First solo trip with new Hawk

[gsbfree]

It's been killing me, I've had the new Hawk for a month and haven't been able to use the new campler other than for football tailgating and a portable office. This weekend I didn't have any committments like the rest of the family did so I ventured out solo.

I headed up to Deadwood Reservoir in the middle of Idaho to see if I could still make it (it snowed earlier in the week). The summit had about 10-12" of snow. I was the only person at Deadwood, quiet, peaceful, and very cold...it was around 16-18 degrees Friday night. I was sure grateful to have the heater. When I ordered the camper I didn't order the Artic Pack...thought I'd see if I needed it...hmmm??? I took a nap, read, explored around on foot and driving. I even had to pull a yearling bear cub off the Banks Lowman Highway that had been killed by a vehicle and left on the highway.

This being my first trip out, I was very pleased how the truck and camper handled the steep climb to the summit. Driving in the snowy conditions was a real pleasant surprise too. On the return trip home the highway had several inches of fresh snow, the truck felt very stable through the tight highway turns, the new BFG All Terrain TA's compliment the camper weight for the improved handling.

It was a great time.

 

[terrisjoy]

great pictures, thank you for sharing!!!

Reading about you enjoying the warmth of the furnace reminded me of my last winter trip, in January. It got down to 20 degrees. I had been camping for a week in very cold weather. The furnace worked great until my last night out. Around midnight the sensor alarm started going off, like there was a propane leak. This awful ordeal went on for 2 hours. I was so cold because I had to get up everytime the alarm would go off. Around 3 am I decided to pull the fus that controlled that part of the system. The next day I called FWC and they explained the sensors do go out from time to time. I am grateful for your story because I am planning a winter trip and completely forgot about the broken sensor. I think it might be a good idea to stock that part for winter trips. Enjoy! Terri

 

[buzzman]

Water freezing issues?

gsbfree.

Nice report. Question...did you have any problem with the on board water system or water pipes in the Hawk freezing? On my recent trip west, I was worried about going into real cold regions because of the possible freezing.

 

[SunMan]

Cool pics, dig your set up (for obvious reasons) l've yet to drive with my camper in significant snow.

 

[EdoHart]

Aint that heater nice?

Good pictures. Looks very peaceful. What did you set the thermostat at and how long did the heater run at night?

 

[gsbfree]

Question...did you have any problem with the on board water system or water pipes in the Hawk freezing? On my recent trip west, I was worried about going into real cold regions because of the possible freezing.

It gets down right cold around here so I had previously winterized the water system as outlined in the FWC owners manual using RV liquid antifreeze. I carried water in a separate container and didn't use the sink for anything other than storage.

Good pictures. Looks very peaceful. What did you set the thermostat at and how long did the heater run at night?

Ed it was very peaceful, I was the only human around the entire lake...the only thing making noise was the Osprey out fishing in the lake. When I went to bed I set the thermostat to turn the furnace off when it reached around 55 degrees. If I had family with me I would have turned it up more but I love sleeping when it's cold. I did wake up several times when the heater turned on and off, but I'm sure I'll get used to that noise.

 

[craig333]

You do get used to the heater noise. Only time it bothers me is when I get cold and I don't hear it come on. Then I start wondering if its broke, I ran out of propane or whatnot. Then it kicks on and all is good again.

 

[Jack]

You do get used to the heater noise. Only time it bothers me is when I get cold and I don't hear it come on. Then I start wondering if its broke, I ran out of propane or whatnot. Then it kicks on and all is good again.
How apropos. We've just spent several nights on the Colorado plateau in Utah. Incredibly beautiful, but in the 20's at night. We did run out of propane this morning at 5am, but by then we were at Canyon de Chelley and it only got down into the low 40's (nobody would sell propane on Thursday, Thanksgiving day.) It was the repeated click on, click off that was the clue.

 

[Jack]

RAround midnight the sensor alarm started going off, like there was a propane leak. This awful ordeal went on for 2 hours. I was so cold because I had to get up everytime the alarm would go off. Around 3 am I decided to pull the fus that controlled that part of the system. The next day I called FWC and they explained the sensors do go out from time to time. Terri

There's another reason the sensor alarm can come on when running the heater - you've run your battery down. You also get the same short alarm when you shut power off with the switch.

 

[DLN]

Jack,

We ran out of propane for the first and hopefully the last time about 3 am on the last day of our last trip, a little cold in the morning and no gas for morning coffee. While the tank gage doesn't register full correctly it turns out it does register empty correctly, I'm thinking I'll pay better attention to it in the future. Fortunately we always have a one burner compact camp stove with us for cooking out and for just that situation.

 

[Jack]

Jack,

Fortunately we always have a one burner compact camp stove with us for cooking out and for just that situation.


Amen to MSR. From our tent camping days, we carry our MSR for cooking smelly food outside, but this time getting us hot coffee was a god send.

 

[EdoHart]

Cadek Safari Chef

Amen to MSR. From our tent camping days, we carry our MSR for cooking smelly food outside, but this time getting us hot coffee was a god send.

I have an MSR white gas stove, which is the lightest weight, fastest lighting stove I have ever owned. It stays in the back packing rig these days (i.e. it hasn't been used in about 3 years ... I must remedy that soon).

Anyway, I found a British made stove/BBQ/grill (depending on which surface is sitting on the burner) made by Cadek called the "Safari Chef" which runs on bottled propane. Not only is is a good backup to the camper's stove, it's a great way to Bar-B-Que, and once it's set up outside, is my primary means of cooking.

 

[craig333]

When i was doing serious backpacking I used a svea for many years. Lightweight and boiled water fast, it was a sob to light and forget about cooking anything on low. Then i went to a coleman (forget the model) that was easy to light but was twice as heavy. Had I not stopped backpacking (for the most part) I might have done an msr, but those were pretty pricey back then. I still love the sound the svea made, sounds like a freight train.