keeping cool tips

maids · Senior Member

RE: keeping cool tips

maids · Senior Member

Jaahn wrote:
Hi maids
Your question is universal in Australia in summer. But you will not like the answer. Plan your travel to suit the weather. We try to be flexible and if the weather is bad we change it. After all we go for our own pleasure and if it is not pleasing then do something else.
Sitting down in the forest near a river is cool, up the mountains is cooler, out in the desert is hot, further north is hotter yet, your choice in mid summer. I have no answer to some of the problems. But I do know that even driving my Sprinter into the heat with the air con going full on, trying to balance the sun and heat coming in the huge front windscreen is enough to kill us. We add wet towels also but even driving is bad. So we try not to do it. I have put a silver band across the top of the screen and on the top of the side window shields to help shield us from the sun.
Three years ago we drove down to Victoria for some important family business, during the heat and the bushfires etc. IT was hell and we tried driving at night more. Hmm ended up like dried prunes with the heat beating down on us through the screen and the air con blasting at us.
Sorry jaahn

yes we are working on what you said very informative thanks

Whenarewethere · Guru

As said, you need to camp to the conditions, your resources & not torture yourself.

We were in Kakadu, it wasn't the crocodiles, it was the trillions of mosquitoes & the heat. Also at James Price point with sand flies. We had a fully open flyscreen enclosure with built in floor & ceiling which gave us a small escape zone.

On that trip we had enough of the rain in Perth so drove back to Sydney. Following year took up where we left off.

We want to live out of a small 4wd to get to all the places we can (we also have chronic parking issues living in Sydney living in a Unit).

Something has to give. If we can't cope with the environmental conditions, we go home.

We have insulated the car so well from engine heat that we can turn on the engine for air conditioning for relief. We never did that before the insulation as the heat would work its way into the car later.

Just one of the many little design changes we have made to make life more bearable.

Feet in a bucket of cold water & shove your head in another every 15 minutes works wonders & doesn't cost much.

A full flyscreen enclosure, double ceiling & awning off the sides to protect from the sun is effective, & hang up some wet things to provide evaporative cooling, assuming it is not humid as well, will help.

If you have spare water. Hose down the vehicle after the sun has gone down so it cools quicker.

Tony Bev · Guru

maids wrote:
PeterInSa wrote:
Re (how do you run laptop of 12v please?)

I run my 45w HP laptop off a 150 watt inverter. Ebay Probably cheaper than Jaycars $45. unit

-- Edited by PeterInSa on Saturday 24th of December 2022 10:04:02 AM
ahh ok I run mine of a 2000w inverter I thought you meant you ran it straight from the batteries

I had a Toshiba laptop which required (about 19 volts to charge it)
I purchased an off the shelf, 12 volt ciggy adaptor to 19 volts which charged my old laptop from the AGM batteries ciggy socket

My new laptop is a Lenovo, which I purchased when on special at OfficeworksIt is a 20 volt, and I could not find a ciggy adaptor locally, so I got one from the eBay
I run my Lenovo laptop from this ciggy type adaptor

I have a 300 - 600 watt inverter, which I have only used to charge my 240 volt impact drill, and find it also runs my 80 watt soldering iron

If anyone wants to run/charge a laptop from the 12 volt battery/s
Then if they ask another question in the Techi section, and gave the manufacture/model of the laptop, I am sure that a techi type person, will tell you what to purchase

Hope that this advice is useful to someone, as not all of us have technical expertise

Most of what I have learned about 12 volt DC, I have learned from reading this forum

Gary and Barb · Senior Member

The manual solutions offered by Whenarewethere and others, are pretty sound. Power is exhaustible if visiting remote areas, so you might have to resort to some old-fashioned (cheaper) solutions.

However.....

1. A wet cloth around the neck and/or head keeps blood temperature down (blood vessels are nearer the skin there) and it protects the brain from over-heating: avoiding sun stroke.

2. Likewise, the wrists and ankles. Wet socks will keep your feet and lower blood circulation cool.

3. Spray water mist on the face and maybe a 12v fan to provide a cooling breeze, if required.

4 Seek shade! The Australian sun is fierce.

5. Wear light cotton clothing to avoid sunburn, which can dangerously raise body temperatures. Maybe wet your shirt regularly.

6. Stay hydrated, but avoid drinking iced water if you are over heated. It can cause the system to go into shock.
Else.... enjoy your trip!

Bicyclecamper · Guru

We never camp in summer in Australia. I broke that rule myself, due to being ill most of last year, ( couldn't camp much thru the year) and went away locally on my own with my dog, 5 days before Xmas 21' last year out in the bush, in our campertrailer with only a 80 watt solar panel, a 17ah jumpstart battery for lights and a small fan, and an esky full of ice food and drinks. Parked under some safe trees for shade. Night time was bearable, but during the day, it was ridiculousy unbearable. Was offered to go camping this xmas, but commonsense prevailed. Will never camp in the warmer months again. We mainly camp in cooler to cold weather, because you can easily get warm, especially on a powered site, but in a campertrailer, their is no such thing as a aircond. If you can afford it, go into a powered site, and carry a portable aircond, if you have no aircond at all. My daughter has one for their small van and it keeps the temps down to around 23-26 degrees. If you are permanently on the road the coolest place in Australia, would be up in the mountains, in warmer months like the New England where I live, and why I live here.

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Wednesday 28th of December 2022 12:42:41 AM

peter67 · Guru

TimTim wrote:
Probably a bit late for you but after going to Greece I bought a misting spray on Aliexpress and connected it to my 12v fan.

Snap! I use a good quality Sirocco fan and a cheap two dollar water spray bottle from IGA, works a treat plus you can use wet wipes sometimes for a bit of luxury in uncomfortable spots like under your armpits etc.

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Hi maids,
While you might have to travel in the heat (one of two reasons for not travelling to the south at this time of the year), you can make it more pleasant. Air flow - lots of it is a key, especially if you get an evaporative cooler. It means having a reasonable fan & lots of windows open (not on the hot wind side).

What colour is the roof of your camper? Lighter colours reflect far more heat than dark. Can you add some insulation between the hood lining & the roof? As mentioned earlier, having portable solar panels means they stay in the sun & not the car. There are plenty of hints in the solar section of the Techies chapter. Panels are becoming more efficient but they they still need to be in the sun; partially shaded means you won't get a full charge.

Consider travelling in the cooler times of the day but beware roos & other wildlife are often mobile or on the roads also at these times. Observe the weather at your locations, intended stays & drive to conditions (bear in mind the engine gets hot too).

I once saw a bloke doing it hard on the Eyre Highway west of Yalata. He was towing a small van with a Subaru into a hot NE north wind, was flat out at 80kph. I felt sorry for the relative who owned the car as some damage had been done to it but there was no reason for travel to have been done at that time of the day. Yes it was HOT.