Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

Wayne and Carolyn Mathews · 01-30-2008, 04:33 PM

We've had enough snow to make a snow army, not just a snowman. Good thing we like this weather, and it is a good test of future fulltime living in an RV under all conditions. Unlike a lot of people who head south when winter arrives, we'll still spend a lot of time right here. Why? It's beautiful 12 months a year, and we are within walking distance of excellent trout fishing, kayaking, hiking, etc. We'll also spend a lot of time back in Texas, our real home--but not during those 115-degree summers. We don't miss them one bit.

I have to say that fulltime living in our 3585 has been extremely comfortable, even during the short periods when we lost our hot and/or cold water. Heck--even back in Austin, the water lines in our stick house would occasionally freeze. This Montana has been much warmer under more extreme conditions than our old Cardinal 5th-wheeler ever was. The first month we owned our Monty, I was so worried about all the "what if" situations that I didn't take the time to appreciate just how nice the trailer is. After we survived the first four days of -20 to -40 temperatures (with constant wind), I relaxed. It's been a trial-and-error experience, dealing with the temperature and wind, but we feel much more confident about winter RV living than we did 6 months ago. If we were fulltiming now, we'd definitely take the time to line the cabinets with some insulation, put up better skirting, and do all the other things the great people on this site have suggested for prolonged extreme-weather camping. But even "making do" for the moment is enough to keep us comfortable. Winter camping? It's not impossible, and most of the time it's outright fun!
Carolyn

Photos: The first photo below shows a small part of our neighbor's elk herd. The next two photos were taken about 2 miles down the road from us (horses, jackfence & mountains). The bottom row are obviously winter photos. The first photo shows where we're camped and building a house (blue arrow). The second photo shows my typical winter drive to work on I-15 (45 miles one way).

01-30-2008, 04:33 PM	#23
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews Montana Master Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Dillon KOA Posts: 1,291 M.O.C. #7445	We've had enough snow to make a snow army, not just a snowman. Good thing we like this weather, and it is a good test of future fulltime living in an RV under all conditions. Unlike a lot of people who head south when winter arrives, we'll still spend a lot of time right here. Why? It's beautiful 12 months a year, and we are within walking distance of excellent trout fishing, kayaking, hiking, etc. We'll also spend a lot of time back in Texas, our real home--but not during those 115-degree summers. We don't miss them one bit. I have to say that fulltime living in our 3585 has been extremely comfortable, even during the short periods when we lost our hot and/or cold water. Heck--even back in Austin, the water lines in our stick house would occasionally freeze. This Montana has been much warmer under more extreme conditions than our old Cardinal 5th-wheeler ever was. The first month we owned our Monty, I was so worried about all the "what if" situations that I didn't take the time to appreciate just how nice the trailer is. After we survived the first four days of -20 to -40 temperatures (with constant wind), I relaxed. It's been a trial-and-error experience, dealing with the temperature and wind, but we feel much more confident about winter RV living than we did 6 months ago. If we were fulltiming now, we'd definitely take the time to line the cabinets with some insulation, put up better skirting, and do all the other things the great people on this site have suggested for prolonged extreme-weather camping. But even "making do" for the moment is enough to keep us comfortable. Winter camping? It's not impossible, and most of the time it's outright fun! Carolyn Photos: The first photo below shows a small part of our neighbor's elk herd. The next two photos were taken about 2 miles down the road from us (horses, jackfence & mountains). The bottom row are obviously winter photos. The first photo shows where we're camped and building a house (blue arrow). The second photo shows my typical winter drive to work on I-15 (45 miles one way).