True four season travel trailers

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

TheVanDweller

New member
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Posts
2
Location
Canada
Hi there,

My family and I are in the planning stages of going full time but we're having trouble with locating proper four season travel trailers and are hoping we could get some advice.

We are looking for a bunkhouse model where it's a separate room, not two beds with a curtain off the kitchen, and so far all I have been able to locate are tiny weekenders for two people.

We found an excellent unit that we'd love to get (Rockwood Signature 8312SS) as it is the layout we're looking for currently. However, the "lite" makes me think that it's not a four season.

We need a true four season as we are in Canada (but do plan on going to more temperate climate during winter).

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!
 
I doubt if you are going to find such an animal. True "4 seasons" trailers of any type are rare and 4-season travel trailers the rarest of all. I couldn't name a single brand off-hand. The Canadian built brands tend to be better adapted to the climate there, but I don't think the differences are that great.

You are right - the "lite" models generally skimp on things to get lite, though many models seem to be "lite" only in the marketing dept's eyes.

The higher end models will have better construction throughout, including better insulation, thicker floors and roofs, fewer drafty holes, protected plumbing, etc. A higher MSRP is a good clue.

The brands that claim to be "4 season" include Arctic Fox, Lance and Bigfoot.
 
The older Leisure Vans (a subsidiary of Triple E and made in Winkler MB area) used to advertise 4 season use for their products. Their product line has changed now, they used to make several big Class A's , some B's and C's but today.... not sure. The older models had a very good cold weather reputation.
 
The best setup I have seen for all-weather/extreme weather was a Kidron reefer box (cargo) converted to a travel trailer. The construction of the box with the insulation for holding temps colder than -20f is a excellent foundation for a custom build. When my dad was stationed in the Antarctic, I remember seeing pictures of trailer units on skis that was used as survival huts, otherwise they were basically living under the ice. The Kidron example would be easy to keep cool in extreme heat and warm in the Artic region.Good Luck on your search or build. As always, please post pictures.
 
If you can believe the manufacturer, Artic Fox makes four season travel trailers. They seem to have a pretty good reputation. New Horizon has built travel trailers in the past, but not sure if they still will. When i corresponded with them a couple of years ago, they said their minimum build price was $60k. I sent them some followup questions along with the things I wanted in the trailer and they never responded.  Excel has also made travel trailers in the past. they were long and heavy. Travel Units builds custom travel trailers. You might also look at the information available from the RV Consumer Group to see what if any brands/models they rate as four season.

Good Luck in your search for the right RV for you.
 
We went full time in the fall of 13'.  We spent 3 months in SW Virginia near Max Meadows,  Compared to Iowa irt was moderate.  Got down to 19 or so a few times with snow 2-6"  3-4 times.  Lost power in the Camp Ground 3 times.  Had to buy a generator to heat with Elect.  could not have afforded propane at 1-3  30 lb tanks per week.

We had an old 1978  32' Yellowstone TT, no slides and jalousie windows.  I had to put plastic on the inside.  Many of the neighbors fully skirted their trailers and some used straw bales to keep air from underneath. 

We now have a 34' Brookside TT with slides, and I would not dream of doing that again.  The slides leak air and are not insulated in the floor area.  The trailer furnace heats it well in temps down to freezing.  I would not dream of doing it with out skirting and a 500 gallon propane tank outside piped in to run the furnace off of.

I have looked at Arctic Fox TT's and even though they seem to be very well built and well insulated.  They still have the major design flaw.  Windows in Aluminum Frames.  Think Aluminum Beer can and you get the picture,  even double glazed the frames are still Aluminum.

If you bought Reefer insulated van body and converted your elf and installed triple pane glass insulated vinyl frames,  then you would get close.  You still have to deal with frozen water hoses etc.

Sounds like fun right?

Solution,  Airzona in the winter till April and then North for the summer.  That is just what we are getting ready to do. 
 
uhm there are quite a few as opposed to what the consensus is here. the best one that comes ready built is the roughneck. my suggestion is go on kijiji search alberta rv's and put in winter as a keyword. people have been living through the winters on the oil rigs since I was a kid. you just have to know what to look for. most teton trailers have suitable insulation as well I am informed
 
CREEKSIDE by OutdoorsRV is a TRUE 4 SEASON TRAVEL TRAILER w/double bunkhouse. We live in Co & are considering one. However, we're interested in what else exists to compare. They are high quality.
 
For four season living I would personally recommend a 5ver, but if I were to do it in a TT it would be an Evergreen S33BH.  Heated underbelly and such.

My next 5ver will be a 2015 Open Range 3X427BHS.  Heated and enclosed underbelly, double pane windows, and R38 insulation.
 
Made in the USA, Oliver travel trailers is a true four season travel trailer. With tanks, all plumbing and the dump valves in the heated space. Made in Hohenwald Tennessee, they currently offer two sizes of bumper pull travel trailers that are double hulled, molded fiberglass. Here is a clickable link to floor plans and specs. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/
 
Where are you talking four season California or Michigan?
As stated  Canadian built Triple E  advertise Four season. Our 34 ft class a has been used for winter skiing but it really isn't ideal. Did it once would not do it again. To hard on the unit and hearing the furnace run full time just waiting for it to break down is not my cup of tea.
Every hole in the roof i.e..vents skylights air conditioner are places for heat to escape and moisture to build up and it will believe me. I get the shivers just thinking about it. : :eek:
 
I'm reviving this thread. I too am looking at 4 season trailer. I don't like slide outs, but do like the room they give of course. Reckon it's a compromise. I've researched the Olivers a lot, and they would be close to my top choice, except the biggest one is only 23', a tad small. Even though I want 4 season, my goal is to follow the sun and warmth! But, I know you must be prepared for the worst, therefore, I want 4 season trailer. It WILL get cold quick, even where I live in Deep South.

Ok, I'm spending New Years Day 2016, researching 4 season RVs!! I am looking at the Outdoors RV videos, and those trailers look very good! The old boy is saying they are truly made for all season use, from Tundra to Arizona heat. He said that. They are in Oregon, I like that. Or BC, etc., somewhere it gets cold.
 
Me as well.  We love the Oliver, but in addition to it being a bit tight, it is very expensive - I know you get what you pay for - but if you can't afford it, compromise is necessary!  Does anyone know of an Oliver "clone" at a lower price point?
 
I'm looking for a 4 season trailer too. I'm considering the Oliver, Open Range, Arctic Fox, and Outdoors RV Creekside. Does anyone have personal experience with any of these they would like to share?
 
So much depends on what you call "cold". My Outdoors RV (with slide) has no problems with temps down to the mid-20s. That might be "cold" to someone from the south, but seems to me to be just "crisp". ? All we do in those temps is disconnect the fresh water connection. Do you want Alberta or Minnesota cold weather or Georgia/Alabama cold weather? If the former, you will have to do mods to any trailer to manage (skirting, insulating windows, etc.). If the latter, look at any of the Northwoods products (Artci Fox, ORV). Others have been suggested too.
 
My wife and I spent our first winter in a 2006 Arctic fox 22h. Indiana winter was mild, dipping down to below 0 a few times. Mods:
Heat tape on the hose+ cheap pipe insulation foam from home depot,
R-7 Concrete blankets (3 6x25 tarps with foam on the inside used to cure concrete) for the skirt,
Electric space heater to take the strain off of the furnace,
Small electric heater under the skirt, (did not use)
1" foam cut to fit the bedroom windows and skylights,
Window seal plastic over the foam,

Note: Common sense should tell you to be super paranoid about what flammable objects are by heat sources, and the need to properly ventilate the sealed environment that is the winter camper.

We will provably pull the trigger on a Nash 25C (small bunkhouse with a slide) and may spend our second winter in MN. anyone know if there is a specific page related to winter camping? (MN kind of winter)


 
Hi; I live in Winnipeg Manitoba, from my experience, the best true four season travel trailers out there are the "roughneck" trailers built in Alberta, Canada.  We bought our 2007 30ft NT30b unit for under $20,000.  They're designed to operate without issue from -40F to well over +100F (-40C to +40C).  I don't believe they come with slide outs but have 6" thick roofs, 6" vented floors, and 3" walls with double glazing.  They have 2-40K btu furnaces, AC with a heat strip, oversized shower, 9 or 10 cu ft fridge, central vac, TV etc... they are also wired as an office, with, computer desk, phone, and satellite jacks.  The frames and axles are way oversized; ours is a 14" HSS frame and 2-8,000lb axles for a 30' unit, because they're always taken to remote places that other trailers just don't go, such as the oil patch in Alberta and BC, or northern Saskatchewan, or Manitoba.  The tanks are also oversized, and enclosed in an insulated area within the steel frame, with a 3/4" plywood bottom, that is spray foamed underneath to seal the tank cavity.  The tanks, are all heat traced, and some of the furnace heat is vented into the tank cavity and the gate valve area to aid in preventing the tanks from freezing.  The roughnecks are a heavier animal, you need a one ton to pull them because of the tongue weight, but you don't even know they're behind you, and they're basically bulletproof.  There is nothing light duty about these units. 

Hope the comments help, they are from experience. 

Thanks, Stina.
 
I am an owner of an Outdoors RV product as well for almost a year. Camped in cold weather and were cozy at all times, no complaints. Ours is a Wind River 270CISW. Outdoors (Creekside, Timber Ridge, Wind River, BlackRock) along with Northwoods (Nash, Fox Mountain, Artic Fox) are both owned by Ron Nash and built in La Grande, Oregon. Plenty of your fellow countrymen own them, big sellers in the NorthWest. Our first trailer, after a Class C and four Class A's was a Nash and we loved it.
The current edition of the Travel Trailer & Fifth Wheel Comparison Guide by Randall Eaton rates Outdoors/Northwoods products #1 in the AA(Above Average) category since 2010! FYI, he rates them in 3 categories, Entry level, (E), AA, and P(Premium).
Good luck in your search!
 
Back
Top Bottom