winter camping?

ddig

Member
I have been looking at an MPG 183 listed for sale in my town. We like it, but here are two concerns:

1. Winter camping. I dream about winter camping when going skiing at Mt Bachelor in Oregon. This will be dry camping for 1-2 nights at a time; the Mt Bachelor allows RVs on their parking lot, but there are no hookups at all. The night temperatures can easily drop in 10-20s. Has anybody been camping with the MPG in winter when doing snow sports?

2. My vehicle is a Chrysler Town & Country, which can tow 3,500 lbs. I thought that I should be safe to tow the MPG 183 since its dry weight is around 2,800 lbs. I think that I would not fill up with water when I am on the road, but after reading the thread on this forum: //heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/51189-Considering-the-MPG-183-but-now-concerned I am concerned now about whether I'll be able to tow with my minivan. I see that the shipping weight of the MPG 183 is 3,800 lbs, can somebody explain to me why is there a 1,000 lbs difference (3,800-2,800) and what does this mean practically for my towing scenario?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi ddig,

With respect to winter camping, I think you'd have to plan on dry camping. While I'm not familiar with the specs on MPGs, I'd be very surprised if the water lines, water pump, or holding tanks were protected from sub-freezing temps. Running the furnace requires a fair amount of battery power, so you'd either need a generator to recharge the battery for a few hours each day, or keep your trips pretty short.
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
I have been looking at an MPG 183 listed for sale in my town. We like it, but here are two concerns:

1. Winter camping. I dream about winter camping when going skiing at Mt Bachelor in Oregon. This will be dry camping for 1-2 nights at a time; the Mt Bachelor allows RVs on their parking lot, but there are no hookups at all. The night temperatures can easily drop in 10-20s. Has anybody been camping with the MPG in winter when doing snow sports?

2. My vehicle is a Chrysler Town & Country, which can tow 3,500 lbs. I thought that I should be safe to tow the MPG 183 since its dry weight is around 2,800 lbs. I think that I would not fill up with water when I am on the road, but after reading the thread on this forum: //heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/51189-Considering-the-MPG-183-but-now-concerned I am concerned now about whether I'll be able to tow with my minivan. I see that the shipping weight of the MPG 183 is 3,800 lbs, can somebody explain to me why is there a 1,000 lbs difference (3,800-2,800) and what does this mean practically for my towing scenario?
Advertised dry weight is before any accessories are added such as A/C, filled propane tanks, hitch, battery, television, spare tire and so on. In my opinion a front wheel drive anything is not the best choice for a tow vehicle, but a lot of people use them...Don
 

Lynn1130

Well-known member
The trips will have to be very short because one 12 volt battery will probably not last a night with the heater running in subfreezing temps.
 

Tombstonejim

Well-known member
I do not own a MPG. But I have done lots of winter skiing at Crystal Mountain and Mt Hood with a motorhome. You will need a generator. No amount of batteries will run the heater for that amount of time. I always used my micro wave and hot water when parked for skiing. So a generator was a must. Crystal and some of the other places have electric hooks up. That's the way to go. A couple of the small cube electric heaters will keep every thing working and an electric blanket is just heaven.
 
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