Can you go camping in the winter?
Absolutely! But it does take a little bit of extra preparation and precaution. After all, being hot in the summer time is uncomfortable and all… but sub-freezing temperatures can literally kill you.
Not to worry, though! So long as you bring lots of warm clothes, plenty of extra cozy blankets, and maybe a space heater or two — and, of course, you make sure to fully winterize your RV — a family winter camping trip is totally possible. In fact, winter is one of our favorite times to camp! After all, when else can you follow up a snowball fight with a cuddle session on your RV’s cozy couch?
Extreme Winter Camping
Now, if you’re a little more extreme, you may be thinking about cold weather camping in tents, not motorhomes. This can be a little trickier.
You’ll definitely want to invest in one of the warmest sleeping bags out there, made specifically for serious low-temperatures, such as the KingCamp Adult Mummy-Style sleeping bag rated for temperatures down to 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Image via Amazon
There are also four-season, cold weather camping tents with extra insulation to help shield you from the chilly elements, as well as winter camping tent heaters to up the ante even more. Sub-freezing temperatures are no joke, so it’s best not to take any chances if you’re going to try to sleep under the winter stars.
Best RV for Winter Camping
Obviously, however, the best way to stay warm during winter camping — and our favorite, if we’re being honest — is to camp in a motorhome or travel trailer. It certainly is nice to have a real bed to curl up into when the weather outside is just a little bit frightful!
Now, when it comes to the best campers and travel trailers for winter camping, it’s true that anything with four walls is going to be warmer than a tent — even a good tent. But in order to ensure your RV’s systems stay in good, working order throughout your venture, it’s important to choose an RV designed for four-season weather.
Four-season recreational vehicles have extra insulation not just in the cabin walls, but also around the sensitive machinery in their underbellies. that will help keep vital components from freezing and breaking when temperatures get seriously low.
Of course, even in the best-insulated rigs, it’s a good idea to take some extra precautions just to be sure, such as winterizing your RV’s water system with RV antifreeze.
Winter Camping Locations
Now that you know a little bit more about how to prepare for your camping trip, let’s backtrack a little bit… where are you planning to go?
Whether you’re looking to experience a full-on whitewashed winter landscape or you’re planning to drive through some wintery climes on your way to a warmer destination, there’s no shortage of amazing places to go and things to see during the coldest months of the year.
Your Rand McNally Road Atlas is always a prime resource, of course, as is the National Park Service, which keeps each park’s website updated as to accessibility and weather-related restrictions. If you’re looking for some more specific advice, we’ve compiled a few lists to help get your wheels turning — literally!
Best Winter Camping Gear
Once you’ve got a destination in mind, your route all mapped out, and you’ve called ahead to ensure there are campgrounds open to accept you and your rig at all the stops along the way, the only thing left to do is to ensure you’ve packed your rig accordingly. There are certain pieces of winter camping gear you definitely don’t want to leave home without!
For instance, a winterized emergency kit with cold-weather extras like thermal blankets and a windshield ice scraper can transform a full-on crisis into just a bump in the road. You also want to make sure you always have plenty of extra nonperishable food and drinking water on board. Even the most prepared camper and cautious camper might find herself stuck in winter, and keeping warm and energized are key to escaping the situation unscathed!
Finally, always remember that when you’re driving and camping your RV in the winter, you’re adding additional safety risks into the equation. Nothing in life is without risk, of course, and by proceeding with caution and stocking your rig with all the things you need, you can make winter camping almost as safe as your summer trip. Always be sure to drive slowly and cautiously, obeying any local laws about tire chains or other cold-weather vehicular add-ons. Finally, don’t forget: if you don’t feel comfortable, you can always pull over and stop! In winter as at all other times, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Enjoy your winter camping trip, RVers! Where are you headed?
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
— is to camp in a motorhome or travel trailer. It certainly is nice to have a real bed to curl up into when the weather outside is just a little bit frightful!
Now, when it comes to the best campers and travel trailers for winter camping, it’s true that anything with four walls is going to be warmer than a tent — even a good tent. But in order to ensure your RV’s systems stay in good, working order throughout your venture, it’s important to choose an RV designed for four-season weather.
Four-season recreational vehicles have extra insulation not just in the cabin walls, but also around the sensitive machinery in their underbellies. that will help keep vital components from freezing and breaking when temperatures get seriously low.
Of course, even in the best-insulated rigs, it’s a good idea to take some extra precautions just to be sure, such as winterizing your RV’s water system with RV antifreeze.
— is to camp in a motorhome or travel trailer. It certainly is nice to have a real bed to curl up into when the weather outside is just a little bit frightful!
Now, when it comes to the best campers and travel trailers for winter camping, it’s true that anything with four walls is going to be warmer than a tent — even a good tent. But in order to ensure your RV’s systems stay in good, working order throughout your venture, it’s important to choose an RV designed for four-season weather.
Four-season recreational vehicles have extra insulation not just in the cabin walls, but also around the sensitive machinery in their underbellies. that will help keep vital components from freezing and breaking when temperatures get seriously low.
Of course, even in the best-insulated rigs, it’s a good idea to take some extra precautions just to be sure, such as winterizing your RV’s water system with RV antifreeze.
