Will be "Car-Dwelling" Soon in Tucson, AZ

[Almost There]

x2 on the bandannas they do work real well.  I put 2 in an empty gatorade bottle with water then place in the refer overnight,  I then rotate them though out the day.  highdesertranger

Once they're hydrated so that they are firm but not rock hard, do not leave them in the water.

The most common complaint I found about cool ties breaking open was from people who soaked the tie continuously in water. Left in the refer or cooler but not in the water they will stay just as cold. After 3 or 4 days of use you may find them shrinking a bit - resoak them at that point just to bring them back to a good size of fill.

A lot of the people who make them have no concept of how much polyacrylamide to put in the tie. Most put way too much in which means that given sufficient water, the tie will swell so much that it bursts a seam or explodes the fabric.

The other common abuse was washing them in the laundry...sigh!! Hand wash when they are partially dehydrated in something like Dr. Bonners. Do it quick so that the poly doesn't absorb the soap.

I can see what I'm going to be doing for the RTR...

 

[Marie]

Do you think those bandana things would help keep dogs cool?

 

[Almost There]

Do you think those bandana things would help keep dogs cool?

Yes, but they should be used only under very, very close supervision. The polyacrylamide, while not poisonous would cause major digestive problems if ingested because of their liquid absorption capability. It takes only 2 scant teaspoons of the poly in dry form to fill a cool tie. I'd hate to have to have a dog have his stomach pumped because of them!

Personally, I wouldn't use one on my dog because of this. That and mine was a Rough Coated Collie (double coated) with way too much fur on his ruff to even think about getting a cool tie down to skin level on him.

A place where he could soak his feet and a fan worked better and was far safer.

 

[highdesertranger]

almost there is right. I should have mentioned I don't fill the gatorade up. just enough to rehydrate. when I use them they never last all day, if I were to leave one on all day it would be dried out. about 4 hrs is the norm. highdesertranger

 

[YorzTrewli]

I'm in a similar situation (about to live in car in hot environment). I plan on using a car cover for stealth. It will allow me to park in safer locations (lighted areas; near other parked cars). I have scouted about 6 or 7 good parking spots, with little car or foot traffic, where I can slip under the cover at night and noone will notice. I will keep the windows cracked for air circulation and use a 12v fan with auxiliary battery to keep cool during hot hours of the night. The cover is also somewhat breathable and reflective, allowing me an extra hour or two of relief from the heat. Another advantage of the car cover is that it provides you with time to react to thieves or police. When you know for sure that a thief is trying to break in, lean on the horn. They will not be expecting that, and they will run. Do not do this to a police officer as you do not want to startle them.

I got this and other useful info from: http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/

 

[akrvbob]

When you are BLM land, shade cloth is better because it allows ventilation.
Bob

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

When you know for sure that a thief is trying to break in, lean on the horn.  They will not be expecting that, and they will run. 

It always amuses the hell out of me when someone glibly asserts that they can predict with absolute certainty what one or more desperate, strung-out junkies will do.

I just retired after 25 years in juvenile corrections, and the only thing I'm sure of is that those bastards can be unpredictably dangerous.

Regards
John

 

[YorzTrewli]

It always amuses the hell out of me when someone glibly asserts that they can predict with absolute certainty what one or more desperate, strung-out junkies will do.

I just retired after 25 years in juvenile corrections, and the only thing I'm sure of is that those bastards can be unpredictably dangerous.

Regards
John

You make a point, John, that my wording was careless.

There is no guarantee it will work and everyone should take advice given by me with a grain of salt as I have less personal experience than many.

During my hours of research however I found this advise to be useful as no one really talks about how to actually deal with a situation like this.

I can see how junkies may be unpredictable in the situation you were dealing with them.  I have seeny fair share of junkies as I worked valet for 7 years in parts of town filled with them.  I have found them to be, in general, more predictable that non-junkies. On top of that they have that extra motive to stay out of jail.

The logic of the method is sound.  There is no better way to startle the thief and notify others in the area that you are in distress than to lean on your horn in irregular intervals.  I suggest you add to the conversation constructively by suggesting how you would deal with a situation like that.

And again this is advice I obtained from someone who lived out of a car for many years, not my own.

Yours truly, YorzTrewli