MotorHome or travel trailer

Car trailer with a 2X6 framed shed on it. Move it when you need to. Still warm, have a wood stove. Watch width and height for your state and you can move it at 55MPH.

RVs are not built for winter. You have to dry camp anyway. You cannot shower, use the toilet, and the propane heater will create mold due to condensation.

Trailer $2500 or less.
Shed $5000 (or less, Craigslist is your friend)

Do the math for your area.

Do some research on Tiny Houses (or tiny homes).
Lots of them are built on trailer chassis.
Just like a big house but tiny. They would certainly outlast a camper.

Tom

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Tom Lavalette, Garden Farmer
Owner Toms Tractors, Buy, Sell, Trade Garden Tractors and Implements. Custom Built machinery by order.


If Farms were Smaller, Communities would be Closer.

DS lives in a travel trailer. He loves it. Here are some things he's done to make it more comfortable.

Install a ventless propane heater. The built-in heaters are not made to use for long periods of time. They have to be repaired often, and it's expensive.

Get some of that "puff paint" to coat the roof. It prevents leaks and adds insulation.

Put straw bales around it as skirting. It makes a big difference in keeping the heat in. Cold wind blowing under the trailer will make your heaters run more, raising your heat cost substantially.

Storm windows are necessary. If no storm windows, get those plastic kits to keep the drafts out.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

WHat about an older, single wide manufactured home, maybe cheaper than the above, plus it is already made for the varying seasons, maybe a lot cheaper to buy, just a thought!

A ventless propane heater in a small enclosed space is dangerous. I'm assuming that the trailer is so drafty that it compensates the carbon monoxide and water vapor accumulation.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

I'm a big fan of the Northwood manufacturing products like the Nash and Arctic Fox, and have owned two of them over the last 12 years. They are well built and with my off-road excursions I tend to be much harder on the trailer than what it was designed for.

People will say it can't be done but if nothing will be up against it a wood stove can work in even a van. I have known people who lived in busses, travel trailers and motor homes who safely used wood heat. Even in a van.

I insulated a travel trailer with the rolls of reflextec insulation. It is the the foil faced bubble wrap material. I had a old trailer that I simply glued the insulation to it with conctruction adheasive,not real atractive but made a huge difference in heat and weatherpooring. I went right over the windows for the winter and srewed wood arond the frames to hold the insulation tight. One roll cost about $100. and covered a 18' trailer. In Wisconsin in the winter.

i just came out of living in my 16ft TT bumper pull after 9 months.. i didnt have to shower or do laundry in it, but otherwise, it was home. it was cold. the leaks were annoying. but, i'd been living for 10 years on a rental, and i'd live in my trailer again for ?? time before renting again. the pluses were it was easy to get heated up (small space) and it was mine. i had round bales of straw packed around it plus plastic over all the windows. i also slept with my large dog, who helpfully liked the spot near the wall with the big draft!! i would do it again if needed, it wasnt' that bad. and you do get acclimated to the cold somewhat. i was riding one morning and someone asked me if was nuts, riding in that weather!! i thought it was cold but not horrible--the person then told me it was -14. oh.

i would treat the roof of any you buy immediately for leaks, just in case. that was the worst part.

If the trailer is going to be stationary then why not get a single wide mobile home, They are cheap, designed for all seasons, usually easy to find. Find a local tow truck company to haul it for you on the cheap. A little skirting and your done.

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Gary in Central Ohio

A friend of mine lives in a travel trailer. She loves it. She even bought a second one and sat them facing each other. Built a patio between them so enlarge her summer living space. The second trailer is her guest house/storage space.

She has one of those free standing electric heaters that's filled with oil and provides radiant heat. She said one lasts about 3 years and keeps the trailer snug. Of course we are in southern OK where it's rare for the temp to drop below freezing. We have had it fall as low as 4 degrees for a very short time.

Putting "skirting" around a travel trailer makes a world of difference in the cost of heating/cooling it. If I was going to have one parked for the winter, it's worth it to put straw or something around the base to insulate. If nothing else, at least hang a tarp around the opening as a wind break.

There are a few brands to avoid. My parents were "snow birds" for about 30 years and they often talked to people who told horror stories about various brands of RV's. Always research a brand before investing in one.

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