Keeping Your Cool in Camp

Since a lot of our outdoor recreational activities take place during the summer time, keeping cool is often a problem faced by campers and RVers. Of course, if you're camping in a motorhome or trailer equipped with air conditioning, it becomes a lot easier. But, if you don't have an air conditioned RV or simply don't want to be cooped up inside or don't have shore power or can't run your generator to power the A/C, staying cool and comfortable outside becomes a priority.

Dress right to stay cooler.   When its cold you can add layers to help stay warmer, but, let's face it, there's only so much you can take off when its too warm, even in a "clothes optional" environment.  In fact, sometimes more is less.  Dressing in loose fitting long sleeved shirts and long pants will usually be cooler than shorts and tank tops.  Consider the style of clothing worn by nomadic desert tribes like the Bedouins.  They wear loose-fitting robes that cover their entire bodies.  Loose fitting clothing protects you from direct sunlight while allowing perspiration to evaporate to cool your skin.  Its kind of like wearing your own shade.  A big, broad brimmed hat will also help protect  you from the heat of the sun.  Skimpy clothing is an asset when you're in the water, but when you're not, it just exposes more of your skin to the heat and harmful UV rays from the sun.

If you are fortunate enough to have an RV with air conditioning and the power to operate it (either shore power or an on board generator) you can stay cool in your RV.  Many large RVs have multiple roof-mounted air conditioning units. These can usually be run at the same time when using the generator but often can only be run one at a time when connected to 30-amp shore power. That is because the combined power demand of two A/Cs exceeds the capacity of the 30-amp service. In this case, there will usually be a switch that lets you select which A/C to run. Some of the fancier units have devices that automatically switch between the two air conditioners. Alternate running each one to distribute wear and tear and to keep both ends of the RV cool.  Large RVs with 50 amp service can usually handle running both A/Cs at the same time.  When you are boondocking, you won't be able to run your A/Cs all night. Running the generator at night may disturb other nearby campers and can subject you and your family to carbon monoxide poisoning if the exhaust seeps into your coach. Carbon monoxide is odorless so you can easily slip into a sleep you'll never wake from without any warning!  Running your A/C at night in a campground, even on shore power, may disturb other campers.   Keep your A/C in good condition. Clean and straighten the cooling fins on the roof and clean the filters inside. Start running your A/C before is gets hot inside. It is easier for the A/C to maintain a comfortable temperature than it is is to cool down a hot environment.  Always allow at least 5-10 minutes after an air conditioner has been running and is shut off to switch back to it or turn it back on.  Pressure builds up in the compressor and if it hasn't had time to bleed off, restarting the air conditioner  and put an extreme load on the motor and on the on board generator that may cause permanent damage.  Use reflective foam insulation panels (similar to windshield sun screens) in all the windows to keep the heat out and the cool in.  And, of course, take full advantage of drapes and curtains to help keep the heat out.  Limit opening doors and window to prevent loss of cool air inside.  Use patio and window awning (if you have them) to keep sun from shining directly through the windows.

Shade. A fundamental component of staying comfortable in hot weather is to stay in the shade. It may be natural, under trees and bushes or man-made, under roofs, canopies, awnings and umbrellas or even wearing a broad-brimmed hat. Many RVs have patio awnings that make shade easy. Bag awnings aren't quite as convenient to set up, but the result is about the same -- for significantly less cost. Permanently attached RV awnings typically run $500-$1000, more for fancy electrically operated models. Bag awnings, which temporarily attach to your RV, are in the range of $200-$300. A simple free-standing "dining fly" can often be purchased for under $20 and can keep the sun off you and your guests at the picnic table or anywhere you choose to set it up. Another type of popular stand-alone awnings are "E-Z-Ups". These have expandable aluminum frames that don't require the ropes and stakes of dining flys, but are a bit more expensive. Expect to pay $60-$100 for the smaller ones. Makeshift shades can often be created using tarps strung between trees or vehicles. In a pinch you may be able to toss a tarp or blanket across a couple of camp chairs to give yourself somewhere out of the sun to sit. Window awnings on RVs will keep direct sunlight from shining through the windows and further heating the interior while still letting you see out.

Umbrellas are not just for rain. They can also be effective as sun shades. You may recall seeing young ladies carrying parasols in old time movies to shade them from the sun. Umbrellas come in many sizes. Large patio umbrellas may be a little cumbersome to take camping, but they will provide a lot of shade, usually enough for a half dozen people to escape the sun's wrath. Smaller lawn, golf, or beach umbrellas may be easier to transport and still provide shade for several people. Another convenient adaptation are individual umbrellas with clamps that they can be attached to camp chairs so you don't have to hold them.

Misters. Mist systems can add cooling under your RV patio awning just as they can at home. To avoid burning up my primary water pump or wasting all my precious fresh water supply, I rigged a secondary pump and fed it from portable 5-gallon water jugs to feed the misters on my motorhome awning. It made afternoons in the Mojave Desert much more comfortable. Why does mist keep us cool? The main factor is evaporation. Water consumes 530 calories of heat per gram of liquid water converted to water vapor. Compare that to only 80 calories required to convert a gram of ice to liquid water.  So evaporating water removes a little over 6 1/2 times as much heat as melting ice per volume! The evaporating mist cools the air around us and cools us directly when it falls on us and again when it evaporates from our skin. You can buy mist systems just about anywhere RV accessories are sold these days as well as at home centers.

Personal cooling systems. Today there are many personal cooling systems on the market. These usually consist of small water containers and a method delivering the water as mist. Some have built-in hand pumps to pressurize the container, some have battery-operated pumps. Some have their own battery powered fans.  In a pinch, or simply for convenience or to save money, you can use an ordinary spray bottle. I usually get mine at Dollar Tree.  It isn't quite as convenient or elegant as the pressurized mist systems, but you can direct the cooling spray where and when you need it. It is also very portable so you can carry it with you on hikes and have it handy for other activities. You can use a spray bottle sitting in the shade, relaxing inside your tent or RV, or even during many activities. Some of the available personal cooling systems include a battery-powered fan to move the air. Air movement speeds evaporation and makes you feel cooler quicker. The mist cools the air around us and cools us directly when it falls on us. The key is evaporation. Water absorbs heat as it evaporates. It takes more calories to turn water to vapor than it does melt ice. Remember, the heat of evaporation is 530 calories/gram; melting ice only absorbs 80 calories per gram. That means converting a gram of water to water vapor absorbs more than 6.6 times as much heat as melting 1 gram of ice.

Inside your RV. Of course the ultimate way to keep your RV cool is with an air conditioner. But not all RVs have them and they require 120-volt power and can be expensive to operate. Some full hookup campgrounds charge extra if you use your air conditioner and running the generator all day while dry camping burns gas, which is getting more expensive every day. There are 12-volt evaporative coolers that work in some dry climates but not in high humidity. They're OK in desert environments, but won't work well in places like Florida or other damp climates.  If you are using one of these, be sure to keep at least one window slightly open. Just like a "swamp cooler" on your permanent home, they draw air in from the outside through a water-soaked filter, cooling the air as it enters. The stale, moist air needs someplace to go, so leave one or more windows slightly open. You can even control where the air moves to some extent by which windows you open. If you keep all the windows closed, the RV becomes pressurized and the cool air can't enter. In addition, the saturated air is stuck inside, making it very humid and uncomfortable. You will also be surprised how much cooler you will feel if you just open a roof vent and one or two windows. The hot air will rise up through the roof vent and draw (hopefully) cooler air in through the windows. Even if the outside air isn't cooler, the mere movement of air will help you feel cooler and more comfortable since air movement aids evaporation of perspiration and draws heat from you skin. Battery powered or 12-volt fans can be used to circulate air and improve comfort.  Powered roof vents are an excellent way to get rid of hot air in an RV but usually don't move enough air to create much of a breeze.  Even so, you might be surprised how much more comfortable you can be with just little bit of ventilation.

Just as you need protection from overheating, so does your RV, generator, tow vehicle, or OHV.   Make sure the cooling system on all equipment is clean and properly maintained.  Clear air flow to generator compartments is essential.  Clean air filters on all engines will reduce stress on the engines.  Many OHVs need to keep moving to get sufficient air flow through the radiator (liquid cooled) or past the cooling fins (air cooled) so avoid excessive idling.  Make sure the oil level is correct.  Low oil levels can increase friction and contribute to overheating.  Some engines may benefit from an oversize oil filter that provides extra oil to help cool the engine.  Yes, oil does contribute to cooling your engines by carrying heat away.  Finned covers for oil filters may help dissipate heat from the oil.

Staying cool in a tent. Pitch your tent where you can take advantage of natural shade when you can -- assuming it doesn't put it in danger of falling branches or wildfire. If your tent has a rain fly, make sure to use it. It will shade the top of the tent from direct sunlight and leaves space for air to move beneath it and carry away heat from the tent itself. If yours does not have a rain fly, you might try setting up a dining fly or tarp over your tent to shade it from direct sun. Open windows or doors on opposite sides of the tent to allow cross ventilation. When choosing which openings to use, take advantage of any prevailing breezes and/or nearby shade that may provide a source for cooler air. Battery powered fans can help move air to keep you more comfortable when you're in your tent.  There are few options for mechanically cooling a tent bu here is a link to how to make an inexpensive "air conditioner" for your tent: Tent Air Conditioner.

Cool slumber. Staying cool at night presents its own set of needs. If you are relying on your generator to run the A/C during the day, you need to shut it off during "quiet hours" at night. Even if you are boondocking way out in the middle of no where with no one else around, it is not a good idea to run the generator at night to keep your A/C going. Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which can infiltrate your RV and kill you while you sleep. All it takes is a slight shift in wind direction to blow fumes back into your coach.  I try to keep my RV cool during the day, which helps pull the heat out of furnishings so it doesn't warm up too quickly when I turn the A/C off at bedtime. Also, open a roof vent and a window or two near your bed to create a slight breeze. If that isn't enough, a 12-volt fan can move some air to help keep you cool. Usually things cool down enough at night to make sleep comfortable in an RV or in a tent and it won't draw the batteries down any more than running the furnace fan on a cold night. If you are too warm in your tent, open windows or doors on opposite sides to allow cross ventilation and sleep on top of your sleeping bag instead of inside of it. Another way to sleep cool, if the environment is suitable, is to sleep outdoors in a hammock. A hammock will need strong anchor points -- trees, posts, vehicles, or a hammock frame. You may also need a mosquito net if bugs are a problem. You might not want to sleep outside if you are in an area where bears frequently enter campsites. Bears are usually more of a problem in parks where they are frequently fed by tourists than they are in the wilderness where they will normally avoid contact with human beings.

It is a common misconception that fans cool. Fans do not cool the air. All they do is move the air so you feel cooler. Moving air speeds evaporation and carries heat away from your body so you feel cooler. A common accessory for RVs is an oscillating fun that runs on 12-volt power. There are both portable and permanently mounted versions that can make you more comfortable in warm weather. Some ceiling vents are equipped with fans to aid the ejection of hot air or to draw in cool air. Ceiling vents with fans are also helpful if you need to expel smoke or cooking odors from your RV. There are portable, battery-powered fans you can use in your tent too. In a pinch, you can use a magazine, a paper plate, or a piece of cardboard or fold a sheet of paper into a fan and wave it near your face to speed evaporation and cooling. Although fans do not cool by themselves, they are very useful for exchanging air. If it is warmer in your RV than it is outside, you can cool the inside of your RV by expelling hot air through the ceiling vent and letting cooler air enter through the windows. Even if it is no cooler outside than it is inside, the movement of air will still make you feel cooler, even though it won't cool the air in the RV. By the way, if it is colder in your RV than it is outside and you want to warm it up, open the windows and turn on the ceiling vent. If yours is equipped with a reversible fan you can use it to draw in warm air from above the RV. Taking advantage of warmer outside air can reduce the demand on your furnace, warming your RV quicker and conserving propane.

Keeping cool during summer activities like riding an OHV, horseback riding, or hiking takes some thought and creativity.  Keeping moving on your OHV or horse can keep air flowing past your body and speed evaporation of perspiration, which will help cool you.  When hiking you can try to stay in the shade as much as possible and carry a spray bottle to supplement your own perspiration to help keep you cool.  Of course dressing appropriately for the weather will also help you feel cooler.  Drink plenty of water or sports drinks to maintain your hydration and electrolyte levels.  If you loose too much of your body fluids through perspiration you will stop sweating and then your body has no way to cool itself and you will be in danger of serious heat illness.  I once tried a quilted "cooling vest" for dirt biking.  It had to be soaked with cool water and cooled by evaporation.  It seemed to provide some cooling for a short time but all too soon  I found it was just additional weight and padding under my jersey without cooling me for long.  Once it dried out, it was like wearing a thermal vest!  I have seen battery powered cooling vests that circulate coolant to carry heat away but I found them too expensive and too bulky for dirt biking.

Keep cool!