Winter is tough --- salt is the true enemy of aluminum. We had a couple scars from an unexpected road salting on ours. If I get mine early enough, I'll SURELY be putting on a thick coat of wax. I want to explore ceramics as well. Ceramics is oversold --- but it does have its uses, and based on what I've seen in the auto-detailing world I'd consider it.
We have camped down to about 28-30 degrees is fine with your furry variety of heaters
It was still quite good as long as you have electricity to run a heated blanks. We found a 1200 watt ceramic heater + heated mattress pad would do very well even with a side tent and the door open. It wasn't toasty --- but in was comfortable enough. The biggest problem we had was the worry about knocking it over and igniting something. Not terribly likely --- I feel slightly safer with the furnace. Perhaps even bring that temp down to low 20's.
Cold hasn't been a problem --- its condensation. We had the sunroof option that CI used to offer -- it would quite literally drip when it got that cold outside. The '21 we're waiting for woin't have that, I'm hoping it will be more adaptable to cold.
I fully expect that most of our camping in the future will be done in the cooler months. Frankly, it's far more enjoyable....50 degrees and a camp fire is the best therapy there is. 90 and AC beats the office...but there have been times where I wish we weren't there.
We can get out usually in Mid-march --- by then there's usually been a rain to wash the streets and April is a safe bet. In autum, November and December are perfectly fine....we don' tsee snow typically until January.
THis leaves March, April, May, November and December pretty much wide open.....June and October are 50/50
I hate the loudmouth campers who insist on playing loud music and using their "outside voices" at 11pm. Let them have the June/July/August months.
On the hardware note, there is definitely no room for the leveler -- those go more like 12-13inches. Even though this area is smallish, its better than nothing - which is what I had in my head.
Honestly, I'm not sure these are needed --- in our 2012 we always leveled fine with the tongue jack and the scissor stabilizers in back. They aren't supposed to be used for "leveling" just stabilizing --- but the CI weights so little, as long as 1 wheel is firmly planted on the ground to keep from side loading, I doubt lifting the other is likely not going to cause issues.
I have to keep reminding myself --- simple is best. Maybe adding the Anderson is really not needed after all.
We bought into the lie that bigger was better, add more options when I watched a class A roll in, and push a button to stabilize, another to extend his slide, and another to extend his awning. Then he pulled shore power off an extension reel to the power pole. After that, he sat inside for the whole time we were there.
I thought that is what I wanted, except we would of course still go outside.
The reality was we didn't, and I was always worried about dependability of the hydraulics, the slides going off their track, electronics failing, awnings being blown away in the wind. During the years I owned a 'big rig' I DID have problems with all of those systems....and beleive me, they aren't easy to fix. Even if you know they they all work.
"enough is as good as a feast" --- and campers like CI are small, simple, and easy. The ONLY thing they lack is shower and head. The head I'll take care of with a Portapotty and a tent. The shower with some wet wipes.
Frankly, these are VERY capable little campers that even if you care for them meticulously, they are still 1/10'th the work of a poorly maintained full size trailer or worse, a class A/C.
I almost feel bad for the 30 somethings who buy towables or Class A/C. B's maybe not so much they don't typically have the slides and awnings. Seriously, anything with a slide, awning and/or rubber roofs are nightmares to own.
My neighbor has one sitting in his drive that is 7 years old....and its falling apart.
The irony is, I bought RV antifreeze to winterize my Class A just before we sold it. In my garage I have at least a decade to 12 years worth of campinn winterizations paid for already
1/2 gallon versus 10.
