air conditioning and staying cool.......how to do it?

[jeff613]

I do not handle heat well, so my van, when i get it, is prob going to also have some kind of AC that is NOT the factory-installed AC. Fasctory AC is only for when i'm driv g thbe van. Sooooooo....this thread is not about-nor should it turn into-a discussion about factory installed under-the-hood AC.

Let's just assume for the time being that im going to have external grid power as a power source.

What's the buzz (no pun intended) about the cost, availability, experiences with, durability and use of roof mounted AC units made for RVs and vans? What about other types of AC options, such as retrofitting a cheap home window unit for use in a van?

And just to get REAL down and dirty, what are somehard-core methods of sleepung comfy when u have no AC? Anyone here ever sleep w a bag of ice up against 'em? I'm just throwing it out there for some brainstorming, bruthas. We are the pioneers of a new way of living, the early adopters who everyone isbusy laughing at yet who will later acknowledge knew what the hell we were doung before everyone got on tbe bandwagon.

Just remember, somewhere, at some point in time, a bunch of guys were gathered in a room and one of tgem had to say "Okay, so how do we get a guy on the moon?"

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Vantrekker did a nice job installing an indoor home unit in his van for when hes plugged in.

So far ive just tried to stay out of the van during the hottest part of the day. I have a roof vent fan exhausting out and a fan that blows air in and thru van Painting the roof with elastomeric paint made a big difference, and shade is huge, but at some point you just gotta get out till the sun is down.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I've seen a few vans with small units poked into a back window, but then you need a genny to run the thing. Not very stealth.
Lots of folks travel to where the weather suits their clothes....so to speak.

 

[Unchained]

Can't help on the rooftop air, as my 5th wheel doesn't have it and my TT never will, but I can say that a cheapie window unit works pretty well in a 30 something foot trailer as long as you have shore power. As I've seen one hanging out the back of a teardrop, I can't imagine it wouldn't work in a van.

As for the bag of ice- if you try it, be sure to wrap it well in a towel or you may wake up to an unwelcome case of frostbite. When A/C isn't available and it is hothothot, I usually keep a spray bottle of water near the bed. I cannot sleep without a fan blowing on me anyway, and a few spritzes of water from the bottle cools me off if I'm still too hot (at this point, I can do it in my sleep).
Note- this probably won't work well in high humidity areas, but works a treat in the dry southwest.

 

[Willy]

I have a 12/24v computer fan, a big honkin' mutha, hooked up to my solar panels before the charge controller, and exhausting outta my roof vent. I can sleep comfort at high noon during the summer. ..Willy.