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What's the coldest night you've spent in your Westy.
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Halifaxwesty
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Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

-9c Kittery Maine, November 29 2013.

Small propane heater to take the bite off, but we turned it off 30 mins before bed...

Homemade Reflectix insulation...

Mountain Equipment Co Op -5c bag...

I slept on the bottom...I was fine with a thin lycra balaclava covering my face...

My buddy slept up top with a 10 year old Canadian Tire sleeping bag...he had a different experience...

I'd do it again in a heart beat...waiting for the Nova Scotian contingent to organize an early spring weekend (cough cough Jeff) outing.
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snowsyncro
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

-13C (local weather report), February 8/9, 2014

Driveway camping Stillwater Lake with my 3 yr old grandson…

No heater, no insulation, top was down...

No sleeping bag, no balaclava, just 3 blankets and a comforter…

And Tigger and Monkey…

Took a beer out with me, but didn't drink it, in the morning it was frozen solid, so was Jack's milk…

I spent most of the night awake, hoping for Jack to wake up and say he was cold so we could go inside, but he slept the sleep of kings…

I won't lie…it was cold…

RonC

This is beginning to sound like the 4 Yorkshiremen…


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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:11 pm    Post subject: cold Reply with quote

How early? Smile

Hope to have the van out of hibernation by the end of March but the way it's looking now...not so certain.

We camped at Keji a few years back in April...before our government closed National Parks. Sad We could always just show up in Jeff's yard and not leave.

Any other April options? Most woods roads will be soft and mushy...

I still have my mummy bag!

P.S. That's funny Ron! hehe

Brian
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BillWYellowstone
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably about 20 deg, everything fine, even had top up. In my mtorhome down to 29 below, south rim Grand Canyon.

Live in Yellowstone in winter, have an aprtment, but we just had a winter survival class, (I wimped out), but my buddy did the snow trench.

We are going to be leaving in a couple weeks, and the West is up in Gardiner, MT waiting our arrival. Hopefully, she will start right up. Then start heading south, so first couple nights might be chilly.

Looking at where to spend my money this spring, new truckfridge or a propex.
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Halifaxwesty
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wifey is expecting May 6th....should probably be around for that...or the van will be more than a hobby...it will become a residence.

Im sure we could find some private property somewhere...I know of a couple spots on the eastern shore...

Get outside...bbq a steak...fire...beverages...etc...wont thread jack....but its an idea to discuss via PM if a few are interested.
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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:26 pm    Post subject: cold Reply with quote

Is it a poll Bill?

I'd say fridge and a down bag! Can't wait to upgrade to a quality down bag. I'd rather sleep in cold temps in a warm bag then try to heat the space but just an opinion...worthless really...hehe.

Brian
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CansoJim
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stealth camping in Jeff's yard! With all those vans there, we would easily blend in Smile

Jim.
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luVWagn
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any night in the van with my wife Shocked Rolling Eyes Wink
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rubbachicken
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

-3° c no heating, just the duvet from my bed at home, i go to bed fully dressed, then as i warm up, the layer come off.
for the morning, i have a kettle ready on the stove, by the time it's boiled the van is warm enough to get out of bed.
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danbar
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't really pushed the Vanagon much below freezing but years ago we had a crank break in a '58 Kombi in the mountains and my buddy and I had to sleep in that with one thin blanket between us at 5°f. Rough.
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Royb
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Spent a nite in late October at Saddlebag Lake near Tioga Pass at 10k feet. The campground wasn't actually open so we camped in a wide spot and ran the Heater Buddy until we were ready to commit to sleeping bags. The top stayed down that night. Brrrr.
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Microbusdeluxe Premium Member
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well below zero in Manning Provincial Park, BC. Top froze, so couldn't open it, water & beer froze so couldn't drink, bread & muffins froze so we couldn't eat them.

With the top bunk unavailable our daughter had to make do with the floor because she was the smallest, by about one inch, which actually wasn't that small, poor kid, but now she has character and something to complain about. We were using the burners and a little buddy heater while we were awake. (To stave off any unsolicited advice I never would have left either one burning while we slept.)

I noticed the flames were rather yellow, opened the door to take a leak when voila!; the flame got blue & bright! Time to turn off the heat & burrow in the down bags. During the night some Canadian kids abandoned their nearby snow caves and sat in vehicles running their engines. We did not stay the next night as originally planned. For some odd reason I'm often reminded about this camping choice by others in the household.
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Jeff's Old Volks Home
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 4:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

CansoJim wrote:
Stealth camping in Jeff's yard! With all those vans there, we would easily blend in Smile

Jim.

Or better yet... Someone can stay in Jim's van!!! Wink
There's usually lots of vans to choose from, but yours is one of my favorites!
Jeff
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tschroeder0
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

last year we did a week long trip before new years going south from Boulder to Silverton. Below zero every night, the night before newyears was about -20, new years eve in Silverton was -31... we stayed in the hostel as that was a bit too much for the propex.
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aswah
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

minus 20 broke down on the side of the AlCan in Alaska... part of the reason I got the propex... We had a negative 20 bag so all was good.
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jackbombay
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

outwesty wrote:
Grand Targhee


We've been pretty warm lately, but we are close to march.

They used to let people camp in the parking lot, even provided 110v power if you wanted it.



I've been down to 10* F with no heater, keeping food and water from freezing is a hassle, now with a propex though its no worry Smile
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tKhager
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 10:20 am    Post subject: Fridge makes a good heater Reply with quote

Not really a coldest nite, but we have used the ammonia fridge, that doesn't really work as a fridge, to heat the cabin on a camping trip. They probably should have vented that outside
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WestyJP
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

After about ten years of living in my Westy there were numerous cold nights. The coldest feeling were probably the humid/damp Winter nights in the Eastern states. Technically the coldest were around -15 F to -20 F (don't recall exactly) nights that came around a few times while I was Wintering in the Rockies to ski.

The large majority of those cold nights were spent without heat in my van. Around the time that I installed the Propex I also got much better at avoiding Winter. A good sleeping bag, blankets above/around the sleeping bag, headwear that comes down over the nose and things like that really help keep you safe and warm. Slightly open windows help keep the interior condensation down but an ice scraper for the inside of the windows is still a necessity if you want to wake and drive early. Leaving the van in 1st gear overnight and parking where you have a downhill run to get things going in the am can also help when it's super cold and the oils are thick. Boiling water in a bottle at the foot of a sleeping bag can be nice and help ensure that you have something to drink at night and in the am. Likewise leaving a kettle with water in it on the stove, ready to thaw, can be a good way to get more drinking water in the a.m. as all will be frozen. Being careful with plastic and such is also important as they like to break when it's really chilly. Those sun visor clips were quick to go as I needed to keep the early sun out of my eyes driving to the ski hill.

There's plenty more tricks to try for making things more comfortable but all in all it isn't too hard to sleep well and stay warm when cold camping. Getting dressed in the am without heat was usually the most intense part of the experience, that or trying to warm the bed up when first getting in at night.

Oh yeah,, also be aware that Southern blends of propane don't work when it gets really cold. They don't use pure propane and the other fuel that they mix (butane? I can't recall) in doesn't off-gas or whatever at really low temps. Up North they use a pure propane or a purer blend that will work on the colder nights. You can heat the propane tanks to get them going in a pinch but it seems a bit scary the way I've done it... I ran into this a few times over the years and it's a hassle for sure.

Jonathan
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t0m3y3r
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We did around 10 degrees F in the Appalachians just this last January....it was COLD lol! I don't have a nice heater like you guys are talking though....just an electric....2 warm bodies and 4 blankets it was still freezing!!!
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MSmyth
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

-17 F stealth camping on top of the mountain at Snowshoe. We went though three bottles for our Mr. Heater Buddy but it really wasn't bad at all.

I had the top down, but no extra window insulation.

My wife did not find humor in that I wanted to watch Ice Station Zebra on the laptop.
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