How cold inside?

[Socal Tom]

Last week I set new records for coldest camping temps. It got down to 17F outside the TD. I only monitored the side temp one night and at 28 outside it was 42 inside. So while it was freezer temp outside it was refrigerator cold inside. I have a generic Benroy with the plywood walls, but I have an R10 roof, and. 4 inch foam mattress. What's normal? What are there experiences. I'm trying to decide if I should just seal the cracks, or if I need to buy a heater?
Thanks
Tom

[Woodbutcher]

Buy a heater, the cracks are keeping you alive. A tightly sealed trailer can kill you.

[Socal Tom]

Thanks for the recommendation, but I would still like to know what others have observed.
Thanks
Tom

[robfisher]

Leave your thermometer home and enjoy the experience of not really knowing. That way you can tell whatever war stories you want to tell without really lying.

[Vedette]

Good Advice!
Brian

[GuitarPhotog]

I have an indoor-outdoor thermometer in my trailers. One night camping at Paulina Lake in central Oregon the outdoor temp got down to 28F while the indoor temp in the teardrop remained about 40F (due to body heat). In the standy in Canada last June the outdoor temp was down to 36F and indoor temp was barely 40F. The teardrop is much better insulated than the standy.

<Chas>

[tony.latham]

I've got an indoor/outdoor thermometer in our 5x10' teardrop. When it's chilly outside it stays about 10-15ºF above the outside temps. That's with the door windows cracked an inch and the vent lid up a bit.

I'm one of those 12V-only boondockers so a real heater is out of the question. We picked up a 12V electric blanket that pulls about 4 amps and has a 30/45 minute timer on it. A half hour before bedtime, I turn it on to preheat the bed under our down comforter. The blankets are under $30.



Toasty –and no condensation.

T

[48Rob]

Tom,

42 degrees inside...what kind of heater do you have?

Rob

[Socal Tom]

Tom,

42 degrees inside...what kind of heater do you have?

Rob

That night is was just me. On the colder nights I was warming the interior with a small Coleman heater before I went to bed. I guess my experience isn't much different from others. I have a 1/4 to 3/8 gap between the cabinets and the ceiling I thought might be letting the heat out.
One thing I did do on this trip was pickup some $8 throw blankets at Walmart. I hung them on the sides and they seemed to help keep down the chill that came off the walls.
Tom

[48Rob]

I see, I was just curious about what type of heater wouldn't get the interior of a reasonably insulated box any warmer than that.

Sealing up cracks will help, but as Steve wisely pointed out, one can go too far, and die for it.

No matter if you have 1/2" or 10" of insulation, if there isn't an adequate heat source, it will never be "warm".
If your goal is to use only body heat, reducing the volume may need to be considered.

Rob

[canned o minimum]

I insulated my 46 aluminum teardrop with 3/4 in polystyrene and have about 5 sheets on the floor to bring my mattress up to the door.Sumwhere I have an indoor/outdoor thermometer, but don't wanna install it. I always keep the roof vent cracked fer ventilation and my doors are not sealed. I use a couple a candles before bed time to take the chill off, but extinguish them when I pull the covers on top of me.

[backstrap bandit]

Just heat some rocks in the fire an toss them in bed best companion lol!!!!

[KennethW]

[/quote]One thing I did do on this trip was pickup some $8 throw blankets at Walmart. I hung them on the sides and they seemed to help keep down the chill that came off the walls.
Tom[/quote]
That is why old stone castles had tapestries(rugs) hanging on the walls.
Blankets on the walls is a good easy way to semi-insulate a uninsulated trailer. One could get a little more creative with a form-fiting quilt and some velcro or snaps.
And it could be removable when not needed.
Kenneth W

[PKCSPT]

I've camped to around zero. Mine has carpeted walls and a 100lb fur heater. But I tend to winter camp in state parks with electricity so I bring my little heater too.

[Socal Tom]

One thing I did do on this trip was pickup some $8 throw blankets at Walmart. I hung them on the sides and they seemed to help keep down the chill that came off the walls.
Tom[/quote]
That is why old stone castles had tapestries(rugs) hanging on the walls.
Blankets on the walls is a good easy way to semi-insulate a uninsulated trailer. One could get a little more creative with a form-fiting quilt and some velcro or snaps.
And it could be removable when not needed.
Kenneth W[/quote] That's what I intend to do, once I figure out the best option for me.
Tom