2018 High Country 362RD
 

Hey All!

We are a family of 5 going full time for a year starting in August. RV shopping has been a chore to say the least - our top pick right now is a 2018 Montana HC 362RD. When doing research I am reading a lot about poor climate control - hot in the summer, freezing and cold in rear bunk in cooler weather. Just wanted to put some feelers out there as to whether this is across the board, can it be resolved etc. Thank you in advance for your insight!

Bridey,

One of the advantages of an RV is they are mobil allowing you to move to more favorable temps.

One of the disadvantages is poorer insulation and heating/air conditioning systems. Heat is better than ac, with ac a 20-25 deg split between inside and outside is typical.

When we started full timing we did a lot of research and there are a lot of strategies to combat extreme cold/heat.

I don't have the model you're considering, but generally you'll be looking at insulating windows or reflecting the sun away from them, adding rugs, using space heaters to supplement heat where needed and possibly using portable AC units if you can't keep it cool enough. We get down into the single digits in the winter and use space heaters to help in the cold spots. Every year we replace them just as a safety precaution. Our overall length is just over 42' and two $40 Honeywell ceramic heaters are plenty.

The best advice I can give you is to choose the RV you want to live in, then deal with the shortcomings as you discover them. Full timers are battling the elements whether they have a Grand Design, Jayco, Montana or anything else.

Congrats and welcome! Also Wow! That's a commitment! :popcorn:

Check out the Montana high country 2018 358 BH. Its a bunk house with 5 slide outs. 2 slides for the bunk house. Lots of room. I have this rig. I chose this floor plan for our kids and grand kids. Bunks are a full 6’ long. Its similar to the 362rd but more room in the bunk house.
I use a portable a/c unit (12k btu) in the hottest months in Texas (100+). Really helps a lot. Faster cool down and maintains 74-75 degrees with all a/c going. I run exhaust out a slide out side window and run an extension cord with a 30 amp adapter to the pedestal. The a/c unit sits in a corner of the slide out, out of the way. My rig is a 50 amp hook up. This reduces the power load on my 50 amp system. If the 20 amp pedestal plug works, I hook up to that. Many times I find the 20 amp plug doesn’t work for some reason, in which case I use the 30 amp adapter plug. In cooler months I remove the portable A/C as it’s not needed. In winter I use small space heaters if it is too cold for the heat pump ( below about 42 degrees). I do use the furnace in freezing weather to keep heat in the underbelly and space heaters to supplement the furnace. I have only camped in freezing weather once or twice and stayed cozy. If it’s above freezing, say mid 30’s, its space heaters all the way.. Amazing how much heat those little space heaters put out. Hope this helps. Safe travels!

We have the 2019 362RD. Since the bunk room has its own AC, cooling is not an issue. It does get chilly back there on cold nights. If you use the fireplace, it’ll be worse. Leaving the fireplace off, and the fan on continuous, makes it ok. We’ll add a small space heater when the temps get in the low 40’s.

As High5er said,
Choose the one that best fits your needs.
Which ever model you choose this is just an FYI and an Excellent review of portable AC units seeing as the summer heat is fast approaching

https://youtu.be/_-mBeYC2KGc