Best winter 5th wheel

[d2reid]

We have been full timing since 2011. We decided to try a little skiing in the winter. One thing led to another and now we are at Park City, Ut for the winter. Our 2008 Cedar Creek has done pretty good on the winterized segment, but it is getting a little long in the tooth. We are starting to analyze 5th wheels with an eye on spending more winters in ski country and replacing our aging 5th wheel. Yes, we are actually wanting to RV in sub-freezing temps.

 

So if you have any personal winter experience with a brand and wish to share please do. Gripes are encouraged also.

 

We are not looking for tips on how to keep an RV warm in the winter, we have lots of those.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

 

 

 

[Charles Skinner]

Excel 5th wheels were advertised as safe to 10 degrees below 0, if I remember correctly. Of course, the furnace must be on. They are no longer in business, sorry to say. There may be other makers who claim such, I believe that the "main man" at Excel now works for New Horizons. If you have very "deep pockets", you might want to check that company.

 

C. S.

[LindaH]

Charles Farrell, on 04 Dec 2015 - 04:51 AM, said:Charles Farrell, on 04 Dec 2015 - 04:51 AM, said:

Excel 5th wheels were advertised as safe to 10 degrees below 0, if I remember correctly. Of course, the furnace must be on.

 

You also had to have double pane windows.

 

There is an Excel for sale here...one that Kirk posted for a friend. I don't know any of the details (and there aren't many given in the linked ad), so I don't know if it has double pane windows.

 

Arctic Fox is another one to consider. They're made in La Grande, OR, by people who actually use their RVs, many in the winter for hunting trips.

[Jack Mayer]

HERE is a video that Gregg Shields and I shot covering cold weather RVing and answering some questions on it that I routinely get. It is not directly applicable to the OP, but others may find it of interest. While it is specific to New Horizons technology it does cover general things to look for.

[mds1]

You may have seen the add in an earlier post. This guy has his DRV Mobile Suites up for sale. Also, Explorvistas stay the winter in Michigan in a unit with less insulation. Here is a link to their most recent blog post regarding steps they take. Not sure if it works for someone moving around a lot.

[lappir]

HERE is a video that Gregg Shields and I shot covering cold weather RVing and answering some questions on it that I routinely get. It is not directly applicable to the OP, but others may find it of interest. While it is specific to New Horizons technology it does cover general things to look for.

Nice Video Jack and Gregg.

 

Do you have much cold transfer with the metal framing on the real cold days? I made the mistake of closing my Murphy bed one day when it was below zero and came home to frost on the wall behind the bed when I lowered it. Don't do that anymore but will put the bed up during the summer to provide more insulation if that side is facing the setting afternoon sun. I have also noticed a little condensation collecting on my slide out ceilings. I don't have a New Horizons though.

 

Rod

[d2reid]

The New Horizon video was pretty impressive. My Chihuahua's thought the floor heating idea was excellent. One of the tips I didn't see was putting masking tape around the edges of the slides on the inside. Over hundreds of slide in/outs the slides sometimes get a little out of adjustment. Not a huge thing, but a little crack will allow cold to creep in.

 

The RV park we are staying in now does not allow the DIY foam board skirting. They push vinyl skirting. Cost estimates have been $1600-$2400 for our 40' 5th wheel with 3 low slides.

 

So far I have recommendations for Artic Fox and New Horizon. We probably will not purchase a used unit.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

DRV is also a great unit. I would say that if your buying new then New Horizon, Continental Coach (Forks), and Space Craft are the top 3. After that in the still producing companies segment DRV, Lux, Artic Fox build quality RV's. After them I would look at defunct builders. Carriage, Travel Surpreme, NuWa, Excel, Newmar would be on my list.

[Jack Mayer]

DRV is also a great unit. I would say that if your buying new then New Horizon, Continental Coach (Forks), and Space Craft are the top 3. After that in the still producing companies segment DRV, Lux, Artic Fox build quality RV's. After them I would look at defunct builders. Carriage, Travel Surpreme, NuWa, Excel, Newmar would be on my list.

That is a reasonable list if the budget allows.

 

Rod, on the metal framing....one of the advantages of the laminated structure New Horizons (and Spacecraft) uses is that it minimizes the number of metal studs in the walls. This differentiates a laminate wall from a "hung" wall like on a Mobile Suite. (I'm not picking on DRV...they are just a popular example of this technology). Both produce good results. I like the laminated wall for its strength and the fact that you do not have a lot of metal studs conducting heat or cold. Not that there is much difference at the wall studs. In my measurements there was very little temperature change on the interior wall surface at the wall stud. You can minimize it further by using techniques to overlay the stud area with insulation like Forks does. In their case they have studs on 16" centers and hung walls. Similar to DRV. They overlay the interior with a 1/4" foam board to minimize temperature transfer. This is a very good technique, and especially valuable when you have 16" centered studs. It would be less valuable in the case of New Horizons or Spacecraft where it is a laminated wall with studs only every 8' (max).

[RV_]

The best winter 5th wheel is the one located in the RGV or further South for the winter.

[Kirk W]

The RV park we are staying in now does not allow the DIY foam board skirting. They push vinyl skirting. Cost estimates have been $1600-$2400 for our 40' 5th wheel with 3 low slides.

 

So far I have recommendations for Artic Fox and New Horizon. We probably will not purchase a used unit.

For that price the skirting should be very nice! Would that also be done such that you could take it with you and reuse it somewhere else? If not that could mean an annual expense if you move away for the summer. You could put some sort of siding over the foam board for a lot less than that.

 

I have never spent more than a couple of weeks for a hunting trip in the sort of weather that you are planning for, so will be following your adventure with great interest.

[d2reid]

Would that also be done such that you could take it with you and reuse it somewhere else?

 

Yes, they are removable and can be packed up fairly easily.

 

Of all the skirting that we have looked at it is always a fabric like material. Kind of like awning material, sometimes better, sometimes cheaper. The method of mounting varies to some degree, slide in tracks, twist lock snaps, and regular snaps.

 

If we enjoy this gig enough it will become a regular thing. I didn't want to put out the cash for a skirt until we traded, or decide to run this one ragged. We are in an 08 Forest River Cedar Creek with a winter package. That means the pipes are all covered with some type of insulation and it has tank heaters. When it is single digit temps for weeks at a time we spend about $400 a month on energy with an average internal temperature of 65.