Heating During Cold Nights

[irlracer]

I have a 2007 Starcraft 2404, I will be using a 5000 BTU electric heater to supplement the furnace, Nights will get down to 35 deg (forecasted). Do you think this will be sufficient heat. I have a two year old to keep warm.

Thanks

[popupcop]

I'll bet you will be fine with this setup.  Make sure you have plenty of propane as the heater can go through a tank in just a few hours.  A pair of "fleece footie pajamas would be good for the 2-year old if kicking the covers off is an issue.

I recall reading here in the past about folks camping in temperatures down to the mid-twenties and being comfortable with your general setup.  Some report that the propane regulator can freeze off somewhere below that temperature.
 
I personally have camped--and remained comfortable--with temperatures in the mid-40s using only a small ceramic heater and fleece blankets.
 
I have also seen folks report here that the center of the pu normally stays warmer than the bunk ends. Others report that reflective blankets (reflective side inward) under the bunk ends and over the bunk ends makes a big difference.  Still others use electric blankets for warmth.
 
Have a great time camping!!!

[dthurk]

We have been able to keep the interior of our PUP at 70 degrees with outside temps in the upper 30's.  This was with one electric ceramic heater only.  We had no furnace in the camper.  We did use fans in the bunk ends (otherwise heat won't get out there) and slept in sleeping bags.   We were very comfortable.  I would think you wouldn't have to run your furnace at all, if you're camping with electrical hookups.  Can you have the 2 year old sleep in the cabin of the camper?  It would be warmer there than in one of the bunks, unless they could stay "under wraps" in the blankets.  2 year olds have a way of rearranging sheets and blankets, not usually in the manner most conducive to staying warm.

[popup4ofus]

We have camp in the high teens at night and have not had any problems.
It stay pretty warm inside.  Just make sure you have plenty a fuel.  We were
there for 4nights and about 4:30 the last night we ran out.  It did get cold until
the sun came out.

[PattieAM]

I highly recommend the heated mattress pads (Sunbeam/Walmart) as they keep you warm without weighing you down.  Our furnace works great in the camper, and while we are not in love with the noise, before bed, we turn on the fan only portion of the AC to get the heat to the bunk ends and it works well.  We've used ceramic heaters too and prefer them to the noise of the furnace when sleeping.

[wavery]

I have a 2007 Starcraft 2404, I will be using a 5000 BTU electric heater to supplement the furnace, Nights will get down to 35 deg (forecasted). Do you think this will be sufficient heat. I have a two year old to keep warm.

Thanks

First:

WELCOME TO PUT!!

That should be a great combo. You may well find that your propane heater will not even come on if the electric heater keeps the temp up enough. If it doesn't, the furnace will be a good safety net to keep your 2-year-old nice & toasty.

[mrflinders]

Hi Wayne -

I saw your posting and I wanted to say Hi and see how you and Harvey are getting along these days.  I was looking over your photos and it looks like you are getting lots of good use out of the trailer.

You can see our camping adventures in the new trailer at www.flindersfamily.com.

Happy camping!

 

- Randy

First:
 

WELCOME TO PUT!!

That should be a great combo. You may well find that your propane heater will not even come on if the electric heater keeps the temp up enough. If it doesn't, the furnace will be a good safety net to keep your 2-year-old nice & toasty.

[kwatson51]

I have a 2007 Starcraft 2404, I will be using a 5000 BTU electric heater to supplement the furnace, Nights will get down to 35 deg (forecasted). Do you think this will be sufficient heat. I have a two year old to keep warm.

Thanks

I agree with the other posts. We were in the 20's last weekend -- right at 30 in the day.
http://picasaweb.google.com/keithbone/CampoutMuellerStatePark

The heater only kicked on at night infrequently. We don't have fans, so the bunks did get chilly. But lots of covers and wearing a sweatsuit to bed...we were toasty warm.

[CampDirt]

OK, I gotta ask Kwatson51 - how long did it take to thaw and dry it out after that little storm?!?  It rained a lot here in Denver last weekend and it took me half a day with a couple old towels to dry off the canvas before putting it to bed for the winter.  I was winterizing for the first time when the deluge of rain hit!  Still too new to PU camping to even try it in the snowy winter....(maybe next year).

[wavery]

Hi Wayne -

I saw your posting and I wanted to say Hi and see how you and Harvey are getting along these days.  I was looking over your photos and it looks like you are getting lots of good use out of the trailer.

You can see our camping adventures in the new trailer at www.flindersfamily.com.

Happy camping!

 

- Randy

Randy,

Great to hear from you. We kept Harvey pretty busy the first 6 months that we had him. Then we bought another house (rental). We have been working on that (pretty well) non-stop since June so we lost this summers camping season. That's OK though, we,re gonna pick it up again in a few weeks.

The new house has been totally renovated and rented. Now it's back to some serious camping. Oh ya, Harvey has a new companion........a kayak (no name yet). We're going to Leo Carrillo in the end of October. It'll be good to relax again.

Enjoyed your pics. Looks like you've been keeping going.....That's great.

[tlhdoc]

Here is what we do to keep warm in colder weather.  If we have electric hookups I run the heating element in the air conditioner.  It blows the warm air into the bunkends.  We also have run a cube heater plugged into the camper at the same time.  The AC is plugged into the 20 amp outlet and the cube is plugged into the 15 amp outlet, so they don't trip either circuit breaker.  When we camp in February we used a second cube heater that we plug in to a heavy duty extension cord, that is plugged into the power poll.  If you are not using a bunkend keep the curtains closed.  I hang an emergency blanket over the one bunkend if we will not be using it except for storage.  I put foam air conditioner insulation strips (1" x 1" x 36 inches) in between the bunkend tenting and the metal frame on the bed platforms.  This stops a lot of cold air from leaking into the camper.  I use my Pop Up Gizmo's solar bunk end covers over the bunkend "roof".  Wear winter socks to be if you get cold feet and wear a hat to bed.  It will keep a lot of body heat in.

[kwatson51]

OK, I gotta ask Kwatson51 - how long did it take to thaw and dry it out after that little storm?!?  It rained a lot here in Denver last weekend and it took me half a day with a couple old towels to dry off the canvas before putting it to bed for the winter.  I was winterizing for the first time when the deluge of rain hit!  Still too new to PU camping to even try it in the snowy winter....(maybe next year).

  Actually, it didn't really get all that wet, other than the condensation on the inside. We wiped it down with a towel, and by the time we were ready to pop-down, it was dry. The actual canvas on the outside didn't get wet (a spot or 2 maybe). Most of the snow was on the plastic-covered part of the canvas (bunk-ends, dinette, awning and roof). I just brushed all the snow and icicles off. All-in-all, we fared well.

We do have the blessing of being able to set up in our garage and un-pack the fridge and bedding. Started our winterinzing when we got home. Thinking of selling the pup...got a bug to "upgrade"...we'll see.

Hope you are able to get out a lot next year. Must start planning and reserving in February! Maybe out paths will cross. Ran into some folks from Aurora this year at Golden Gate State Park.

[zamboni]

it took me half a day with a couple old towels to dry off the canvas before putting it to bed for the winter.

One way to thoroughly dry out a PUP, is (when it is not raining), turn on the heat inside.  High.  Furnace and electric... bake the inside.  This will ensure the canvas dries from the inside out.

The other way to not worry too much about moisture... is to keep camping all winter