While it is certainly possible to enjoy RV travel during the winter months, there is a large percentage of RV owners who are summer-only travelers. If that title describes you perfectly, you will want to take a look at the following three tips. Consider following these three pieces of advice before you park the RV to ride out the long winter ahead.
Clear Everything Out
Unless it is actually part of the RV itself, take everything out of the rig and bring it into your garage or inside the house. By cleaning the RV out completely, you can make sure nothing gets left behind that you don’t want sitting around in the cold for the next few months. Once you have everything out of the RV, go through each item one-by-one and decide what can go back in for storage. Certain items won’t be affected by the cold temperatures, so you may as well store them in the RV for the winter to save space inside the house. However, other items are going to need to have protection from the cold, so you will need to find somewhere to store those pieces. Obviously, all food should be taken from the RV during this process as well.
Deep Cleaning
While it isn’t technically necessary to clean your RV before the winter, it sure will make it easier to use the RV when spring rolls around again. If you close up your RV while it is still dirty, it will be just as dirty (and dustier) when you are ready to use it again. Set aside a couple hours one day to sweep, vacuum, dust, etc. so that the RV is in great condition on the inside before you lock up the door for the winter. It probably won’t be a whole lot of fun to go through this task, but you will thank yourself a few months from now.
Care for the Engine
If your RV has an engine, make sure it gets the care it needs before winter arrives. Depending on the type of engine in your rig (gas or diesel), you may want to provide it with various types of ‘winterizing’ care. If you aren’t sure what kind of care would be appropriate for your rig, ask at your local dealership or even contact the manufacturer directly. Sitting out in the cold for months at a time without running the engine could potentially be damaging to the RV, and you don’t want to start off next vacation season by having to take the rig into the mechanic for service. Learn how to prepare your RV engine for the cold weather and you can save yourself a big headache (and a big expense) down the line.
You certainly would rather be traveling in your RV than preparing it for winter, but these chores can go a long way toward helping you get the best from your rig.
