Micro Minnie and FLX package

[meaningful_meanderings]

In the continuing quest for the ultimate bumper pull RV, I'm presently looking at the Winne Micro Minnie. The search is for something that can winter boondock off road a few days without issue. (I don't intend to do a lot of winter off road, but want the capability if it happens.) Where I'm having trouble with the specs is how well the non-FLX models can handle it. I already have a 3.2kw battery station and matched generator, with the intent to add solar, so I do not need the oversized off grid power system in the FLX model. Some sources say that the FLX package contains the extra tank heaters, insulation, etc. needed for safe winter camping on or off grid. Can anyone add to this?

 

[John Canfield]

I have no direct knowledge about Winnie bumper pull models, I'm not sure if there's a forum/group dedicated to those models but you could explore that. A few general comments:
Without dual pane windows and extra insulation, you'll be out of propane in a week or less (depending on several factors of course) if that's your sole heat source. Our Horizon's water/gray/black tanks were heated via the propane furnace ducting in the floor - no furnace, no bay heat. On shore power we had a little space heater we kept in the bay, a drop light with the traditional bulb didn't produce enough heat in ~20F weather.

If you want a true four season towable, Northwood Arctic Fox would be at the top of the list. Outdoors RV has some capable models as does Grand Design if you want to stay in the Winnie family. The Micro Minnie didn't make the top ten list which doesn't necessarily mean it's not suitable with appropriate options.

 

[Kirk]

Some sources say that the FLX package contains the extra tank heaters, insulation, etc. needed for safe winter camping on or off grid. Can anyone add to this?ex

Like John, I can't speak to that specific model, but I do have a great deal of experience in winter RV use, having been fulltime for 12 years and back when I lived in Wyoming we used to spend a week or two in the high mountains elk hunting every year, usually with snow and always with below freezing temperatures. In order to tell you what you need to have we would need to know where you plan to do this off grid camping and what the weather will be like. If you plan to spend your winters in the southern deserts, you may not need extra insulation but there are few places that never experience freezing temperatures, at least overnight. In most areas there are times that more insulation isn't beneficial to keep warm or to keep cool with your air conditioner in hot weather. If you experience temperatures that reach 100° F or more, or temperatures that fall to 0° F or below, you will need all of the insulation that you can get. Heated waste tanks will be needed if you ever experience temperatures that stay below 20° F for more than a few hours at any one time. Dual pane windows are also very beneficial in both hot and cold weather. Small RVs will always have problems with moisture from high humidity in cold weather, especially if not ventilated regularly. Living in an RV puts just as much moisture into the tiny space as you would put into a large house or apartment each day and the result is far higher humidity due to the much smaller volume of air to absorb it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Winnebago makes no claim that any Minnie model is a "4-season" RV. Or even a 3-season model. With or without the Comfort or Explorer options packages. So I am skeptical that any winter use is going to be well-suited to winter camping. Probably marginal at best. And without shore power or generator, you will be relying on propane a lot. As John says, be prepared to use a LOT of propane. A portable catalytic propane heater will be a lot more energy efficient than the gas guzzling furnace with its fan.
And as Kirk points out, high moisture concentration is a problem in any RV and a small one in the winter will be an extreme case. If you ventilate to get rid of the humidity, then you use even more heat.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Forums.............. Winnie Owners Forum, an RV Life forum, your log in is universal for all RV Life forums, you might look there for info.

There is also a Micro Minnie Owners Group on Facebook.

Charles

 

[meaningful_meanderings]

Thanks but if Micro Minnie is not winter rated, this may be a moot point. It's not my intent to boondock a winter in Grand Forks but I would like handle the conditions out west when winter suddenly goes from bad to worse unsuspectingly. I was using AI to compare features on RVs; it said micro minnie FLX had good winter skills.

Other than the afore mentioned RVs, what are some other brands and models that I should be looking at. The Micro Minnie (2100 series) is actually a little longer and heavier than I want but life is full of compromise, at least in my income bracket. The Cortes RV got my attention but not too many of them this far south.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Consider an Ember Overland Series as they are built more rugged than many trailers. See the Youtuber RVing With Joe for his take on the Ember, as he has traveled in some rather rough and cold places in Alberta and BC, along with elsewhere.

Charles

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I was using AI to compare features on RVs; it said micro minnie FLX had good winter skills.

That could mean almost anything. The AIs of today just summarizes what it has found online and can't vouch for the credibility of the source. And the AI summary often lacks context or puts a fact in an inappropriate context.

What is true is that the Winnie Minnie trailer has a heated storage area and 12v water tank heaters, but 12v heating isn't practical when you are off-grid. You can't supply enough 12v wattage to use them, even with good solar. And the Minnie does has an enclosed underbelly, so that's good, but hardly unique these days. It also has the ComfortTech package available, which adds some insulation. You would want to make sure that was included if you buy.

 

[Kirk]

Some sources say that the FLX package contains the extra tank heaters, insulation, etc. needed for safe winter camping on or off grid. Can anyone add to this?ex

Like John, I can't speak to that specific model, but I do have a great deal of experience in winter RV use, having been fulltime for 12 years and back when I lived in Wyoming we used to spend a week or two in the high mountains elk hunting every year, usually with snow and always with below freezing temperatures. In order to tell you what you need to have we would need to know where you plan to do this off grid camping and what the weather will be like. If you plan to spend your winters in the southern deserts, you may not need extra insulation but there are few places that never experience freezing temperatures, at least overnight. In most areas there are times that more insulation isn't beneficial to keep warm or to keep cool with your air conditioner in hot weather. If you experience temperatures that reach 100° F or more, or temperatures that fall to 0° F or below, you will need all of the insulation that you can get. Heated waste tanks will be needed if you ever experience temperatures that stay below 20° F for more than a few hours at any one time. Dual pane windows are also very beneficial in both hot and cold weather. Small RVs will always have problems with moisture from high humidity in cold weather, especially if not ventilated regularly. Living in an RV puts just as much moisture into the tiny space as you would put into a large house or apartment each day and the result is far higher humidity due to the much smaller volume of air to absorb it.

Other than the afore mentioned RVs, what are some other brands and models that I should be looking at.

Since you live in Texas, have you considered the Casita 17' model? I don't know how they are in winter but have sure seen some very happy owners as long as small doesn't matter.

 

[meaningful_meanderings]

Casita is a three season RV, other than that it's a nice little camper. We went by the show room a while back when I first started looking.

 

[CharlesinGA]

There is no such thing as a true four season camper. People try to say my Bigfoot is a "four season camper" and I tell them "no, it's a three and a half season camper". Yes the water lines are all inside the shell and not underneath, and the tanks are heated if you are running the furnace.

Charles

 

[meaningful_meanderings]

Yea, guess it would be a relative thing; four season in south Texas would be different that four season in Fairbanks... I don't plan to winter boondock in Fairbanks, just don't want to have to pull up and head south just because a freak cold spell hit the teens; I probably will anyway, but it's nice to know I don't have to blow out the lines and put antifreeze in the toilets at 32F. Too, the extra insulation should make Texas summer more bearable. Am getting too OCD with this.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Just remember that "4-seasons" is a marketing term, not an industry standard for engineering. It's feature-advertising that means "we put in some extra effort/expense toward off-season use".

Most RVs do well enough in the occasional dip to the low 30's and it actually takes soaking for several hours in the high 20's before anything freezes up. The other concern is when off-grid, and your propane heat and batteries are all that keep you warm. A thinly insulated rig with gaps and air holes aplenty will make your furnace & fan run non-stop. Ditto for the a/c unit when you are on-grid in the summer sun.

 

[RayIN]

The disclaimer is; If you have enough money you can have anything custom-built.