thoughts on AC in northern climes

[jamie]

Will be doing the deposit on Wednesday and am waffling on one decision... AC or not. It's going to be a 6x15 LL toy hauler. Ordered pretty much every option but for the life of me I can't see using the AC much if at all. Don't want to use a generator and plug in parks will be rare. I've never wished for AC on any camp trip before. Soo, is it worth spending $1200 just for resale value and one or two weekends in a park where it might get hot? I know it will get hotter in a rarely shaded aluminum box (pewter colour) but night time temps are usually bearable. It will have 2 upgraded magic fans and the screen over the back door.

Is there anyone here that regrets getting/not getting AC? I mean if you use it in the northern States or Canada of course. Are there maintenance issues you didn't expect? Different dealers have said they never sold a trailer without AC which is probably not true but this isn't some cheap econo model. It's not so much the cost, but am I going to put money into something that might cause extra work? I just keep seeing a branch hitting it, having to replace a compressor or finding mold in it and then being pissed because the $1200 could have went to a solar system or whatever and the AC was only used a few times.

Also, I don't usually use AC at home, only when it gets really hot. I work a lot in the back of a camper like truck and use it sparingly, just don't like cold air blowing on me.

[PaulJ]

When are you going to sell?  If it is YEARS away do not get the  a/c.      I am not one to give advice on this as it was in the 80's F. in Florida today.  We got rain today - You call it snow, so what do I know anyway.  Down here we see trailers without heat.  IF, and I say IF you camp without a/c and have been doing it a long time .... well what's it matter?

Me - Florida A/C big time but also heat when it gets in the 30's here.

Good luck!

[billmoore]

We live in western WA where AC is almost never needed, and have only used ours once in two seasons of ownership, but that once made it totally worth it. Had a hot spell in the middle of a trip where daytime highs were over 100 degrees.

Also we have plans of doing longer road trips where we will be in areas where it will be needed.

Just going over the mountains to the other side of the state usually means 15 degrees warmer in the summer time. So don't make the decision solely on the basis of where you live...

[Merlin]

I have and use A/C almost every night in the summer here in Michigan and northern states. High '70s through '90s outside translates to even higher temps inside. Don't compare use of A/C at home to use in a camper. It gets much hotter in the camper than it does in your better insulated home. Parked out in the sun, the aluminum skin gets very hot and a lot of that is conducted inside and then cooks the interior by convection. If your tolerance for heat is very high and you don't plan to camp where you have electricity, and you don't mind high humidity, and you'll only be camping a few nights per summer, then maybe you could skip it. Otherwise, go for it! I do recommend you skip the 9.2K btu Polar Cub for a better unit. That 9.2K is very noisy.

[jamie]

Thank you all for the input, some perspectives I hadn't thought about...
As for resale I hope to never sell it! One of the reasons I (and probably ALL of us) went aluminum is longevity. An angle that never entered my mind was travelling south. Didn't just compare to where I live, I only considered the favorite spot to camp!

It's a 13.5k Dometic Penguin which reviews well and the cost is reasonable. A quick check on the 'net saw costs around $1000 US and that's not installed, so $1200 CAN is good. My work truck has a Dometic industrial unit and most of the noise comes from the fan's wind noise, it's pretty powerful. If aluminum absorbs heat quickly, then it must cool quickly so maybe running it for a while is enough to cool the trailer and the cooler night air can take over. I guess it's like buying a Rolls Royce and skipping power windows because they might break one day. And that cheap walmart 8k window unit I have has worked for years without a hiccup...

Also if I regret installing it, that just means it wasn't used much... but if I regret NOT installing it, I'm screwed because there's not much that can be done afterwards. I just hope the extra fan helps in the off grid areas... the ramp door screen doesn't instill confidence in bear country, lol. They're not like park bears that'll sniff up your tent but they're still around.

[Pinstriper]

Its not so easy to add a/c later. I think you should get it. Like Bill, the 1-2 times a season we use it, we're really glad we have it.

Mainly to cool the thing down before bed - we don't spend a lot of time inside at the campground.

You are much more likely to regret not having it than regret having spent the money on it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Paul]

I live in Canada and during the summer I use it almost everyday very glad I have it


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk Pro

[jamie]

I paid the deposit last night, kept the AC on the order and added a second fan for times without shore power. After really thinking about it, I realized that regrets about money are usually short lived... regretting a built in option would last the life of the trailer. Guess it's like a house, you can always change the doorknobs to better ones later, but skipping the second bathroom rough-in means it might not happen later. They were pretty good at the dealership... I asked for a few extra options that weren't on the original quote and they tossed them in because it was easier than going through the quote again, we just initialed the add-ons on the original contract. Not to mention they talked me out of the tv, said I could find a much better one on my own.

Plus I learned they do secure storage as well, at the lowest price I've seen. Granted it's over an hour away but I was going to store it outside the city anyways. I always go north and they're less than 2 minutes from the highway I would already be taking. $160-200 per month in the city vs $37. That means over an hour of my trip's NOT towing 4500lbs, plus no city traffic. They're ok with me bringing my utility trailer, switching the atv there and leaving the smaller trailer while I'm away. Some places weren't too keen on that idea because you're storing a vehicle, not renting a parking spot. The only catch is they want a few days notice in case they park another rig in front of it and in my case that's not really a catch.

Aaaannd just realized I put this thread in the wrong section, didn't notice this was Quicksilver TENT trailers. So much to learn haaha

[SWBF350]

I believe you did Right on keeping the AC even if you don't use it, it is nice to know you have it just that one time you do need it. I don't use mine very much and Never when camping in a area w/o shore power as my Honda EU2000i generator will not power the 9200btu AC unit anyway. I do use it though when I am loading it up and getting ready to head out on a camping trip here at my home. I wired in a outside 30amp plug at my home for the RV Plug just for the use of the AC.

For some reason you do Sell your LL Trailer, the AC Option will be a excellent selling point.

[pjcd]

No question about it, get the AC, if not for anything else, the resale.

[TLBones]