Touring Caravanning

How to heat a towing caravan: a comprehensive guide to keeping warm when winter touring

Our guide shows you how to keep warm and snug when touring in the winter months.

For the dedicated, touring caravanner, winter is a wonderful time of year to take in the beauty of the landscape with relatively few holidaymakers on the horizon. However, there is no avoiding the problems that winter touring can bring; freezing conditions, rain and dramatic drops in temperature can cause damage to the caravan and of course, you need to keep warm too!

Keeping warm when winter touring is as much about the caravan’s insulation, as it is about internal heating sources. Before choosing a heat source for your touring caravan, it is essential to ensure the caravan is well insulated or the heat will be lost.

How to insulate a caravan in winter

Most modern touring caravans will have double glazed windows but if not, it is worth having them installed or at least attaching plastic sheeting to the single glazed units to give extra protection against the cold. Using thermal curtains and blinds will also prevent heat being lost through the windows.

In addition to losing heat through unprotected windows, a caravan will lose heat through gaps in the door. Using a draught excluder will reduce this risk and having carpet laid on top of the standard vinyl will minimise heat loss through the floor and wheel arches.

The addition of an awning will help to retain heat lost when the door of the caravan is opened and laying flooring in the awning will also improve insulation.  The use of an awning tent will add extra protection too and is a great place to store wet boots and clothing so they do not have to be brought inside.

Where water carriers are kept outside, insulating bags will prevent the water from freezing but in the absence of a dedicated cover, using an old duvet or even adding a layer of bubble wrap will work as a temporary measure. Similarly to water carriers, so pipes should be insulated to prevent waste water from freezing. Lag the pipes and add saltanti-freeze or to the wastewater container to avoid this.

Once your caravan is as well-insulated as possible, consider keeping the interior warm and cosy with these top tips.

How to heat a caravan

For touring caravans without a state of the art heating system, a mains operated heater is the easiest and most cost-effective form of heat. Requiring nothing more than a hook-up, they will heat up quickly and should be switched on as soon as you arrive on site so they can be warming up while you pitch up. Oil filled radiators will not heat up as quickly as a fan heater but they do contain the heat more efficiently.

When using a heater, ensure there’s plenty of space all the way round it for safety, and to allow the heat to circulate through the surrounding air. Remember also to avoid the temptation to block any air vents to keep warm air in. The vents reduce the build up of condensation while allowing any heater fumes to escape.

Never underestimate the value of layering to keep warm. We lose heat through our head, hands and feet, so in the evenings make sure you have warm socks and slippers to change into and pop an extra sweater on. Cosy throws to snuggle under are great and popping a hot water bottle into bed before you get in will make all the difference. Sleeping bags aren’t just for tents either and a 3 seasons sleeping bag will keep you super warm.

Happy touring!