Backwoods RV camper
Moose
So I've done the annual wall tent moose bowhunt for over a decade now and have decided it would be more comfortable to look for a small-ish pull behind RV trailer. I've been looking around at the local retailers and many are nice that's for sure, but why doesn't anyone make one with a small wood stove for heating?
I would gladly give up the tiny washroom / shower area for a wood stove feature.
Am I the only one?
Fire Hazzard. Liability issues. regulations for space required around the stove are probably some of the reasons they don't have wood stoves.
Any business making RV's is in it to make money. 99% of people using RV's are looking to use them when it is warm outside. Just looking at how RV's are made will tell you they weren't designed for cold weather usage, though they are set up to cover the odd cold spell. 99% of consumers use them when it's warm, and 99% of people are going for convenient, the subset of people that want it for hunting only is very small, and thus not what the market demands. You may be better off converting an enclosed trailer yourself for hunting purposes if you insulate and add a woodstove.
Just a few minute google search turned up options. The Kimberly is one small wood stove designed for small enclosures, including RVs. I think I remember seeing a TT with a wood stove at an RV show a few years ago. It was a smaller company and may have been custom or semi custom. Do some research and you can probably find what you're looking for. Maybe more than you're willing to spend though. I doubt if you'll find it in your basic "cookie-cutter" white box.
This guy did it in his Volvo so I don't see why not. LOL
Gotta tell you that APauls is on the money with his post above...last sentence....about converting an enclosed cargo trailer. For what a genuine RV costs, I would buy a really well built cargo trailer 6-7' wide and 14-18' long. From there I'd build out the interior the way I wanted it, adding a bunk, stove, vanity/sink, lights and so on until I had a serviceable camper. I'd rig it for a small Honda generator and customize it for hunting purposes. The cost would be way lower than a turn-key RV, and you wouldn't have a bunch of things you don't want or need.
This is going to be my next camper maybe this week
Yea, way too much liability and way too little profit involved.
+1 Bigdan. My daughter and her husband hunted out of an Aliner last season and it's really perfect. I've been looking too. Basically a hardside "tent" that sets up and takes down in 60 seconds with heat and a/c.
How does a person with the handle “Big Dan” supposed to fit thru a narrow/short door like that?
Here’s my TT....no wood stove and not backwoods but I can get it there by Gawd!
I saw this manufacturer a few years ago at the hunt expo and they put wood stoves in their trailers. No idea how much these are, but they looked sweet.
ben h's link looks like the one we saw.
That's neat Ben H! Just like the sheep herders use except fancy.
If I was going to put one in a camper, I think I'd put a pellet stove in!
There are pellet stoves just for RV's.
A wood stove would be easy enough to install in a travel trailer. But if you're like me, your wife would kill you for doing it long before any CO2 or major blaze did.
Those Western Range Camps look badass
Here you go...Cargo camp.
"Those Western Range Camps look badass"
They sure do. Really cool.
There's a real nice cargo camp trailer on rv trader one year old with wood stove and everything in Brighton,Co, $11,000 wish I had the money.
my camper has heated mattresses & the a.c. unit also blows warm air. both via a.c. power & the propane furnace is thermostat controlled & works on d.c. power. I have a woodstove in my house . love it but in a camper I just don't know
Have an Escapage Backcountry unit on order. Well built out of Minnesota. 18" of ground clearance, very rugged overhead rack, 170 watt solar power system, heater, a/c, a 12 volt fridge which the solar system can run. Anywhere your truck can go, this can go. Tucks behind the truck for good gas mileage. Park it in a storage unit, ready to hook up and go.
These are made near my home, have never been in one though. www.grandventurer.com
western range are great, built like tanks and you will get some serous longevity out of them. you will pay for it in weight though. towing them is no joke.
Get an old school bus and modify it
FYI- Did you guys know you can get an Aliner with off road suspension and tires?
Looks like I will put a Deposit on My Flagstaff tomorrow found a 2018 hold over in Colorado So I will be headed out soon to get it. front deck is 57 inches wide so my razor will ride on the front
What'd you do with the pickup camper, Bigdan?
Trading it in on the new camper I paid $2000 for it there giving me $1800
Looking good buddy that pickup camper has served you well Lewis
Looks great, Danny!
So much depends on where/how you hunt. I spend 30+ days on the eastern CO prairie every year, where the cold wind rips and wind chill can get way into the subs. It gets dark at 5 pm so I'm in there for a lot of time. I don't want something that would just be great in September and don't want multiple campers, so my compromise is a well insulated 22' Trail Cruiser.
Perfect for extended hunts for me, can sleep a buddy. Or girlfriend for a visit before she says WTF and leaves. 2K Honda generator. Hot shower for September and October and AZ in January, stove, oven, propane heat, freezer for lots of premade meals, microwave, bike rack on the back for mountain bike and eBike. My ATV rides in the back of the truck. Unlike a converted utility trailer, it has windows, so it isn't like a cell in a Nicaraguan prison when sitting in there during a three day blizzard.
It works well for me. If I was a warm weather hunter I'd have something different.
Lewis It will be good for are Az elk hunt next year And I'm going to start going Back to az in Januarys To hunt Coues Deer I will also use it to go to Mohab I can haul my Razor on it and put my wifes Ace in the Back of the truck the Cold is why I wanted a Hard side and not a Tent type RV And pulling Itwill be easy on my F-350 Its only 2900#
Looks like i'm headed to Co. to pick it up on the 22nd ! 1000 mile drive but i saved $4500 being a 2018 hold over
Looks like i'm headed to Co. to pick it up on the 22nd ! 1000 mile drive but i saved $4500 being a 2018 hold over
Jaquomo -
I like the sound of your rig, but I hunt in all climates, including some warm ones. Are you saying there is no way to cool the inside of yours when it heats up outside...?
Its got air to And a solar panel but I will have a generator with me
Wild1, to cool it in warm weather you need to take the AC off and install a Fantastic Fan (unless you want to run the AC). Open up the windows and door and draw cool air in or warm air out. Any camper will be warm when its hot outside. Even a tent, as you know. But it sure is nice to have a hot shower, an oven, a fridge and freezer (holds a dozen premade, boil in the bag meals) in a unit that's only 18' long. Plus, I want a mobile base camp, and I can be driving away in 10 minutes after getting back to camp, no takedown, no setup when I land at the next spot. I like that. Every time I've helped somebody with an older popup its been a pain in the butt.
In my case, I'm more concerned about being warm when its subzero and I'm in there from 5 pm until 5:30 am the next morning. If it's hot in August I'll take a nap outside under the awning. If I ONLY hunted hot weather I might go with something light and small like a newer style popup like Dan's for ease of hauling and better gas mileage, and the cargo-ATV hauler on the front..
Just think about when, where and how you will use it. Those little 5' tall compact thingies are cute and probably pull nice. I spend 70-80 days and nights in mine every year hunting and scouting plus fish camp in the spring. I want something that feels like a "home".
Mine is the small one on the right, next to my buddy's 5th wheel. .
Jaq, I am just like you. I started using an 19', 1987 5th wheel. I completely remodeled it , flipped the axles for more clearance and all I have to is go in, shower and go to bed if I don't feel like doing anything. Same way traveling I can stop and sleep about anywhere. It's nice not knowing you have to put up and take down a tent or popup. I was camping with a couple friends at a 3d last year and their popup broke a spring. After a lot of fighting they got it most of the way down and borrowed 3 tie down straps from me. Tied it down and pulled it home. The simplicity of the trailer sure is nice.
"...their popup broke a spring."
What has that to do with a pop-up versus a hard side? On our first road trip in our Arctic Fox, it broke a leaf spring. On our last trip, a leaf spring hangar broke. Arctic Fox has a reputation for high quality, and Northwoods (who manufactures it) brags about their "off road suspension". We've never had it off road, although we have done extensive travel up north where most "highways" are gravel roads. After each failure, I've reinforced the suspension with after market upgrades.
We also have a pop up camper. They both have their strengths, and we use the one most appropriate for our trip. In fact, we are prepared to camp with anything from bivouac, to back pack, horse pack, fly in, pop up that can go almost anywhere I can drive, and a comfortable RV for colder, or hotter (AC), weather that is especially convenient when moving a lot. There is no one size fits all camping shelter.
Jaq. -
Did you do anything special with the suspension/clearance...? Are you comfortable taking it on rough dirt roads...? TIA.
My deal is done I pick it up on June 22nd First hunt will be Aug 1st antelope hunt in Nevada Iwill pick it up in Poncha Springs Co.
Ziek, The spring was in the crank up/down mechanism on the mechanics that raised and lowered the top and side wall canvas. I didn't see them work on it but they said there was no room and an sob to work on. Another friend had a hardside popup(Apache maybe ? I forgot the name) and he had a cable break on the crank system and he said he would never work on one again it was such a nightmare. New would be the best way to buy one of those.
We have the Aliner Scout, sans the bells and whistles, sets up high enough to handle the forest roads..cabinetry needs beefing up for the washboard roads..works good for us...
My first A frame, back in the 70s...1971 Champion...
My new Flagstaff has 15 inch tires . And with no sewer pipes hanging down it should handle any road I want to pull it on it sets high
The camper i'm buying is a T12RBTHSE
Like the Aliners, check Craigslist for a deal.
The first year they came out with the Flagstaff T12RBTHSE Was 2017 I looked at RV trader and there is none listed lots of others with out the front deck
I did not read the whole thread but why would you want to mess with wood when a whole bunch of them have propane heaters with air that circulates through a duct system. Tons of 15-30 ft ones out there for under 12 grand and you get a shower and bathroom plus some have heated under bellies and there are makers who even offr models that can be pulled off the beaten path. Shawn
Thanks for the input fellas. Lots of things to ponder here. Those Western Range units look really nice!
Where we hunt is a long way from civilization so I always thought that if I could heat with an unlimited supply of wood, why wouldn't I? We use a portable shower unit, (or a lake / river) and we've never needed a bathroom before, to me it would be just wasted space.
So, a follow up question for you guys that do the trailer thing... how much propane do you go through to heat your current units. It often goes down below freezing over night. I understand you would shut off the heat during the day, but say 9 or 10 nights of heating would be our usual trip length.
Thanks for the help!
I pick up my new camper on the 25th I'm going to come back to Montana Cody, Cook City, Yellowstone way. my old camper I used when I hunted late in November with temps between 20 and minus 20 my propane would last 10 days I also would drain all the water in the system
Headed out in the morning to pick up my new camper its a long drive from Montana to Colorado but the money I save it will be worth it I will get to see parts of Wyoming and Colorado I have never seen before I was going to pick it up last weekend but I gess I missed a little snow in Co.
Kannuk,
Propane will last a long time, I have gone 10 plus days on one large cylinder. The problem is the batteries, the fan in rv's runs off batteries. They won't last long at all if you run the heater continuously. I usually run my generator, heat up the trailer and then go to bed warm. When I get up, I run the generator and warm up then shut it off when I go hunting.
Stoped two time on the way home put it up in Northern Colorado for a three hour nap then in northern Wyoming just south of Cody for the night goes up in 1 min Pulls like its not there
Bigdan,
I did the popup thing for many years. It's a versatile and flexible setup. But, when I want to free-range for 2 weeks, this is how I role. I'd like to have both but, well, you know....
Matt
Nice country to drive in the center of Colorado High and still has lots of snow
I like it Bigdan!! Looks like something that I may be interested in. The rack on the front sure gives you options.
Lee
One other thing I like about it has 235x75- 15 tires for good ground clearence
Big Dan that is one nice set up... A Liners are the best, I need to get me one for my 25 acres. Eric
That Survivalist Camp looks really nice... any body know what that costs?
