First of all, let me say Happy New Year! It’s been a great year traveling throughout the country in our Travel Trailer. Tammy and I have spent over a quarter of 2017 on the road since March of this year. We actually planned on closing out the year in Tyler State Park over the new years holiday. We thought this would be good for a few reasons, the main one being the dogs don’t like fireworks and this would get us somewhere quiet where the dogs could relax. Unfortunately I under estimated the weather for this time of year in Texas. The result is that this is the first time we are cancelling camping reservations.
The Imagine sits this trip out under the shop overhang
Murphy’s Law: What can go wrong…will go wrong!
Probably any other year we would have been able go camping; but we had an arctic front come through Texas. Of course it lined up perfectly with our schedule to go camping. This cold front led to high temperatures in the upper 20’s with lows at night in the lower teens. In addition wind chills during the daytime were in the single digits. There were three days predicted where the daytime temperatures would never get above freezing; so reluctantly I cancelled our reservation a few days before our planned arrival.
Being stuck in the trailer during the cold snap really wasn’t the problem, I was certain we could keep warm. Not only is the furnace more than powerful enough, we also have the electric fireplace. So staying warm in the in the trailer would be no problem.
The real problem was the freezing temperatures effect on the water lines and holding tanks that had me worried. The majority of those items are located under the floor of the trailer. This is where the cold will have the most impact. Even if I felt comfortable with the internal plumbing, there is still the water line hose coming into the trailer. In my mind that would need to be, at the very least, disconnected and drained at night.
The Imagine comes with the “Arctic Package” which boasts of zero degree, 4 season enjoyment. It probably has the best R-Value of any travel trailer we have had, however, R Value only helps inside the trailer. There is only one way I would feel comfortable camping in this weather; We would need to camp without the water hooked up and the water lines winterized. That would not make for a great camping experience.
Secondly, we have the dogs ( our floor children) to worry about. Being stuck in a trailer with limited time outside, and me having to be out with them walking through the campground in single digits – it’s just not appealing to me at all.
Although I regret that this is the first time we have cancelled a reservation; I believe it was the right thing to do. Just this morning I have been reading about people in travel trailers who are pretty much frozen solid, and have broken water lines. I’m glad I’m not one of them.
So for now Tammy and I can start to plan out the future reservations and think about warmer weather.
Here’s to a great 2018 – Stay Warm!
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