Artic Package?

[Bob & Lee]

This is the start of our 3rd winter in Colorado and had very Little freeze. when the wind blows at about deg the bathroom sink froze but not any other..Im thinking of drooping the belly and putting the rigid foam sheets 4X8 across the bottom above the outer cover shouldn't add much weight but should help and keep the floor warmer I figure about 10 sheets $100 and adding the 2" ridged foam in the front cargo wall and in the back cargo under the closet they get pretty cold.

[Treecounter]

Our 02 3280RL had the AP and there were no wrapped pipes or heat coils on it. We know as we dropped the belly pan and added pipes for an "Arizona water system" separating two facets from the hose system. There are two 2" heat ducts feeding warm air into the belly.

[WACOT]

As I sit and read different articles in the forum I find that there is a great amount of interest in the so called Artic package. When it comes to that item, it seem that the only consistent thing about this subject is confusion. We have an 03, 2955RL and it came with this added feature that Montana seems to be so proud of. Mine consists of only two things, underbelly penning, a shutoff valve, and couple of feet of hose under the kitchen cabinet to insert into a gallon of antifreeze so you use the water pump to distribute antifreeze throughout the water system. So far as extra insulation in the roof, reflective foil in the underbelly, furnace air going into the belly cavity and heat tape on the pipes, I just don't buy it. I have looked for these things and they just are not present on my rig. What I do find, and I find more and more, is the fact that the units you and I own are built as cheaply as the manufacter can get by with. I know there just has to be a builder out there somewhere that builds a coach that is cool in the heat, warm in the cold, dry in the wet etc. As I look at the underbelly of our rig, the first thing that hits me in the eye is the suspension system, it is freightening that 10-12 thousand pounds and more are placed on such flimsy support brackets. I could go on from there, but most of you can see what I am talking about in your on unit. The after manufacturer problem that are consistent seem to be in the repair bays of the dealerships. Several different people worked on the slide leak problem I had last year and to the man, each and every one of them had a different solution to the problem, one who took parts off the unit which he said was unnecessary, needless to say NONE of the had the solution that worked. To keystones credit, they did take the unit back to the factory and cured the problem, but not before I had them over the well known barrel with my letter of intent the declare it a LEMON in court. I am happy with my trailer, I just think we should get real quality when we pay with real money. Just my opinion

[richfaa]

wacot..Your camper may not have the reflective foil in the undebelly or the extra insulation in the roof but I can tell you that the units on the Montana line on Oct 4th 2005 DID have those things as we saw them /touched them with our own eyes.There are builders out there that can and do build hight quality coach's , check out Newmar's high end fifth wheels. 100,000 plus.. We get what we pay for..buy a Jayfeather, you get what you pay for, Buy a Montana, you get what you pay for. Buy the Cambridge, extra 20k and it is a better RV,,go for the Newmar, we toured the factory, walked the show room and after recovering from the shock of looking at the price tags..settled for The Montana. However we do agree on all of your obsevations on quality/workmanship, etc..again you get what you pay for..at least keystone WILL stand behind the product and correct all the problems that are a direct result of poor quality ..which tells me that Keystone is well aware of the quality issue and uses their dealers as quality control.. I will still buy the Montana...

[Montana_3598]

Well, not having torn mine apart to see what makes it tick, I know mine worked great down to 9 degrees with no freezes two or three Novembers ago when I was out hunting in it. Used full on-board water and had absolutely no issues except the low point drains freezing where they extend outside the unit. I have some kind of formed styrofoam around all the lower openings in my unit, plus some type of reflective insulation laying above the belly covers. There are thinner foil-type hoses for my heat to the front which radiate some heat to the belly, keeping things from freezing. We used everything, the wind was a'blowin and we had no issues for 5 days. After I got the low point drains opened up, had no issues draining and winterizing in 18-20 degree weather. Mine's a 2004 3575RL with the "Arctic Insulation" package.

Obviously these things aren't made to be lived in while it's subzero temperatures, but I was very pleased to see that it worked as well as it did. We were out pretty much all day and the water was only really run in the morning and slightly in the evening for the toilet and a few dishes. Kept the hot water heater fired up the whole time as well to keep that from freezing. YMMV...

[Montana_3340]

Artic Package:
I have a 298RLS Mountaineer by Montana 2003 floor model. Mounted in the kitchen above the control panel and switches for water pump and water heater indicators are two electrical switches labeled HOLDING TANK HEATERS.
The curcuit is powered from the 12V DC fuse panel and the 15A fuse is labeled "Holding Tank Heaters". using my electrical tester I determined heat tape to be aproxamitly 75 watt @ 12 VDC.