I really don't know how you guys get by without air conditioning!!!

[Billyidol]

Hey guys!

Im all for this van dwelling thing, but I really don't know how you guys do it with air conditioning.  I'm pretty damn tough, but I guess you guys are tougher!  I live in southern California, and I get into my car on hot days, and I can't imagine trying to live in a van full time without constant air conditioning.  Above 85 degrees is simply unbearable!  And I don't think the whole, "Well, just drive to a cooler place is really practical." because your drive to a cooler place could be 4-8 hours.  That is not very convenient.  I plan on working my job for a few more years and ditch the house and then full time it in a 20-23ft RV.  I already have a Roadtrek Popular 200 2000.  I need a smaller RV that I can maneuver around suburban Los Angeles/Pasadena.


Many of these vans hit $15,000 so quickly, you might as well get a class B van or class C RV with shower, fridge, bathroom, generator and AC.  I mean I think that I can get my dream RV for $30,000 (down from $50,000 and $60,000) (Either Pleasureway Excel TS or Phoenix Cruiser 2350 2004).   A little tip, try to get a bathroom when you don't have to shower in the hallway (Roadtrek).  Pleasureway and Phoenix Cruiser have showers not in the hallway.

How do you deal with the lack of air conditioning in vans?  Lack of showering facilities?

John

 

[cyndi]

higher altitudes. We have wheels so we can find the perfect weather.

 

[highdesertranger]

well I guess you view AC as a necessity so I won't go into my AC rant. I live in So Cal also and the two main trucks I drive don't have AC. I also travel though and camp in the desert in the summer without AC. so I guess you really don't want my opinion. you probably won't like it. highdesertranger

 

[TMG51]

The shock of getting into your car on a hot day is different from living in a vehicle, if you ask me. If you're living full time on wheels then you have certainly (or should have) made for adequate ventilation, and are exchanging air constantly, so the temperature inside is similar to temperature outside (vs jumping into a car that has been closed up and not exchanging air).

But on real hot days I like to jump into a cold shower. I don't view air conditioning as necessary. What I do find strange is people who life this lifestyle with no shower!

 

[gnarledwolf]

Actually, I live out of my car, not in it... Tent can get a little hot, so I use it for sleeping and shade... Otherwise I sit outside in the breeze
Matt

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

heat is definitely rough, i can keep pretty cool up to a point with fans, insulation and ventilation. But at a certain point i just bail out during the hottest part of the day. If you dont work nights and have to sleep in the day(like i did), then it shouldnt be too hard to find a cooler place to be than inside the vehicle Sleep at night..

 

[jimindenver]

It gets stupid hot here in Denver and to get into a closed van when it's around 100 degrees requires all of the doors to be opened because the temperature inside was much higher than that. Shaded and the windows opened was a completely different thing.

As for AC, to each their own I guess. I've worked in heat or cold all my life. When I'm not working, I like to be comfortable.

 

[ZoNiE]

 

[SoulRaven]

12v A/C units & swamp coolers are reasonably easy to build, and don't cost too much either. They use very little power as well. I wouldn't be happy without one.

In drier areas, a simple spray bottle of water and a fan can do wonders also.

They also have cool wraps and such pretty cheap that work well also, just soak them in water and they're good for hours.

 

[GypsyDogs]

I often find AC to be annoying.

I work in a warehouse with minimal climate control. (think just above freezing in the winter and about 80 with high humidity at 4am in the summer) And I work hard. I load delivery trucks by hand.

The recent past (last 5 years or so..) my vehicles haven't had AC, and it has not been an issue. At worst, a small spritz bottle with water in it, and roll down a window.
And yes, I spritz the dogs too.. usually bellies and legs.

 

[Sameer]

It is really very simple...I have wheels so I am never where it is too hot.! My dog, Mr. Pico and I like to live in weather around 80 degrees or less. If it gets hotter then we go somewhere where the weather is better. Actually, we make the same adjustment for the cold weather.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Yup, like Sameer, we travel with the weather. I don't think I broke a sweat all summer on the Left Coast

 

[USExplorer]

Back in early September of 2014, I camped out in my SUV through two weeks of hot muggy weather in New Jersey (90's high, 70's low). Some basic tips in a stock vehicle:

Never park in the sun. Your auto will heat up all day and radiate that heat all night, making it unbearably hot. Find a parking spot that offers shade, and move during the day if necessary.
Do not exert yourself in the evening. Relax with a cheap novel on a camp chair in the middle of a shallow creek. Walk slowly, move slowly, think slowly.
Rip a large fan out of an old computer, attach a wire loop and hook to two corners, wire up both 12 volt and USB outputs, use the 12 volt to stay cool in high temps, use the USB for quiet cooling. Caution: never leave the USB adapter plugged in while using the 12 volt plug.
Break open an old hard disk, take out the magnet, and smash it into little pieces. Get some old window screens, cut them to fit your windows, use the magnets to secure them externally. Remove them before driving.
Put away your soft mattress pad for the summer, and use a hard camping pad, it makes a huge difference. Use a lightweight cotton blanket at night.
Blast the A/C for 15 minutes immediately before sleeping. If done right, your auto will be covered in sweat on the outside. Open your windows all the way immediately after turning off the A/C, and turn on the fans.

You will still be sweaty and icky feeling, but you will adapt after a few days.

Or you can do what everyone else does and hit the mountains. I had about two muggy nights up here in the White Mountains all summer, as compared to maybe 150 in Alabama. We don't have A/C up here in NH, being a green institution and all.

 

[compassrose]

... And I don't think the whole, "Well, just drive to a cooler place is really practical." because your drive to a cooler place could be 4-8 hours.  That is not very convenient...

I have two air conditioners in a 40 ft bus. They stay on fairly mild settings because otherwise I would simply never step foot outside in the summer (I'm stuck in NM - the land of entrapment). Outside tends to come inside when there is a so-called breeze. So the bus is full of dirt. Since David had bad asthma and we both suffer(ed) from allergies unlike anyplace we have ever lived before, the bus tends to stay shut up. I also tend to live in an RV park (shock, horrors, gaspth). I don't right now. I'm plugged into a 20 amp circuit and can only run one AC unit at a time on the "eco" setting. Now it is getting cold so no air conditioning, just heaters. Get what you are comfortable with. If no one else here approves, tell them to piss off. Do they pay your bills? Are any of them responsible for bringing you into the world? I suspect the answer to both questions is no. So if you want air conditioning, get it. If you want to live in an RV park, do so. If you want to take 3 showers a day, do it. Like my mama always said... if everyone else jumped off the bridge, would you follow them?

Years ago I used to homeschool my kids. I was taught a WONDERFUL phrase and I have used it for a great deal of situations since. "That's your opinion. And your opinion doesn't count with me." You might want to learn it too.

BTW, the roof of my bus is coated with a reflective paint (Henrys SolarFlex... no you can't paint it over most auto paints. It won't stick to the clear coat). You might keep that in mind. It makes a big difference. Parking in the shade does help until temps get too high. And then nothing works. Swamp coolers only work in low humidity.

 

[rvwandering]

We intentionally don't have air conditioning in our RV because we're plugged in so rarely it would be a waste so we try to stay out of really hot weather. However every summer we end up in 90 or higher temperatures for awhile.

We park in the shade.
Park off of the asphalt until the sun goes down. Asphalt radiates a lot of heat up under you vehicle and makes the whole thing hot. Parks with gravel or grass are good.
We have many windows, vents and a Fantastic Fan so we get a good breeze.
If we must park in the sun we park with the rear of the RV in the sun so everything else is shaded.
Misting works well to cool down fast.
Find a place with air conditioning and hang out there through the hottest part of the day - library, mall, museum, etc.
White is the only practical color.

 

[sephson]

I'm not a full timer and due to my work schedule, I can't travel during the warmer months of the year, so air conditioning is really a non-issue for me when I'm on the road. In my stick and brick, the A/C doesn't work, so I end up spending a lot of extra time at work where I don't have A/C either, but as work is 1/4 mile from the ocean, it's usually 5 to 10 degrees cooler than home during the warmer part of the year.

 

[WriterMs]

There are some earlier threads on staying cool that have more ideas. You stated that you are not free to simply travel to higher elevations, but some of the advice about fans and spritzing can help.

During a heat wave, one member described wetting down a light-weight sarong and sitting in front of a fan. It worked for him most of the time.

Regarding the shower, take a look in the Personal Hygiene threads. There are some great solutions with instructional photos.

 

[Baloo]

I thought the a/c would have need a "must have" and I do have it. However when I stay in my rig "the ambo" I use a fantastic vent fan with a vent max hood on it. It works very well and I like the noise, helps me sleep. It uses less than 3 amps and runs all night with out killing the batteries. Used it for two weeks straight with no issues. I am not a full timer, but I camp in the ambo one weekend every month for national guard, and two weeks every summer as well.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

If you are still working and not traveling then you could park in an rv park during the hottest months and use your ac.

 

[offroad]

Look for a discount RV park with full hookups. Various RV club discounts might get you a good place within commute distance.

Second choice is to advertise in CRAIGSLIST with an exact payment per month that you can afford to park in a driveway and run an extension cord for 15amp service only. Maybe say $250 per month and $100 per month for the electric. You might get a nice place to park.

From reading it looks like a generator and an air conditioner combination might be expensive to run. And it is really noisy. Not thinking that is a good solution.

Others previous list of using a fan and finding a tough it out level of endurance is good for some. You need to have a low body fat percentage to dissipate the heat. Many average folks can't handle that.