There are hundreds of different types, sizes, and brands of travel trailers on the market.
However, very few travel trailers are built with the intention of being used year-round. Outside of 4-season travel trailers, standard models don‘t have adequate insulation and heating capabilities to keep people comfortable during winter.
If you’re hoping to live in your RV year-round—in a wide range of weather conditions—it’s important to choose a travel trailer that performs well in all temperatures (both the searing summers and the bitter winters). A 4-season travel trailer does just that.
Know what to look for in a year-round travel trailer. Otherwise, your family might end up shivering their way through the off-season (…unless you plan to relocate to one of these seven top-rated RV destinations, perfect for escaping winter temperatures).
Top-Rated Four-Season Travel Trailers
While any camper can be transformed into a 4-season-friendly travel trailer (with the right upgrades and modifications), this process can be as difficult as it is expensive. Not to mention, RV modifications executed improperly can often result in problems down the road.
If you’re serious about living in your travel trailer year-round, you should choose a true four-season RV. Here are some of the most popular four-season RVs on the market.
#1: Arctic Fox North Fork
Arctic Fox North Fork trailers are some of the most popular travel trailers for year-round living, and not just because they have Arctic and North in the name. The North Fork series has seven different floor plans to choose from, ranging from 22 to 32 feet long.
Each of these floor plans includes four-season insulation, heated holding tanks, R-15 insulation in the roof, corona-treated fiberglass, and thermal pane windows. You can also add a 15K air conditioner, generator, solar panels, holding tank heat pads, and a 1000-BTU auto-ignition furnace.
#2: Oliver Legacy Elite
Oliver Travel Trailers is one of the top names in the RV industry, and they’re known for creating high-quality, modern, and luxurious travel trailers. The Oliver Legacy Elite luxury travel trailer is their model designed for year-round living in any condition, and it features the following:
- Double-hulled fiberglass shell
- High-grade insulation
- Double-paned windows
- Weather-proofing
- Compact size and stylish design
The only downside of the Oliver Legacy Elite is its small size, as it measures just 18.5′ long. However, while the small size is considered a downside by some, it allows adventurous campers to boondock and fit into tight spaces that aren’t open to larger RVs.
#3: Outdoors RV Travel Trailer
Outdoors RV has some of the best travel trailers around if you plan to do year-round living in potentially rugged conditions. Outdoors RV is based on the West Coast in Oregon and is most famously known for designing travel trailers with people who live in Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest in mind.
When purchasing through Outdoors RV, here are the features you can expect from their Four Seasons Package.
- R-15 insulation under the floor and around the holding tanks
- Thermal pane windows
- Fully enclosed, heated, and insulated underbelly
- Insulated slide-out floors
- Triple-layered roof insulation
- Double-thickness luggage doors
- A ducted furnace that’s 15% larger than the industry standard
- Optional solar panels
#4: Palomino Puma
The Palomino Puma travel trailers aren’t necessarily known as a popular full-time living RV. However, my wife and I have been living in one for nearly three years now, so it’s obviously capable of being a year-round camper.
The key with the Palomino Puma is to choose a model with the Extended Season Package, like the 31RLQS. The Extended Season Package features a propane furnace, heated holding tanks, extra insulation, and the option to add solar panels. It also features ducts beneath the camper that results in a heated underbelly when you operate the furnace.
Unique Features of a Four-Season Travel Trailer
A four-season travel trailer has to perform well in hot and cold weather. As such, there are certain qualities that four-season trailers possess that the average camper doesn’t–including the following.
#1: Comprehensive Insulation
Proper insulation is essential for keeping the interior of your travel trailer comfortable in extreme temperatures. The average travel trailer has a single thin layer of insulation, making it very difficult to maintain a consistent internal temperature of more than 68 degrees.
Four-season travel trailers, on the other hand, have double insulation and can easily maintain an internal temperature in the low to mid-70s.
From your ceiling to your walls and underbelly, a year-round travel trailer should have double the insulation of a typical camper.
#2: Enhanced Window Technology
Aside from insulation, windows are the next most important aspect of a 4 season travel trailer. Standard travel trailers have single-pane windows, whereas four-season trailers should have double-pane windows.
#3: Advanced Heating and Cooling Systems
All travel trailers, aside from small popups and teardrop-style trailers, are equipped with some form of heating and cooling. However, heating and cooling systems on year-round-use travel trailers are more powerful and efficient than the average model. As such, they provide more heating and cooling while using less electricity.
Typically, 4-season travel trailers have residential-style furnaces and duct systems to ensure you stay warm in extreme temperatures. Many of these trailers also have electric fireplaces for supplemental heat when the furnace can’t keep up.
#4: Solar Panels
While it isn’t required that solar panels be part of a four-season camper, they often are included. Using solar power means you can operate your HVAC and plumbing systems during winter when campgrounds often turn off their water and shore power. Many RVers who want to enjoy cold-weather camping in northern regions can’t because of this very reason.
#5: Tank Heaters
Another four-season package feature of year-round RVs is that they will have tank heaters to keep their black, grey, and freshwater tanks from freezing. Keeping these tanks thawed is essential, as a frozen tank could potentially burst or make it impossible to dump.
#6: Space Heaters
While many travel trailers include electric fireplaces for supplemental heat, smaller rigs don’t have this feature. Therefore, you may need to add an electric space heater to supplement your furnace on especially cold days–even in a 4-season travel trailer designed for year-round use.
While you could install an electric space heater in travel trailers not designed for year-round use, it’s still recommended that you purchase a 4-season trailer. Unfortunately, standard travel trailers lack adequate insulation, meaning the heat from your space heater will quickly exit your camper and do little good.
Practical Tips for Maximizing Comfort in Your Four-Season RV
Even if you have the best four-season RV on the market, it’s still possible that it will be uncomfortable during the winter. Therefore, here are a few additional tips and tricks for keeping your RV safe and comfortable in cooler weather.
- Invest in an insulated or electric water hose to keep your water flowing in freezing temperatures
- Individually insulate each of your water lines to keep them from freezing
- Put reflective insulation in your windows if you camp in hot weather
- Purchase an RV skirt to protect your travel trailer underbelly during winter camping
Final Thoughts
Just because you have a travel trailer with four-season capabilities doesn’t mean you must use them year-round. You can choose to live in mild climates without harsh weather or use them during the traditional camping season. However, if you choose to give winter RVing a try, 4-season travel trailers are ready to go!
If you want to give your travel trailer and tow vehicle a break and keep it safe while not in use, it’s important to choose safe and affordable storage. Consider using Neighbor, a peer-to-peer storage marketplace, to find short and long-term storage options near you.
