Summer vacations are great, but camping and traveling in a caravan may be very hot. We demonstrate how to remain cool this summer at camp.
When the temperature rises, summer caravan camping might make an ideal vacation, but it can also be sticky, uncomfortable, and stressful, straining family bonds to the breaking point. But don’t worry; we’ve put up a list of useful advice to keep you cool while traveling in a camper over the summer.
Your automobile will work harder to tow the weight of your caravan, especially over long distances and in the heat. Before embarking on a summer road trip, it’s a good idea to confirm that your car has recently undergone a service, which should include an inspection of the air conditioning system. If that fails while there are still five hours of 35-degree heat-induced driving ahead of you, you’ll all be itching to hurt each other before your vacation has even begun.
In order to cool down your caravan, both the fridge and the air conditioner will need to work significantly harder. It’s a good idea to have these professionally maintained before going on a summer caravan trip because the last thing you want is for one of them to break down in the middle of your journey.
If at all feasible, go to your destination very early in order to beat the midday sun’s heat. Set an alarm to wake up before the birds and have the van loaded and hitched the night before. Additionally, you’ll avoid part of the summer holiday traffic, which will result in even less time spent baking in the sun in the car. For your efforts, reward yourself with breakfast and coffee on the road.
Even while most new RVs come equipped with at least one built-in fan, adding more portable fans is a simple and affordable way to keep cool when camping. The best fans to use are rechargeable 12V and 240V fans because you can set them either inside or outside the vehicle, depending on where you need them. When you can’t use your air conditioner, portable evaporative coolers are a fantastic option. View the video below to learn how to choose the ideal fan for your needs.
When traveling by caravan in the summer, it is a good idea to carry a generator along to power your air conditioner unless you intend to sit up where there is mains power. Make sure they are permitted where you intend to camp, and if you are close to other campers, remember to be a good neighbor. That entails only using it during the day and then only when absolutely essential.
Setting up your van in the shade at camp is obvious advice for keeping it cool, but if you’re living off the grid and rely on roof-mounted solar panels, that presents a problem. Invest in folding solar panels or solar blankets with a long enough cable to allow you to capture the sun’s energy while remaining cool in the shade to get around this.
Open every window in your vehicle to promoting as much cross-flow as possible, unless the air conditioner is on (in which case you should of course keep them closed). Additionally, make sure the roof hatch is open to let heated air out of the vehicle.
We’ve already mentioned the fact that you should position your van in the shade if at all possible; when picking a location, keep the sun’s path in mind to maximize the number of hours the vehicle will likely be in the shade. If you can’t park the van in the shade, extend the awning to its full extent and think about installing a sail track on the offside so you can slide in an awning screen wall to keep the sun off the van’s walls. Call ahead to reserve your campsite and find out where the shaded areas are.
Plan outside activities that call for exposure to the sun in either the morning or the evening. You can lower your risk of overheating, dehydration, and sunburn by avoiding being in the sun between 11 to 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Instead, choose to wake up early and take the kids kayaking, biking, or boogie boarding. You may even choose to do it around the night when the world is already a little bit more wonderful. If you’re camping close to town, the afternoon and early evening hours should be set aside for board games, reading, and relaxing in the shade.
Cooking a three-course meal inside your trailer is the last thing you want to do. You can do most of your cooking outside if you bring a portable barbeque and a basic gas canister stove with you as summer is all about grilling. Here is a list of the best BBQ stands.