One among my least favourite components 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 mixture of issues like utilizing window covers, cooking exterior, working my followers, and planning my travels fastidiously.
If you happen to’re like me with out air con in your van, these 13 ideas will provide you with some concepts on how you can cool off in your van on even the most well liked summer time days.
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1. Go to coastal or high-elevation areas
Though you might have at all times wished to go to Arizona, the guts of summer time might be not the very best time. When you might have 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 means of trial and error that my greatest guess for summer time journey is to go excessive elevation mountainous areas or stick alongside the coast. You gained’t catch me anyplace close to the desert or particularly sizzling and humid areas from late Might to early September.
Even if you happen to can not journey to the mountains or the ocean, tenting close to a physique of climate like a lake or river can have the same cooling impact on the world. It’s also possible to 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 scenario.
2. Park strategically
One easy factor I do to remain cool in my van is to park in areas with shade protection each time doable. Parking my van within the shade may help scale back the inside temperature by 15-20 levels Fahrenheit.
Generally I’ve to park in direct daylight if I want 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 doable, camp on gravel or dust within the sizzling summer time months versus paved spots at campgrounds or parking heaps. Concrete and asphalt take up warmth, that 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! After all, you in all probability insulated your van through the constructing stage (or bought your van with insulation from an expert conversion firm). You will have 3M Thinsulate (like my Sprinter van) or wool – each are well-liked and efficient supplies to insulate vans.
You’ll be able to 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 corporations design velcro, snap, magnetic, or stick-on suction window covers for every window of your van, or if you happen to’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 evening, 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
Spend money on some high quality followers to enhance airflow and circulation in your van. These enable cool air to stream into your van whereas sucking out the new air.
On the roof of your van, you possibly can 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 cushty temperature.
A less expensive different 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 possibly can cool your house much more effectively and set one fan to drag air in whereas the opposite pushes air out. It’s also possible to crack open a window to extend the circulation and cooling (as defined within the tip under).
5. Open home windows and doorways
You’ll be able to benefit from the sounds of nature and create cross air flow in your van by leaving doorways and home windows open. This works properly in case your home windows have screens to forestall bugs from getting inside.
On Sprinter vans, the manufacturing facility home windows don’t open or vent. Exterior Van changed the entrance aspect manufacturing facility 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 either 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 it’s possible you’ll assume opening these doorways gained’t make a lot of a distinction on a sizzling day, they’ll present significantly 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 doable, I’ll add ice or chill my water bottle within the fridge earlier than consuming it.
This may help your physique settle down whereas making certain you don’t expertise dehydration. At evening, maintain your water bottle inside attain of your mattress so you possibly can proceed to take sips as wanted.
7. Get out of your van
Keep away from spending time in your van through the hottest components of the day. If you happen to have to be inside your van, don’t hang around longer than mandatory.
Go exterior within the shade. After I’m tenting close to a water supply, I’ll spend the most well liked 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. When you’ve got a canine (like me) or one other pet, discover a pet-friendly place to deliver them alongside, too.
8. Gown comfortably
It’s also possible to maintain cool by sporting mild 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 prefer to put my hair as much as get it off my neck on sizzling days. I keep away from sporting socks and stroll round barefoot inside my van to maintain my toes from getting too sweaty.
9. Use an awning
When situations enable, I take advantage of an awning or shade construction to get extra shade close to my van. This additionally offers a cooler exterior house the place I can arrange a chair to loosen up with a chilly drink or work remotely with out sweating.
If you happen to don’t have an awning on 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, usually over the aspect with the sliding door. Keep in mind to not use it if it’s too windy exterior as they’ll snap and break simply.
The Moonshade awning is a superb transportable choice that you need to use at festivals and sunny campsites. It’s light-weight, compact, and straightforward to arrange. You’ll be able to learn extra about it in my Moonshade awning evaluation.
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 evening may help me really feel cool sufficient to go to sleep.
It’s also possible to use public showers or leap in a pure physique of water to chill down. These are handy when you might have the choice as a result of they let you preserve water in your van.
11. Modify your sleeping situations
You may make some easy modifications to your mattress to make it really feel cooler for sleeping. One concept is to buy breathable bedding or a transportable fan to level instantly at you whilst you sleep.
Most lately Ryan and I removed our prime sheet to scale back the quantity of covers we sleep below in our van.
It’s also possible to get a cooling gel-infused pad for the highest of your mattress to assist your physique keep cool at evening.
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 doable, cook dinner exterior with a transportable camp range or over a fireplace.
I take advantage of 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 greater pans.
Don’t really feel like cooking? Relying in your proximity to city, a sizzling day is likely to be a great excuse to seize a meal at an area restaurant with air-conditioning.
13. Set up an air conditioner
If you happen to’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 working. The trade-off is that it requires a considerable sum of money and energy.
If you happen to set up an AC unit, you need to additionally put money into a generator, a strong energy system, or stick round campsites with shore energy. You gained’t be capable of run the air conditioner nonstop, however you possibly can run it for just a few hours to chill down your house to a nice 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 undoubtedly take into account it, particularly now that my son must nap in the midst of the day. An AC can also be good in case you have pets and wish to do actions that they’ll’t at all times be a 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 may well drop the temperature by 30 levels Fahrenheit in 10 minutes. It does should be vented to the surface of your van, nevertheless it doesn’t require everlasting set up like a rooftop AC. I acquired to attempt it on the Overland Expo, and I used to be impressed with how efficient it was.
Steadily Requested Questions
If you wish to depart 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 automobile’s AC so the ambient temperature begins off as cool as doable earlier than you allow them in there. Then run the followers on max and crank the home windows.
Along with following the tips about this listing, you may as well get a cooling mat or damp towels on your canine to put on, which may help decrease their physique temperature. If you happen to aren’t in a position to do that, you possibly can put frozen water bottles or ice packs wrapped in towels on your canine to lean in opposition to.
Lastly guarantee they’ve loads of water, and keep away from leaving them alone within the hottest components of the day. In addition they make RV temperature displays so you possibly can monitor the temp in your van whilst you’re away if you happen to’re frightened about your canine turning into too heat. For extra ideas, go to my put up on van life with canine.
There are various 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 power. A couple of of my important ideas 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. When you’ve got two ceiling vans, you possibly can set one to drag air in and the opposite to push air out. Maintain the home windows all the best way 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 comfy usually, 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 greatest tip to beat the warmth within the feedback under.
