![]() ![]() Just because you won’t be using parts of your camper like the hitches, bed slides, locks, and other moving components for a few months doesn’t mean you should let them sit dry. After the inspection, use caulk or a sealing product to close all the gaps. If you notice any gaps or holes, keep track of them, as you’ll come back to them later. To do that, start by inspecting the interior, exterior, underside, and roof of your pop up camper. From mice, rats, insects, and even bats, if you want to keep them out, you’ll have to patch up every last gap and hole. Yet if you have any holes in your vehicle, even small ones, you could be surprised to find that critters have been living in your camper all winter. The idea is that when your pop up camper is left alone for the winter, nothing or no one will get in it. It’s natural for the batteries to drain even when they’re not in use, so get into a weekly habit of checking how much juice they have left. Oh, and charge the batteries when they drop to 80 percent. ![]() Placing them on cardboard or even flat wood slabs is best so they don’t retain the coldness from bare flooring. Stash them in your house or garage, anywhere that’s away from direct sunlight. It’s recommended you bring your batteries with you for the off-season. Your batteries are not meant to be exposed to very cold weather (or very hot weather either, for that matter). Yes, those will be down to zero, but you could kill the batteries completely. When I say dead ones, we don’t mean the battery levels, either. If you leave your batteries in your vehicle during the cold season, you’re most assuredly going to come back to dead ones. It’s so important then to care for your batteries, charging them when they get low and watching your wattage on the items and appliances you use.īattery maintenance doesn’t stop when your camping adventures do for the winter. Without battery power, you aren’t enjoying any amenities. Your battery is the lifeblood of your camper. Make sure you get every vent, even the oft-forgotten ones like the hot water heater, furnace, and refrigerator vents. A tight square of the stuff over the vents should create enough of a seal that the vents are effectively closed. If your vents don’t manually open or close, then plastic wrap is about to become your new best friend. Otherwise, you’re inviting cold air into your pop up, and who knows what kind of damage it can wreak? Do you really want to find out? Probably not. It’s crucial that all the vents throughout your camper are completely shut. That can keep your hitch from rusting or corroding. This way, when it inevitably snows or rains, the liquid will move right off the hitch at an angle instead of pooling and lingering. You’ll probably keep the hitch connected to your camper during the off-season, even if it’s not hooked up to a towing vehicle.īefore you leave your camper for the winter, you’ll want to readjust the positioning of the tongue end. Okay, not your tongue per se, but your pop up camper’s tongue hitch. Get wheel blocks now! You’ll thank yourself later. You don’t want to come back to your camper to find it several inches in the mud. Eventually, the ground will begin to thaw and that hard dirt can become mud if it rains or snows. But guess what? It won’t be that cold forever. Yes, it’s true that the dirt you’re thinking of parking on is rock solid now. ![]() If you are parking your camper on any other surface besides hard concrete, you should use wheel blocks. Let’s start with a basic overlooked winterization step. That’s why it’s so important to have a comprehensive winterization checklist you can follow year to year. Im not saying that to scare you, but it’s true. Missing even a single step in a winterization routine could lead to damage and expensive camper repairs come the spring. ![]()
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