  Nowt else!

It had a sharp looking BraziBay parked up in it. What else did it need?!

Any more tips on winter camping? We're kitted out with fan heater, radiator and electric blanket, but I was wondering whether it is practical to use an awning or canopy, or whether it is better to travel light and just use the van.

Given that there has been no let up in the wind these winter months, I have avoided using the awning.

The only other useful addition in my view would be some form of dehumidifier as there is no heat most winter mornings to help clear the van's windows and they get even more drippy than they are in the summer months!

I have a windscreen one http://reviews.halfords.com/4028/976217/reviews.htm which while less effective than the plastic tubs presents no risk of being kicked over or anything in the night!

No longer available from halfords

I bought a larger version of this electriQ de-humidifier for my daughter when my granddaughter was suffering with a chest infection, and found it very good.

http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/md280/amcor-md280-dehumidifier

Only drawback is that you will need a hook-up, but I was amazed how much water they removed from the atmosphere.

Nice one dl...thanks

Any more suggestions? I'm particularly wondering whether to take the awning or canopy when we go down to Goodwood. At the moment I'm thinking that given the strong possibility of wind and/or rain, and that we'll be out for the whole day on Saturday, I won't bother about the awning and just take the canopy in case it seems practical to use it.