My barn find! ‘78 argosy 27ft. Asking for guidance on northeast winter camping preparation
After months of scouring marketplace, ‘Lady A’ popped up yesterday just 15mins from my house. Tucked away in a barn siding on a dairy farm was this special old Argosy. One lovely family since new, always stored in a barn, and last tagged in 1998. The original owner used to haul it from Vermont to Florida each summer behind a Cadillac!
She was covered in all sorts of fun stuff after spending the last 13+ years in the same spot but after some time at the car wash I was surprised just how great she came out.
The original interior is mostly still there. Little to no water damage thanks to years of being under a roof. Now that she has made it to her new home I plan to use it as an office during the winter months. I’m somewhat familiar with vintage RV winter camping - I spent a winter living in my 1985 38ft holiday rambler imperial diesel pusher a few years back.
I’m hoping someone might be able to help me with the following questions:
- what size pin does the trailer breakaway unit use on these?
- the seams, on first inspection and after serious pressure washing, seem ok but I plan on resealing around windows, seams, etc. is this necessary? What product would you recommend?
- the belly pan is still intact. I had a peer through a gap and I can see faced insulation still in place. I plan on creating a skirt made out of rigid foam insulation to help with the wind - are there other areas/places I should consider insulating without tearing it apart?
- I plan on using shore power/electric to heat it while using it this winter. (Gas system status currently unknown). Any thoughts on how to best to deal with condensation/humidity?
- ideally I’d like to create/purchase some sort of temporary shelter/tent/cover while still being able to use it - we get a lot of snow where we live. Any suggestions?
Thanks for reading this far! Any thoughts/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.