Finding a four-season travel trailershould not be that difficult to do. There are places, like classified ads, that will help you locate the one in your price range. Also, you can always look up the manufacturer’s list on the internet to find the latest models. Any way you go a four-season travel trailer may be the way to go when you want an RV experience.
The manufacturers of true four-season travel trailers are few and far in between. But they have a variety of floor plans, some up to 11, which makes your selection a lot better. The top 5 manufacturers making four season travel trailers are:
- Arctic Fox (from Northwood).
- Redwood.
- Yeti.
- Keystone.
- Lance.
To continue to learn about four season travel trailers just keep reading our article. It provides the information you want so you are up to speed on this type of RV travel. Getting the right information helps you make the best decision for you and your family.
Four Season Travel Trailers 101
What is a 4 Season Camper?
What Makes a 4 Season Travel Trailer
What is Arctic Package on RV
Who Makes Four Seasons Travel Trailers
4 Season RV Manufacturers List
Best four Seasons Travel Trailer Brands
What is The Best Cold-Weather Travel Trailer?
Best Small Four Season Travel Trailer
Best 4 Seasons Travel Trailer Under 5000 lbs
Best Insulated Travel Trailer
Some Final Words
What is a 4 Season Camper?
A four season camper is an RV vehicle or trailer, or even truck camper that can withstand the elements no matter how cold or hot it gets. Each unit contains special features, like better insulation so you do not feel the outside temperature or use up your fuel supply or batteries too quickly.
One way to determine which four season camper you need is to determine how long you will use it. Will it be for short vacations or long ones? Another factor is where will you travel to? Are you going to extreme weather states, off road or high into the mountains?
Then, will you be dry camping or needing hookups? The answer to all these questions and more will help you find the right four-season camper for you and your family.
One way to find good information about the different styles and models of four-season campers and travel trailers available is to contact the RV Consumer Group. They have booklets on the different RV and TT models so you can make an informed decision. Click this link to access their website.
What Makes a 4 Season Travel Trailer
There are 4 key elements built into the travel trailer that makes it a four season model. These keys are listed below:
- The amount of insulation put inside the trailer’s walls.
- The actual wall structure.
- The size of the windows.
- How the venting, heating and cooling systems are constructed.
All of these elements must meet certain criteria to be considered a 4 seasons travel trailer or camper. What you need to do to find out if the model you are interested in buying is rated as a 4 seasons RV is click this link.
That web page should give you the rating information you need to find the model that fits the four seasons mode. The rating system will let you know if the model you are interested in is good for weekend use, vacation use, off-road RV experiences, snowbird RV time and Fulltime RV, travel trailer or camper use.
What is Arctic Package on RV
The arctic package basically refers to the type of equipment the RV manufacturers have installed in their RV models that they want to sell as four seasons. The only problem is that the arctic package is not standard among RV manufacturers.
Some give you more features to help you withstand extreme temperatures and weather conditions. Others give you fewer. Some of those features include a bigger furnace, heated below floor storage compartments, floor and wall insulation, and double pane windows.
You would have to do some more research to see if certain manufacturers add more than that to their arctic package. Here are some things to look for as you shop:
- Look at the pipes. If they are fully enclosed, then you have a four seasons TT or RV.
- Double-check to make sure everything is insulated, that means every thing.
- Check the insulation’s R-value. The higher the value the better for winter camping.
- Don’t just buy any TT from just any RV manufacturer. Get the best arctic package available first.
- Double check the TT’s underbelly to make sure it is sealed. If it isn’t you are going to get cold.
- Make sure the warranty covers your arctic package components.
- Don’t forget the accessories to make sure you and your family stay nice and warm.
Who Makes Four Seasons Travel Trailers
There are a few TT and RV 4 season manufacturers out there. They are not all the same and some are better than the others. Here is a list of several you can try as they are the more popular brands out there for this type of TT and RV:
- Heartland’s Yeti Extreme Weather Package.
- Lance’s Four-Seasons Certified Option.
- Keystone’s Four Seasons Living Package.
- Northwood’s Arctic Fox Line.
- Gulfstream Yellowstone’s Diesel Pusher.
- Starcraft’s Launch Ultra-Lite travel trailer.
Then there are these other manufacturers you may want to check out to see if they have the one you want with a complete Arctic package.
- Livin Lite Camplite Travel Trailer.
- Forest River Flagstaff Micro-Lite Travel Trailer.
- Jayco Jay Feather Travel Trailer.
- Dutchmen Aspen Trail Travel Trailer.
There is a fine selection of 4 seasons travel trailers if you have the time to look through them all. Also, the latter list of manufacturers come with double-digit floor plans so you can pick the interior you want to live in.
4 Season RV Manufacturers List
As you can see by the above list there are a variety of travel trailer manufacturer’s that make good travel trailers and RVs that will withstand extreme heat as well as extreme cold.
Before you buy, you are going to have to make an inspection of the different models to make sure they come with a comprehensive arctic package. Anything less than that you may want to pass on and move on to the next manufacturer on your list.
Keep in mind what one manufacturer calls 4 seasons may be another manufacturer’s summer or spring model.
Best four Seasons Travel Trailer Brands
It is hard to say which 4 seasons brand is the best. They all have their loyal followers who love their TTs and RVs including the 4 season models.IN our opinion, the best one would be the brand that provides you with the most comprehensive arctic package that does its job well.
Those last few words are the qualifying terms. The reason behind that statement is that not all comprehensive arctic packages are put together well and may have more than a few flaws.
To check them out to see which brand stands above the other, you can talk to more experienced RV owners who own a 4 seasons TT, etc., or you can talk to Camping World outlets or similar companies. They would know which brands are superior and which ones are a bit inferior.
Then you can check with the Better Business Bureau and see the company’s rating as well as the number of complaints lodged against the brand. Finally, you can check the reviews posted on the internet. Different websites posts their top lists and provide the information you need to determine which brand is best.
What is The Best Cold-Weather Travel Trailer?
In some people’s opinion, the Arctic Fox 25W from Northwood Manufacturing is the best 4 season travel trailer. The reason behind their choice is the heavy-duty chassis made from grade steel. This steel is made to withstand cold temperatures.
Also, the company uses the AstroEco radiant insulation which happens to be about the best insulation you can get. This insulation also makes sure the extreme cold stays outside.
In addition to that, the TT has smaller windows which help keep the cold out. 2 doors in the trailer gives you enough exits in case there is a problem.
Best Small Four Season Travel Trailer
Of course, what you determine to be small may be different from how we think small is. This trailer, the Airstream Sport, should qualify as it comes in a 16-foot floor plan and can be pulled by small pick up trucks with ease.
A rear bed and a wet bath help make sure you stay nice and comfortable. Plus, the trailer comes with the trademark Airstream design and construction materials. Panoramic windows make sure you can see the land around you without straining.
And the LED taillights make sure you stay visible while on the road in low light conditions. In addition to those features, you also are given enclosed and heated aluminum tanks, a stainless steel sink along with removable under bed storage boxes.
The cost of all this runs about $40,000 but you have Airstream’s quality and reputation backing your purchase.
Best 4 Seasons Travel Trailer Under 5000 lbs
To get the best model this category has to offer, you may have to look north of the border. Canada’s Bigfoot manufacturer makes a 17-foot small trailer that comes in under 4000 pounds. 3,100 to be exact.
Along with that weight advantage, the company puts in ducted heating and air conditioning which is also insulated with a high R factor to make sure you do not get too hot or too cold.
Other features include thermopane windows, sinks made from stainless steel, cabinets secured by double screws, a spring mattress. Heated and enclosed tanks and a lot more. The kitchen also has an oven and a stovetop.
The starting cost for this model is about $30,000 depending on all the features included in your arctic package and the size of the trailer. You should check out the Canadian TTs and RVs, those manufacturers understand the cold weather very well.
Best Insulated Travel Trailer
This may be the Heartland Landmark 365 ARLINGTON Fifth Wheel RV. It is a little larger than the rest of the top 4 season travel trailers mentioned here but it may still be the best insulated one.
The insulation package comes with a heated underbelly. That feature helps keep the cold from coming up underneath your floor. Plus, it makes sure your tanks are protected against freezing. The enclosed underbelly makes sure you do not have a cold issue.
Then there is the R insulation factor. Heartland has installed R38 levels of insulation in the flooring underneath your feet. With dual pane windows, the cold should not get inside your new travel trailer.
Also, the main water line is insulated to make sure you always have running water even when the temperature goes well below freezing levels. On top of that, the holding tanks come with heating pads. One switch and you still can use your TT’s facilities.
Some Final Words
When you want to RV in geographical locations that have extreme weather patterns and temperatures, you just need to turn to a top 4 season travel trailer to accomplish that quest.
There are plenty of manufacturers which produce these trailers and they come with a variety of floor plans to accommodate your needs. The only thing you need to do is a double check inspection to make sure you are getting the TT with the most and best arctic package available.
Remember not all arctic packages are the same. Just like all RVs and TTs are not the same. So you need to double check to make sure you are completely covered fro both summer and winter extreme temperatures.
Don’t forget to research each model you are interested and see what experienced RV owners and techs have to say about the model you are thinking of buying.