Where Does the RV Go When Southern Illinois Cools Off?

Cold does not usually break an RV. Water freezing inside it does, and mice finding a granola bar does.

If you are putting a camper, a boat or a trailer away for the season in Williamson County, the parking spot is the easy part. Here is the part that decides what condition it comes out in.

What should you do before you park it?

Five things, in this order.

Drain the water system. Fresh tank, gray tank, black tank, water heater and every line. Then blow the lines out or run RV antifreeze through them. Water left in a line expands when it freezes and splits fittings, and you find out in April.

Deal with the fuel. Top the tank up and add stabilizer, then run the engine long enough to move the treated fuel through. A full tank leaves less room for condensation.

Take the battery out, or disconnect it. A battery left connected drains over a winter and a flat battery freezes. Store it somewhere it will not.

Empty every cupboard. All food, and that includes sealed packets, spices and pet food. This is the single biggest cause of winter damage in stored campers, because rodents chew through wiring and upholstery to get to it.

Leave it dry and slightly vented. Damp interiors grow mold over four months. Clean it out, dry it, and prop a vent if the cover allows.

How much space does it actually need?

Measure the whole rig, not the trailer.

The parking spaces here run to 12x60, which takes most travel trailers, fifth wheels, boats on trailers and work trailers with the tongue included. Add the tongue and the outboard to your measurement, and add a few feet so you are not reversing into a space with two inches to spare in February.

If you are not sure, call before you book rather than after you arrive.

When do you want a unit instead of a parking space?

When what you are storing is not a vehicle.

Our drive-up units run 10x10, 10x15 and 10x20, all at ground level with roll-up doors, and they suit the things that come out of the camper rather than the camper itself. Cushions, bedding, camp chairs, kitchen kit, fishing tackle, tools. Storing that in a unit rather than inside the vehicle is what keeps the interior dry and uninteresting to wildlife.

There are also 12x60 units here for the loads that need a building rather than a space, which is a genuinely unusual size to find in Marion.

One rule that does not bend. Nothing with fuel in it goes inside a unit. Generators, mowers, chainsaws and pressure washers get drained first or they stay outside. That is why fueled vehicles go in the open parking spaces.

When is winter storage not worth it?

If you camp through the winter, which plenty of people in southern Illinois do, do not put it away. Storing something you are still using costs you money and access.

If the rig fits in your own driveway, your covenant allows it and you are happy to look at it, keep it home. This is worth paying for when the driveway is the problem, the HOA is the problem, or the vehicle is worth more than the space costs.

Parking in Marion?

Route 37 Self Storage is at 1809 N Court St, along IL-37 on the north side of Marion, with easy access from I-57 and IL-13 and minutes from downtown. We are a straightforward run from Carterville, Herrin and Johnston City.

Access is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which matters when you are getting back off the road late. Units are drive-up and ground floor with roll-up doors, and a free lock is included at move in. The site is remotely managed, so renting, paying and access are all handled online or by phone.

Call (618) 361-4668 with the length of your rig and we will tell you which space fits.