5 Essential RV Winter Camping Accessories

RV Life

Family winter camping with RV camping accessories

Stay Safe, Warm, and Cozy With These RV Winter Camping Accessories

As the coldest part of the year closes in, a lot of RVers are closing up the RV for the season and putting it into storage for the winter. However, winter doesn’t necessarily have to mean the end of the RV camping for the year. As a matter of fact, winter camping can be a lot of fun. An RV becomes a cozy warm up cabin for families involved in winter sports like skiing, pond skating, or ice fishing. However, winter camping also offers the opportunity to appreciate the wonderfully serene natural beauty that can be found in a snow-covered campground. Either way, having the right RV winter camping accessories can help you stay safe, warm, and cozy when you winter camp.

Couple winter Camping with RV snow tires

1. Get A Grip With Good Snow Tires and Tire Chains

The thought of sliding off the road into a ditch or worse is bad enough when you’re in a car. It goes without saying that slipping and sliding is even worse when you’re driving an RV or towing one. The right tires can make the difference between having good control or helplessly sliding into a tree. All season tires usually won’t cut it for winter RV camping. They’re just not designed for the demands of driving on snow or ice. Experienced winter campers know the importance of having snow tires instead of all season tires.

Winter camping demands having a set of good snow tires on both your tow vehicle and RV. Good snow tires can literally be a lifesaver if you’re headed out on slippery roads. There are many good brands of snow tires on the market. But if the roads get really snowy or icy, you’ll also want to have a set of tire chains ready.

Having tire chains that fit your motorhome or tow vehicle will also help you stay on the road when things are particularly icy or there’s an unexpected dump of snow. Remember to put tIre chains on your rig before you need them though. Because it’s very difficult to put chains on tires when you’re stuck.

2. Cozy Up To A Portable Fire Pit

There’s nothing like cozying up to a warm campfire under a starry sky, especially in the winter. Just add your favorite hot beverage, and you’re set. Portable fire pits make it possible to set up a smokeless campfire wherever you happen to be camping. Both wood burning portable fire pits and propane fire pits will take the chill off winter air while providing cozy ambience.

Two people warming by a portable fire pit.

Wood Burning Portable Fire Pits

Wood Burning fire pits give you the crackling, flame movement, and warmth of a traditional campfire, without the smoke. Their ability to burn both traditional firewood, and compressed sawdust logs makes them a versatile fire pit option. They’re designed to burn so cleanly, the produce no smoke and very little ash. A wood burning fire pit can be a great choice for cold weather camping. Wood is often easy to find, and as a dry fuel, it lights and burns readily no matter what the outdoor temperature is.

Propane Fire Pits

Portable propane fire pits give you the ambience and warmth of a wood fire, without any of the work or mess that’s sometimes associated with firewood. Propane fire pits are plug-and-play, meaning there’s no mess nor prep work involved. Simply connect it to a propane cylinder, press the ignition switch, and get cozy in your heated camp chair with a hot bevvy. The biggest downside to propane fire pits is that they won’t work when it gets too cold out. That’s because we burn propane as a gas, and when propane gets down to minus-44º it reverts to its liquid form and won’t ignite.

3. Bask in the Warmth of a Heated Camping Chair

It’s pretty safe to say that no one loves sitting on a cold camp chair. Heated camping chairs give you that warm and cozy place to relax while you recount the day’s fun activities. We particularly love the fully featured Kuma Buddy heated double camp chair. It has two power banks, a stem glass holder and standard cup holder at each end. In addition, each seat has its own heat control, allowing each occupant to customize their own seat temperature. Click here to find out more about the Kuma Buddy Heated Double Camp Chair.

4. Tame Icy Trails With Ice Cleats

In my opinion ice cleats are really underrated when it comes to winter camping gear. I only say that because these simple devices have saved so many Northerners from slipping and seriously hurting themselves. They’re like inexpensive insurance that helps make all your winter camping days good ones. Ice cleats slip over your boots and have spikes on the bottom that give you the traction you need to navigate icy trails or parking lots. They’re invaluable for winter camping. Ice cleats don’t take up much space and make a great stocking stuffer. They’re small, lightweight, and often come with a pouch that allows them to be carried in a jacket pocket.

5. Keep Propane Flowing With a Propane Tank Warmer

One thing few people think about when it comes to RV winter camping is keeping the propane system operating efficiently when it’s cold out. RVs use propane gas to power fridges, range burners, furnaces, and water heaters. These appliances require propane gas to flow at a regulated and even pressure in order to perform well. This isn’t a problem when the tank is full, or in warmer months, because propane gas easily stays in a gas state. However in fall and winter when temperatures drop, liquid propane has a hard time evaporating into a gas. When it’s cold out, propane doesn’t perform as well, especially if the tank is less than half full.

In cold weather, propane can get sucked into the propane regulator in its liquid form. There it freezes and blocks propane gas from getting to the RV appliances. When this happens, you’ll probably notice the furnace stops working, or the stove burners won’t light even though there’s a full cylinder of propane outside.

If it’s cold out and you go to light the stove and the flame is orange and/or sputtering instead of it’s normal healthy blue, it means there’s not enough pressure in the propane line for the flame to burn efficiently. When it’s cold outside, this is likely caused by a blockage in the propane regulator. Propane tank warmers uses AC power to keep the propane warm enough to stay in its gas state so RV appliances can operate.

A propane tank warmer when you’re winter camping is definitely a game changer for keeping your RV propane system running efficiently.

Final Thoughts About Accessories for RV Winter Camping

Winter camping in your RV is a great way to extend the RV season. An RV can be a great place to warm up after a day of skiing, ice fishing, or skating while you recount the epic moments of the day. But winter RV camping also offers a way to retreat into serene and peaceful natural surroundings. Having the right accessories for winter camping can make all the difference.