For most people, RV season is during the summer, when you camp by the lakes and beaches or take in historical sites. But for others, RV season never ends—not even when the frigid winter begins.
That said, when living in your RV during the winter, not just any vehicle will do. Most travel trailers lack the proper insulation needed for intense cold. Winter RVing requires the best cold-weather RVs made for extreme temperatures.
Fortunately, there are manufacturers that make these specialized RVs. This way, you can stay warm and cozy inside, even when there’s a snowstorm outside. Interested? If so, read on, because in this article we’ll look at nine of the best RVs for extreme cold.
What To Look For When Buying Cold-Weather RVs
For RV lovers, the summer never seems to be long enough. Luckily though, with two simple keywords, you can quickly get an RV ready to venture to Antarctica.
What you need to search for is an “arctic package.” This is where the manufacturer upgrades the insulation and heating so you won’t wake up with icicles on the inside of your windows. Or worse, on your bed sheets.
Depending on your current model, you might be able to get it updated to an arctic package. But if you can’t, there are RVs specifically made to fit these cold temperatures. These are also fit to drive on icy roads, through harsh wind and snowy weather.
Most of these RVs will have insulation throughout the whole trailer and extra padding around the windows. In the long run, you’ll notice how this preserves energy and saves you money.
Some models may even have heated mattresses to keep the bed warm, as well as heated floors. You can also find those with extra powerful furnaces.
Additionally, you should add extra blankets, winterize the tires, bring emergency road flares and extra food and water.
Still, if you’re thinking about spending your first winter in an RV, rent one out before buying. You could always rent before the temperature drops too much and see how it holds up. Then, as the colder months come around, you can make the ideal purchase.
Before heading out, make sure that you’ve prepared your vehicle and trailer for winter roads.
Best Cold-Weather RVs Comparison
Let’s dive in a bit deeper and review each RV individually:
🏆Forest River – Arctic Wolf
Forest River has yet again blessed us with a collection of fantastic trailers. The Arctic Wolf collection features seven different large travel trailer floorplans.
The lightest has a gross vehicle weight rating of around 9000 pounds. It measures 31 feet in length and is 96 inches wide. The largest weighs in at just over 10,000 pounds with an impressive size at 36 feet and 96 inches wide.
The floor plans feature slide-out options to give you some more space once you’ve arrived at your destination. Additionally, they’re all equipped with luxury amenities.
Including an entertainment center, a large bath, a finished kitchen, and plenty of sleeping options.
All of the floor plans come with options and upgrades fit for life on the road during frigid temperatures. Forest River lets you choose between two packages— the Arctic Package and Extreme Weather.
Here are some of the main features:
Arctic Package
In the Arctic Package you get:
- 40-inch dinette drawers.
- Options for a backup camera.
- Blackout roller shades.
- Black tank flush.
- An entry-door friction hinge.
- Entertainment system.
- Large grab handles on the exterior (foldable).
- Hot and cold outside shower.
- Exterior-TV bracket hookups.
- Large pantry.
- Solar prep and wiring.
- Windows by the upper bunks.
Extreme Weather Package
This package includes:
- A 35,000 BTU furnace.
- Enhanced fiberglass.
- Enclosed underbelly with heating.
- Ceiling fan.
- Insulated upper deck.
- Racetrack ducted air condition unit.
- Enhanced arctic insulation.
If you’re planning on traveling far north during the winter, the Extreme Weather package might be the best option. It provides you with a powerful furnace and lots of heating and insulation.
For a visual of one of these trailers, take a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XbOsplJr78
Jayco – 2018 Eagle 327CKTS
If you’re looking for a fully-loaded fifth wheel, then the Jayco Eagle 327CKTS is what you need. Jayco made sure to include all the features you need to stay warm during your winter travels.
Its unloaded trailer weight is just over 10,000 pounds. It has a total exterior length of 38 feet, 4 inches and a width of 96 inches.
The trailer features three slide-out options—one for the kitchen and an L-shaped couch. Across from that, you have the second slide-out with two recliners and a dining table, fitted with four chairs. The last one is for the queen size bed.
The kitchen is large and fully equipped, with plenty of countertop space, due to its peninsula design. This even gives you enough room to prep for a Christmas dinner.
To keep you warm, Jayco gives you a high-BTU output furnace plus a 5,000 BTU electric heater. The undercarriage is insulated and heated to protect from the freezing outdoor temperatures. The trailer also has a heat-radiating LED fireplace.
On the inside, there’s a ceiling fan. And yes, this will also come in handy during the winter as you can use it to distribute the heat more efficiently.
Jayco also took it one step further and equipped the trailer with Climate Shield™, a weather protection measure. It includes double-sided radiant barrier insulation and double layer fiberglass with batt insulation
To prevent any breakage in the water system, Jayco installed PEX plumbing throughout. This system is unyielding to the frosts which would affect copper or plastic pipes during the winter.
For a quick walkthrough, feel free to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Bj7PWMNvk
Jayco – 2018 Redhawk 26XD
If you think a motorhome is more up your alley, then take a look at the Jayco Redhawk.
This is a Class C motorhome with six different floor plans. Today, however, we’ll focus on the Redhawk 26XD. With a weight of 14,500 pounds, this motorhome has everything you’ll need.
The 26XD is wide, measuring approximately 100 inches. It features two slide-outs—one for the walk-around queen sized bed and the other for the dinette and sofa. The motorhome also has a compact length of 28 feet 3 inches.
This Redhawk is perfect for the winter. It has a spacious kitchen for cooking up comfort food. It also has tons of storage space, where you can pack all your winter equipment.
You’ll also get plenty of sleeping options. There’s a large queen-sized bed, bunk bed, large sofa, and a convertible dinette. If you want to bring your friends for the annual skiing trip, there will be enough room.
Similar to the Eagle above, Jayco made sure to include the right insulation. Let’s start with the holding tanks. These feature 12-volt heating pads to keep them from freezing.
The walls have thick bead foam insulation to ensure that no heat escapes. There is a 31,000 BTU furnace fitted, with a thermostat on the wall and automatic ignition.
For the colder nights, Jayco also included a 42-pound propane tank and an Onan 4,000-watt MicroQuiet generator.
For a visual tour, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDnrYtMEq-A
Heartland – Bighorn 3160 Elite
We can’t make a list of the best cold-weather RVs without mentioning Heartland.
Their collection of Bighorns gives you plenty of floor plans to choose from. But today, we’ll look at the Bighorn 3160 Elite.
The Bighorn 3160 Elite has a dry weight of 12,185 pounds; certainly not a lightweight trailer. But in return, it gives you 36 feet, 5 inches of length and a width of 8 feet
It has three slide-outs, giving you a large open kitchen with a feature island and sink. You’ll get two roomy couches, a dining table for two, a large bath, and a spacious bedroom at the front.
Heartland also made sure to provide you with loads of storage, with a large wardrobe. So feel free to bring all your winter essentials
Another fantastic thing about this trailer is all the windows. When the snow begins to fall outside, you can quietly sit and enjoy the view.
To keep you comfortable, Heartland fitted the Bighorn trailers with an insulated, in-roof air conditioning duct system. You’ll also get a powerful furnace that runs at 42,000 BTUs, as well as below-floor heating.
The whole trailer is well insulated, from the roof to the underbelly, where you’ll find more heating.
To make sure you arrive safely, the trailer also has heavy-duty, G rated, 16-inch tires. These are some of the strongest you can get for fifth wheel trailers.
Heartland also made sure to keep your water system safe. They included plumb-PLEX water lines and a quick winterization system.
Watch this video for a closer look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tB2T6-zRC8
Northwood – Arctic Fox 992
The Northwood Arctic Fox is undoubtedly one of the most popular truck campers out there. It comes in a couple of different floor plans, but we’ll discuss the 992 here.
This truck camper is all-inclusive. It gives you everything you need for the harsh winter, wherever you’ll be traveling. The Arctic Fox 992 features one slide-out option, where you get a dinette and an optional bunk.
As you enter, you’ll find the small kitchen. Now, this isn’t big, but they do give you a double sink and a three-burner stovetop.
You will also get a small bathroom with all the essentials, such as a shower, toilet, sink, and storage. At the front, there’s a step up to the sleeping quarters. This area is probably the coziest on the camper.
A large bed, measuring 58 x 80 inches, is surrounded by windows and lots of storage. This is perfect for snuggling on the colder mornings while you enjoy the view outside.
The dry weight of the camper is approximately 3,235 pounds, with a total length of 17 feet 10 inches. The indoor floor length is only 10 feet 2 inches, but it’s still large for a truck camper.
Additionally, Northwood insulated the whole camper with four-season foam insulation. So if you want to, you can use it all year round. But to keep you warm, they included a 20,000 BTU auto ignition furnace, alongside heated holding tanks to avoid malfunctions.
For a sneaky peak, feel free to watch this video from Northwood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3esbzcl5EUk
Lance – 1995 Travel Trailer
Lance has become renowned for its four-season travel trailers. For nearly all its truck campers, travel trailers, and fifth wheels, the company includes an optional All Weather Package.
This will allow you to use the trailer all year round, no matter how cold or hot it gets outside.
The 4 Season All Weather Package includes easy winterization, insulated hatch covers, dual-pane windows and much more.
Let’s focus on their 1995 travel trailer. Now, don’t let the name confuse you, this trailer is not from the year 1995. It’s far more modern and actually comes with a lot of luxuries.
In this trailer, you find everything you’ll need. This includes a spacious bath, a walk-around queen bed, a u-shaped dinette, and an open kitchen. The u-shaped dinette sits on the slide-out, which really opens up the whole trailer.
This travel trailer has a towable dry weight of 4,265 pounds. It also has a humble length of 19 feet 2 inches.
But one of the best features is all the extra storage—I mean, you get three wardrobes. I know I’m mentioning storage a lot today, but winter clothes and gear take up much more space than summer essentials.
Furthermore, in the All Weather Package, you’ll get something called Azdel insulation. This is a thermoplastic material that, in this case, replaces the usual wood used in the walls.
Azdel will improve the insulation as well as preventing a buildup of mildew, rot, and mold.
If you’re wondering what the dual-pane windows are, these are specially insulated windows that keep all the heat inside. But, when the weather outside becomes too hot, they also prevent the heat from seeping indoors.
Another neat feature to prevent the heat from escaping is the insulated hatch covers. Additionally, because of their snap-on fitting, they are super easy to put on and take off.
For a visual on this travel trailer, take a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5dh51w7P4
Jayco – Seismic 4114
If you’re planning on bringing along some toys to enjoy the winter wonderland, then take a closer look at this trailer. The Jayco Seismic 4114 is your perfect winter toy hauler.
This toy hauler has an incredible length of 45 feet, where you can pretty much fit the whole family.
At the back of the trailer, you’ll find the garage where you can easily load up the snowmobiles. But, if you’re towing with the in-laws, you can also use it as a second bedroom. There’s a queen bed, which converts into two large sofas during the day.
The floor in the garage has 2-inch block-foam insulation to keep toes warm. There’s also a wall-mounted TV and extra storage space.
Throughout the whole trailer, the Climate Shield™ insulation package keeps the cold weather outside. To heat the trailer inside, there’s a 40,000 BTU auto-ignition furnace controlled by a digital thermostat.
To accommodate all the passengers’ luggage, Jayco included basement storage, that’s also both heated and insulated.
Additionally, to keep the rest of the trailer warm, they included high-performance tech-foil insulation. There are thermal-pane safety glass windows that will readily improve energy efficiency.
The features in this trailer are endless, but to wrap it up, I’d like to mention the electric fireplace and the high-end sofa. While you get warm near the fire, you can enjoy a relaxing massage provided by your seat.
If you want to see just how spacious this trailer is, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9j7TF9oyJk
Heartland – Landmark 365 Lafayette
Before wrapping up, I had to include another Heartland. This time, it’s from the Landmark collection of fifth wheels.
This Landmark 365 Lafayette is perfect for the luxury RV Christmas getaway. The trailer weighs in at just 15,955 pounds and you’ll get a decent length of 42 feet 10 inches. Needless to say, there’s plenty of room for a Christmas tree.
The layout of the trailer is a bit different, since the bedroom and bath are in the back, whereas the living space is at the front. This gives the feeling of full luxury while on the road.
At the rear, you have a full bath with a large shower, plenty of space and storage options. The bedroom features a king-sized bed. Across from the bed, you have a large TV and plenty of wardrobe space.
Walking toward the front, you step down into the kitchen/dining area. Here you find a double-door refrigerator and a kitchen island with sink.
As a standard, you’ll get a third 15,000 BTU air condition, a 5,100 BTU heater/fireplace, and a 45,000 BTU Whisper Quiet air conditioner.
For winter RVing, you can choose the Yeti Extreme Cold Weather Package. This gives you all the insulation you need to keep warm and heat pumps for all the air conditioning units.
Conclusion
For winter RVing, you will need some extra insulation and additional heating systems to stay warm. Luckily, as we just saw above, there are many RVs that are more than capable of keeping you cozy.
Spending your winter in an RV is an exceptional experience that you’ll likely never forget. We hope that you appreciated our list and found it helpful.
If you have experience of a winter vacation in a cold-weather RV, please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to share the article.
