Full-time vandwellers in colder winter climates

[capt_caveman]

Hi there I went through some really cold nights in Gallop New Mexico the desert gets cold in the winter .
 one night it drooped to -7 deg.  I was in a camper shell on my truck what saved me was A good sleeping bag a cloth ski mask
 ( your checks will freeze) and a old fashioned Hot water bottle Rap it in a towel or it will (burn your skin!!) 

Watch the weather forecast If some thing big is coming rent a room at a motel for a night or two have a bottle of wine take a shower and ride it out   

If I can make it in this ice box you will be fine.

 

[wanderin.pat]

Highdesertranger is absolutely correct. .. I have 3 very good backpacking sleeping bags.   They keep me very warm.   I do NOT ever sleep with a propane stove on.  Others do,  not me.

Note:  if I had a propex like John61ct mentioned,  I would use that.

 

[Moxadox]

Keeping in the warm air is important to me so I put 3 inches of polyiso in the walls, 4 inches of polyiso in the ceiling, and 2 inches of XPS in the floor. I can walk around in bare feet at -25F. It takes almost 4500 BTUs to keep it warm at that temp. When I get down to about 0 degrees, I need to turn on my auxilary heater. My cargo trailer is 6X12 with extended height. Bigger spaces take MUCH more energy to heat. I also kept thermal bridging to a minimum. I live in windy, cold, Central Montana.

Are you an HVAC engineer?

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Canine]

Are you an HVAC engineer?  

The Dire Wolfess

Nope. Just a regular dude. Very handsome, but otherwise regular.

 

[seak]

In the early 80's I spent a winter living in a slide-in pickup camper in western Wyoming. I used a catalytic heater mounted on a cabinet for heat. I was working 10-hour days, six days per week, so I mostly just slept in the camper. I had to refill the 20# propane tank every three days, only running the heater at night. I ran the heater while sleeping with the roof vent open. These days you can buy vented catalytic heaters. Much safer.

There was enough solar gain during the day to keep my water tank from freezing. The only time my water froze was the time I let my propane run out at night. HDR is correct. You need enough warm bedding to keep from freezing should your heater fail.

 

[Moxadox]

Nope. Just a regular dude. Very handsome, but otherwise regular.

LOL. Funny too.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[crofter]

Last night was 38 degrees or so and my toes got tingly. I need some warm booties for the feets to do cold camping. Usually my down bag is enough, especially for the feet as it has a big insulated toe box and I wear warm socks to bed.

My minitrip was completely cold camping, no cooking or heating. After the toes went tingly I did use the van heater, so I'll have to try cold camping again with different gear, or possibly more insulation on the van and using the space blanket and the heat reflective coverings on the windows.

I wore mid weight "cuddl duds" from Walmart but no insulated vest or hat, and the socks were not wool. What do you think about darning extra wool into the commercially available socks?  Good socks are way expensive.    ~crofter

 

[AMGS3]

I don't know about darning extra wool on to regular socks but I have seen someone successfully make a pair of wool socks using a cheap wool sweater they picked up at a second hand store (she said it cost $1 since the body had two moth holes in it). She cut the arms off and used a double thickness of material for the foot top and bottom, then sewed it to the tube to make a knee high socks. If I'm remembering correctly, she had to sew a strip to make the arm thicker to make it big enough to go around a calf. It worked well, though, and for $1 + a ball of yarn to hand sew it, the cost was nice, too.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

"If your feet are cold, put on a hat"

 

[max+sophia]

What do you think about darning extra wool into the commercially available socks?  Good socks are way expensive.

 Better yet, find a sock knitter like me, and have them custom fit to you.  You realize that wool items need to be washed in cool water, yes?

 

[skyl4rk]

Insulated boot liners are good to wear as "house slippers" in a van.

 

[Almost There]

^^^^ thank you for the suggestion!

I'm needing warm slippers here for the next couple of weeks until I can escape northern BC and its early 'fall'...  

The van was never intended to be used in below 40F temps so I didn't insulate the floor. I can keep the inside and me warm with the heater but mine feet are cold! I'm the thrifty type and don't want to spend mega bucks for something I'll only use a few times.

Boot liners it is!!!!

 

[max+sophia]

The van was never intended to be used in below 40F temps so I didn't insulate the floor.

Is it possible to fiind an inexpensive foam type rug or mat to lay on the floor, to make your feet more comfortable?

 

[Almost There]

I've been putting my feet up on a pillow to get them off the floor but that only works when I'm sitting still - a pair of boot liners will do more for me than anything else will.

Mats in the kitchen area won't work because I have to be able to pull the freezer slide tray out - it's on rollers!

AND the boot liners will store much easier than any mats I could buy!

 

[max+sophia]

AND the boot liners will store much easier than any mats I could buy!

 
Hey, What about battery socks?  My father used to wear them hunting.

 

[Moxadox]

Fill a quart bottle with hot water. Put a sock over the bottle. Put this in the foot of your sleeping bag and you will stay toasty! (Just make sure the bottle is closed really well and doesn't leak. Speaking from experience :-/ )

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Dingfelder]

Ibid.

 

[lenny flank]

If you wear two pairs of socks over each other, they will trap a layer of air in between that acts as insulation.

Same principle as wearing multiple layers of flannel shirts in winter.

An old backpackers trick is to wear a couple of plastic bags in between the layers--that traps all the heat and warms you up quick. Alas, it also traps all the moisture, so it is a short-term emergency trick only. Do it for very long and you'll get pruned feet.

 

[skyl4rk]

One of the cold weather problems is that chilled air cascades from the windows or any uninsulated area to the floor, causing a pool of cold air to form up to about knee level. You can have warm air at your torso and cold air at your feet. Even if you insulate the floor you still get this effect.

Strategies: wear warm footgear, mix the two layers of air with a fan, keep your feet up on a bench or in a hammock.

If you have a heater, put it as low as possible.

 

[John61CT]

Merino, silk liners.

Latter wash daily, former hardly ever.

Thick wool over those if needed, super toasty but only very rarely needed