Whether it’s a summer vacation in Southern Europe or the holiday season in Germany: Temperatures above 30 degrees don’t just make us sweat—they really put our RVs through their paces, too. We’ve traveled with our trailer in this kind of weather many times ourselves and have compiled our best strategies from numerous heat waves for you. It’s not just about technology like air conditioning, but also about many simple tricks that can be implemented right away without a big investment.
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Pitch selection: Shade is worth its weight in gold
When choosing our campsites, we always try to find a spot under trees, near hedges, or right by the water. It’s usually noticeably cooler there, and there’s often a pleasant breeze, especially in the evening. Plus, larger plants provide refreshing shade.
The way you position the vehicle also makes a noticeable difference: The side with the most and/or largest windows should, if possible, not face south. If there’s no natural shade, we extend our awning and hang up additional cloths as needed to keep the sun at bay a bit.
Tip
With sun position apps such as Sun Surveyor you can check the position of the sun on your desired plot as soon as you arrive and align your vehicle optimally.
Block Out Light & Reflect the Sun
We’ve fitted all the windows in our camper van with thermal mats (ours are from Project Camper and we absolutely love them). These mats usually consist of several insulating layers and are also lined with a reflective film. They can be attached to the windows using suction cups or magnets. If you opt for a higher-end brand, the mats are custom-made to fit the exact dimensions and shapes of your front and side windows, ensuring a perfect fit down to the millimeter. But even simpler models usually serve their purpose just fine.
Our trailer has tinted windows, which help block some of the sun’s rays. During the day, we take turns opening the windows on the shady side and, if necessary, shade them further with additional cloths. To do this, we simply attach dark hand towels or beach towels with clothespins—in extreme cases, we also wet them to take advantage of the cooling effect from evaporation.
We keep the skylights closed during the day in the summer. When the heat gets really bad, we cover them makeshiftly with emergency blankets or aluminum foil and secure them with painter’s tape. You should avoid keeping the blackout blinds inside closed all the time, because heat can build up behind them. It’s better to open them just a little so that air can circulate behind them.
Ventilate correctly
Our ventilation routine has proved its worth: At night, we usually leave the windows open a little, and when we get up, we open everything, including the roof hatches and door. This way, we get a nice breath of cool morning air into the vehicle. During the day, we then consistently keep everything that is directly exposed to the sun closed. Only windows on the shady side remain slightly open and partially darkened. As soon as the shade moves, it is also very efficient to open the opposite windows to create a little draught.
Simple Electronic Helpers: Fans & More
On particularly hot days, small USB desk fans can provide noticeable relief, such as this model from EUROM. They use very little power and create pleasant air circulation. Special skylight fans are also said to be particularly helpful. These draw the hot air and the often stifling humidity directly outside. We don’t own a professional model like that ourselves, but we once picked up an inexpensive little fan at a discount store (I think it was ALDI) that just happens to fit perfectly into one of the HeKis in our Fendt travel trailer.
Air conditioning: Efficient, but not quite cheap
We thought long and hard about whether an air conditioner was even worth it for us. In the end, we decided to get one because of our dog, but out of consideration for our campground neighbors and for environmental reasons, we use it only very sparingly—when it gets truly unbearable and we have to work in the trailer, for example.
Alternatively, there are also so-called “split air conditioners” designed for camping, which can simply be hung in a window—for example, this compact unit from Brunner. One part of the unit is located inside, and the other outside. The cooling capacity is apparently quite decent—as with some other portable cooling units—but it can’t be compared to a “real” compressor-based air conditioning system.
Air conditioners, regardless of their design, are of course always power-hungry, and the constant operating noise can be quite annoying—even with modern models. The purchase and installation costs, as well as the weight of built-in units, should not be underestimated either. That’s why you should check carefully before buying to see if a simple fan or an inexpensive evaporative air conditioner might be sufficient.
attention
Many air conditioning systems do not switch back on automatically after an interruption in the power supply. This could be fatal if the power goes off for a short time and pets are alone in the vehicle. This happened to us once and it was only by good luck that we didn’t have a catastrophe. Since then, our dog has never been left unattended in the caravan.
If you still intend to do this, I would definitely advise you to purchase electronic aids (surveillance camera, sensors, etc.) and always stay within reach of the parking space so that you can react quickly in an emergency.
Protect pets
On hot days, dogs can overheat very quickly because they don’t sweat like we humans do. That’s why their well-being needs to be monitored especially closely. Fortunately, our dog isn’t very sensitive to heat, but we still make sure she cools off regularly (by wetting her coat with water, providing resting spots in the shade, and, if needed, giving her a damp towel or a cooling mat to lie on).
You can find more tips in this post:
Relieve the fridge
Our absorption refrigerator does reach its limits every now and then in the height of summer—compressor models are much more robust and less dependent on outside temperatures.
One way to reduce the load on traditional absorbers and make them more efficient is to install a fan on the back. I believe some manufacturers even offer this as a factory option. If the sun shines directly on the side of the refrigerator, a reflective mat can also be helpful.
Well-being for you: Light meals, refreshing drinks
I’m actually a real sun person and only really blossom in temperatures above 25 degrees. Nevertheless, when it’s very hot and especially on days with particularly high humidity, I notice that heavy meals don’t agree with me or that I simply don’t have an appetite for something “hearty”. The following foods are particularly good for me, some of which come from my second home country of Mexico (where, as you know, it can get really hot):
- Cucumber pieces with salt and lime juice – alternative: cucumber salad with yogurt-garlic-lemon dressing
- Lemon water with a little sugar or agave syrup
- “Aguas Frescas”: Pureed fruit, mixed with plenty of still water and sweetened with sugar or agave syrup as desired. You can make this with almost any kind of fruit—just give it a good shake before drinking 🙂 In Mexico, “Aguas” are served with ice cubes, but when it’s hot out, you should really opt for lukewarm drinks instead.
- Raw vegetables with a little salt and chili powder
- And my absolute favorite summer dessert at the moment: low-fat yogurt with mashed banana, a handful of dark grated chocolate and a dash of agave or coconut syrup
If you feel physically unwell—such as experiencing dizziness, heavy sweating, or the onset of nausea—a packet of electrolytes (e.g., EloTrans), dissolved in water and sipped slowly, can help. If you don’t have such a product on hand, a homemade electrolyte drink will work, or in an emergency, even a glass of apple or orange juice spritzer.
Light colors, cool roof?
It is often said that light vehicle or vehicle roof colors are a great advantage because they reflect more sunlight. To be honest, we can’t really confirm this from our own experience. If a car or camper is parked in the sun for a longer period of time, it doesn’t really matter whether it is light or dark, in my opinion.
The decisive factor is certainly how well the vehicle is insulated overall and how effectively windows and roof hoods are shielded. Large surfaces such as windscreens or roof hatches in particular quickly turn the interior into a sauna. It is therefore much more effective to cover these heat ingress gates as meticulously as possible – whether from the inside or outside.
You might also want to look into whether a reflective roof coating could be right for you. The goal is to lower the temperature. However, we haven’t had any personal experience with it yet, so I can’t tell you from my own experience whether it really works.
I hope my little tips and tricks have helped you – how do you deal with the heat when you’re out and about? Do you have any other survival ideas? Then share them in the comments!
And now: keep cool and enjoy the beautiful days!
Cover picture: © CamperStyle
