Quick Answer: For a seasonal hunt camp or remote bunkhouse in Ontario, a shipping container is the better long-term choice for most buyers. A used RV or travel trailer is comfier the day you tow it in, but its sealed roof, soft walls, and plumbing degrade fast when left unattended through northern winters. A steel container locks tight, shrugs off snow load, and outlives the trailer by decades.
The machines that get you to camp deserve their own plan: the sled-and-bike storage rotation covers the fleet the other half of the year.
The budget rung below the RV is the retired school bus, and the skoolie math deserves the same honest look before anyone bids at an auction.
In This Guide
- Container or used RV: which should you put on your camp?
- How do a container and a used trailer compare side by side?
- Which one survives a winter alone in the bush?
- Which is harder to break into when you are not there?
- Where does a used RV or travel trailer genuinely win?
- Can you move either one to a new camp later?
- Do you need a permit for a container or an RV at a hunt camp?
- If you go with steel, which container suits a hunt camp?
- Frequently asked questions
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Container or used RV: which should you put on your camp?
A hunt camp lives a hard life. You show up for a few weekends in October and November, maybe a week in the spring, and then the place sits empty through six months of Ontario weather with nobody watching it. That single fact, the long unattended stretch, is what decides the shipping container vs RV hunt camp question for most Ontario buyers. A shipping container is a sealed steel box built to cross oceans loaded with cargo. A used RV or travel trailer is a lightweight road vehicle built to be lived in while someone is around to run the furnace and watch the seals.
Put the two on a remote lot for a Canadian winter and they age in opposite directions. The container does almost nothing. The trailer fights water, mice, and snow load the whole time, and it usually loses. That is why we point most camp buyers toward steel for the bunkhouse and storage role, while being honest that a trailer still has a real place if you value built-in beds and a kitchen over longevity.
Paul LeBlanc, owner: “Guys call us every spring after the trailer they parked at camp came through the winter soft in the floor and full of mice. A sea can does not care that you locked the gate in November and did not come back until May. In my nineteen years in containers I have never had a camp owner call to tell me his steel box rotted out.”
How do a container and a used trailer compare side by side?
Here is the honest version of the comparison, the way we walk through it with a buyer standing in our Brantford yard. The shipping container in this table is a wind and watertight or cargo worthy 20ft used unit, the sensible grade for a camp. The other column is a typical used RV or travel trailer of the kind that lands on a hunt lot. The winner is marked per row, and a few rows genuinely go to the trailer.
| Factor | Used shipping container (20ft) | Used RV / travel trailer | Better for a camp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront outlay | Lower for the same secure, dry footprint; price moves with grade, size, and delivery distance | Often cheaper to find on the used market, but condition is the gamble | Close, edge to container for value held over time |
| Lifespan in Ontario | 20 to 25 years and beyond for a used unit; steel does not rot | Roughly 10 to 20 years, shorter when stored unheated and unattended | Container |
| Security when empty | Solid steel, lockbox-ready, no windows to pry | Thin aluminium skin, large windows, residential door | Container |
| Snow and weather resistance | Rated to stack thousands of kilograms on the roof; sheds snow with no concern | Roof and seals fail under snow load and freeze-thaw cycles | Container |
| Foundation and site prep | Sits on railway ties, blocks, or gravel; level pad and done | Needs levelling, stabiliser jacks, and protection from settling | Container |
| Move-in comfort day one | Empty steel box; you build out the inside | Beds, kitchen, and a toilet already installed | RV / trailer |
| Portability later | Delivered on a tilt-deck truck; movable but needs equipment | Tows behind a pickup on its own wheels | RV / trailer |
| Resale value | Holds value well; used steel stays in demand | Depreciates steadily, faster once water damage starts | Container |
| Setup time on the lot | Placed in a single delivery; usable the same day for storage | Quick to park, slower to make winter-ready and stable | Roughly even |
Read the table top to bottom and a pattern shows up. The trailer wins on the day you bring it in, because it arrives furnished and it tows on its own wheels. The container wins on every year after that. For a building you visit a few weekends a season and leave alone the rest of the year, the years after matter more than day one.
Why steel and a trailer age so differently
A shipping container is built from weathering steel to ISO 1496 structural standards, designed to be stacked nine high on a pitching ocean vessel and rated for a roof load far beyond any snow a Canadian winter delivers. A travel trailer is built light so a half-ton truck can tow it. Its strength comes from a glued and stapled wood or composite frame wrapped in thin aluminium or fibreglass, sealed at every roof seam, window, and slide-out with caulk that must be inspected and resealed regularly. When the place sits empty, nobody reseals it, and water finds the gap. That is the whole story of why the two outlast each other so unevenly.
Which one survives a winter alone in the bush?
A shipping container survives an Ontario winter alone with no maintenance at all. Steel does not freeze and crack, the roof carries snow without complaint, and a wind and watertight or cargo worthy unit keeps the inside dry and rodent-free with the doors shut. You can lock it in November and open it in May to find everything exactly as you left it. This is the single biggest reason camp owners across the province choose a bin over a trailer.
A used RV faces a harder season. Industry sources on RV longevity point to water intrusion through failed roof, window, and slide-out seals as the leading killer of towable trailers, and the damage compounds quietly over the months a camp sits empty. Snow load stresses the roof, freeze-thaw cycles work the seals loose, and any water left in the plumbing can split a line. Mice treat the soft insulation and wiring as a winter hotel. None of that needs a person present to happen; it happens because the person is absent. A trailer can absolutely make it through winter, but only if someone winterises it properly every fall and checks on it, which is exactly what a remote camp owner usually cannot do.
Which is harder to break into when you are not there?
A shipping container is far harder to break into than a parked trailer, which is why it doubles so well as the secure storage piece of a hunt camp. The walls are corrugated steel, there are no windows to smash, and the cargo doors accept a lockbox that shrouds the padlock so bolt cutters cannot reach it. Rifles, quads, generators, and gear that you do not want to drag back and forth all season can live in a container through the off-season with real peace of mind.
A used RV or travel trailer is a softer target. The skin cuts with a utility knife, the windows are large and accessible, and the residential entry door uses a lock anyone familiar with trailers can defeat in seconds. A remote camp is exactly the kind of place an opportunist checks when the leaves drop and the road goes quiet. If keeping your equipment safe through the months you are away matters to you, the steel box is the honest answer. Many camp owners we deal with end up running both for a season, then keep the container and sell the trailer once they see the difference. We cover the lock side of this on our container modification and lockbox work.
The hunt-camp bunkhouse build
The most common camp setup we deliver is a 20ft used container as a combined bunkhouse and gear vault. Owners frame and insulate the interior, add a man door and a window or two, wire it for a small generator or solar setup, and bunk three or four hunters comfortably. The same steel box that sleeps the crew in November holds the quads and tree stands locked tight from December to October. One delivery, one secure structure, and a 40ft high cube gives you room to split the unit into a sleeping half and a storage half if your crew is larger.
Where does a used RV or travel trailer genuinely win?
A used RV or travel trailer genuinely wins on day-one comfort and on mobility, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. The trailer arrives with beds, a kitchen, a dinette, and a bathroom already built and plumbed. For a buyer who wants to tow something onto the lot this weekend and sleep in it the same night with a stove and a sink, a decent used trailer is hard to beat. A container gives you a dry, secure shell; you supply the bunks, the heat, and the fit-out yourself, which is time and money the trailer already spent at the factory.
The trailer also moves on its own wheels. If your hunting changes lots every couple of seasons, or you lease land and might lose access, a trailer hitches to a pickup and follows you out. That flexibility is real and worth weighing. The trade is that everything making the trailer convenient, the seals, the soft walls, the plumbing, is also what wears out when the unit sits unattended and unheated. A trailer rewards an owner who is around to maintain it and punishes one who is not. Be honest with yourself about which kind of camp owner you are before you choose.
Can you move either one to a new camp later?
Both can be moved later, but they move very differently. A used RV or travel trailer is the easy mover: it rides on its own axles, hitches to a pickup, and follows the truck down the bush road to a new lot. If frequent relocation is your priority, that is a clear point in the trailer’s favour.
A shipping container moves too, just not on its own. It comes to your camp on a tilt-deck truck that slides the unit off onto your prepared spot, and the same kind of truck or a crane can lift it and bring it to a new site when you need it relocated. That is a job you arrange with a hauler when the time comes, not something the box does by itself. Plan the pad with that in mind: keep the approach clear and the base simple, so the unit can be lifted cleanly if you ever move camps. We deliver the container you buy and set it where you want it; relocating a unit already placed years ago is a separate job for a hauling outfit, not part of the sale. If you are weighing steel against other fixed structures, our look at a how steel compares to a pole barn covers the permanence trade-off in more depth.
Ready to price a container for your camp? Tell us the size, the grade, and the postal code of the lot, and we send back an honest, all-in number, usually the same day. The fastest answer is a call: describe the camp over the phone and we will tell you what fits on the spot.
Get a Quote or call the Brantford yard at 519-754-6844.
Do you need a permit for a container or an RV at a hunt camp?
Permits for either a container or an RV at a hunt camp are managed by your municipality, not by us. Rules for placing a structure on rural or recreational land vary from one township to the next, so check with your local building or planning department before you order. That single sentence is the whole of what we will say about it; we sell and deliver containers, and the permitting side of the transaction sits with you and your municipal office. Once you know what your property allows, we can talk sizes, grades, and a delivery date.
If you go with steel, which container suits a hunt camp?
The right container for a hunt camp is almost always a used wind and watertight or cargo worthy 20ft unit, with a 40ft high cube as the upsize when a larger crew needs both sleeping and storage space. A 20ft (6.06m long, 2.44m wide, 2.59m tall) holds a comfortable bunk build plus gear, drops onto a simple pad of railway ties or blocks, and is the easiest size to place on a tight bush lot. A 40ft high cube gives you 9 feet 6 inches of interior height and room to wall off a sleeping half from a storage half.
On grade, used is the sensible call for a camp. There are four grades worth knowing. One-trip is essentially new, the unit the industry calls one-trip because it made exactly one loaded voyage from the factory; it carries factory paint and is the right pick only if you want it visible and pristine. Cargo worthy is a used unit re-inspected and still solid enough for export, with honest surface rust and the odd dent. Wind and watertight is the most common used grade, guaranteed dry and rodent-proof with cosmetic wear, and it is the grade most camp buyers land on. As-is is the lowest grade, sold cheap with structural questions, which we rarely recommend for a building you intend to sleep in. We walk every unit with you in the yard before you pay a dollar, so you see the exact box you are buying. Our guide to the container grades and types lays the four out in full, and the sea can sizes breakdown covers the dimensions if you are deciding between a 20 and a 40.
Camp delivery across Ontario from Brantford
We deliver shipping containers across Ontario from our Brantford yards, with fast 1 to 3 day delivery to most regions and longer, per-route freight quoted honestly for the far north where many hunt camps sit. Most Ontario buyers call them sea cans or c-cans; the older crowd at camp might say conex from their service days. They are all the same steel box. To view our bins in person before you buy, visit our Brantford yard at 90 Morton Avenue East. Every quote comes with a real lead time, not a hopeful one. Browse what is on the ground now on our containers for sale page.
The cheaper bin on Facebook that never arrives
Plenty of camp buyers call us saying they found a container far cheaper on Facebook Marketplace. Two weeks later a good number of them call back, scammed, the bin never arrived and the seller vanished. We have taken that panicked call too many times over thirty years. A real yard you can drive to, a unit you can walk before you pay, and a courteous driver who places it where you want it is worth the difference. That is why buyers from across the province make the drive to Brantford.
Frequently asked questions
Is a shipping container cheaper than a used RV for a hunt camp?
It depends on what you are comparing. A used trailer can be cheaper to find, but condition is a gamble and it depreciates. A used container costs less for the same secure, dry footprint and holds its value. Container price moves with grade, size, and delivery distance, so call us with your details for an honest number.
Which lasts longer in Ontario weather, a container or a travel trailer?
A shipping container lasts longer, by a wide margin. A used steel container commonly serves 20 to 25 years or more because steel does not rot, while a travel trailer typically lasts 10 to 20 years and shorter when stored unheated and unattended through Canadian winters. Water intrusion through trailer seals is the main reason for the gap.
Will a container survive winter at a remote camp with nobody there?
Yes. A wind and watertight or cargo worthy container needs no winterising. Steel will not freeze and crack, the roof carries snow easily, and the closed doors keep the inside dry and rodent-free. You can lock it in November and open it in May to find everything as you left it, which is exactly what a remote camp needs.
Is a shipping container more secure than an RV at a hunt camp?
A container is much more secure. The walls are solid steel with no windows to pry, and the cargo doors take a lockbox that shields the padlock from bolt cutters. A trailer’s thin skin, large windows, and residential door make it a far softer target for the off-season break-ins that remote lots attract.
When is a used RV or travel trailer the better choice?
A trailer wins when day-one comfort and mobility matter most. It arrives with beds, a kitchen, and a bathroom already built, and it tows on its own wheels to follow you between lots. If you are around to winterise and maintain it every season, a trailer is a fine pick. If the camp sits empty for months, steel is the safer bet.
Can you move a hunt-camp container to a new lot later?
Yes. We deliver the container you buy on a tilt-deck truck and set it on your pad. If you change camps later, a tilt-deck truck or crane can lift it and a hauler can take it to the new site. Keep the approach clear and the base simple so it lifts cleanly. A trailer moves more easily since it rides on its own wheels.
What size container is best for a hunt-camp bunkhouse?
A 20ft used container suits most camps, big enough for a bunk build plus gear and easy to place on a tight bush lot. Step up to a 40ft high cube when a larger crew needs a sleeping half and a storage half under one roof. We carry both and walk the exact unit with you in our Brantford yard before you buy.
Sources
- International Organization for Standardization. (2013). ISO 1496-1:2013, Series 1 freight containers, Specification and testing, Part 1: General cargo containers for general purposes. iso.org
- International Maritime Organization. (1972, amended). International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC). imo.org
- RecNation. (2024). What Is the Life Expectancy of an RV? RecNation Storage. Link
- FC Trailers. (2024). Travel Trailer Lifespan: Factors Affecting How Long They Last. Link
- Transport Canada. (2025). Cargo Securement Standard 10, Containerized Cargo. tc.canada.ca
Reach Van Blanc in Brantford
We have been supplying shipping containers across Ontario since 1995. Our warehouse is at 90 Morton Avenue E in Brantford, and we deliver right across the province on a cash-on-delivery basis. No surprise fees, no chase-the-paperwork.
Van Blanc Ent. Inc., 90 Morton Ave E Unit 1B, Brantford, ON N3R 7J7, +1 888-509-6658
Tell us the size and grade you want for your camp and the postal code of the lot, and we will line up a delivery date and a real lead time.