Win the Winter Camping Arms Race

There’s a popular saying in sports: Respect your opponent. Well, for us all-weather campers, that’s Old Man Winter. He’s mean. Has ice water in his veins (and wants to put ice-water in our plumbing). But you don’t have to whip him—you can out-equip him. Turn the page and get started with our winter camping favorites.

Clutch gear for cold weather

All-weather camping: don’t get caught in the cold without these 14 essentials

Ages ago, when I was in the Army, we all used to play a game when the temp dropped below freezing: Who could wait the longest to put on your “snivel gear?” If you want to know who won, that’s easy to remember—no one. It was flat out misery. Cold weather ain’t no joke, and you don’t have to fight it. In fact, it’s far better—and smarter—to out-equip it! (Snivel gear and all.) There are lots of good reasons to tackle all-weather camping. Winter ushers in some of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Supremely still landscapes. Bright dawns and crisp mornings. Perfect solitude. Coffee takes on new meaning. But if you wanna truly enjoy it—be that one weekend or a whole season—you and your RV will need some clutch gear for the cold weather. Sure, there are more you could add to this list, but these little babies are our favorites.

Keep the cabin cozy; Extra power, heaters, and heat keepers.

Honda EU2200i 2200i-Watt Super Quiet Generator

BACKUP IS NON-NEGOTIABLE IN THE COLD, DARK NORTH. Not having backup power is not even an option in cold-weather camping. So why not have one of the best? Honda’s EU2200i is not just powerful. It’s not just easy to use. It’s also quiet. Which is sweet, because you need power, not noise.

► Buy at Amazon.com

Camco Olympian Wave-8 Catalytic Heater

BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU WANT HEAT—RIGHT HERE. Even in the coziest camper (or home for that matter), heat is rarely evenly distributed. But come wintertime, we have a very specific idea of where the warmest spot should be: right where we are. Camco’s catalytic heater is slim, toasty, and safe indoors but (as always) pay close attention to those ventilation instructions.

► Buy at Amazon.com

Airskirt RV Skirt Kit

WARM THAT WINTER UNDERBELLY. In our eyes, it’s pretty simple: If you’re committed enough to camp in cold weather, you’re gonna see the value of Airskirts. With custom kits for any kind of RV, Airskirts makes protecting your undercarriage (and things like your water pipes) simple, reliable, and easy. Once you park, you can be set up in under 30 minutes.

► Buy at Airskirts.com

Sikadeer Skylight Insulator

SLAM THOSE HOT-AIR ESCAPE ROUTES SHUT. Have you noticed that RVs have holes in random places? (You have? Good. Us too.) We know they’re necessary, but man! There sure are a lot of places for hot air to escape. Covering the big ones, like your skylight, can make a huge difference.

► Buy at Amazon.com

HADOR Magnetic Thermal Insulated Door

SET THE CABIN UP LIKE A HEAT CHAMBER.

There are all sorts of good uses for the HADOR magnetic thermal insulated door, so more than one purchase may be in order. Whether you use it to insulate your cabin door or your bedroom entranceway (or both), you’ll love it. But the exterior door, it insulates. So you save heat, even when the door is closed.

► Buy at Amazon.com

Valterra Heated Fresh Water Hose

A HOSE THAT GOES GEORGE CLOONEY ON MR. FREEZE. Eliminating worry is a big thing we’re going for here. And worrying about our water in an isolated RV in the Winter is something we’d rather not do. Valterra’s heated fresh water hose alleviates those fears. The heat source self-regulates temperature. And its cuffs on each end are freeze-protected.

► Buy at Amazon.com

Braving the elements Gear to get out and enjoy that Winter cool

Helle Nord Knife

CARRY A NO-NONSENSE KNIFE. Wanna be clear here: Helle has the sharpest knives I’ve ever handled. They’re deadly sharp. And dangerous. Which is just the kind you need in these elements—the kind that gets the work done fast. The Nord (with its curly birch handle, full-tang blade, and leather sheath) is just the no-nonsense knife you’d expect from Norway.

► Buy at Helle.com

Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle (2QT)

WE DON’T NEED 45 HOURS OF HEAT. BUT IT’S AWESOME.

Being able to take something warm with you outside—be that coffee or soup—can be a huge game changer on your I-feel-like-being-out-here scale. Stanley’s Classic Legendary Bottle keeps your precious liquids as hot as they were in the galley. And it has other endearing features, like a handle that keeps it from rolling everywhere.

Omnia Stovetop Oven

THE PORTABLE WAY TO HEAT, BAKE, AND COOK. If carrying that Norwegian knife hasn’t made you feel like a Viking yet, maybe cooking outdoors with a Swedish stovetop oven will. With the Omnia, if you have a heat source (other than induction), you have an oven. Inside or outside, you can cook veggies, hash browns, fish, bread, you name it.

► Buy at Omnia.com

ORORO Men’s Soft Shell Heated Jacket

DRESS FOR THE COLD WITH WARMTH ON DEMAND. This is our kind of technology! Jackets are supposed to keep you warm, right? If that’s their job, then ORORO does it best. This heated jacket gives you between three to ten hours of heat, depending on the heat setting you designate. Which should be ample time for us to do what we gotta do before we return to our toasty cabin.

► Buy at OroroWear.com

Gobi Heat Camping Chair

OTHER CHAIRS MAY BE COOLER… BUT THAT’S THE POINT. Not gonna belabor this one N8 says it all right here. You can even watch him review it on YouTube.

Clearing your exit route; All-weather tools to ensure a safe start at home.

AstroAI 39” Folding Snow Shovel

A COMPACT NECESSITY. Think about needing a snow shovel and not having one. Now imagine that when you need it is when you want to go home most. Don’t live that moment. AstroAI makes a collapsible folding snow shovel that you can easily stow.

► Buy at Amazon.com

JoyTutus 47.7” Extendable Snow Brush and Ice Scraper

SOME EXTRA REACH TO BRUSH WINTER ASIDE. Brushing snow and scraping ice off our giant RV are activities we’d like done as quickly as possible. So having a two-in-one tool with some real reach (almost four feet long) is a lifesaver. The JoyTutus’s 270° pivoting snow brush even enhances your ability to hit odd spots (like the roof and slideouts).

► Buy at JoyTutus.com

Rhino USA Recovery Traction Boards

SAY “NEVER” TO GETTING STUCK. You may have read that in the snow you should take kitty litter in case you get stuck. That may work, but can we agree that’s not the best option? Get the right instrument: recovery traction boards. They’ll not only save your backside if you’re stuck in the snow, but they’ll also be just as useful for self-recovery in mud and sand any season of the year.

► Buy at RhinoUSA.com