One in every of my least favourite elements of van life is being too sizzling in my van whereas sleeping, working, or worrying about leaving my canine within the van whereas I run errands.
I don’t have a roof prime AC unit, which implies I’ve needed to discover different options to maintain cool through the scorching summer time months by doing a mix of issues like utilizing window covers, cooking exterior, operating my followers, and planning my travels fastidiously.
When you’re like me with out air con in your van, these 13 suggestions offers you some concepts on cool off in your van on even the most popular summer time days.
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1. Go to coastal or high-elevation areas
Though you could have all the time needed to go to Arizona, the center of summer time might be not the very best time. When you’ve got the selection, go to cooler areas alongside the ocean or at excessive elevations through the summer time.
I deliberately plan my route every summer time to keep away from burning sizzling climates. I’ve discovered by trial and error that my finest wager for summer time journey is to move excessive elevation mountainous areas or stick alongside the coast. You received’t catch me anyplace close to the desert or particularly sizzling and humid areas from late Might to early September.
Even in case you can not journey to the mountains or the ocean, tenting close to a physique of climate like a lake or river can have an identical cooling impact on the world. You may also get out on the water on a paddleboard, tube, or kayak.
Pay shut consideration to climate alerts for areas you propose to go to and keep away from locations with excessive warmth warnings or advisories. I like to recommend staying versatile through the summer time and adjusting your journey plans earlier than discovering your self in an disagreeable state of affairs.
2. Park strategically
One easy factor I do to remain cool in my van is to park in areas with shade protection every time attainable. Parking my van within the shade may help cut back the inside temperature by 15-20 levels Fahrenheit.
Typically I’ve to park in direct daylight if I would like solar energy from panels on prime of my van. On this case, I attempt to place my van strategically after I park so the slider door faces away from the solar.
When attainable, camp on gravel or filth within the sizzling summer time months versus paved spots at campgrounds or parking tons. Concrete and asphalt soak up warmth, which means you’ll doubtless be hotter inside your van.
3. Insulate your van
Insulation doesn’t simply maintain your van heat within the cooler months – it additionally retains your van cool within the hotter months! In fact, you most likely insulated your van through the constructing stage (or bought your van with insulation from knowledgeable conversion firm). You might have 3M Thinsulate (like my Sprinter van) or wool – each are fashionable and efficient supplies to insulate vans.
You may insulate your van additional with blackout curtains, shades, or reflective window covers. These can replicate the solar and maintain the within cool. A number of firms design velcro, snap, magnetic, or stick-on suction window covers for every window of your van, or in case you’re artful, you may make them your self.
I’ve insulating window shades from Exterior Van to place over the entrance, driver, and passenger home windows, in addition to the home windows in my residing house. As quickly as I park at my campsite for the night time, I cling up the window covers within the cab space for added insulation. I additionally like them as a result of they supply privateness at my campsite within the evenings and maintain out the brilliant morning solar.
4. Use followers
Put money into some high quality followers to enhance airflow and circulation in your van. These enable cool air to movement into your van whereas sucking out the recent air.
On the roof of your van, you may set up a 12-volt fan that requires a small quantity of energy (like MaxxAir or Fan-tastic Fan).
Since I don’t have an AC unit in my van, I depend on my two MaxxAir followers for airflow. I’ve one close to the slider door above the galley and the opposite above the mattress, and I can’t imagine how huge of a distinction they make in cooling down my van and sustaining a snug temperature.
A less expensive various is transportable followers, which give extra direct airflow inside your van. Even small, battery-powered followers could make a considerable distinction subsequent to a cracked window. In case you are visiting a dry space, dip a skinny material in water and drape it over the fan to create a DIY “air conditioner”!
With two followers, you may cool your house much more effectively and set one fan to tug air in whereas the opposite pushes air out. You may also crack open a window to extend the circulation and cooling (as defined within the tip under).
5. Open home windows and doorways
You may benefit from the sounds of nature and create cross air flow in your van by leaving doorways and home windows open. This works effectively in case your home windows have screens to forestall bugs from getting inside.
On Sprinter vans, the manufacturing unit home windows don’t open or vent. Exterior Van changed the entrance aspect manufacturing unit home windows in my Sprinter van conversion with CR Laurence Home windows.
These home windows can pop open to assist maintain my house cool on sizzling days. I even have small slider home windows on each side of the mattress that vent.
You should purchase bug screens to go away your slider and again doorways open with out fretting about bugs flying in your van. Though you might suppose opening these doorways received’t make a lot of a distinction on a sizzling day, they will present a lot better airflow when your van is stationary.
6. Keep hydrated
If I’m feeling sizzling in my van, I attain for my water bottle and proceed to hydrate all through the day. When attainable, I’ll add ice or chill my water bottle within the fridge earlier than ingesting it.
This may help your physique settle down whereas guaranteeing you don’t expertise dehydration. At night time, maintain your water bottle inside attain of your mattress so you may proceed to take sips as wanted.
7. Get out of your van
Keep away from spending time in your van through the hottest elements of the day. When you have to be inside your van, don’t hang around longer than crucial.
Go exterior within the shade. Once I’m tenting close to a water supply, I’ll spend the most popular a part of the day within the water.
I additionally take into account visiting a public place like a library, espresso store, or restaurant on days it’s too sizzling to be exterior. If in case you have a canine (like me) or one other pet, discover a pet-friendly place to deliver them alongside, too.
8. Gown comfortably
You may also maintain cool by carrying gentle and breathable clothes. On sizzling days, ditch the suffocating cotton shirts and attain for garments made with polyester, spandex, or different sweat-wicking materials.
I additionally wish to put my hair as much as get it off my neck on sizzling days. I keep away from carrying socks and stroll round barefoot inside my van to maintain my ft from getting too sweaty.
9. Use an awning
When situations enable, I exploit an awning or shade construction to get extra shade close to my van. This additionally supplies a cooler exterior house the place I can arrange a chair to calm down with a chilly drink or work remotely with out sweating.
When you don’t have an awning in your van, take into account investing in a single that may stand up to repeated use. They connect to your roof rack or the aspect of your van, sometimes over the aspect with the sliding door. Bear in mind to not use it if it’s too windy exterior as they will snap and break simply.
The Moonshade awning is a good transportable choice that you need to use at festivals and sunny campsites. It’s light-weight, compact, and straightforward to arrange. You may learn extra about it in my Moonshade awning assessment.
10. Take a cool bathe or go for a swim
In case your van has an inside bathe or exterior spray station, take into account taking a chilly bathe to chill down your physique. Even when I don’t wish to take an entire bathe, getting my hair moist earlier than going to mattress on a sizzling night time may help me really feel cool sufficient to go to sleep.
You may also use public showers or bounce in a pure physique of water to chill down. These are handy when you’ve got the choice as a result of they mean you can preserve water in your van.
11. Alter your sleeping situations
You can also make some easy adjustments to your mattress to make it really feel cooler for sleeping. One concept is to buy breathable bedding or a transportable fan to level straight at you whilst you sleep.
Most not too long ago Ryan and I removed our prime sheet to scale back the quantity of covers we sleep below in our van.
You may also get a cooling gel-infused pad for the highest of your mattress to assist your physique keep cool at night time.
12. Prepare dinner exterior
Utilizing your induction or propane range inside your van on a sizzling day emits extra warmth into your residing space. If attainable, cook dinner exterior with a transportable camp range or over a hearth.
I exploit the Eureka Ignite Plus. It has a push-button ignite (which is tremendous handy), plus a sturdy design with massive burners that may accommodate my larger pans.
Don’t really feel like cooking? Relying in your proximity to city, a sizzling day may be excuse to seize a meal at a neighborhood restaurant with air-conditioning.
13. Set up an air conditioner
When you’ve tried the following pointers and nonetheless really feel unbearably sizzling in your van, take into account putting in an air con unit. A 12-volt AC unit cools your house even when the van isn’t operating. The trade-off is that it requires a considerable sum of money and energy.
When you set up an AC unit, it’s essential to additionally put money into a generator, a strong energy system, or stick round campsites with shore energy. You received’t be capable of run the air conditioner nonstop, however you may run it for just a few hours to chill down your house to a pleasing temperature.
Whereas I didn’t set up an AC unit in my newest Sprinter Van, if I had been going to construct out one other camper, I’d positively take into account it, particularly now that my son must nap in the midst of the day. An AC can be good when you have pets and wish to do actions that they will’t all the time be part of you on.
A transportable AC choice is the Zero Breeze Mark 2 AC, a transportable air conditioner designed for compact areas. It runs for 3-5 hours on a single cost or can be utilized with a 24-volt battery provide.
In comparison with different air conditioners, the Zero Breeze Mark 2 makes use of solely one-fifth of the ability (240 watts). It could drop the temperature by 30 levels Fahrenheit in 10 minutes. It does have to be vented to the surface of your van, however it doesn’t require everlasting set up like a rooftop AC. I received to attempt it on the Overland Expo, and I used to be impressed with how efficient it was.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
If you wish to go away your canine within the van to run an errand and fear about them getting too sizzling, it’s necessary to chill down your van (and maintain it cool) whilst you’re gone. Crank the car’s AC so the ambient temperature begins off as cool as attainable earlier than you permit them in there. Then run the followers on max and crank the home windows.
Along with following the recommendations on this record, you too can get a cooling mat or damp towels in your canine to put on, which may help decrease their physique temperature. When you aren’t in a position to do that, you could possibly put frozen water bottles or ice packs wrapped in towels in your canine to lean towards.
Lastly guarantee they’ve loads of water, and keep away from leaving them alone within the hottest elements of the day. In addition they make RV temperature screens so you may observe the temp in your van whilst you’re away in case you’re frightened about your canine changing into too heat. For extra suggestions, go to my put up on van life with canine.
There are numerous issues you are able to do to maintain your camper van cool through the day when temperatures are at their highest and the solar is out in full pressure. A number of of my essential suggestions are to make use of reflective window covers to dam out the solar, park within the shade, insulate your van, and activate followers whereas the home windows are open to enhance air flow. By doing these, your van ought to keep cool through the day!
Ceiling followers and window screens can work collectively to enhance airflow and circulation in your van. If in case you have two ceiling vans, you may set one to tug air in and the opposite to push air out. Maintain the home windows all the way in which open and set up screens to maintain bugs out. I’ve discovered that the mixture of followers and home windows retains the inside of my van snug most often, which is why I’ve by no means wanted air con!
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How do you keep cool in your van? Add your finest tip to beat the warmth within the feedback under.
