Keeping Warm in Winter Without Hookups

RV Life

Winter is upon us! For some, this means packing up the RV and putting it in storage, but not everybody takes this route. We live in our RV full-time, meaning we are in it, even during the winter. This means we have to find ways to stay warm in our RV in the winter.

Most of the time this is relatively easy because our RVs are plugged into electricity, meaning we can run the furnace constantly (as long as there’s enough propane) or even run space heaters to our heart’s content, but what about when we don’t have hookups?

In this article, I am going to give you my top suggestions for keeping an RV warm in winter when you don’t have any hookups to work with.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

First things first, you’ll need to make sure to insulate your RV every way you can think of. Even “four season” RVs don’t come very well insulated from the factory, so every extra bit of insulation you can add to your setup is helpful when it comes to keeping your rig warm.

I’d start by adding a skirt to the RV, especially if you’ll be sitting still long enough to do so. Really, even if you’re on the move, you can use an inflatable RV skirt to keep the underside of your RV insulated and warm.

I also like to add insulation to my windows. A lot of cold air comes in through our RV windows, so cutting some Reflectix to fit and fill each window does a world of good. It might also help to add heavy blackout curtains over the windows to further insulate things.

Hanging blankets or tapestries from the walls and in front of the door is helpful, as is using a vent pillow to keep warm air from escaping through the roof vents. I also like to put down rugs in winter, as this helps keep cold air from coming up from below and makes the floors more comfortable to walk on with bare feet.

Run That Furnace

You can run your RV furnace even if you don’t have electric hookups. Most RV furnaces use propane for fuel and will burn through it super quickly, so you will want to keep some extra on hand and make sure to top it off regularly. It also does use battery power in order to run the fan, meaning when your RV batteries die, your furnace will go with them.

The best way around this is to find a way to top off your RV batteries without shorepower. A solar setup will get the job done without much noise or fuss, but if you can’t afford a solar setup, a generator works just as well.

Note: RVs see a lot of condensation during the cold months, and RV furnaces put off a lot of moisture, making this problem even worse. Consider cracking a window and running the vent fan occasionally to get rid of moisture in the air. Damp-Rid can also help with this problem.

Invest in a Mr. Buddy Heater

While your RV furnace will work without hookups, it isn’t the most efficient option. It’ll eat through propane and battery power in no time, making it difficult to boondock in the cold for long periods. The solution? The Mr. Buddy Heater.

This is a portable propane heater that uses propane much more efficiently than an RV furnace and doesn’t require any power at all. You do have to crack a window for safety reasons while using it, and the front of the heater gets super hot, so you have to keep it away from kids and pets.

That said, the thing works extremely well and will keep your RV warm during the cold months without using any of your battery power. In my opinion, that is a major win!

Layer Up

Night time is when the coldest temperatures hit. You can combat this (and save fuel) by putting extra blankets on your bed and wearing extra layers while you sleep. You might be surprised how warm your body can actually keep itself when blankets are involved. The only problem is, you won’t want to get out of bed in the morning!

Note: To make your bed even more cozy, consider putting Hot Hands hand warmers under the blankets for a few minutes before you get in.

Grab a Battery-Operated Electric Blanket

If layers of blankets aren’t enough, you might want to invest in a battery-operated electric blanket to keep you warm throughout the night without running the furnace nonstop.

A battery-operated blanket is best because it won’t eat through your RV battery. That said, you will want to make sure to charge the battery pack using a solar panel, generator, or the car alternator during the day. Otherwise, you’re likely to find yourself freezing cold in the middle of the night with no good way to get warm again.

Head South

To be perfectly honest with you, I hate the cold and I really hate dealing with it in the RV. While we do sometimes find ourselves in situations where we don’t have any other choice, I try to get out of spending much time in cold weather as often as I can by heading south in the winter. This removes the need to worry about how to heat my home-on-wheels, and it ensures I have nice weather for outdoor exploration all year long.

Some of the best places to go to escape the winter cold include Florida, south Texas, southern California, Arizona, and Baja Mexico. Of those, Florida and Baja are my favorites for totally different reasons. That said, I do also appreciate the gorgeous natural areas and awesome winter boondocking found in Arizona and SoCal.

As you can see, there are lots of ways to stay warm in your RV even when hookups are unavailable. Employ these tips and tricks and you’ll be able to keep RVing comfortably, even into January and February. Who wouldn’t want more opportunities to get out and travel in an RV?