What's the temp inside your popup when it's 32 degrees outside?

[lcgeek]

As winter sets in I am getting close to finally pulling the trigger on a Popup. And while i prefer something like a FWC or ATC, I've got some family members that are rather cold blooded so to speak and so I'm also thinking Alaskan.

Just curious what camper and heat sources you have and what your guestimate temp is inside when it's 32 outside? Is there anyway to make it toasty in there?

Thanks for your insight!
JT

 

[Ramblinman]

Factory propane furnace - gets it very warm inside. It just cools off rather quickly when the furnace is kicked off. Staying warm is not the issue for me it is mitigating the condensation inside during the night. I mitigate this by leaving the furnace on the lowest setting thru out the eve.

So far I have stayed in my Hawk down to -10Celsius (14 F). Its all good!

 

[Buckwheat]

I have an old Alaskan with a wave 3 heater it will get hot in there when it's frosty out if I leave the heater on high.

 

[SunMan]

With my reflectix "arctic pack" I heat up to somewhere in low to mid 50's when it's down in the teens. Mid 60's or higher when it's only 32.

 

[craig333]

No arctic pack. I'd say probably five to ten degrees warmer inside but remember, no wind chill. With a decent bag I stay nice and warm. Heater is great in the morning though.

 

[takesiteasy]

I agree, the furnace can keep the camper toasty no matter the outside temp. It's just a matter of how much propane and electricity you want to burn. There can be issues with condensation as the outside temps drop. We keep our camper at about 55° F when it is cold outside.

 

[iowahiker]

Ditto, with no liner the furnace heats the camper over 70 deg at 25-32 deg outside without difficulty. We hold 60 deg when we are awake to reduce condensation and no heat at night with the roof vents and window cracked open (furnace noise keeps me awake too). Sleeping on the couch is warmer than over the cab and you can reach the thermostat without getting out of the sleeping bag. I get up after the heater is blowing hot air (put on slippers and the coffee), close the vents/window, and then hold cold clothing in front of the heater to get rid of the chill as I dress in front of the furnace. Also, my butane lighters will not light (for the stove) until I warm them in front of the furnace (haven't blown up the camper yet doing this). Most of our condensation occurs after we get up with the warmer air, propane stove, and vents closed but we wipe it down before it gets too heavy and then again before lowering the top.

 

[SunMan]

I probably should have mentioned my numbers come from using a Wave 3 and not the stock furnace.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Best example I can give is the following. Several years ago in December I had to drive to the Reno dog hospital from Susanville (between major snow storms); my Aust. Shep broke her leg (long story short -they found she had bone cancer and they had to cut off her leg). The temp was in the low one digits, the snow on my roof frooze a couple of inches thick and i had to chip it off with a trowel and shovel and use deicer spray, before i could raise it---it was cold and i had no arctic pack back then. I stayed in the Bordertown RV park and HW 395 was a mass of black ice and there were wrecks everywhere and i had to drive to the other end of town-as i say it was cold out. Okay, the first night i stayed, I set the therm temp for 70 or so and it kept the camper nice and comfortable all night long-of course i got very little sleep because it kept coming on every hour or so. The gauge said It used about a half a tank of propane.

I am one of those who believe in the toasty toes-cold nose theory of sleeping-and except for the above event , hardly ever leave the thermo on all night-just crank the stock heater up before i rack out, warm the camper up, crawl into the sleeping bag, and yes crack open the window so i have that cold air on my nose. You can get real warm real fast by sitting in front of the heater and on cold nights before bed, i either use the thermo or just hit the switch when it gets cold inside to keep things comfortable. On a cold morning while the coffee water boils i turn on the heater to warm up the camper. Getting a WAVE heater is on my list of things to think about and my arctic pack makes those real cold nights comfortabe and i use allot less propane. By the way, my dog lived for another seven months and we spent every moment of it WTW to her favorites places. That help?

Smoke

 

[pvstoy]

If I was in the present moment of buying a new pop up camper I would go with ATC. They have solid construction, great insulation value. They may not have the latest bling gadgets fancy ness , but I would take the product over those. To keep the interior warmer you need some type of available heaters or lots of people to warm up the camper. Control your heat loss through the windows and pop up siding will help reduce losses.

If you have a larger truck that can handle the weight of a Alaskan camper then you would have less heat loss compared to the canvas side of ATC OR FWC.

Sounds like you are buying for you but have others to please at the same time. If the others find it a struggle then you are not happy. You want everybody happy so you can get more use out of a major purchase. Walking on egg shells you are.

 

[lcgeek]

thanks so much campers for your insight - very helpful!

JT

 

[craig333]

A lot of people have issues with condensation but not all of us. With me and the dog I have few issues with it. I do always crack a window and the top vent. Not sure why its so much worse for some.

 

[Freebird]

Wife and I were at Yellowstone park area this fall in the Alaskan. Temp was down to low of +10 F degrees at night. Slept fine with (stock) furnace OFF all night, and kick it ON to take the chill off in the AM. We were hooked up to RV park power, so fan use was not a concern. Propane furnace brought the interior temp up rapidly in the small interior space when time to rise.
We use a *Hacky Sack bag to sleep in, on top of a 2" memory foam toper, on top of the Alaskan camper foam mattress, so no cold seeps up from underneath in the cab over bed. We do have a small dog that does contribute a couple BTUs to the interior of the camper...
That is coldest we have slept/"camped" in it so far. Not likely to go colder intentionally, but we both did just fine (retired softies here).


*Hacky Sack (brand) is a big indoor sleeping bag for 2 that when zipped together (on both sides) has a summer side, and a thicker warmer side for versatility. A single Velcroed in place (on just the sides/edges) U shaped looonnng sheet is removable to launder the sheet (bottom of U at feet). We like it because "making the bed" consists of straightening the bag. We would recommend it or similar.

Edit: bought the bag online years ago as a web purchase from small vendor. I can't find any evidence of them now on a google search, so likely out of business? :-( We do love the convenience and versatility of it.
A seamstress could make one pretty easy, and it wasn't cheap. It has held up well so far, but hasn't had a lot of use (unfortunately).

 

[ckent323]

Freebird, et al,

Slumberjack makes a double sleeping bag like you describe. It is called the Bonnie and Clyde 30/40. We have one and have used it in our FWC in conditions similar to what you describe when we camped in the Sierra in the fall last year at Ellery Lake and Saddlebag Lake. It is adequately warm, even with frost on the ceiling of the camper (inside). We got it on sale somewhere a couple of years ago for a great price. I have seen it on sale recently for $160.

 

[MarkBC]

My experience in a 2005 FWC Hawk:
Without any insulation on the soft-side and with the heater off the inside temperature will get close to the outside temperature. That's with just me in there as the heat source.
But when it's cold out -- below freezing -- I can keep it plenty warm inside with the forced air furnace and/or my Wave 6 catalytic heater. When it's in the low 20s or colder outside I'll insulate the soft-side with a couple of lengths of Reflectix insulation. For me, "warm inside" means up to 65° -- that's where I have the heater thermostat set in my house, so I never try to heat the camper warmer than that...and cooler than that is OK.
The forced-air furnace by itself will keep it warm even when it's very cold outside...but I don't like to rely on it much because it's noisy and uses significant electricity.

I've never had much problem with condensation. Yeah, the inside of the soft-side can get dew-y when it's cold out or even frost-covered when it's very cold. But I don't see that as a problem. I just have to make sure to let the camper air out when I get home so it doesn't mildew.
I probably experience less condensation than some folks because there's only one water-producing creature in my camper -- me.

 

[Freebird]

Looks like another similar indoor "sleeping bag" is reviewed here:

http://www.exploringelements.com/review-rv-superbag/

So it looks like there currently are multiple good options for this type of convenient sleep system.

All this talk of condensation issues. Well, good insulation in the camper walls, plus a furnace where the gas combustion products are vented outside is the answer. With our Alaskan we get a hint of condensation on our single pane windows when real cold. I believe thermopane windows can be ordered on new or retrofitted, but it is not a problem at all on ours.
Yes, I know. furnace = fan = power draw. I'm going to do some solar to keep batteries up when I can shake some $$ loose for that, then boondocking in cold WX will be an option.
Currently we find a power source/RV park in cold WX.