winter fulltiming in Illinois - Montana Owners Club

madeforeachother · 05-02-2007, 07:40 AM

My wife and I have been fulltiming for almost six years now and have been in cold weather as low as 15 degrees with our rigs with no freeze ups. Our new '07 3400RL also has handled the cold weather very well, but we are going to stay in northern Illinois for a year starting this August and with the temps going down to 0 degees or less was wondering if anyone else has done this type of camping and if so could help with any suggestions. Would it be better to winterize the RV, store it and rent a furnished home?

campbud · 05-02-2007, 08:19 AM

I think I would winterize the RV, store it and rent. It seems to get bitter cold Dec thru Feb at least. You should be ok till the first of Dec...if it is a decent Fall.

Cat320 · 05-02-2007, 09:13 AM

These rigs are very nice, but not intended for long term winter "camping." Staying for several months of a northern Illinois winter is not my idea of fun, and not something I'd be willing to do.

Connorsmom · 05-02-2007, 11:20 AM

SKOOBDO could sure give you some insight into winter camping!!! Hopefully she'll come along soon and give you some first hand advice.

Jan

bob n pam · 05-02-2007, 04:36 PM

madeforeachother - we spent 2 years camping in our daughter's back yard about an hour from Chicago in our 2001 2955RL. True, the winters were cold but manageable. Bob wrapped and heat taped all water lines, we covered the outside of the windows with shrink wrap and put 2" insulation block on top of the slides. Used lots of propane during the winter.

traveljunkie · 05-03-2007, 08:20 AM

madeforeachother - where are you going to be staying? My husband and I live in northern Illinois, near the Wisconsin/Illinois border. We'd love to meet up with you while you are here and chat about your fulltiming experiences. We are hoping to go fulltime within 2 years.

It can get cold here, mostly in January and February although the last several years have brought fairly mild winters. We've stayed in our '06 344RET Mountaineer in Pennsylvania for a week in below zero temps and it held up very well.

madeforeachother · 05-03-2007, 11:58 AM

Traveljunkie- We will be probably be staying in Marengo cause it's closer to Rockford where our daughter lives.We flew her and our granddaughter out to Phenoix,Az a month ago and showed them the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Petrified Forest, and the Painted Desert. They loved it so much they didn't want to leave us. After less than a week we both missed the kids so we talked and came to the conclusion that we would travel towards Illinois and get there around August.This is our third trip around the country and the only state we haven't seen is Hawaii and North Dakota.We don't fly or cruise the waters so Hawaii will never be visited by us, but N.Dakota is in our sights on our way to Illinois.We would like to meet up with you guys in the fall. We're going to see how things are when we get to Illinois and we have a couple of months to decide if we are going to stay in the trailer or get a home. I also want to thank all the other members for their input on winter camping.

SKOOBDO · 05-03-2007, 12:46 PM

madeforeachother, you might want to check out a long thread that started last fall/winter by me about Living in your Montana in the Winter (something like that). It was one of the coldest winters in Ohio for weeks on end and me and my Monty survived! I did a few things to help out the situation. The temps were -5 (real temparture) with wind chills -25 for many days and at zero for many days/weeks rising to 9-15 max at most times. The only thing that froze up was the "galley" valve. The interior definetly stayed warm and I would suggest if you do nothing else, get plastic on the outside of your windows if you don't have dual pane or at least tape up those slits in your window panes. it will hold the heat in for sure. If you have any specific questions please PM me. Allison Good Luck!

traveljunkie · 05-07-2007, 10:11 AM

madeforeachother - definately let us know when you get in to town in August (you can PM us on this site), we'd love to get together. Marengo is not too far from us - about 45 min. We'd love to hear about all of your travels. We just bought our 5th wheel last December and are looking forward to some extended trips this summer. Enjoy North Dakota! See you in the fall!

JimF · 05-19-2007, 01:45 PM

The way you winter over in Illinois is to suck it up and take that flight to Hawaii.. I lived in North Dakota for several years and learned the true meaning of Canada Blows because North Dakota Sucks so skip that area and it's no big loss...

sreigle · 05-19-2007, 02:37 PM

Gee, ND is one of the states we've not yet been in and we plan to spend some time there one of these days. Among other things, I want to see Theordore Roosevelt National Park. I've read that's really worth a visit. And then we want to wander around the state a bit, as we learn about things to see. One thing we've found in our travels is every state has lots to offer. You just have to search more in some states than others. Just my opinion, but we look forward to visiting North Dakota.

txkrumm · 05-19-2007, 02:46 PM

Steve and Vicki,
I think you will love North Dakota! And the people there are some of the nicest in the country. Also think about taking in the "Red River Valley" in the spring and early summer when everything is green and so lush. Teddy Roosevelt is a neat park (small, not Yellowstone size) and there is also Medora that is great for entertainment. I lived in Bismarck for a while and just loved it. Great Montana dealer there, Capital RV, if you run into any bad luck. The Missouri River through Mandan and Bismarck has lots of historical Lewis and Clark spots. There is a great river ride on the Missouri in Bismarck that does fun "dinner cruises" where you can catch a great sunset. I would go back to ND in a heartbeat!
tara

sreigle · 05-20-2007, 02:44 PM

Tara, thanks. I saved your post for reference.

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