I’d like to, but…
my Tundra has a lot more miles left in it.
This might be a good group to
get some opinions on a practice that I wonder about. A friend and avid paddler goes all over the U.S. in a van. Its not a camper but he has a mattress and sleeps in it. In the south when the weather is hot. he sleeps at campgrounds and runs the engine at night while sleeping, so the Air conditioner can be used. He’s got 2 CM detectors with alarms and cracks a window. I camp in the south and would like to have AC for sleeping, but kinda spooky about this method. Lots of campgrounds now have elec. and I wonder if there’s some kind of conversion to run a van AC using the elec. source vs running the engine. TIA
Pag
fan
buy a fan: http://goo.gl/xdBl9K
Holmes made a nice one, it’s now running clipped to the passenger’s handhold.
Read my post here on electrical systems.
Sleeping in cargo is sleeping in an over. You could drive in NASCAR.
Sleep on front seat with an AB plywood cutout braced on front seat sides and at the rear…here on an angle iron bolted to the cargo partition on a Ford E250 cargo van.
Side windows are covered with no seeum from Seattle Fabrics held with Walmart masking tape.
Breezy.
Park in shade when not moving, build a full platform rack for storage and shade, cool van exterior with water, park windshield opposite sun…cool what you can. Wear polyester.
The motor system is not designed for prolonged idle. Carbon buildup, parts overheating, oil decomposition, shorten the engine life.
With a full platform rack sleeping on the roof is airy. Move the kayak or canoe over on outriggers of 2x4 bolted thru the front to rear joist.
I can tell
you’ve never tried camping in the deep south ( southern Fl. or La.) in August. A fan will not do anything but move the heavy humidity around a bit. Thanks for the reply but I need to figure out about getting A/C.
Pag
I’ve used a van conversion for 30 years
Van conversions were popular in the 80’s. Now they’re not, so used ones can be relatively inexpensive.
My current one is a beat up 97 Dodge Ram Van. It has a fold down rear couch, which I use as my bed. I took the two captain’s chairs out of the middle, so I have a lot of room between the front seats and the rear bench/bed.
I have a cheap curtain rod with cheap curtains behind the front seat for privacy. Good stereo system.
Three big picture windows allow nice views when reclining on the couch/bed. They all have translucent shades.
There is a big storage space between the back bench/bed and the rear doors. That’s where I hang all my canoe clothing and keep all my canoe gear, paddles, packs, pack basket, chairs, etc.
Behind the front seat I have a food box and ice chest, which I can use as a table. Other stuff is stashed under the rear bench/bed.
I have various battery lights hung around. Maps, binocs, camera, VHF radio, behind the front seats. A couple of medical kits in different places, a machete and a baseball bat.
All this stays in the van year round. I’ve traveled all around North America for 30 years in similar rigs, just pulling off the road and sleeping where I want. No tent to set up in the dark and rain. I can also use tent sites in campgrounds or any available space in a trailer park. (I like trailer parks; millionaires and welfare widows all adjacent to each other.)
August in Florida is rough. I have small screens on two windows. If I open the rear tilt windows, that will let in bugs. There are portable air conditioner units you can plug into hookups at campgrounds, but I don’t have one. I’ve never had air conditioning in my house, so I’m sort of used to sleeping in heat in the summer.
A used van conversion may be less expensive than outfitting a cargo van.
tough solution
There are some 12v units that sit on top of a cooler full of ice, using a fan to blow the ice-chilled air. Other than that you’d have to supplement your power, I don’t think 12v is enough to run an AC unit. I think I remember the car talk guys saying this.
So if you’re at a campground with an outlet, buy a 110v portable AC unit. If not you might be more limited, unless you want to also buy a small generator.
An easier and more effective way of screening windows is to simply make a sleeve out of no-see-um netting that slides over the door window frame. Then you just shut he door. To take them off you open the door. Duct tape doesn’t always hold up well in damp conditions and it’ll leave marks all over your car when it does.
25 years…
When parking, open the hood !
Stationary A/C is run with an open hood.
Look for "RV A/C’ finding a plethora of A/C not running off the motor. Match a portable generator output to small A/C unit.
Be aware you need to develop an unwanted visitor strategy.
The A/C requires intelligent backup but on the way there you may cool enough to stop before A/C.
South of the MD Line, all vans are white. Even a light blue is 30 degrees higher than white on a vertical surface.
Light pressed composition board cheaply painted then surfaced with foil taped or stapled to one side mounted on roof is very very cool.
Also possible for sun facing vertical side.
Magnets from old stereo speakers are possible.
FLA BUG ?
If mosquito keep coming, tape door seams with Walmart masking tape. Remove tape each morning or every 2 days. Tape glue becomes un-moveable after heating. Remove bonded tape/glue with vegetable oil.
Only vehicle?
You said it’s your only vehicle but I didn’t see you say how much you drove for purposes other than camping.
I use a minivan (caravan) for similar purposes as you. Would love to have a big conversion van but don’t want to take the mileage hit and would prefer to stick with a front wheel drive for better traction. Also a minivan is much less conspicuous. I don’t stay in campgrounds and many times when traveling I just want a place to pull over for the night to catch 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Figure no body is going to bat an eye at a white minivan parked along a residential street.
Also easier to load canoes on/off with the lower height.
I’ve spent a few months at a crack in mine traveling around the country and plenty of 1-3 week trips since then. With all the rear seats out there’s room for a cot as well as cooler, camping and paddling gear, clothes, repair stuff, dog, etc. It’s not exactly roomy inside but not cramped either. Never been a problem for me. Make sure you get a cot that’s high enough to allow storage underneath.
I also love having dual sliding doors. Easier to access gear and also great for a cross breeze in warm weather.
Thankfully when I travel it’s usually not bug season where I’m going or it’s cool enough I can leave the windows shut at night. Never bothered to rig up some sort of screen but there’s been a couple times it would have been nice.
Sleeping with the windows cracked probably isn’t a bad idea in winter. A friend and I were out in Montana one winter both sleeping in the van and it was dropping to well below zero at night. Didn’t realize how much condensation had gotten above the headliner until it started dripping on us while driving.
My van has those rear wing windows that open just a bit. Enough for ventilation without a huge opening. You can also leave them open when driving in the rain.
Good luck,
Alan
too small
do you switch plates ?
Small vans: rear space is filled with kit - camping gear/paddling gear/clothing/food-cooler.
So where do you sleep ? on the front seat ?
Datakoll, thanks
for the suggestions but could you elaborate on, “When parking, open the hood! Stationary A/C is run with an open hood.” What is meant by stationary A/C and why open the hood?
Pag
sealant for modifications
I’ve learned a lot in the past 3 months researching rebuilding my vintage mini motorhome. Biggest issue with any such conversion is sealants. If you make ANY penetrations to the vehicle skin absolutely seal the edges with Eternabond tape. Not cheap, but its a proprietary micropolymer sealant tape that essentially forms a permanent bond between whatever two surfaces adjoin. Several on-line sources for it (RV shops don’t stock it because it has a shelf life of 2 years for the solvents that keep the sticky stuff maleable – once it is installed age is irrelevant.) It is such good stuff some RV buyers immediately reseal windows and roof seams even on a new rig and some of the RV manufacturers are going over to it for production sealant. If you get it, buy the heavy steel roller that they sell with it to get the best seal.
so you’re calling him a liar?
micro polymer !
alternative:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Promotions/Extreme-Sealing-Tape/
Thru fixtures should have a flange bolted thru to a strap, both sides sealed with urethane.
The tape category appears to share acrylic adhesives.
Suggestion the tape is ‘moldable’ that is 3 dimensional is interesting, like to try it.
heat transfer with
flowing air supply.
Poster mentions using the vehicle’s running motor as power source for the OEM A/C system.
Tho engine powered A/C is not recommended for all night, cooling down when stationary is done with an open hood.
But pulling in off the highway shutting down the hot motor, cool down is maxed by opening the hood.
Always open the hood.
Cot
As mentioned in my post I sleep in a full length cot that has room for storage underneath. Plus there’s usually a dog with me. Bigger would certainly be nicer but smaller has its own advantages.
Like I said, I’ve lived out of mine for months at a time (without dog).
Alan