Hierarchy of hard sided campers that handle the snow/winter?

[B^2]

I'm wondering what the hierarchy is for hard sided camper manufacturers that can handle the snow/cold temps? I'm looking to get a full ton truck in the next couple years and a slide in camper for occasional ski weekend trips to tahoe. I know Lance is fairly popular but I'm curious where they fall in the hierarchy of camper manufacturers in terms of build quality. Who else out there makes quality hard sided campers? I imagine a single slide out adds a fair bit of weight, are there also issues with heat with a slide out? We've got two young kids so a slide out would be helpful for the space but wondering if it's a bad idea if the intended use is the winter.

 

[simple]

A lot of campers will work.

Some of what your asking is relative and comfort level varies considerably between people. Winter camping is generally dry camping (empty water tanks).

Interior climate can range between sleeping in down bags, wearing hats and jackets inside to fully insulated and toasty.

I'm not sure if there are any "4 season" slide out models. Bigfoot, Northern lite and Scout are border line 4 season and really depends how cold it is. I'd say fine for Tahoe but you'd probably still be dry camping. True 4 season would be a custom build starting with something like a Total Composites box.

If a big heavy slide out doesn't make sense but you want extra space, what about bringing an exterior kid rumpus room made out of an ice fishing tent and a diesel heater?

 

[rruff]

Look at Bigfoot and Northern Lite. No slide. They advertise as 4 season, and have a durable shell and fewer places to leak.

 

[dirtsailor]

May want to check out Arctic Fox.

 

[Victorian]

We have many TotalComposites camper owners that sold their mass produced “4 season” campers. Condensation that turns into mould, cold walls/floors, unusable water lines in cold temps are reasons for them to switch.
Key features to ask when selecting a cold weather camper:
- Thermal transfer free construction
- High R value insulation (do your research on insulation material)
- Double pane windows/ insulated doors
- Proper ventilation between seat cushion and bed mattress! You do not want to trap cold air that will then condensate in hidden spots
- Diesel heater . Skip the thermostat function and rather have it run 24/7 on high than low temp and on/off. This will kill your diesel heater in no time.
- All waterlines/tanks inside the heated space
- Forget pop up campers in cold temps. The condensation will drive you crazy
- Ask for proof of “thermal efficiency“ . Thermal images or talking to owners/users will Confirm the claims.

At the end it comes down to your budged, your travel needs, available truck and overall Personal preferences.

Good luck!

 

[IdaSHO]

I say you must sort out your use-case, and balance it with desired comfort and budget.

Sure, you could go with a TotalComposites setup, which is most excellent, or even a custom job like our setup, but do you actually need it?
With occasional trips to Tahoe, depending upon stay duration, you would likely be just fine in essentially any off-the-shelf "4-season" camper or even less.

We "survived" 5 year of 4-season travel, extended weekend and week long trips to local ski resorts, etc...
in nothing more than an old janky camper I retrofitted to our old powerstroke.
In all actuality, it did remarkably well, and kept us comfortable (enough) all the way down to 20-something below zero F on multiple occasions.

Though its actual purpose was to act as a test mule in preparation for building our custom camper.
And it performed as intended, showing us what we needed, what we could live without, design challenges, etc.

Admittedly, its certainly not for everyone. but it was 100% functional.

What is showed us is outlined in the post above.
Though in our experience traveling the PNW, mostly North Idaho differs a bit....

Key features to ask when selecting a cold weather camper:
- Thermal transfer free construction
- High R value insulation (do your research on insulation material)
- Double pane windows/ insulated doors
- Proper ventilation between seat cushion and bed mattress! You do not want to trap cold air that will then condensate in hidden spots
- Diesel heater . Skip the thermostat function and rather have it run 24/7 on high than low temp and on/off. This will kill your diesel heater in no time.
- All waterlines/tanks inside the heated space
- Forget pop up campers in cold temps. The condensation will drive you crazy
- Ask for proof of “thermal efficiency“ . Thermal images or talking to owners/users will Confirm the claims.

I know TC is in the business to sell products, however...

*Thermal transfer FREE..... Id say transfer FREE while great, is not THAT beneficial.
Reducing thermal transfer, namely by elevating the overall thermal envelope is what I would suggest.
Your thermal envelope is a combination of things, not just walls. As in, making your walls thicker can make up for less than ideal windows.
Better windows can make up for less than ideal walls, etc....

*proper ventilation between cushions and mattress.... Honestly, I've never seen any evidence in our camper to justify such efforts.

Besides that, I agree 1000%

Here is our custom camper....
In 10+ years and likely 75k+ miles now, it has already outlived one truck and is currently living its life on a 2012 Superduty.

Remember that thermal transfer I mentioned.... Most of the time the claim is that thermal transfer results in condensation on the interior.
This photo is a great example, showing heat "escaping" the camper thru the framing. Yet there is ZERO condensation on the interior.

 

[B^2]

This is all super helpful info. I don't foresee us going to places where the weather is in the single digits because with young kids it would just be harder to manage in a way that was fun for us. Also, I'm trying to be realistic about how often would we use a slide in camper as a family of four with a 50lb dog. I like the idea of a camper like an OEV chassis or flatbad camper but financially it's not in the cars and won't be for the foreseeable future. The hope would be to find a truck and then potentially a used slide in that is still functional for our use but maybe a bit cheaper than new.

I think ideally it would be nice if the kids didn't have to wear down jackets inside the camper and we had water to flush a toilet but they can deal with not showering for a weekend.

 

[IdaSHO]

It can be hard to believe, but a tiny 6,000BTU propane furnace was enough to keep things comfortable (enough) even in that janky old uninsulated camper.
The same BTU furnace in our custom camper can straight up cook us in temps down below zero.
I keep the thermostat set to 65 or so. With two adults, and two dogfood powered heaters it cycles just a few time overnight, even in stupid cold temps.

Really, the average truck camper is a small volume of space. So it really doesn't take much to heat things.
You will have more trouble finding comfortable spaces for everyone inside during the cold than keeping things warm.
Two adults, two kids, and a doggo will be a juggle. My wife and I travel with two (very) well trained dogs, one 40#, the other a ridiculous 85# 3-year old Plott hound
Having traveled with dogs for near 20 years, at this point we pretty well have things sorted, but it can still be a challenge.
We send both doggos into the cabover bed section when both of us are up doing dishes and/or changing.
Though ours is a flatbed camper with a side entrance, so interior floor space is considerably more open than a traditional rear door "bowling alley" truck camper.

Still, traveling with dogs is incredibly rewarding, in so many ways.
Its one of the reasons we really dug into RV travel at all. They go where we go.
Even if its in the winter, deep into some North Idaho wilderness...

 

[unreng]

Check into Cascadia Composites by Overland Adventure Truck - http://www.overlandadventuretruck.com/

 

[Victorian]

Check into Cascadia Composites by Overland Adventure Truck - http://www.overlandadventuretruck.com/

Pretty low to copy our design elements all while still “representing” our brand till last week! Makes me sick to think that we considered them friends…..

 

[IdaSHO]

Pretty low to copy our design elements all while still “representing” our brand till last week! Makes me sick to think that we considered them friends…..

Sincerest form of flattery, right?

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

For the kind of use you described, I would go with something off the shelf, like a Northern Lite or a Bigfoot. On a 1 ton, with DRWs. The duals for carrying the load and minimizing sway, but be aware SRW truck will have better traction in snow.

 

[ripperj]

I did some winter hiking with my Northstar Adventurer. I recall one night it was 4F and the camper was nice and warm with almost no condensation. The furnace was not even running continuously.
We used washer fluid in the cassette toilet and had dry tanks. The only mod was the addition of a Froli sleep system that allows air to circulate under the mattress


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[calameda]

Sincerest form of flattery, right?

sincerest form of dishonest ****-ckery, if you ask me. I’d be furious.

 

[IdaSHO]

sincerest form of dishonest ****-ckery, if you ask me. I’d be furious.

Oh for sure.

But regardless of industry, if you are looking to maintain and keep up with the latest and greatest market trends, despicable behavior is to be expected from any so-called "friends" Expect controversy. Be surprised and elated if everything is smooth sailing