coldest you have camped in a foamie?

[dancam]

Poll: what the coldest you have camped in a foamie? Celsius or Fahrenheit? if you have time to also post how thick your foam walls are, what you used for a heater and how it was (comfortable/terrible) that would be awesome!

I searched the foamie section and found that tac422 camped in snow with the big pink but didn't say what temperature it was and seanc with his foam truck camper camped in 15 degrees. judging by the coats i would assume that's Fahrenheit.

Anyone been north of the arctic circle in the winter? lol.

The reason I am asking is because of an idea I have had I was looking a little into where we were going to go in Alaska, Yukon and the territories on our trip and realized I still badly want to fulfill a dream I had 10 years ago. That's what started all this for the cross Canada trip. When I bought my first car (that I'm using on the cross Canada trip) my brother and i planned to build a trailer and tour the northwest territories, Yukon and Alaska in the winter with it. We badly wanted to but it never happened. I still have that itch. There are 2 roads heading north of the arctic circle. One in Alaska going to a pipeline in Prudhoe bay and one in the Yukon going to inuvik. The road to prudehoe bay is supposed to be super rough and a real tire eater plus there is only a pipeline to see once you get there. The road to inuvik is also a tire eater but supposed to be much nicer than the Alaskan one. 3-4 spares for the car and 3 for the trailer sound sufficient for it. inuvik is a town with some history and late this year or early next year the road from there to Tuktoyaktuk is supposed to open. It looks like a cool place too. So our cross Canada trip with my foamie is in 2018, then if that goes ok in 2019 I wanna do a run with it up to Tuktoyaktuk in the middle of summer during the summer solstice when its light 24/7. If that's all cool and fun I want to spend a year and a halfish building a tow vehicle and modifying the trailer specifically for cold and snow and do the same run in the winter. so probably October 2020 or more likely may 2021. That way there is a bit of light and its only -20-30c, not -70c and dark 24/7 like in December-February.

so, thoughts? lol. What can a foamie and house paint handle? I spent too much money and time building a foamie to let this insulation go to waste
I would probably have to use a liquid fuel heater that's permanently mounted and vented for while were in it and an electric radiant heater run off an inverter while were driving to keep the stuff in there from freezing. But I haven't looked into it too much, what have you guys done?

[lthomas987]

My first trip temps got down to 35F. 2 inch walls and ceiling. Insulated door. Giant window on one side, small one on the other. Two people, one dog no additional heat. We were perfectly warm after the first 30minutes when it occurred to us to confirm the windows were only open about half an inch each.

If we're willing to count sleeping in my driveway I can test some super cold stuff this winter.

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[tac422]

It was in the 20's when we camped, ( I don't know exact) and we used a CZ707 electric heater (see below).
It's very small, about 6" square with 2 settings, 750 and 1500 watts. We only used the 750w setting.
The Big Pink is 2" foam, and is easy to heat, (we open a window about 1/2 ")
We don't have any insulation in the floor.
I had thought a radiant type heater might be better to eliminate the heater cycling on and off, but was overruled.

http://comfortzone-us.com/?q=CZ707

[GPW]

We did a “ driveway” test last Winter @ 25 F in the FoamStream , and with a simple (cheap) “milkhouse heater” 1500 Watt, we were able to raise the temp by one degree a minute , and it wasn’t long before we were taking off our jacket, sweater, and LS shirt off... 3.5” Beaded foam thickness ... Don’t know about snow , we don’t get any ...

[dancam]

Alright! Thats cold for camping! When you used the 750 watt heater were you on a serviced site or running off a battery? Was that heater quiet enough to sleep with or annoying?

My first trip temps got down to 35F. 2 inch walls and ceiling. Insulated door. Giant window on one side, small one on the other. Two people, one dog no additional heat. We were perfectly warm after the first 30minutes when it occurred to us to confirm the windows were only open about half an inch each.

If we're willing to count sleeping in my driveway I can test some super cold stuff this winter.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That heats up well! Come to think of it our body heat keeps our bedroom fairly warm in the winter too when we turn the furnace down for the night.
If you want to try it in your driveway sure! But dont do it just for me, i could experiment with ours too and theres a lot of ifs that need to be yes before this trip would happen. I hadn't thought of the whole needing fresh air from an open window, that may be what kills the idea of doing it in -25c. Also wondering what would happen to the canvass, glue, foam and paint while being driven 1000 miles down a very rough road in temperatures that cold. Does it become brittle? Glue debonds? Paint flakes off? Lol, i have no idea.
Perhaps with a liquid fuel heater you could draw outside air through it to be heated and blown into the trailer just like a regular furnace. However i do remember once trying to use a 1500watt hair dryer to warm up my car battery in -42c and it would not blow warm air. I think the air coming out was still below freezing :p

[lthomas987]

It will definitely get to at least -25C here this winter. I will give it a go below freezing for sure. Possibly with a small electric heater.


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[KennethW]

Not a foamy but -11 F and really toasty with a home made propane radiant tube heater.

[Don L.]

We just camped a night at 38f and used a 110v heated rubber floor mat and it wasn't super toasty, except if you had your feet on it, but okay inside with the windows closed. More than warm enough in a sleeping bag.
I think if it were much colder I would use another mat. I use them in my workshop that has a concrete floor.
The Bluebird is 2" foam on the walls and roof, floor is 3/4" plywood with 1-1/8" foam on top of that and then 3/4" pine 1x12s on top of that.

I am interested to hear what you and others might use if you had no outside electric hookup.

I doubt I will ever get to test it in temps like you have way up north.

[dancam]

It will definitely get to at least -25C here this winter. I will give it a go below freezing for sure. Possibly with a small electric heater.


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Alright! Let us know how it goes!

Not a foamy but -11 F and really toasty with a home made propane radiant tube heater.

Sweet! Is there a thread where you detailed building that heater? I will have to look more into what the temperatures get to when i plan to go and at what temperature propane quits working as a fuel. I know I have had propane torches quit working because they got too cold here, but i really like your heater!

We just camped a night at 38f and used a 110v heated rubber floor mat and it wasn't super toasty, except if you had your feet on it, but okay inside with the windows closed. More than warm enough in a sleeping bag.
I think if it were much colder I would use another mat. I use them in my workshop that has a concrete floor.
The Bluebird is 2" foam on the walls and roof, floor is 3/4" plywood with 1-1/8" foam on top of that and then 3/4" pine 1x12s on top of that.

I am interested to hear what you and others might use if you had no outside electric hookup.

I doubt I will ever get to test it in temps like you have way up north.

Alright, i had never heard of heated floor mats! Thats cool, i may look for a 12v version if we do this trip. Our floor is just 1/2in plywood and canvass. I might have to insulate it somehow if we do this trip.
I would imagine people would typically use a propane or liquid fuel heater if there are no electrical hookups. Most commercially built campers have furnaces, you could probably get one cheap out of a camper thats being scrapped.

[KennethW]

This is my heater build thead.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58648&hilit=propane+radiant+heater

[Socal Tom]

I'd look into the heating with the water heater thread. Basically its hooking a heat exchanger into the hot water line and using that to warm the place.
Tom

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[KennethW]

For the hot water heater system would a person use something like this.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eccotemp-1-5 ... lsrc=aw.ds
Antifreeze a very small pump and 4 runs of copper pipe on the ceiling with reflectors(for radiant heat).

[rowerwet]

Alright! Thats cold for camping! When you used the 750 watt heater were you on a serviced site or running off a battery? Was that heater quiet enough to sleep with or annoying?

My first trip temps got down to 35F. 2 inch walls and ceiling. Insulated door. Giant window on one side, small one on the other. Two people, one dog no additional heat. We were perfectly warm after the first 30minutes when it occurred to us to confirm the windows were only open about half an inch each.

If we're willing to count sleeping in my driveway I can test some super cold stuff this winter.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That heats up well! Come to think of it our body heat keeps our bedroom fairly warm in the winter too when we turn the furnace down for the night.
If you want to try it in your driveway sure! But dont do it just for me, i could experiment with ours too and theres a lot of ifs that need to be yes before this trip would happen. I hadn't thought of the whole needing fresh air from an open window, that may be what kills the idea of doing it in -25c. Also wondering what would happen to the canvass, glue, foam and paint while being driven 1000 miles down a very rough road in temperatures that cold. Does it become brittle? Glue debonds? Paint flakes off? Lol, i have no idea.
Perhaps with a liquid fuel heater you could draw outside air through it to be heated and blown into the trailer just like a regular furnace. However i do remember once trying to use a 1500watt hair dryer to warm up my car battery in -42c and it would not blow warm air. I think the air coming out was still below freezing :p

While I haven't slept in my foamie, it lives outside year round in New England, I live right on the southern border of NH.
IF you do the PMF so that the fabric on the sides wraps under the floor and up over the roof, the fabric is really what is holding the whole structure together.
Being a natural fiber that isn't much effected by temperature, I can't imagine the joints failing unless you have a structure that allows lots of flexing.
If you use the paint to fill the weave in the canvas, it will be soaked into the fibers of the fabric, I can't see any cracking or flaking happening unless the fibers get ripped apart.
THINK of it like fiberglass and epoxy, together they become a composite.

[dancam]

This is my heater build thead.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58648&hilit=propane+radiant+heater

Thanks! That was fun to read

I'd look into the heating with the water heater thread. Basically its hooking a heat exchanger into the hot water line and using that to warm the place.
Tom

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Do you have a link to that thread? This could be ideal if the tank could be kept warm.

For the hot water heater system would a person use something like this.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eccotemp-1-5 ... lsrc=aw.ds
Antifreeze a very small pump and 4 runs of copper pipe on the ceiling with reflectors(for radiant heat).

Not really, that vents right where it is, you would want one that could be vented outside so you dont die

Alright! Thats cold for camping! When you used the 750 watt heater were you on a serviced site or running off a battery? Was that heater quiet enough to sleep with or annoying?

My first trip temps got down to 35F. 2 inch walls and ceiling. Insulated door. Giant window on one side, small one on the other. Two people, one dog no additional heat. We were perfectly warm after the first 30minutes when it occurred to us to confirm the windows were only open about half an inch each.

If we're willing to count sleeping in my driveway I can test some super cold stuff this winter.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That heats up well! Come to think of it our body heat keeps our bedroom fairly warm in the winter too when we turn the furnace down for the night.
If you want to try it in your driveway sure! But dont do it just for me, i could experiment with ours too and theres a lot of ifs that need to be yes before this trip would happen. I hadn't thought of the whole needing fresh air from an open window, that may be what kills the idea of doing it in -25c. Also wondering what would happen to the canvass, glue, foam and paint while being driven 1000 miles down a very rough road in temperatures that cold. Does it become brittle? Glue debonds? Paint flakes off? Lol, i have no idea.
Perhaps with a liquid fuel heater you could draw outside air through it to be heated and blown into the trailer just like a regular furnace. However i do remember once trying to use a 1500watt hair dryer to warm up my car battery in -42c and it would not blow warm air. I think the air coming out was still below freezing :p

While I haven't slept in my foamie, it lives outside year round in New England, I live right on the southern border of NH.
IF you do the PMF so that the fabric on the sides wraps under the floor and up over the roof, the fabric is really what is holding the whole structure together.
Being a natural fiber that isn't much effected by temperature, I can't imagine the joints failing unless you have a structure that allows lots of flexing.
If you use the paint to fill the weave in the canvas, it will be soaked into the fibers of the fabric, I can't see any cracking or flaking happening unless the fibers get ripped apart.
THINK of it like fiberglass and epoxy, together they become a composite.

Im not worried about the canvass. Like you said it becomes a composite and i am not sure what happens to the paint. If the paint gets super stiff or brittle im worried the canvass would tear. Also the canvass to foam glue- if it gets brittle perhaps enough shocks could separate it from the foam? I dunno. Im not worried enough to not try it

[Socal Tom]

For the hot water heater system would a person use something like this.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eccotemp-1-5 ... lsrc=aw.ds
Antifreeze a very small pump and 4 runs of copper pipe on the ceiling with reflectors(for radiant heat).

Here is the water heater thread, one person used a heater like that.
Tom
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=62327