We often camp with our Scamp 19 in northern Michigan in the early and late season when temps can seriously dip (read 30's) at night. If we have 110 available, we have a ceramic heater which works nicely to keep us warm but is relatively noisy and cycles off and on. If temps dip quite low we use an oil-filled radiant heater which does a better job of keeping the temperature constantly comfortable and is totally quiet at night.
If we're off-grid (which we are most of the time), the propane furnace does a good job of providing intermittent warmth until we go to bed and blast to warm us up in the morning after it's been off all night. Without this option, we'd be bloody cold sometimes. But you have to have some method of replacing the amps used by the furnace - solar or generator.
We were in Yellowstone one early June and woke in the morning to a refrigerator temperature of 38° and an interior trailer temperature of 32°. Anticipate where you'll be traveling and outfit accordingly.
I awoke to an interior temperature of 23 degrees a few years ago while camping at Joshua Trees NP. There was an icicle about 6 inches long hanging from the water faucet. I couldn't get the propane to flow so nothing worked, no furnace and no stove, even the generator wouldn't start. I cranked up the Jeep and left.
There are no hookups at Joshua Trees. I sleep under multiple down comforters in cold weather. So had I known the temps would have dropped that low, I would have had the furnace set very low just to keep the chill off. Then I could have boosted the temp. up in the morning. I rarely use the furnace but it nice to have. I do carry a small electric ceramic heater and use it when hooked up or when running the generator.
Since you have no furnace, I'd purchase a propane heater. You could get a Little Buddy or whatever they are called, they are free standing. I think if you have the room to mount a propane heater on a wall that's what I'd do. There are several different ones you can get and simply have someone run a propane line to it. Check with a local RV repair shop.
23° + icicle sounds like no contest!
I've considered propane heaters, but this is the only one I've met that is vented to the outside which would make me feel far less at risk than unvented.
We'll hope to add Joshua Tree to our next venture out west.
We're headed out this week for some northern Michigan camping with possibility of snow, but we'll have a sissy electric site.
Putting in rough dimensions for a 16 which would be 13x6x6, width and height are a few inches short, it calculated approx 13000 btu's. Considering RV furnaces are about 60-70% efficient then Scamp has it wired on the furnace they install.
Just for a quick get away, Lilly and I hitched up to our 13 footer and made a 100 mile drive to one of our state parks yesterday. The temp dropped to the mid 40's and the little ceramic heated did just fine. We left the campground about 8 A.M. and drop to the farm.
We decided to have lunch in the camper at the farm. The farm was a bit out of the way. We have no power hook up at the farm, so we started the Suburban furnace. The heat was very comforting and the lunch was great.
We use both the on board heater and a small ceramic heater we bring with us. We over night at major truck stop stations and sure welcome the onboard heater when it gets cold! We sure enjoy both.
I have never liked the forced air furnaces in a camper. I never used the furnace in my last scamp and my on order 16 foot deluxe was ordered without a furnace. I have used a Camco Olympic in my last motor home and will install one in my new scamp. The small Olympic uses 1/8 of a pound of propane an hour, it is radiant heat and feels wonderful. It can be surface mounted or free standing, something to consider, and by the way no electricity needed.
We picked up our new 13 Std. on 3-30-16. It has a furnace and (2) propane tanks and a larger battery. It was below freezing and there weren't many camp grounds open, however, we did find 2 that were. We tried using a small electric, it would heat the upper interior space well, but the lower space was downright chilly. We sat it on the floor and it became comfortable, but the heat was absorbed and the sleeping area never really became comfortable.
That was our electric heater experience, perhaps we needed two heaters. We had better comfort using the factory furnace. For us the furnace wins.
BTW, we were not using any of the water tanks,I thought that was too risky,
I was on a trip to Florida and stopped at a rest area in GA and the temp was in the 30's... I got in the camper and turned on the furnace and slept comfortable till morning...
PS: I normally use a tiny electrical heater with full hookup but at a rest area (you’re on your own) I use DC and Propane heat…
Picked up my 13' in Backus on Feb. 29th (2016). It was sunny, blue sky and 5°. The furnace was worth every penny paid when I stopped for the night at a rest area west of Bismarck, ND. At 14°, I started up the furnace for the first time, thankfully I had gotten some yardage of rat fur and made a nicely insulated sleeping bag for the Shepherd, and it only took me seconds to get under the down comforter! That heat felt sooooo good! Turned it off at 34° and went to sleep, waking several times and running the furnace a bit. The second night at a rest area near Bozeman, MT, it was a balmy 21° and again, VERY happy I'd ordered the furnace!
We often camp with our Scamp 19 in northern Michigan in the early and late season when temps can seriously dip (read 30's) at night. If we have 110 available, we have a ceramic heater which works nicely to keep us warm but is relatively noisy and cycles off and on. If temps dip quite low we use an oil-filled radiant heater which does a better job of keeping the temperature constantly comfortable and is totally quiet at night.
If we're off-grid (which we are most of the time), the propane furnace does a good job of providing intermittent warmth until we go to bed and blast to warm us up in the morning after it's been off all night. Without this option, we'd be bloody cold sometimes. But you have to have some method of replacing the amps used by the furnace - solar or generator.
We were in Yellowstone one early June and woke in the morning to a refrigerator temperature of 38° and an interior trailer temperature of 32°. Anticipate where you'll be traveling and outfit accordingly.
Gotcha beat....
I awoke to an interior temperature of 23 degrees a few years ago while camping at Joshua Trees NP. There was an icicle about 6 inches long hanging from the water faucet. I couldn't get the propane to flow so nothing worked, no furnace and no stove, even the generator wouldn't start. I cranked up the Jeep and left.
There are no hookups at Joshua Trees. I sleep under multiple down comforters in cold weather. So had I known the temps would have dropped that low, I would have had the furnace set very low just to keep the chill off. Then I could have boosted the temp. up in the morning. I rarely use the furnace but it nice to have. I do carry a small electric ceramic heater and use it when hooked up or when running the generator.
Since you have no furnace, I'd purchase a propane heater. You could get a Little Buddy or whatever they are called, they are free standing. I think if you have the room to mount a propane heater on a wall that's what I'd do. There are several different ones you can get and simply have someone run a propane line to it. Check with a local RV repair shop.
Joy A. & Olive
2001 13 Scamp "Puff"
Full-timer
2019 1500 Ram Longhorn
SOI #168
Joy A & Lily, too -
23° + icicle sounds like no contest!
I've considered propane heaters, but this is the only one I've met that is vented to the outside which would make me feel far less at risk than unvented.
We'll hope to add Joshua Tree to our next venture out west.
We're headed out this week for some northern Michigan camping with possibility of snow, but we'll have a sissy electric site.
Using BTU calculator http://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html?roomwidth=6&roomwidthunit=feet&roomlength=13&roomlengthunit=feet&ceilingheight=6&ceilingheightunit=feet&insulation=poor&temperature=50&temperatureunit=f&calctype=heat&x=57&y=9
Putting in rough dimensions for a 16 which would be 13x6x6, width and height are a few inches short, it calculated approx 13000 btu's. Considering RV furnaces are about 60-70% efficient then Scamp has it wired on the furnace they install.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
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Just for a quick get away, Lilly and I hitched up to our 13 footer and made a 100 mile drive to one of our state parks yesterday. The temp dropped to the mid 40's and the little ceramic heated did just fine. We left the campground about 8 A.M. and drop to the farm.
We decided to have lunch in the camper at the farm. The farm was a bit out of the way. We have no power hook up at the farm, so we started the Suburban furnace. The heat was very comforting and the lunch was great.
BobH.
We use both the on board heater and a small ceramic heater we bring with us. We over night at major truck stop stations and sure welcome the onboard heater when it gets cold! We sure enjoy both.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
I have never liked the forced air furnaces in a camper. I never used the furnace in my last scamp and my on order 16 foot deluxe was ordered without a furnace. I have used a Camco Olympic in my last motor home and will install one in my new scamp. The small Olympic uses 1/8 of a pound of propane an hour, it is radiant heat and feels wonderful. It can be surface mounted or free standing, something to consider, and by the way no electricity needed.
We picked up our new 13 Std. on 3-30-16. It has a furnace and (2) propane tanks and a larger battery. It was below freezing and there weren't many camp grounds open, however, we did find 2 that were. We tried using a small electric, it would heat the upper interior space well, but the lower space was downright chilly. We sat it on the floor and it became comfortable, but the heat was absorbed and the sleeping area never really became comfortable.
That was our electric heater experience, perhaps we needed two heaters. We had better comfort using the factory furnace. For us the furnace wins.
BTW, we were not using any of the water tanks,I thought that was too risky,
BobH. one of the Scamper Campers.
I was on a trip to Florida and stopped at a rest area in GA and the temp was in the 30's... I got in the camper and turned on the furnace and slept comfortable till morning...
PS: I normally use a tiny electrical heater with full hookup but at a rest area (you’re on your own) I use DC and Propane heat…
Picked up my 13' in Backus on Feb. 29th (2016). It was sunny, blue sky and 5°. The furnace was worth every penny paid when I stopped for the night at a rest area west of Bismarck, ND. At 14°, I started up the furnace for the first time, thankfully I had gotten some yardage of rat fur and made a nicely insulated sleeping bag for the Shepherd, and it only took me seconds to get under the down comforter! That heat felt sooooo good! Turned it off at 34° and went to sleep, waking several times and running the furnace a bit. The second night at a rest area near Bozeman, MT, it was a balmy 21° and again, VERY happy I'd ordered the furnace!
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