How to deal with Hot Weather in a Campervan or RV

Introduction

Have you ever been in Laveen, Arizona, Death Valley, California, or Casa Grande Monument, Arizona in summers? Then, you will know how hot it can be in these regions. The unbearable heat has forced hundreds of van travelers from these thrilling cities to places with fewer attractions, and even more. Meanwhile, many campers have also returned to their comfort zone as they only enjoy little or no fresh air in their vans. 

Living on the road can be extremely tough, especially in hot summers. If your campervan becomes too hot, it can be too uncomfortable for you to stay inside. Since you wouldn’t want to travel like a melted snowman and be stopped by various blocked roads, here are few tips for dealing with heat in your van. 

Essential Tips to Keep your Van or RV Cool Always

1. Always Cool your RV

Every van life, travelers must always cool their van immediately when they arrive at camp. You can cool it by turning on the generator to power the mobile air conditioner unit. Also, campers can cool their motorhomes by starting the air conditioner in the van. By cooling your van, you will not only reduce the level of heat in your campervan but also feel better while you listen to your audiobook in the van. While you cool your van, make sure your doors and windows are closed to avoid the warm air from finding its way to the truck and the fresh air finding its way out of the truck. 

For van travelers with no mobile air conditioner, you can cool your campervan using a fan. However, a fan does not effectively cool your RV as the portable air conditioner does. But it helps to circulate fresh air and lower heat weather in the van. 

Meanwhile, it is essential to keep high-capacity electronics off while cooling your campervan. When you run your refrigerator or charge your desktop, these actions produce a lot of heat. Also, excess heat is released when you watch television. Although these actions are as necessary as cooling your van, you should avoid doing them when you run your mobile air conditioner or fan. Instead of charging your laptop in the truck, you can power this device at Starbucks. A cooler is also an excellent alternative for a refrigerator. 

2. Spend more time under your RV Awning and Shade Rooms

Another vital tip for dealing with heat weather in your campervan is to chill out under your RV awning and shade rooms. Many campervans, vans, motorhomes as well as RVs are built with shade rooms and canopy. The shade is designed not only to provide shade coverage but also to expand your living space in the van. RV awning comes with a slew of benefits. So if you are hiring a campervan or converting one, make sure it is designed with shade rooms. You can also construct the awning yourself if the van you purchase does not have. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to build a lounge-worthy area under your campervan. 

When the sun rays are heating up inside of your trailer, the awning becomes the best place to be. In dry environments, the temperature reduces to about 10-15 degrees F while you chill out under the shade rooms. During the day, you can spend as much time as you want under the RV awning. Likewise, the shade serves as an ideal place tree stay when you spray repellent to get rid of mosquitoes and insects in your campervan. There are many cases where van lifers have to build an RV shade room to improve their cooling efforts and, at the same time, create additional living space. Thus, you need some awning accessories to design an RV shade room. These accessories are available in many RV stores around the world. For campers that can afford the awning accessories to build an entire extra room, you can opt-in for the sun-blocking materials which are simple to use and to get. 

3. Get more Mobile Air Conditioner and Fans

For van life travelers who are going to Sin City with their families to enjoy a plethora of exciting actions and see stunning structures and buildings, having a single fan or mobile air conditioner can put the team in a comfortable situation. So, you can’t just rely on one air conditioner, especially for a long-distance trip to California, Arizona. If you are going on a van life trip with an RV, then you would have to fill your recreational vehicle with adequate cooling devices. 

With hundreds of thousands of air conditioners and fans on the market today, van travelers find it tricky to get the ideal model for their recreational vehicles. Here are some factors to consider and some features to look out for before purchasing the fan. Make sure you are buying a space-saving air conditioner. Not only will you be able to set it up in your van without difficulties, but you will also be able to carry it around with ease. Mobile air conditioners allow you to enjoy fresh air in your van while leaving adequate space for other items. Also, campers need to check the cooling capacity of the units they are buying. The durability of the air conditioner is another important feature to look out for. Make sure you are buying a unit that will last you for a lifetime. Besides, you should also look for an air conditioner that has easy installation procedures. 

4. Keep Windows and Doors Open

Keeping the doors and windows of your campervan open is one of the best ways to deal with heat weather in your recreational vehicle. You tend to enjoy proper airflow in your van when the doors are opened regularly. However, some campers believe that leaving windows and doors open isn’t a good idea. There is a popular story of a van life traveler and son who had their van parked in Daughter’s driveway surrounded by mountains. The heat weather was extremely harsh, that they had to leave the doors and windows open. Unfortunately, they discovered that there is a mountain lion across the street in an empty lot, just 40 feet away from them. They had to shut the doors and windows quickly before the mountain lion found them. So, it can be too dangerous to keep the doors of your campervan opened in wildlife areas or deep forests.  

Leaving your windows and doors open can be too dangerous, especially if you have to camp in areas such as the northeast of Arkansas. This is because there is a slew of bugs that can make your life on the road inconvenient. Therefore, you need to have it in mind that mosquitoes, as well as insects, may become a problem on your campground. You need to purchase window screens if you have the plan of using this tip to deal with hot weather in your campervan. The window screens allow you to open your windows and doors with fresh air without the fear of bugs. DIY bug nets are also an alternative to window screens. 

5. Picking Clothes

Another vital tip for dealing with heat weather in your RV is choosing the right clothes for the right weather. Not only will the scorching summer sun cause heat rash but also make you sweat. Therefore, the type of clothing that you wear is one of the most important factors to consider when exploring cities in summers. Lightweight clothes are ideal when the temperature heats up. Likewise, it is also perfect to wear fewer clothes in this weather. Van lifers need to stick to cotton fabrics while in the van or out on the road. Unlike other clothing materials, cotton absorbs the sweat from your body and releases it into the air. At the same time, cotton fabrics protect your skin from infections. 

Aside from the cotton fabrics, lighter colors are also ideal for keeping cool in your campervan. Some colors direct most of the sun’s rays back into the atmosphere. Some of these colors include beige, yellow, white, and other light shades. They provide you with fresh air while you sleep in your RV. Also, it is proper to wear loose clothes in heat weather. With loose clothes, your blood vessels tend to dilate to allow heat to escape your body through the skin. Materials such as hats, sunglasses, and many others should be in handy. 

6. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated always is one of the most important ways to keep heat away from your RV. The more you sweat, the more you lose important electrolytes as well as moisture. So, one of the best ways to keep fresh air around you is to have adequate water with you every time. At least, you need to drink eight-ounce glasses of water per day. Taking enough water prevents you from dizziness or headaches. Likewise, it also improves your health condition apart from keeping you cool always. However, many factors prevent you from having access to enough water while you are on the road. These factors range from weather, weight, gender, the age to lifestyle. 

Some tips to help you stay hydrated every time include avoiding moving around in the day. You tend to enjoy cool air in the evenings as well as early mornings. Therefore, the hottest part of the day should be the day you stay under your shade rooms. Also, it is advisable to take as many waters as you can so you can always have water to sip while you hike. You should also have a high-quality hat and sunglasses alongside your flask of water. Make sure you come to the campground with a quality water filter. 

7. Avoid Preparing Meals in the Day

Your campervan can be uncomfortably hot when you cook in your van during the day. By doing so, you are enhancing the heat weather already produced by the hot scorching sun. Also, preparing meals in your van can increase the internal temperature in your RV. Therefore, you need to avoid preparing dishes in your campervan during the day. But how do you get something sustaining to eat? I have also thought about this question before bringing up this tip. You can do lots of cooking outside as well as have a slew of reserved foods if you plan properly. For instance, while you cook outside, make sure your meal is prepared using a crockpot, electric broiler, electric frying pan, or a grill. With these cooking devices, you can smoke, grill, BBQ, fry, and bake varieties of foods you want. 

Van lifers should learn how to make foods that can be eaten more than once. You can cook this type of food in the morning and have the rest as your lunch. Also, campers should eat foods that can be prepared cold. Some of these foods include pasta salads, fruit platters, tasty bruschetta, cold sandwiches, and green salads. For van lifers who have a flair for hot meals, you can get yourself foods prepared in the microwave. 

8. Prevent Lights from getting into your Van

Windows is one of the major places where the heat comes into your RV. So, you should reduce the amount of light that comes into your campervan by blocking your window or any other places where the heat enters into the motorhome. Window awning is one of the best devices to keep light and heat away from your van. Not only are window awning easy to get, but you would have no difficulties putting them in place either. Apart from the window awning, window shades are also perfect for blocking light access into your van. 

Even though there are a plethora of window shades on the shelves, it is advisable to go for models made of a material that blocks light and, at the same time, functions like blinds. Reflective is a great alternative for van lifer travelers with little or no budget for a window awning or shades

Conclusion

You might not be able to enjoy all the actions you plan to explore while you live on the road if you have heat in your van. This kind of weather can make you feel uncomfortable, especially if you have to visit the hot regions in the United States of America. Nevertheless, here are a few ways to deal with the hot weather in your van. All these tips have been carefully chosen, considering your convenience and health.