Will our heater work in below freezing temps?

VAN LIFE: EP.17 - We found snow in Arizona! Lot's of first's on our trip to the snow! First time we drove the van in snow. First time we used the propane heater. First time sleeping in a public parking lot. lot's of first's and fun was had! Enjoy! ↓↓↓
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⏲TIMESTAMP
0:00 Driving our Thor RIze 18t to Flagstaff to see how it handles in not so great weather.
4:43 Does our heater work in the altitude?
5:26 Enjoying downtown Flagstaff in the winter
10:20 Sledding in Flagstaff AZ
14:36 Boondocking at a Cracker Barrel in Flagstaff, AZ
18:31 How did the van do at night in below freezing temps?
24:31 Buying insulation supplies for the thor rize van 18t
25:48 Putting insulation in our sun roof
28:34 Time to go home
29:51 Driving our van in bad weather
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Episodes
Crossing the Border into MEXICO (Part 1) • Crossing the Border in...
Visiting FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA - Major ISSUES with the van • Visiting FLAGSTAFF ARI...
WHO ARE WE?
We are Bob and Hillary, from Chandler, AZ. While we love living in Arizona we are not going to lie...the summers are brutal! So since both our boys are now in college we decided it was time to buy a Ram Promaster Thor Rize 18t van and travel! We originally thought we would build one out. But after the past 1.5 years we realized that prices went up and things were hard to find. So much is on back order. So we did the next best thing! We bought one completely finished and ready to go!
Our goal is to inspire others to start #vanlife, chase their dreams no matter their age and season of life and to help people achieve their very own home on wheels. #vanlife

[@JohnSeitz]

Love you guys and your adventures.

[@Vancaskeys]

Thank you John!

[@judylowe2688]

One of my favorite videos of you guys, so I watch it over and over from time to time!❤❤❤

[@Vancaskeys]

Awww this is so sweet! ❤️❤️❤️

[@DavidSmith3750]

Kids. Stop at a RV center pick up a insulated pillow for your skylight. Maybe if near a bass pro get thermals and hoodies. You will be WARMER. And comfy

[@nealjohnson1461]

So the back story on Walmart in Flag is it was open to over nighters, but the folks living out of their vehicles basically took it to mean they could live in the Walmart parking for months. They created a health concern and just left a ton of trash and human waste so there was only one choice there. Unfortunate that a few ruin it to park over night there. Thank you for showing how easy and nice it is to leave the desert and be in the mountains in just a few hours. Another great benefit we in AZ have!!! Thank you both for more great content!!

[@Vancaskeys]

Oh wow, we had no idea. Thanks Neal for this great info. You are right usually a few ruin it for the many. We do have it so good here in Arizona! We are so close to so many amazing climates! Thanks for watching!

[@Squarekn0t]

Neat flashback, I haven't seen too many of your older video's. What is it about Thor and their sky lights. I was in my daughters J20 fixing the water tank leak on a 96 dgree day. I could have baked a turkey up there. Fortunately I still had a half sheet of the 1 inch duct board with the silver reflex on one side and I made two pieces and jam them in. She also complained about the road noise. When she first got it the pop top latch failed and it went up going down the road. Everybody else has a Max fan at that spot. And you went on to buy another one.

[@dianejimenez8327]

Hi ..you guys🤗 Looks like you all ..had lots of fun ...fun .. fun... in the snow ❄ great pictures....really nice ...😁 Wow....the van did really well!!! I am so happy to hear that .. Good!!! 👍👍👍 Thank you both S0ooo..much for sharing.. your trip to Flagstaff with us ..... You guys are so awesome !!! Thank you 😁😊❤

[@Vancaskeys]

Thank you Diane! We had a blast! How is Van shopping going for you guys? We might go to the next RV show is Tuscan.

[@dianejimenez8327]

We're still looking ...we probably will go too .. to see some more B vans 🤗 have to check with my hubby schedule for work .. Jan 19 thur 23 I think those are the dates that there having a big.. show room of Rv...vans 😁in Tampa Florida... I think it comes around once every year.. It would be nice to go and see all those cool ...looking vans... It's like a candy store for me I live it 🤗😁👍

[@intuitiveeatingmama]

Brrrrr...but looked like a great time!

[@Vancaskeys]

It was! LOL!

[@esthers5772]

I live in southern Ontario about 140km northwest of Toronto. It’s in a “snow belt”. When I lived in the city I hated winter. But in the country it’s completely different. Yesterday it was -9c with a windchill of -16c. Went for a walk with the dog. It was beautiful. There’s a Norwegian saying “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing”. It is so true. I would still prefer the warmth of Arizona. I am waiting to take delivery of my van. I plan to try winter camping when the forecast shows temperatures hovering around freezing. My van is winterized so I won’t have water. Plus the lithium batteries have been removed for winter so I will need to be plugged in. There is a lot more to consider when winter camper. Challenge will be to be careful not to drain the chassis battery. For boondocking you can check ioverlander and boondockers welcome.

[@Vancaskeys]

We are so excited for your new adventure! You’ll have to let us know when you get your van! This is great valuable info! Thanks!

[@TheSmallsRVAdventures]

We love the snow. We go searching for it in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

[@Vancaskeys]

That’s awesome!

[@strengththroughthescriptur9880]

Great information! I am looking for class b right now and cold weather has been one of my concerns.

[@Vancaskeys]

It handled the cold great!

[@michaelmoore9139]

We love Cracker Barrel for overnighting! It seams like there’s one on almost every exit! pro-tip, on weekends, call in a take out order at 7am from the parking lot. It will be ready in 10 minutes! Just walk in to the store and grab and go. You can eat at your dinette. The first time we stayed at a Cracker Barrel was on a Friday night, got up at 7am, there was already a line in the parking lot, waited an hour for a table and then another 30 minutes for food 😳

[@Vancaskeys]

That’s such a great tip!!!!

[@TimmyCramer]

P.s. Also check out fossil creek. Tons of videos on the youtube. Best swimming hole in AZ! Timmy C Arizona

[@Vancaskeys]

We will! Thank you!

[@cj9667]

Zonies for sure! We came for the Adirondacks of NY winters were -28. We absolutely freeze when it gets down to 50. Sweatshirts and toques at 70. So you made me laugh! How fun was that trip? It was really windy last week here in “the valley”. Glad to see the rig did well. No worries on the propane..we had a 10kw generator that we ran for a week 24/7 during a power outage and it barely used 20 gallons. Seriously thinking about a class B..have our eye on one but the wait is 3 years. Found your “site” during the search. You guys are fun, very informative and keep it real. 👍👍

[@Vancaskeys]

Wow! You guys definitely know cold 🥶 -28 burrr!!!! You are right we have acclimated and get cold so easily now 😅 You’ll have to let us know if you end up pulling the trigger on a class b and which one 😃

[@Michael-wg1mt]

Wow, there is more snow in Flagstaff then we currently have in Halifax NS. You guys are the best, you will have to consider a trip to eastern Canada sometime on your adventures. We hope to be picking up our Gemini 23tw in the spring and this time of year we will be heading to warmer temperatures.

[@Vancaskeys]

That’s definitely on our bucket list places we want to go to! A Gemini 23tw - how awesome! Can’t wait for you guys to get it!

[@RERick]

Hi, did I miss the talk on the holding tanks? Were the tank heaters sufficient from keeping the tanks from freezing? I assume it was necessary to keep the heat on even when you were not in the van.

[@Vancaskeys]

Yes we had no issues and we kept the heater running the entire time.

[@donaldparry5157]

We keep our home night thermo set at 55; maybe 60 in the van would have been adequate?

[@pokeyjourneys3984]

Friday is the 1st time heading up to Flagstaff I've never been there before Last time I played in the snow is when I was 4 years old now on 27 you do the math In other words I miss the snow I don't know how it feels I just know it's very cold

[@Vancaskeys]

Wow! Have so much fun! It’ll be cold but so much fun!

[@joellynjohnson1191]

I have a Solis on Promaster 3500. What are you using to cover your front cab windows?

[@Vancaskeys]

Awesome van! We just use the window shade that came with it.

[@dianejimenez8327]

P.s. thumbs up for 👍👍👍Cracker barrel 👏👏 👏 😁

[@Vancaskeys]

❤️❤️❤️

[@fitzmagic]

So much fun! We were there around the same time and the low was -1 🥶 I’m curious, how is the gas mileage on your van? Thanks

[@Vancaskeys]

LOL! It was cold! The gas mileage is around 15-20 mpg.

[@WorrywartAdventures]

Just found your channel and are enjoying your videos. How do you take showers while on the road?

[@Vancaskeys]

Awesome! So far we’ve just stayed at an RV park every few days and had a shower available. We plan to become a planet fitness member-this seems to be the cheapest way to always have access to a shower.

[@WorrywartAdventures]

@@Vancaskeys Also, do you have to shut off the valve to the propane tank when traveling through a tunnel? Pardon our ignorance but we are not familiar with RV propane tanks 😬

[@Vancaskeys]

@@WorrywartAdventures no we haven’t. We haven’t heard that you would have to. Good question.

[@familiabanks]

Hello from Fairbanks, Alaska. You guys cracked me up about how cold it was at 22 above, we are currently at -36 (yes, below 0). You guys mentioned mentioned Alaska, where in the state?

[@Vancaskeys]

Oh we love Fairbanks! We lived in Eagle rivier during our time in Alaska. Loved our time in Alaska but we don’t miss the cold 🥶 We have become such wimps when it comes to weather now lol

[@familiabanks]

@@Vancaskeys totally know what you mean about not liking the cold! If I could we probably be neighbors down there! 😂. Anyway, best to you guys in your adventures in the van.

[@familiabanks]

@@Vancaskeys by the way, the is a family up here whose last name is Caskey. For a while thought you guys might be related until I learned your correct last name.

[@Vancaskeys]

@@familiabanks LOL! That would have been awesome!

[@garychan6259]

Did the flash water tank freeze?

[@Vancaskeys]

It did not freeze thankfully

[@Lelandphotography]

If y'll had slept in the pop-top would the heater have kept it warm?

[@Vancaskeys]

We doubt it. 😅 but we should run the heater and go up there and see how it would fare.

[@Lelandphotography]

@@Vancaskeys thanks. Im wanting to buy a class b to do travel photography and i think I want the pop top so I could bring a friend. Im going to the Tampa Bay RV show in a few weeks to check them all out. I've been looking at what y'll have. My concerns are the pop top being cold/hot and the ground clearance also do you think you could lift it?. The generators on some models hang really low. Thanks for putting content out.

[@Vancaskeys]

@@Lelandphotography that’s awesome! We used the pop top in 50° and it was great. Yes, the van can be lifted. We’ve thought about doing it. Van compass makes a 1.5 inch lift kit and it looks amazing.

[@heatherangellight8558]

Our discussion while watching: Hubby: they have two kids in college? Me: yep they said that in their info Hubby: there’s no way, they’re too young! I mean they have to have had two kids at age 18 and now they’re 36 so they’re kids are 18. Me: They’re probably in their early forties but look so young cuz they lived in cold climates for 15 years and it’s not old looking from the sun. That ended that. Hahaha had to share the debate that you both look too young to have two college kids.

[@Vancaskeys]

This is amazing! 😂 Yep! You are right! We do have 2 college kids! We have a 21 year old and a almost 19 year old! Crazy to us too! LOL! We are 42 & 43 years old. Thanks for making our night! And Thanks for sharing with us 😃