We Have A Few Questions - Montana Owners Club

Montana_2821 · 01-29-2005, 03:26 PM

Jeanne and I would like to pick some of your brains with questions that have come to our mind as we moved in the direction we have with buying our Montana 5th Wheel. We were thinking a year or two down the road, then came across a deal we felt we couldn't pass up so are now owners.

One of the reasons that we first started thinking about this a few months ago was the freedom we would have to travel. And we both love to snow ski but haven't gone in a couple of years. We thought we might like to be ski bums for a season at Park City Utah. I found a park out there that is open all year around and have talked to the owner a couple of times. In fact he was the one who mentioned to us that there were a number of Montana's there.

So what is the chances of living in a very cold climate for several months in a Montana?

Some of the reading I have done here make it seem no very reasonable. Then as I read some others, it seems that some of you were in very cold weather just this winter.

So any advice?

Montana_2821 · 01-29-2005, 03:27 PM

Oh, we are a couple of years away from even atempting anything like this so it's not like we are leaving now.

CountryGuy · 01-29-2005, 03:43 PM

In our opinion, without a lot of owner improvements, this is not a all winter rig. That said, there are a number of owners who stay in them in pretty coolish weather, there is even a MOC member that is wintering in upper Minnesota this year.

You need to read all the threads you can find with the search engine on cold weather camping in a Montana. You will need to improve this Artic Package, which in our experience works really good in the summer months, but is not what it sounds like for the winter months. You are gonna have to find all the holes and plug them, take the underbelly off and insulate and heat tape the water lines. You are gonna have to be creative! You will need to learn to sleep with the doors to the cabinets open when it is below freezing, so your food does not freeze.

We have not taken the underbelly off, we have not gone the route of heat tape for the water lines. When we left Michigan 3 days ago it was 4 below and by the time we got to Illinois where it was only 19, we still had ice on the roof (no TV antenna, it was frozen to the roof) and the olive oil in the back cabinet was very cloudy looking and congealed. We did not have the heat on till about 1 hour before we landed in the campground, and that is a FIRST for us, we have never traveled with the heat on before. Even if we had traveled all day with the heat on, I'll bet the olive oil still would have been cloudy. We did NOT have water on board, we were still winterized and stayed that way till we got into Arkansas, where the temps were above freezing and are expected to stay that way for at least a week.

Anyway, do a search on the MOC and then get ready to do some improvements. Then get ready to go skiing and enjoy!

Carol

rames14 · 01-29-2005, 05:01 PM

R&R -

I am not familiar with Park City's climate, but if it is similar to Colorado, it isn't as bad as many people might think. We have property in the mountains and relatives close by. It is not unusual to get a huge storm and then the next day be well above freezing. If I recall, Park City is a ways from the ski areas and may be more "temperate" than up in the mountain. At any rate, there are many posts on how to winter proof the rig. It's not exactly what it is designed for, but you can make it work if you want. Others have. No, its not designed for zero like the new Cambridge, but with heater, heat tape, and other modifications, its doable. Best of luck.

Montana_2821 · 01-29-2005, 05:40 PM

Actually Park City is right at the mountain. Park City Ski resort is one of the best in the country.

And the owner of the RV Park that I have talked to a couple of times said much the same thing.

Montana Sky · 01-29-2005, 10:02 PM

Well I cannot speak about the cold winters in the rv, as mine is stored for winter. But just wanted to drop a congrats to you on your new coach. Hope you have many miles of great rv'ing ahead.

lasater · 01-30-2005, 02:44 AM

R&R,

I spent six months in Leadville, Colorado, at 10,200 feet MSL. There will be two main things for you to do to winter in Park City.

1. Enclose the base of the trailer so the wind doesn't blow through.

2. Insulate your water hose and add heat tape.

These two things should keep you cozy in weather down to the teens. Below that you may have to do additional things: like add a heater under the trailer.

Also, talk the the people who are living in that park you mentioned. See what they do. The newer Montanas have their water lines repositioned so that freezing has become lesser an issue than before.

sreigle · 01-30-2005, 12:14 PM

As others said, the other threads on this topic contain a weatlth of info. It would be hard to duplicate all that info here in just a few minutes posting. If you need help finding those, just holler and we'll help get you pointed to them.

We've spent Nov/Dec in the Kansas City area for the past two winters. We had up to 10 inches of snow, a lowest temp of minus 5F, with a number of days with highs in the upper teens, once a single digit high, and numerous days never reaching 32F. With all the modifications we've done to our Montana we were very comfortable inside. Our biggest problem is keeping the water lines from freezing in the basement. These other posts will help you with that. Let us know if you need some help finding these other threads.

Congratulations on the Montana purchase and welcome aboard! Our fist Montana was a 2001 2880RL so we know that's a terrific model. Hope you enjoy yours.

Montana_2821 · 02-01-2005, 01:17 PM

I will Steve, we are about 2 years from going to the ski area if we do decide to carry though with the idea. Meanwhile I don't expect we are going to spend a lot of time in cold weather.

We are going to Franklin North Carolina March 18-26 in kind of a preview of our summer.

sreigle · 02-02-2005, 05:29 AM

It does take some preliminary preparation to make the Montana liveable in subfreezing weather. Just a brief list, we don't have thermopane windows so use the 3M window film available at Walmart, Home Depot, for stick homes. I filled all openings from the outside into the belly with expanding foam insulation. Also did the same in the basement. Insulated with foam pipe insulation tubes all exposed water lines in the basement (they won't likely freeze there but the hot water does lose heat there). Wrapped the low point drain lines (a major point of freezing) with electric heat tape, then wrapped with fibreglass insulation, followed by duct tape. We plug this in to the park's pedestal when temps are to be below about 22 degrees F. Also heat taped our water hose, then the tube pipe insulation, then duct tape. This stays plugged in all winter. The heat tapes have a thermostat to turn the heat on. If the park's water pedestal is not insulated you'll need to also heat tape it. I also fill a 5-gallon plastic bucket with loose insulation and put that over the park's water bib. Alternatively, fill your internal water tank, disconnect the hose. Reconnect only to fill. Make sure your sewer hose has no place water can collect or your sewer hose will freeze. And then it will split if you try to lift it at all (boy does it ever!). Or connect the sewer hose only to dump. Or keep the gray valves and black valve closed until ready to dump either/both. Then lift the hose to make sure it's empty after closing the valve(s) again. Check for tight fitting insulation around the door. I'm sure I've missed some things but these were probably the major ones for us.

Montana_2821 · 02-02-2005, 04:30 PM

Wow Steve, thanks for the advice. I'm going to copy and save all the answers in these two topics I put here for advice. At this point we aren't positive we would go to ski country in the Montana, but are interested in the possibility.

It sounds like a lot of work but we may start slowly and see what it leads to down the road.

I wish we could be in Yellowstone this summer like you are, but we have relatives in North Carolina that would not understand us not being there this summer.

Besides it's our trial run to see how we adapt to the smaller spaces.

We will be keeping up with your and others travels with great interest.

sreigle · 02-03-2005, 04:29 AM

Good luck, Bill and Jeanne. I hope it works out as well for you as it has for us. As I mentioned, we did a five week trial run to see if we could do this without killing each other in the smaller space. In my opinion, it has strengthened our marriage, which is a good thing.

In re-reading, I want to comment that I think this next Nov/Dec we'll put some kind of skirting around the base of the Montana, as Lasater suggested. That would keep the cold wind from stealing heat out of the basement and should keep things generally warmer. Can't hurt to try anyhow.

Montana_2821 · 02-03-2005, 01:34 PM

Steve, ours is going to be a 8-10 week trial run in Franklin North Carolina this summer starting about June 1. We will be in Kansas City to visit my sister for a week, leaving Florida May 10, then visit a cousin in Kentucky and one of our daughters in Knoxville Tennessee. Then back to Florida to get the Montana and off to the trial period.

I hope we have the same experience as you did.

sreigle · 02-03-2005, 02:52 PM

Bill and Jeanne, I'm not sure when you'll be in Kansas City. We plan to arrive there in late May and stay until late June. We have kids and grandkids in that area as well as my family west of there in Kansas. We'll be at Campus RV Park in Independence, MO, a KC suburb. If you're in the area around that time and have a few minutes to get together, be sure to let us know.

Montana_2821 · 02-04-2005, 12:31 PM

I would love that Steve, but we will be gone by May19th. I was actually hoping you might be there while we were. We will be staying at my sisters house in Gladstone.

We should arrive on May 11th or 12th and leave a week later for Lexington where we will visit my cousin.

I hope we do get the chance to meet one day. Meanwhile we are keeping up with your travels and are really interest as to how the Yellowstone trip goes.

sreigle · 02-04-2005, 04:38 PM

Looks like we won't meet in KC. We have an appt at the Montana Service Center in Indiana May 23rd. Whenever we're done there we'll head for KC. Maybe you can make it to the rally in Reno in early October?

Montana_2821 · 02-05-2005, 12:50 PM

We won't make it to Reno Steve. I don't plan on giving up my teaching math at the Community College for 1-2 years. It does sound like fun though and we may make it some future year.

We are also very interested to hear about your Yellowstone visits, where you stay and how you enjoy that time of year.

And we certainly hope to meet up with you two one day on the road.

sreigle · 02-05-2005, 03:04 PM

We'll get it figured out one of these days. Don't forget to flash headlights twice at oncoming Montanas. One of them might be us! We'd like to hear about your long trip, too.

Montana_2821 · 02-06-2005, 01:23 PM

I'll remember to do that Steve, thanks for the reminder.

Where will you and Vicki be in March?

sreigle · 02-06-2005, 04:15 PM

We'll leave Savannah on March 10. We are talking about spending a few days at Charleston, SC, before heading north into Virginia. We will pick up our oldest two granddaughters in Springfield (DC area), VA, on probably 3/19 and keep them for a week or thereabouts. We're still looking for what park we want to take them to this year. It could be as much as 150 miles from DC although I'd prefer to be closer.

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