Full-time Highs (and Lows)

Lessons learned while living in an RV when it snows.

by

Words and photos by Perry Mack

We recently hit the two-month mark living full-time in our Montana High Country 305RL and Outdoors RV Black Rock 22RKS. Due to Covid related issues, our new home wasn’t finished but our existing home had sold! With winter closing in, we found ourselves waking up to snow on the ground and nighttime temperatures dipping to around -7°C (19° F). While it can get colder, it feels like winter. Some products and ideas have worked, and some haven’t.

We ran out of our supply of Happy Camper tank treatment so we went to Canadian Tire and purchased some Camco treatment - just drop the small pre-measured orange tab down the toilet and the solution does the rest. Great! Actually, no. First, the directions indicate not to cut the packet open, which can only mean you’re not supposed to use it for greywater.

One tab is good for a 151 L (40 gal) tank but since ours is 227 L (60 gal), we had to use a little more, which is wasteful and costly. In the end, it didn’t work as well as the Happy Camper product as we had an ‘aromatic’ black tank even in the cold weather. With a little research, we discovered that the Canadian Happy Camp distributors had changed the name to Classic Campers, which is the same product but with new branding. After purchasing a new supply, it works great just like it did before.

Once we resolved that problem, our bulldog Emmett went down the exterior steps after the first snow. He slipped and partially tore off a claw as it got caught in the grate. Ouch. This time Camco came to the rescue as Princess Auto carried their RV step carpets. They are adjustable, fit great, look great, feel great, and clear dirt from shoes and cover the holes in the metal steps, while still providing traction.

On the low side, we could have made four of these for roughly the cost of one. As we needed four and at $19.95 each, we spent  $80 plus taxes. The cover is made from thin outdoor carpet, wraps around the step and connects to itself with springs and a number of grommets. The spring and grommet combo allow one model to fit steps of different widths. As an alternative, purchasing two square yards of thin outdoor carpet (less than $15) and a roll of 4’ x 2” (1.2 m x 5 cm) Velcro ($14) - plus a little effort - will result in similar, custom-fitted carpeted RV steps.

Speaking of snow, remember most RV awnings are only designed to offer protection against sun and rain. While obvious,  when rain flirts with 0°C (32 °F) it becomes wet snow without warning. As a result, we created a make-work project when the awnings couldn’t retract with the weight of the slush. A ladder, broom and a return to rain eventually cleared the awnings - a cold, damp, lesson was learned.

Our utility provider, Fortis BC, finally came through for us and connected power to our RV pedestal from ACE manufacturing. After two months of poaching 15-amp power, freshwater for our tank, and WiFi (from our parents), we will finally be able to strike out on our own to our RV pad with 50-amp power. It might not sound like a big deal but like the song says, ‘you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.’ We’ll now have electric heat for under the RV and backup propane for heating and cooking. We can also run the coffee maker and toaster oven at the same time - first-world problems solved!