Top 10 tips for winter campervan adventures

Campervan ownership is for the whole year- not just for the summer months.

We love all aspects of our campervan adventures. Just as we love the warmer months of sitting out side the van watching the sun set with a cold beer in hand, in a very different way we love the coziness of hunkering down in the van after a long day out in the icy winter wilds. Winter camping is obviously very different to camping in the warmer months, but it is no less rewarding. As long as you are prepared for those differences there is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy campervan adventures for the full 12 months of the year.

Keeping the van warm.

As long as you pay due regard to appropriate insulation, we have found that we have rarely needed the added warmth provided by a winter heater. We have an LPG heater, but have only found the need to use it on sub zero days, and then only for a few minutes to warm the van up- any thing more than that makes the heat oppressive. We certainly have never felt the need to run the heater overnight.

What you do need however is a good thermal solution for the windows in the van. These leak heat like no tomorrow and can be the difference between a good experience, and a cold and wet experience through excessive condensation build up.

On our side and rear windows we have Vanshades thermal blackout blinds fitted. They are more expensive than curtains, but provide a complete insulation and blackout solution- keeping the van cool and dark in summer and warm in winter. We have had them from the start and they are fantastic- with the added benefit of amazing customer service when we experience a minor problem with one blind a few years ago.

The front windscreen solution is a complex one. In calm weather we use a Rainbow thermal external cover and we love it. It keeps the van extremely dark and warm in winter and cool in summer. However, in the depths of wild winter storms, we have become increasingly dissatisfied with its performance. In high winds, the Velcro fixings just do not cope and we have had far too many windy nights, having to go out into the storm and repeatedly refix the cover- normally for it to blow loose again, and again.

Our alternative on windy nights is to use internal thermal cab blinds that suction cup onto the windows. These are by far less effective at keeping the van warm and you can noticeably feel the temperature difference, but they do not blow away! In addition, in the morning, the condensation problem is significantly worse with internal blinds due to their inferior thermal properties.

We now travel with both sets of blinds in winter, accepting the extra storage space cost, but ensuring that we have the best solution for the conditions that we face.

A duct board

We pinched this concept from a very wet campsite in the Lauterbrunnen region of Switzerland that provided these boards free of charge. They are basically a solid doormat/step that keeps your feet out of the wet and mud before entering the van. Ours is a one off design that my Dad made for us years ago out of English Oak. In winter we would not be without it as it keeps so much muck and mud out of the van.

Storage crates

We have two stackable crates that will fit under the van that we use to keep all our stuff in when we are out and about, rather than it cluttering up the valuable internal space in the van. We use one for extra food provisions and drinks for particularly extended trips when we know we need to be self sufficient, and the other for all of our campfire fuel and kit. This has been a relation this winter, making our winter adventures much more organised and stress free. The boxes are cheap and plastic- but have watertight lids that keeps everything safe and dry.

Internal lights

Winter nights are long and dark, particularly the further north you go. This puts an added strain on the leisure batteries of the van if you don’t have any alternatives. We use a set of battery powered fairy lights fixed permanently into the van ceiling. In addition we also have a range of candles that we enjoy burning on an evening, providing a little heat at the same time as soft natural lighting. Our latest addition is a low power light that runs off a USB socket- taking a tiny amount of power from the battery compared to the main LCD van lighting system.

Entertainment

When out in the back and beyond, digital entertainment is often not on the agenda due to lack of phone signal. With the long dark nights, you have to have plenty of non-digital entertainment to hand. We spend a lot of time reading and listening to music on a small Bluetooth speaker. Jackie loves physical books, and tends to swap them in community facilities when she is done with them. I am a Kindle convert, although I do still prefer to read physical books. The convenience of being able to carry your virtual library with you on the kindle is a major selling point in a campervan where storage space is at such a premium.

A cheeky addition that we would recommend to anyone who likes magazines is a subscription to Readily- an online magazine service that allows unlimited digital access to a huge catalogue of publications for a small monthly fee. All magazines are downloadable via their app, so our iPad provides an endless stream of reading- even when there is no data signal. This monthly subscription saves us loads of money in comparison to buying the physical magazines.

One of our latest purchases has been a mini backgammon set, which provides hours of pre-dinner entertainment as the food cooks on the dark nights.

Bedding

We are not massive fans of using sleeping bags in our campervan. We much prefer the home like comforts of a good quality duvet and pillows. Throughout the year, we have a duvalet mattress topper that rolls out over our rock and roll bed in the van. In winter, we go for a heavier weight duvet, with the additional option to add blankets on top. Our van is well insulated, but we have camped down to -5 degrees C and we have never had to use the night heater or anything more than a duvet with one additional blanket. If it is really cold, we also sleep in out merino base layers, but it has to be very cold to have to resort to these lengths.

Clothing

There is one certainty in winter, and that is it will be colder and wetter than the summer. It is really important that you have enough clothing and appropriate clothing to keep you warm and dry in whatever the weather. This can be quite challenging- but we have a few hacks that work for us:

• Invest in a good set of waterproofs. They don’t have to be the all singing and dancing Gortex, but they do have to keep the wind and rain out. We have been quite dismissive of waterproof trousers in the past, until we realised that in real downpours, waterproof jackets drain water onto your legs- you can end up soaked to the skin simply from the rain that runs off your jacket.

• Find a layering system that works for you to keep you warm. We have come to love merino base layers- they keep you warm in winter, cool in summer and can stand days of continual use without smelling. On top of that we have a range of mid layers that range from sweaters, to fleeces to lightweight jackets. On top of that we have our wind and waterproof layer.

• Have footwear that will cope with the conditions. A revolution from our most recent trip to Scotland has been Jackie’s wellies. The underfoot conditions in Scotland is sooooo wet, even quality walking boots struggle to cope- the answer to this is simply wellies- easy to slip on and off, easy to rinse off and no need for drying out overnight- winner winner.

Condensation solutions

We haven’t got the answer to this yet in our campervan. As the days get colder, the condensation issues get worse due to the temperature differential between inside and outside the van. Insulation does help a lot, as does the use of external cab blinds, but condensation is a constant challenge.

To get rid of it in a morning, we have a simple solution of a microfibre cloth that collects up most of the moisture, followed by a microfibre/chamois pad that does a final dry of the glass surfaces.

If anyone has any better solutions that solve this problem please let us know.

Outdoor fire pit

There is something very comforting about an open fire as the sun starts to set. Phycologists suggest that it is in our evolutionary genes that we still take comfort from the warmth and the soft light of an open fire on an evening. Similarly, there is something quite primal about coming together at the end of a day and gathering around a campfire- not to mention the potential for toasting marshmallows… and don’t get us started on the joy of s’mores!

We indulged ourselves with a very posh SnowPeaks fire pit when we retired. It was the best retirement gift that we received and we continue to use it as much as possible. Rarely have we lit a fire and regretted it. Even if it is blowing a hoolie and is really cold, having a fire is a lovely activity to do. It may not be practical, or economical, but it brings us joy so it has value in our lives.

Coins & small change

Even though the world seems to be progressing towards a cashless society, trust us, cash remains king in more remote locations. We have lost track of the number of times we have been scrambling around for change for a parking ticket. Often rural parking machines that accept app based payments do not have any phone signal to either download the app, or make the payment! We have taken to always having a bag of change that we keep in the van for such eventualities. You will be amazed at how quickly you can get through £20 of pound coins!

Be prepared to wild camp

In winter, wherever you choose to travel, you will find that campsites are much more restricted. Most campsites tend to close towards the end of October and reopen in the spring. Campsites that stay open all year long are quite limited. To get around this, you must be prepared to wild camp if you are wanting the freedom to fully explore a particular area.

Wild camping is considerably easier in the winter as there are less vans around looking for spaces, and often areas that are more limited in the summer become much more accepting of wild camping in the off season. We have found that a cycle of 2 nights wild camping followed by a night on a campsite works best for us. This allows us the freedom to travel wildly, but also the periodic luxury of hot showers, loos, water fill up points and EHU to top up our power needs.