Newbie about to move to the desert.

[Desert Tecolote]

Hello Everyone. I just joined this lovely blog group.  I am going to set up on my desert land. While I am very ill prepared in doing so. I do know how to go camping. I am giving up my house after 10 years of living here. It's a subject to probate, with the owners. So they can have it. I look forward to having the freedom.

My questions would be in asking? What have the seasoned members here done about hot weather? I do have land to live on. Moving out there in 3 weeks. What would you do? To set up? I need ideas on swamp coolers vs. A/C units & all that is more cost effective. generator info too.

Also insulation? I am ripping out the old stuff to set up a better insulation. Starting with the roof. 
Please clue me in. On how to survive. Going into this at the wrong time of year.
I have an RV to work with. Not much more.

Thank you.

 

[Adventuregurl]

I hope you have power out there if you want to run AC. I live in AZ and could not survive without AC right now, it's hot 115 in the Verde valley already and has been HOT all week.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Desert Tecolote! Are there any mountains near your land where you can escape until fall? This is the easiest solution to the summer heat if it's at all possible for you.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[SoulRaven]

I agree with rvwandering, as we spent 6 years in the desert just north of Tucson, and the heat is dangerous. You'll be able to get very little done before fall, if anything, and the monsoons will soon be coming in bringing LOTS of rain. Because of the severe heat, one can get into trouble very fast. Dry heat vs humid heat? Only the difference between baking in an oven or steaming in a pot, neither is good. If you could hang out up in forests in N. AZ until fall, you could visit with others familiar with the desert and ease your way in.

 

[jonyjoe303]

swampcoolers work best in dry heat of the desert. I'm in california and swampcooler is all I ever use. I build my own the bigger the swampcooler the better.

And foam insulation is a definite must. The rear of my van is covered in foam insulation, roof, windows , sides, I even made a divider between the front of the van and the rear, it has a sliding door. The darker it is in the back of your van the cooler you'll be. Light means heat. If 1/2 inch of foam aint working add another layer of foam. You can never have too much foam. I have 1.5 inches on the roof.

The more foam you have the smaller your swampcooler has to be. In a hot day I might go through 3 to 4 liters of water. And the swampcooler maxes out at 3 amps of power, even a small 100 watt panel can handle that. 

Picture of the rtech foam I use, available at home depot (about 8 dollars for 1/2 inch 4x8 foot sheet)


Some people use vents on the roof to stay cool, I added 3 to my roof but they never worked for me, they just blew in hot air. I covered them up with foam. I only have some small holes I cut to the side of my van to feed the swampcooler. Parked in the hot sun with all the windows/doors/vents closed, I'm nice and cool with just the swampcooler running.

side vents  


Picture of swampcooler I use, you can build as big or small as you want, I even build one using car radiator fans.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

When humidity hits 50+ percent, the swamp cooler isn't very effective. Monsoon storms are coming and so is the humidity. This mini a/c unit + a generator should have you set. https://www.amazon.com/Frigidaire-W...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MD70ZN5525X99ZP9N4X1

What part of Arizona is the land? You will need to drink A LOT of water; it's no joke. More than half your body weight in ounces per day.

 

[MrNoodly]

Aw man. Unless you're a reptile, this is the worst time to go to the Arizona desert.

If it were me, the first thing I'd do is build some SHADE. Gotta have shade. Lots of shade. Enough for your vehicle and some outdoor living space. Keep the sun off of you with something like a giant carport. Shade will drop the temperature to something more bearable.

Then I'd go subterranean. It's what the critters do. Get a shipping container, bury it, and move in.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Then I'd go subterranean. It's what the critters do. Get a shipping container, bury it, and move in.

I love the idea of a earth-sheltered homes...


Years ago I seriously looked at a few...and began designing one for my use....but then..um...I started buying expensive motorcycles and well...there went the money...

Lessee....motorcycles vs housing...

Hard Choice.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

Right this minute it's 117F in our backyard. If you're not accustomed to the desert, the heat will literally kill you.

On the other hand, 45 minutes from the east side of Tucson, you can be at 8000 feet and dispersed (free) camping in the Catalina National Forest. There are vault toilets all over the place.

Where your land is located is what counts,though.
Ted

 

[Gardenias]

Hello, welcome!!

 

[Richard]

... I am going to set up on my desert land. While I am very ill prepared in doing so. I do know how to go camping. ...

Um... I think the first 'red flag' here is your degree of preparation. To your credit, at least you know that you're ill prepared. That's a step-up from some folks.

For what it's worth (and, at the risk of sounding ridiculously obvious), I'll suggest that you don't go anywhere ill prepared that you don't have to go. Period.

It may be that you have to leave the house you're in now, but there are many places other than the desert where you might spend some time getting better prepared. The desert is a dangerous place even for those who are well-prepared. There's no need for you to put your life at risk unnecessarily.

... What have the seasoned members here done about hot weather? I do have land to live on. Moving out there in 3 weeks. What would you do? To set up?
...
Please clue me in. On how to survive. Going into this at the wrong time of year.

I've only been doing this lifestyle about a year, and not very smoothly at that. I wouldn't begin to think of myself as a seasoned member. That said...

I do have a good head on my shoulders. I tend to err on the side of caution. I do my best to get informed about things I'm about to do: the 'bigger' the thing, the more information I want to have before stepping out.

I agree with the advice to spend some time in Northern Arizona, where there's plenty of free camping and much cooler temperatures as you get better prepared.

Here's wishing you good fortune as you plan your next steps. And do feel free to ask lots of questions here. People with much more knowledge and experience than I have are generous to answer just about anything that pops up.

 

[mpruet]

I just joined this lovely blog group.  I am going to set up on my desert land. While I am very ill prepared in doing so. I do know how to go camping.

Now is not the time to be a nomad in the desert.  It's going to go much smoother to be in the mountains or further north.  Swamp coolers do work in the dry areas, but they require a good deal of water and if you are planning on being in the desert you'll find yourself having to get water more frequently.  That might become a bit of a hassle.

 

[mpruet]

My questions would be in asking? What have the seasoned members here done about hot weather? I do have land to live on. Moving out there in 3 weeks. What would you do? To set up? I need ideas on swamp coolers vs. A/C units & all that is more cost effective. generator info too.

Since you already have land there, you probably want to make it your new home rather than be a nomad 

That being the case,  I would suggest that you build a cover shade for your RV - probably about 5 feet above your roof so that the RV will be in the shade.  That should make a significant improvement in the inside temperature inside the rig.  The cover would need to be open so that it will not trap air,  and should probably be covered with reflective insulation on the sunny side of the cover.  That way you would minimize the effect of the direct sun hitting your rig.  It might be best to make it at an angle so that there would tend to still be an air flow even when there is not much of a breeze.

If you have solar on the roof, you would need to move the solar panels off of the roof and into the direct sunlight.  But still if you can keep the rig in the shade you should be able to reduce impact of the sun on your rig.

 

[MrNoodly]

After building some sort of shade, you could stack straw bales (not more expensive hay bales) around your rig for insulation.