Going full-time....but have to buy a 5th wheel first

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Pha8

New member
Joined
Mar 27, 2016
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3
Hello
I'll save y'all the country song story and jump right on in to where I'm at.
Looking to full time in a 5th wheel RV in Southern Ontario, Canada Eh!  (lol)  My plan is to find a farmer or someone with land/driveway that will let me "rent" and stay their full-time.  Im looking to buy a 5th wheel the the 30-35+ft range that is a TRUE 4season RV.  So far I'm liking what I see from Arctic Fox.  Looking for any recomdations on units as well as what you guys think of the Arctic Fox line of RV's. 

Cheers
 
All of the Arctic Foxes that I've seen were really well built. Maybe not the most elegant designs, but no shortage of engineering.

I'm partial to the Grand Design Reflection. Have you checked them out?
 
Thanks for the reply's.  I've learn't a lot since I've started researching and continue to learn, and although their is still a lot to learn,  I gotta say forums like these are a great source of info and people willing to help.  With that said, although I have not looked into Grand Design Reflection as yet I have expanded my possibilities of manufactures. 

Aside from the whole "Global Warming" thing, winter in southern Ontario has not been all that bad the passed few years compared to say 10-15yrs ago.  Ive also looked into living aboard a sailboat which seems to be a growing trend here as well.  Speaking with some live aboards in 2 different marinas, they say every year the number of full-time live aboards grows 2-3 every year.  Don't know much about how well sail boats are insulated?  But I'm thinking a newer rv will have a greater "R" value and better heating options.  Thats my "uneducated" guess.
 
Pha8 said:
Thanks for the reply's.  I've learn't a lot since I've started researching and continue to learn, and although their is still a lot to learn,  I gotta say forums like these are a great source of info and people willing to help.  With that said, although I have not looked into Grand Design Reflection as yet I have expanded my possibilities of manufactures. 

Aside from the whole "Global Warming" thing, winter in southern Ontario has not been all that bad the passed few years compared to say 10-15yrs ago.  Ive also looked into living aboard a sailboat which seems to be a growing trend here as well.  Speaking with some live aboards in 2 different marinas, they say every year the number of full-time live aboards grows 2-3 every year.  Don't know much about how well sail boats are insulated?  But I'm thinking a newer rv will have a greater "R" value and better heating options.  Thats my "uneducated" guess.
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I have a Voltage 2015 with the Epic package Dual pane windows extra insulation etc.etc.etc  we went to Spokane last weekend temps were about freezing at nights 8-12 C during the day we burned  a 30 lbs tank of propane in 3 days
 
steveblonde said:
I have a Voltage 2015 with the Epic package Dual pane windows extra insulation etc.etc.etc  we went to Spokane last weekend temps were about freezing at nights 8-12 C during the day we burned  a 30 lbs tank of propane in 3 days
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.
30lbs in 3 days!  wow.  Just wondering what temp were you maintaining?
I was looking into alternative heating, have you or anyone looked into Espar heaters?  I know a few tractor trailer drivers that use them and they say they work great.
 
Keeping the temp at 20- 22 according to the trailer guage which is not very accurate, we also had the fireplace on set to 23 and a electric space heater on in the garage with all the doors on inside open,  tank heaters on and plugged into 30 amp. Bottom line travel trailers and 5ers are not for winter use Spring yes fall yes and we use ours up till Thanksgiving and minus 5-10 BUT its at a cost i will burn $60 worth of propane Thanksgiving weekend but i dont mind - its the long weekend.
 
Pha8.  I have an AF 29-5t. I believe it is good to -10. I lived in Southern Ontario for several years and I would not FT in ours  w/o a bunch of prep.

I parked beside someone from Ontario last summer and they had a mobile suites that they were FT'ing in Ontario and it had gotten down to  -38.  And were happy.

That rig was a little out of my snack bracket.

Good luck.
 
Full time?  Good luck.  Will you have a propane truck parked next to your trailer all winter?  Probably the best trailer for wintering was Teton, but they have been out of the RV business for several years.
 
We also have a Mobile Suite and live close to Niagara Falls On. We arrived back from Florida March 24th. We had temperatures 45 F to 65F in daytime and  3 or 4 nights dipped to 27 F . I left the thermostat set at 45F about 3 1/2 weeks and used a 40 lb. of propane. In St. Petersburg Florida a pretty temperate part of Florida we used 120 lbs of propane in 3 months. So yes I agree with Donn and make arrangements with a propane truck and in Canada be prepared to dig deep for your propane. Just saying.
 
Pha8, Ill be following this thread as I am looking to do the same thing you are doing only in Colorado. Everyone here likes to recommend these campers for cold weather; Mobile Suites, Hitchhiker, Excel, Teton, and Arctic Fox. They also recommend driving to Florida for the winter. :D 
 
Okay... so I went to a RV show this weekend and talked to the company rep there about the Open Range 3X by Highland Ridge. According to them the 3X has some of the best insulation in the industry. He compared them to Mobile Suites and Arctic Cat. We looked at a few different floor plans and they are fancy. So this might be an option. Any one live in or camp near someone using an Open Range 3X? They have a pretty active owners forum that I have checked out.... that is normally a good sign.
 
snailspace said:
Okay... so I went to a RV show this weekend and talked to the company rep there about the Open Range 3X by Highland Ridge. According to them the 3X has some of the best insulation in the industry. He compared them to Mobile Suites and Arctic Cat. We looked at a few different floor plans and they are fancy. So this might be an option. Any one live in or camp near someone using an Open Range 3X? They have a pretty active owners forum that I have checked out.... that is normally a good sign.
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total BS thats no better than my Voltage in fact its way worse  R7? R9?

http://www.highlandridgerv.com/products/2016/open-range-3x/construction/

might as well use wet toilet paper. RV Reps will tell you anything you want they make Used car salespeople look like Mother Theresa

my Voltage has 35,00 btu furnace, R-40 roof and floor,R-24 Slide and Slide floor. R-11 walls .

PS - no way, no how, not gonna happen, i am a Canadian - i am tough as all get up - i wear shorts at 0C  or 32F but i would NOT winter in my trailer noway, no how, not gonna freeze my a!! off. and minus 20C is a nice day in winter!
 
steveblonde said:
total BS thats no better than my Voltage in fact its way worse  R7? R9?

http://www.highlandridgerv.com/products/2016/open-range-3x/construction/

might as well use wet toilet paper. RV Reps will tell you anything you want they make Used car salespeople look like Mother Theresa

my Voltage has 35,00 btu furnace, R-40 roof and floor,R-24 Slide and Slide floor. R-11 walls .

PS - no way, no how, not gonna happen, i am a Canadian - i am tough as all get up - i wear shorts at 0C  or 32F but i would NOT winter in my trailer noway, no how, not gonna freeze my a!! off. and minus 20C is a nice day in winter!
Click to expand...

According to the reading material the dealer gave me it has a total of R-38 in the roof and floor and R-14 side walls. The R-7 and R-9 that you looked at is referring to the individual material pieces.... and a 3' wall isn't shabby for a fifthwheel.

I am with you on the Northern Winter. -20? F is no laughing mater...
 
snailspace said:
According to the reading material the dealer gave me it has a total of R-38 in the roof and floor and R-14 side walls. The R-7 and R-9 that you looked at is referring to the individual material pieces.... and a 3' wall isn't shabby for a fifthwheel.

I am with you on the Northern Winter. -20? F is no laughing mater...
Click to expand...

but my voltage which is by no means the best has higher ratings it has R40 and at negative temps it struggles to stay warm we camp at below freezing all the time and it does not like it lol
 
We lived in our Carriage Carri lite for a cold winter in southern New Hampshire.  Rotated a 100lb tank with 4 40lb tanks. I'd fill the 100lb tank once every two weeks while filling the 40lbers twice during the winter. Total of 900lbs or 225gal. Carriage boasts R15 sidewalls R30 roof and R37 floor. We used no electricity as we were connected to our own house. A well insulated 5er is at best only as good as its weakest part, the slideouts. Only R15 sides and R23 top and bottom. We kept the temp at 63deg constant only raising it if company visited.
 
This stuff was not done for bad winters.  I wouldn't try it even in WI. Good luck!
 
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