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Four-season campers are flooding the RV market right now as manufacturers note the desire to RV all year long. But what does four-season really mean? Let’s examine what to look for in four-season campers and share the best brands on the market.
What Are Four-Season Campers?
RV or camper trailers that are rated to withstand extreme temperatures are known as four-season campers. Having a four-season camper means you can stay comfortable year round.
Typically, four-season campers have thicker and more efficient insulation and walls. This ensures the camper stays cooler longer during the summer and holds heat better in the winter.
Non-four-season campers can be drafty or struggle to cool down during the summer. And, these campers have features like heater ducting in the storage bays. This protects the plumbing and heated tanks by preventing the fresh and wastewater tanks from freezing or cracking.
Benefits of Four-Season Campers
With a camper rated for all seasons, you stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. You don’t have to worry as much about your plumbing and water tanks.
These campers also have thicker underbelly insulation because winds whipping under the camper can leech away heat. Owning a four-season camper may mean that you don’t always have to follow fair weather. You can camp at a ski resort in the winter or the hot south during the summer.
7 Best Four-Season Camper Brands on the Market
More and more manufacturers are becoming savvy to the demands of the four-season camper market. Here are a few that produce high-quality four-season campers of every class.
Grand Design RV
First to make our list is Grand Design which is becoming a household name in the towable RV market. This RV manufacturer produces high-quality fifth wheels, travel trailers, and toy haulers.
They also offer an optional “Arctic Package” for four-season camping which includes:
- A sealed and enclosed underbelly with an R-30 insulation rating
- R-7 rated insulation in the walls
- A double insulated roof with an R-40 rating
- A double insulated front cap
The Grand Design four-seasons package also includes a high-performance furnace, heated holding tanks, a heated utility center and storage bays, and heated and enclosed low point drains.
Lance Campers
Lance Campers is a popular and well-loved brand. They make travel trailers and truck campers. Lance offers a four-season option for comfortable camping all year long. The Lance four-season package includes:
- A ducted heating system
- A water heater bypass for winterizing
- An insulated bed mat
- Insulated hatch covers
- An insulated battery and propane compartment
Host Truck Campers
Host is a high-quality truck camper manufacturer known for producing incredible truck campers. The walls, ceiling, and floor panels are vacuum-bonded and insulated with high R-rating high-density foam. The ratings for the walls are R-13, the floor is R-16, and the roof has an R-20 rating.
Host uses double-wipe seals on slide rooms, which provides better insulation against cold air and drafts. The basement of Host truck campers are also insulated and heated to protect plumbing, tanks, and equipment.
Oliver Travel Trailers
Oliver manufactures four-season fiberglass travel trailers. Their four-season fiberglass travel trailers include a double hull shell with air gap insulation.
Owners of an Oliver trailer enjoy camping in all four seasons with a robust heater, a double-sided radiant barrier for insulation, and more. And, to keep you cool all summer, Oliver travel trailers have a quiet and efficient Dometic Penguin II air conditioner and MaxxAir deluxe fan.
Northwood Arctic Fox
Northwood Manufacturing produces the Arctic Fox travel trailer. It’s a four-season travel trailer with an R-18 ceiling, heated holding tanks, high-density block foam insulation, and more.
This camper has frameless thermal pane windows, an extra-large fridge with a cold-weather kit, and a shade for the skylight. Four-season options include an upgraded air conditioner and heated holding tanks.
Heartland RV
Heartland RV makes fifth wheels, travel trailers, and toy haulers. Their RVs are four-season rated.
A popular four-season rig is the Heartland Bighorn fifth wheel. This RV has Adzel laminated sidewalls that provide more insulation than other wall materials with an R-40 rated roof and R-11 rated walls.
The Bighorn has a robust furnace, a below-floor heating duct, a heated and enclosed underbelly, and much more.
Pro Tip: If you like the sound of Heartland RV, you need to check out The Best Travel Trailer Brands This Year!
Keystone RV
Keystone RV produces many popular models. Perhaps one of the most popular fifth wheels on the road today is the Keystone Montana.
Keystone RVs come with an optional climate package. The climate package has insulated pin boxes, slide floors, and double insulated walls.
There are also heated holding tanks and pass-through storage, along with an enclosed, heated underbelly. These campers have robust furnaces, PEX plumbing, and much more.
For hot-weather comfort, Keystone offers an upgraded air conditioner and a radiant thermal barrier in the front cap.
What to Look for in Four-Season Campers
When looking for a four-season RV, there are a few key features to note. First, look for a camper with a sealed and insulated underbelly. This helps prevent heat loss through the floor and keeps pipes from freezing.
Look for PEX tubing in the plumbing. PEX tubing can withstand freezing temperatures better and is a common component in four-season campers.
Additionally, you should look for ducted storage bays or a ducted basement and heated holding tanks. If an RV is insulated well and ducted for wintertime camping it can hold cold air well in the summertime, too.
Stay Comfy in Any Weather with One of These Four-Season Campers
As long as you know what to look for when it comes to four-season campers, you’ll be comfortable in any weather. These brands aren’t the only ones that offer four-season comfort, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. What will you look for in your next four-season camper?
One other thing to watch for on a 4 seasons rated camper is to make sure the dump valves are not on the outside of the underbelly. They must be up inside the enclosed and heated underbelly to prevent them from freezing. I recently saw a fairly new travel trailer that was advertised as 4 seasons rated but its dump valves were plainly visable. The owners may be in for an unpleasant surprise if they get caught in a “Polar vortex” type event.