​Lessons Learned While RV Camping in Fall Weather

We decided to go RV Camping much more this summer and that worked out great for us. Going out for up to a month at a time created a lot of fun for us. We really feel like we have it “all figured out” for summer camping, we should, we’ve been doing it for years! However, we also decided that this year we were going to camp much longer, into the Fall Season, since we had our new RV and were really enjoying this family time. This led to our Lessons Learned While RV Camping in Fall Weather.

Changing Colors of the Trees and Weather While RV Camping in Fall Weather

We really wanted Aiden to enjoy witnessing the changing colors of the trees and the weather change; we thought it would help him to understand our “Lock-Down” time better (more on that at another time).

We certainly got our wish! It wasn’t exactly what we planned as we had no idea what RV Camping in the Fall would be like. Just a cooler temperature, right? Simple! We can handle that!

 

 

Beautiful, Warm Weather While RV Camping in Fall Weather

The Fall Season came in fast for us here in Kansas this year. The day we started this trip we had a high temperature of 80 degrees. The day we packed up and left, we had a high temperature of 62 degrees.

 

But don’t let that fool you!

Remember, I said we live in KANSAS 

where Dorothy can be chillin’ with some BBQ,

click her Ruby Red Slippers 3 times and

the wheat will start to sway, the cows will begin to fly 

and we end up with a snowpocalypse in the end.

 

September 16th, we had a high temperature of 88 degrees and a low temperature of 64. Now THAT is my kind of weather! It was like that for quite a while. A little windy now and then but perfect to be outside a bunch while camping! Aiden was having a blast. We knew we had made the right choice! But this isn’t a post about beautiful weather, right? It’s about Lessons Learned While RV Camping in Fall Weather!

 

 

The Rain While RV Camping in Fall Weather

October 6th thru 9th it was in the 70’s and the rain began. No, that’s putting it mildly. We had MAJOR FLOODING RAIN come in with a vengeance!

6-1.91”
7-3.21”
8-1.78”
9-2.46”
That’s a total of 9.36” of rain in 4 days!!!

Thankfully we had our tried and trusted way of watching TV while RV Camping. We sure did a whole bunch of watching TV there for a while!

Here Comes the Rain Again

Here’s what it was like the 10th thru the 14th:

10th-high of 62 degrees
11th-high of 54 degrees
12th-high of 48 degrees (.5” of rain)
13th-high of 55 degrees
14th-high of 51 degrees (.42” of rain)

ENOUGH OF THE RAIN ALREADY!!!

We thought this was our lowest part of the trip. We were fed up with the rainy days and just wanted it dry outside. OK, it’s Fall for sure. We expected it to get much cooler. It was. Cooler weather would be fine, we just wanted it to be DRY outside!

Careful What You Wish For!

October 15th was mostly dry but with a high temperature of only 45 degrees. Brrrr!

This is when we figured out how awesome an Electric Heat Pump is for the RV! It is connected within the AC system and ours has one, so we cranked it up. It works very well, and we use no propane with the Electric Heat Pump.

See where I’m going with this?? I didn’t! I did NOT expect what was coming at us next!

 

 

Bring Out the Shorts?

October 16th proved to be another change in weather. We started out with a nice day. Had a high of 61 degrees. GREAT! I was ready to bring out the shorts again…maybe?

We Wanted to Witness the Changes, Right???

 

Then the rain began AGAIN.

The winds returned and shifted!

The temperature started to plummet.

Then, out of nowhere, we LOST POWER!!!

 

The temp dropping made me nervous enough. The pouring rain on top of it was not good. But now the POWER!?!?

It was 7 pm! It was only 3 hours before Aiden needed to go to bed and he uses a ventilator at night with a heat chamber to help him breathe better the next day. Plus, he’s on a pulse oximeter so we know how he’s breathing. Those have some battery backup on the machines but not much! We have a UPS Battery Backup with Surge Protector, but I couldn’t figure out how long that would last with all of his medical equipment.

We certainly didn’t want to try to pack up all our stuff (even for one night it’s a crazy amount of supplies for Aiden.

Then my husband, Mark, reminds me that the heating system in our RV runs on PROPANE and he just filled the propane tanks a few days ago so we were fine for warmth. The RV also has a battery backup as well, so we were good for a while.

Calming down now…

Power came back on after 1 hour. Thank you, God!

Next up?

October 16th: low of 28!!! What the heck!

 

 

So, we ended up having our first Freeze Warning for the season while we were RV Camping. This was OUR first freeze situation ever in an RV as well. We certainly learned a new thing to be thankful for; our fireplace! I never thought we would use a FIREPLACE in an RV! So glad we have one!

THEN when I got up the next morning we had NO WATER! My first thought was, “Oh no! The Pipes Froze overnight!” Thankfully that was not the case! We use a Brass Water Pressure Regulator on our RV outside and that was the only thing that froze on our RV that night. Whew!

Another thing we were thankful for was the fact that we had the proper clothing for all of us. I had overpacked (as usual per my husband’s specific instructions not to) and we had everything from sleeveless and shorts to Sherpa lined pants, socks, and shirts! LOL (That’s mostly just for me). Aiden and Mark don’t get affected by cold temps as I do. You would think the hot flashes would keep me perfectly content, am I right ladies??? Yep, that’s a story for another time as well!

Now I know that temps dropping below freezing doesn’t sound THAT cold to most people, especially those of you up North! However, this was a FALL trip, not winter RV Camping, and this trip also included extreme weather events even for Dorothy! That’s part of the RV Camping life; you must be prepared for all kinds of weather!

 

In Conclusion, Lessons Learned While RV Camping in Fall Weather

Inconclusion, here are our suggestions from Lessons Learned While RV Camping in Fall Weather:

1. Be prepared for extreme weather changes
2. Have a plan as a heat source (have propane tanks filled prior)
3. Pack appropriate clothing (shoes and gloves included)
4. Make sure RV battery is fully charged
5. Have a backup power source for medical equipment like a UPS Battery Backup especially if you use medical equipment like a CPAP Machine or any other important electric appliance (the one we have also charges cell phones)!

 

You may also like:

5 Good Reasons to GO RV Camping in the Fall

How to Winterize an RV Camper in 10 Easy Steps

How to Go RV Camping in the Cold Winter Months