Certainly one of my least favourite elements of van life is being too scorching in my van whereas sleeping, working, or worrying about leaving my canines within the van whereas I run errands.
I don’t have a roof prime AC unit, which suggests I’ve needed to discover different options to maintain cool in the course of the scorching summer time months by doing a mixture of issues like utilizing window covers, cooking exterior, operating my followers, and planning my travels rigorously.
When you’re like me with out air-con in your van, these 13 ideas offers you some concepts on tips on how to 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 will have all the time needed to go to Arizona, the center of summer time might be not the most effective time. When you could have the selection, go to cooler areas alongside the ocean or at excessive elevations in the course of the summer time.
I deliberately plan my route every summer time to keep away from burning scorching climates. I’ve realized by means of 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 scorching and humid areas from late Could to early September.
Even should you can’t 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 realm. You may also get out on the water on a paddleboard, tube, or kayak.
Pay shut consideration to climate alerts for areas you intend to go to and keep away from locations with excessive warmth warnings or advisories. I like to recommend staying versatile in the course of 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 cut 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 once I park so the slider door faces away from the solar.
When doable, camp on gravel or grime within the scorching summer time months versus paved spots at campgrounds or parking heaps. Concrete and asphalt soak up warmth, that means you’ll seemingly 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 most likely insulated your van in the course of the constructing stage (or bought your van with insulation from an expert conversion firm). You’ll have 3M Thinsulate (like my Sprinter van) or wool – each are well-liked 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 should you’re artful, you can also 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 dwelling area. As quickly as I park at my campsite for the evening, I hold up the window covers within the cab space for extra 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 move 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 cushty temperature.
A less expensive different is moveable followers, which give extra direct airflow inside your van. Even small, battery-powered followers could make a considerable distinction subsequent to a cracked window. If you’re 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 area 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 properly in case your home windows have screens to stop 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 area cool on scorching days. I even have small slider home windows on each side of the mattress that vent.
You should buy bug screens to go away your slider and again doorways open with out fretting about bugs flying in your van. Though you could suppose opening these doorways received’t make a lot of a distinction on a scorching day, they’ll present significantly better airflow when your van is stationary.
6. Keep hydrated
If I’m feeling scorching 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 ingesting it.
This may help your physique settle down whereas guaranteeing you don’t expertise dehydration. At evening, 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 in the course of the hottest elements of the day. When you should be inside your van, don’t hang around longer than essential.
Go exterior within the shade. After I’m tenting close to a water supply, I’ll spend the most popular a part of the day within the water.
I additionally think about visiting a public place like a library, espresso store, or restaurant on days it’s too scorching to be exterior. In case you have a canine (like me) or one other pet, discover a pet-friendly place to convey them alongside, too.
8. Gown comfortably
You may also maintain cool by carrying mild and breathable clothes. On scorching 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 scorching days. I keep away from carrying 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 area the place I can arrange a chair to loosen up with a chilly drink or work remotely with out sweating.
When you don’t have an awning to your van, think about 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. Bear 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 moveable choice that you should utilize at festivals and sunny campsites. It’s light-weight, compact, and simple to arrange. You may 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, think about taking a chilly bathe to chill down your physique. Even when I don’t need to take an entire bathe, getting my hair moist earlier than going to mattress on a scorching evening may help me really feel cool sufficient to go to sleep.
You may also use public showers or soar in a pure physique of water to chill down. These are handy when you could have the choice as a result of they permit you to preserve water in your van.
11. Alter your sleeping situations
You may make some easy adjustments to your mattress to make it really feel cooler for sleeping. One thought is to buy breathable bedding or a conveyable fan to level instantly at you when you sleep.
Most lately Ryan and I removed our prime sheet to scale back the quantity of covers we sleep underneath 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 evening.
12. Cook dinner exterior
Utilizing your induction or propane range inside your van on a scorching day emits extra warmth into your dwelling space. If doable, prepare dinner exterior with a conveyable 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 scorching day may be an excellent excuse to seize a meal at an area restaurant with air-conditioning.
13. Set up an air conditioner
When you’ve tried the following pointers and nonetheless really feel unbearably scorching in your van, think about putting in an air-con unit. A 12-volt AC unit cools your area 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 spend money on a generator, a strong energy system, or stick round campsites with shore energy. You received’t have the ability to run the air conditioner nonstop, however you may run it for just a few hours to chill down your area to a nice temperature.
Whereas I didn’t set up an AC unit in my newest Sprinter Van, if I have been going to construct out one other camper, I’d positively think about it, particularly now that my son must nap in the course of the day. An AC can be good in case you have pets and need to do actions that they’ll’t all the time be part of you on.
A transportable AC choice is the Zero Breeze Mark 2 AC, a conveyable 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 might probably 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 bought to strive it on the Overland Expo, and I used to be impressed with how efficient it was.
Incessantly Requested Questions
If you wish to depart your canine within the van to run an errand and fear about them getting too scorching, it’s vital to chill down your van (and maintain it cool) when you’re gone. Crank the car’s AC so the ambient temperature begins off as cool as doable earlier than you permit 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 to 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 to 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 displays so you may observe the temp in your van when you’re away should you’re nervous about your canine changing into too heat. For extra ideas, go to my publish on van life with canines.
There are lots of issues you are able to do to maintain your camper van cool in the course of the day when temperatures are at their highest and the solar is out in full drive. A couple of of my principal 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 in the course of the day!
Ceiling followers and window screens can work collectively to enhance airflow and circulation in your van. In case you have two ceiling vans, you may set one to tug air in and the opposite to push air out. Hold the home windows all the best way open and set up screens to maintain bugs out. I’ve discovered that the mix of followers and home windows retains the inside of my van comfy 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.