Top Ten Tips for Surviving the Snowpocalypse in an RV

As it would turn out, the very first winter we try fulltime RVing is Maryland’s worst winter on record. We have had not one, not two, but three — count ‘em, three — massive snowstorms in less than two months. In fact, we’re in the middle of storm #3 right now, and storm #2 was just this past weekend. We’ve also had several minor snows, the latest of which was about a week ago, so when these two blizzards hit, we still had two inches of snow on the ground. There are drifts upwards of 6′ deep on the ground. We are tucked into our fifth wheel, gale-force winds are blowing driving snow past our windows, the governor has declared a state of emergency, and no one is going anywhere anytime soon.

We knew these two storms were coming, thanks to Foot’s Forecast, so last Friday morning before storm #2 began, I went out, had the propane tanks filled, stocked up on groceries, drinking water, beer (gotta have the essentials), and made it back home as the first flakes fell. Storm #2 raged through Friday and Saturday, leaving 26-30″ of snow on top of the 2″ already on the ground.

It took us three days to dig out, so on Monday I was able to take our back-up propane tanks, exchange them for full ones, and get more groceries. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, storm #3 began. We’re at the peak of that blizzard right now. Before it’s all done later this evening, we’re expecting another 12″-20″ of snow and gusts up to 55 mph.

We’re not done with it yet, obviously, but we’re learning the hard way how to weather the worst of the worst. Here are my top ten tips for fulltiming in a snowstorm:

1) Have back-ups for your back-ups.

We have two 20 lb. propane  tanks (the type you can exchange at the grocery store) ready to go should our two 30 lb. tanks run out. We’ve got two electric space heaters to supplement our forced-air propane furnace, and we’ve also got a small, portable propane heater and a case of 1 lb. bottles just in case we lose power and can run neither the furnace or the space heaters.

We also bought several bottles of drinking water, and I filled up a number of containers of water in case our water supply freezes over. I can’t use my fresh water holding tank right now because there’s a problem with the plumbing that I never got around to fixing. If I had, then water would be no real concern.

I’ve also got battery powered and rechargeable lanterns, flashlights, and radios in case we lose shore power AND run our house battery down. In addition, I’ve got a small,  gas-powered generator that can run one small appliance (like a space heater), and I’ve got a small inverter that I can hook up to my car battery if all else fails.

We even have a backup if our cable/Internet fails. We can still get over-the-air TV channels, and we both have iPhones which allow us to connect to the internet, get phone calls, send and receive e-mail, etc.

2) Keep your electronics charged.

We’re keeping laptops, cell phones, and all other rechargeables plugged in at all times in the event that we lose shore power. Should we lose shore power, be forced to rely on the battery power, and lose that, we’ve got car chargers for most items, so we could plug them into our vehicles.I’ve also got some rechargeable AA batteries that I’m keeping charged up and handy should the alkalines in the flashlights fail.

3) Get a good snow shovel (preferably more than one).

When we moved into the RV, I got rid of our very nice snow shovel because I didn’t think I had room for it and wouldn’t really need it for a while anyway (hard to think about blizzards in July). Well, I should have made room. Storm #1 caught us unawares, and we had NO shovel at all. We were digging out with a five-gallon bucket (by the way, get a five-gallon bucket, too, if you don’t have one.  They have many uses) and a regular shovel borrowed from the neighbors. Shortly before Storm #2, I went out and got a shovel, the lone shovel left at the store. It’s cheap and flimsy, and there’s only one, so that means only one person can shovel at a time, doubling the amount of time it takes to get anything done. Snow shovels tend to be lightweight, so if you plan to RV in the winter, get a decent one (or two), and stow it away. You won’t be sorry.

4) Whenever the snow stops, dig out as much as you can.

With back-to-back storms, it’s been important to remove as much of the snow as possible before the next storm hits. If you don’t, then the melting and refreezing makes the snow difficult to move plus the next layer of snow just makes it all that much harder to clear out once the weather breaks. We dug out both our vehicles, cleared paths, and dug out our utility pole (water, power, internet, dump hoses). Of course, all that good work is being obliterated today, but we’ll be at the shoveling again tomorrow. And we’ll have to because there’s a chance of snow this coming Monday. It’s not over yet!

5) Keep an eye on the forecast.

As kids, we learned from GI Joe that “knowing is half the battle.” If you know when the snow is coming, how much you can expect, how long the storms will last, and whether you can expect ice/sleet/rain with it, you can plan appropriately. Don’t get caught unawares.

6) Keep heat on your water supply and dump valves.

I’ve got a shop light hanging on my main dump valve to keep it thawed, and back in November I wrapped my drinking water hose with heat tape and pipe insulation. I’ve also discovered how handy a hair dryer can be. When the valves have frozen, I just aimed the hair dryer at them until they loosened up. The dryer is also handy when you have to be outside digging for long periods of time; it allows you to keep your fingers from becoming numb. I also find that the furnace exhaust by my front door is useful in this regard as well.

Dump your tanks frequently. I use my washer/dryer, so I don’t have much of a choice but to dump the tanks nearly every day.  Even if I didn’t, dumping the tanks often means that should our dump valves freeze over and I can’t get them unstuck, we will be okay for a couple of days if we conserve water. It also means that it’s easier for my tank heaters to keep the tanks warm.

7) Don’t get sick, and if you do, make sure you’ve stocked the proper supplies.

As luck would have it, Lex got a cold late last week, and I now have the flu. Ironically, I had BOTH flu shots this year, and I don’t normally get them. Looks like they didn’t help. I found some new strain, probably at school. It’s been no fun at all having fever, aches, chills, and congestion during all this, especially since the shoveling has to happen regardless.

Between storms #2 & #3, I managed to get out and stock up on Nyquil, Kleenex, juice, and all those things that make colds and flu more bearable. I’m trying to sleep as much as possible (what else is there to do?), stay hydrated, and keep the fever down. I wouldn’t want to have something more serious at this point as I’m not sure how we’d get to the hospital, so if I can keep it under control, then all the better.

8 ) Wear proper clothing.

Wearing layers indoors lets you keep your thermostat down thereby saving propane. Good socks are key. If the feet are cold, everything is cold!
When you go outside in the snow, try to stay dry. Jeans and sweats get waterlogged fast. If you have rain pants or wind pants you can wear over your clothes, that’d be a great idea. If you do get wet, change as soon as you come back in and dry the wet clothes out.

I’m keeping a set of “outside clothes,” a pair of sweats and a hoodie, that I just slip over my pjs (why get dressed in street clothes?) when I go out. They get hung up to dry as soon as I come back in. Waterproof gloves, snow boots, and something to cover your head are critical, too. If you are exerting yourself shoveling, it’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve been outside and how wet and cold you might really be. That can be dangerous.

9) Be able to entertain yourself while you are stuck inside.

For us, it’s been mostly movies, TV, books and knitting. Of course, if we lose power, then we’ll have to resort to other forms of entertainment like board games, radio, and, god forbid, the art of conversation. I have to say that I’ve also been texting friends around the city and county, checking in with them to see how they are faring, and I’ve had phone calls from family in other parts of the country who are concerned about me because they’ve seen the rather terrifying weather reports.

It’s easy to start feeling like the Omega Man in situations like this, so it helps to be able to stay connected to the outside world in whatever way you can. The local newscasts are staying on the air all the day with weather reports, and I tend to leave it on in the background because I find it oddly comforting. This being the era of social networking, I’m also keeping an eye on my friends’ Facebook updates. Seeing their photos and hearing about what they are up to makes me feel less isolated.

Of course, I’m lucky to be snowed in with someone I love and our three pets, so there’s always a snuggle companion. Our pets have been surprisingly well behaved throughout this despite the fact that they aren’t able to take nice, long walks. They are limited to the little paths we’ve dug through the snow. Like me, they’ve been doing lots of sleeping.

10) Keep your sense of humor.

If you can’t laugh at yourself and at Mother Nature in hard times, then you’ll just cry your eyes out. It’s easy enough to develop cabin fever, to get depressed or develop a sense of hopelessness. Stay busy, watch some comedies, read a funny book, and laugh in the face of hardship. There’s nothing we can do about any of this, so we might as well sit back and be amused at the ridiculousness of all this snow. Bring on the global warming, baby!

Tags: blizzards, fulltiming, rving, snow, survival, tips, weather