How To Keep Your RV Cool This Summer

The hot weather is just on the horizon and you may be exposed to some scorching temperatures, depending on where you opt to go. The Midwest is certainly no stranger to three-digit temperatures and blazing-hot sun, which is why staying cool is so important. However, if your RV doesn’t have an air-conditioning unit in it or you don’t have the fuel to use it, you might feel like you’re roasting alive on your camping trips and that’s no fun!

The Outpost RV in Middlebury is your Indiana RV dealer. Here are some of our top tips to help you beat the heat this summer, no matter where you travel!

Park Strategically

Your first step to staying cool starts as you drive into your campsite. If you have the option, try to get a campsite that has some shade from a tree or building. If not, park your camper with the door-side facing away from the afternoon sun (to the east or north). This can help to reduce how much sun hits your windows and entryway, which will help keep your RV cooler. If you’ve got an awning on that side of your RV, extend it to provide some more shade.

Ventilate

Opening up your camper and getting some cool air into it can also help to reduce the interior temperatures. Open the windows on the side of your RV facing away from the sun, keeping the windows shut on the sunny side. Set up some fans to help circulate air inside and open up your ceiling vents to allow heat to dissipate (remember: heat rises!). Also, before you head out, you’ll need to check your RV’s vents to make sure they are covered so that debris and water won’t slip inside.

Cover Up Windows

You can apply an inexpensive bubble film to your windows in order to keep your RV a bit cooler. The reflective surface helps sunlight to bounce off it so less heat makes its way into your RV in the first place. Invest in some light curtains to draw over the windows as well. Light-colored fabrics don’t absorb sunlight and heat like dark colors can.

Cook Outside

One of the biggest contributors to heat in your RV is your kitchen. Between the stove and the oven, you’ve got plenty of heat sources in a small area that can easily make you sweat. Instead of preparing hot meals inside, try to prepare them outside on the campfire or on the grill. You’ll get that roughing-it feeling from cooking outside along with some delicious grilled meats and vegetables!

You can also prepare meals that don’t involve any cooking at all so that you never have to turn on the stove or light a fire in the first place. Try breakfast parfaits with granola, yogurt and fresh fruit; a sandwich buffet for lunch and green salads with leftover grilled fish or chicken for dinner.

Dress Appropriately

Even how you dress can help you to stay cool. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing in natural fabrics such as linen or cotton rather than dark colors and artificial fabrics. It might seem counterintuitive, but long sleeves and long pants can help keep you cooler because they prevent the heat of the sun from hitting your skin directly. A wide-brimmed sun hat can keep the sun off your face along with a pair of sunglasses with UV protection.

We hope these tips help you to stay cool while you’re camping this summer. Searching for an RV in Indiana? Come see us at our location in Middlebury, Indiana, to take a look at our vast array of new and used RVs for sale. The Outpost RV proudly serves our neighbors in Kalamazoo, Michigan.