I’ve built my van with winter camping high on the use list. Although I’m still “roughing it” compared to a decked out SMB… I use it in the winter to sleep in when on ski trips in the Sierras and have done plenty nights in the single digits. Lots of insulation in the walls and the fewer windows the better. Water tank and house battery’s are in side the van. Espar d2 Diesel (I highly recommend this heater) heater stays running the entire time I’m in snow elevation. I mean it stays running for days on end and keeps everything inside warm and happy. I definitely keep the top down during the night and the van stays as warm as I want it to. During the day I’ll clear any snow if needed and pop the top and turn up the heater temp if needed. With the top up, heat loss is high.
I haven’t had issues with diesel fuel gelling but it’s something to keep in mind. I usually get some “mountain town fuel” that probably has some sort of antigel already in it when I get into town.
I’ve stopped putting a windshield insulation up due to the icing of condensation. If the situation calls for some privacy I’ll hang a blanket behind the captain chairs.
My 7.3 takes forever to warm up in the mornings, the longer I let it idle the better and a good 20-30 minute drive to the ski mountain let’s it get to operating temps and a little battery charge.
Faultine
Vandiesel II
Linear Mode
