How much would genuine A/C whenever you wanted it, improve your standard of living?

[AntiGroundhogDay]

I am teetering on paying more for a RAV4 Hybrid with the ability to have genuine A/C any time I'd like vs. a nicely used Minivan for thousands less.  Given the desire to migrate with the 70F weather, would having genuine A/C improve your life vs. how you manage today?  Do you ever have days where a heat wave surprises you and you're stuck suffering, possibly can't just drive away from the heat to higher elevation?  I'm a wuss with the heat and part of me is willing to pay for that climate control.  If $ were no option, would you benefit from it with your given migration pattern?  Thanks!

 

[MrNoodly]

In the six years I've been living in my van, there have been only a handful of days that were uncomfortably hot. I stay in the West and follow the weather.

Now, what would be nice is a dehumidifier so I could enjoy other parts of the country. I really hate humidity.

 

[Almost There]

Improve my standard of living - Not a bit!

I lived without it for years in Sticks and Bricks and more years as a nomad!

I wouldn't know what to do with it if I had it. Yes, there were years in the midwest in July doing art/craft shows where it was way hot and muggy but thems the breaks!

 

[Seminole Wind]

i have had it in the past, dont really miss it. if i had it now, might be tempted to hit some of the more humid parts of the country. but it is not like i am dying to do that. i have so many other cooler places to go i will never run out of options

 

[rvwandering]

We never had air conditioning in our house (northeast where summer is humid but not excessively hot for long periods) and don't have it in our motorhome so we've never become accustomed to having it. In fact, we don't like being closed in and would rather open the windows and get a breeze. That being said, since we travel all across the US we have spent many days in uncomfortably hot weather where it was impossible to drive somewhere cooler. Our coping techniques involve spending part of the day in an airconditioned building (most of the time so cold that we need jackets), parking in the shade, finding a lake with a breeze, and spritzing ourselves with water. I think if we stayed in the west we'd have no trouble finding close to perfect temperatures all year round.
Since your wants and needs are unique to you and not necessarily the same as ours, I think you should weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each vehicle along with the weather patterns of your purposed path of travels before making a decision.

 

[AntiGroundhogDay]

I think I'd go nuts sitting inside a RAV4 all day long cooped up just for A/C, but it'd sure be nice to ensure a comfortable night's rest. I don't want to be restricted with traveling where I'd like, when I'd like, but of course I wouldn't be in Atlanta in July. Still, spending time in CHI w/ sticks & bricks friends, during the shoulder seasons where I might catch some heat might be nice.

 

[maki2]

I would start the engine and go up in the mountains or out to the coast. Why waste money on gas for powering an AC while sitting in camp when you can use the gas to take yourself to a fun new place that has cooler weather. Plus it is not as if you can't see a 5 day forecast to know if hot weather is on its way and to find out where the cooler weather will be.

 

[ckelly78z]

Summer heat, and humidity isn't usually a problem for me (I worked 15 years on a factory floor running rubber injection presses). Trying to stay warm in the Winter is my undoing, once i'm cold, I can't seem to warm back up with bad circulation, and not being overweight.

I have lived without A/C for years, but generally park myself near the woodstove in the Winter.

 

[lenny flank]

I have no heater, no AC, and no insulation. No need for any of it. I make like the birdies, and go north in summer to be cool and south in winter to be warm.

 

[Seminole Wind]

from another perspective, if i HAD to live in south florida, i would need A/C. but to visit i want to experience the reality. if not i could just watch a video. years ago i took a brief week long trip to the Keys in late summer. if memory serves me right it was 90 across the board. 90 degrees air temp and 90 degrees water temp and the humidity was 90%. you couldnt think with out sweating. i went swimming, snorkeling, walks on the beach, rides on boats i got up in the middle of the night to go take a cool shower. i experienced what was there. i have amazing memory's, many, in large part because of the uncomfortable heat and humidity. if i had had A/C i would have slept though some amazing night time adventures and would not have appreciated it all for what it is.

for me, sitting in air conditioning and looking out windows is just an expensive version of watching youtube videos of people actually experiencing life.

 

[highdesertranger]

I also don't really get the need for AC thing. I am not going to be inside my vehicle during the day and where I go you don't need AC at night, highdesertranger

 

[RVTravel]

If your job is in phoenix you might change your mind on ac

 

[lenny flank]

 years ago i took a brief week long trip to the Keys in late summer. if memory serves me right it was 90 across the board. 90 degrees air temp and 90 degrees water temp and the humidity was 90%. you couldnt think with out sweating.

In Florida, we call that "thinning your blood".  After a little while, you get accustomed to it. Then, you'll shiver whenever it gets below 75. 
"Hot" and "cold" are relative things, and they depend entirely upon what one is accustomed too. I was always amused during Florida winters to see all the tourists walking around in shorts and t-shirts, and all the locals walking around in sweaters and jackets.

 

[ckelly78z]

If you are hot while camping, get a hand fan, and a mist sprayer, and enjoy the heat.....it's free.

 

[Theiznezz]

Negligible. I get headaches when I'm in A/C too long. I don't think my body is used to it anymore. I got a mighty kool swamp cooler and in PA where humidity is moderately high, it still keeps me comfortable.

 

[bullfrog]

We are in the high desert in the summer with temps over a hundred but do seasonal jobs that come with full hookup spaces More room and to store stuff becomes more important for most than AC so following the seasons becomes normal. If you are forced to stay in a hot place, window AC and more space works better unless housing with AC is furnished. If you can live simply enough and the Rav is enough room, Toyotas are hard to beat for realibility.

 

[GypsyJan]

I have a 2016 RAV4 and if I had the funds, I would upgrade to the hybrid in a few years when I become a full-time snowbird, just for having climate control at bedtime. Rainy nights would mean no windows open for a breeze. Cold nights would aggrevate the arthritis.

 

[AntiGroundhogDay]

I'm thinking the same thing... during the day I can hang out at air conditioned establishments, or maybe mist myself while in the vehicle... but when it comes time to sleep, if it is humid or hot, I think I would have difficulty sleeping after being sticks and bricks for so long with A/C.  But maybe I'd adjust over time?

 

[bigsallysmom]

We hang out in NM parks with electric hookups for medical reasons. Mighty nice to have the 5th wheel AC especially since we are in our 60s. Also electric heaters in colder weather. It let's us extend our camping trips when fewer people are out.

 

[debit.servus]

A minimum standard for my rig is to have systems to for me and the immediate interior around me (arms legnth + 3 feet) be comfortable from -115 F with 100 MPH wind to 115 F with 100% humidity.

Whether that cooling comes from evaporative cooling fed by 7 gallon water containers, or an air conditioner running from the 2kw honda generator, this is the minimum standard I'm reaching for.

I am set on a skoolie bus conversion. I want to be able to boondock the RTR site in July, and watch the sunset from the back deck I'll attach to the bus drinking ice cold drinks with a laminar breeze on my back from the swamp cooler.

I want to be able to secure the best spot to watch a SpaceX launch at Cape Canaveral, long before the other RVers show up, on the hottest week of the year, waiting for T-1:00 in the air conditioned skoolie, and not have to hear lectures about adapting to the weather, sweating it out, or putting your clothes in the freezer and wearing thermal vests.