It blows my mind that less than two months ago I was rushing to install a heater in my van because of temperatures in the 40s, and now I’ve just survived temperatures over 100. I’d expect such weather in the deserts of the Southwest, but not in a Montana forest. Yet here we are.
This is not a comprehensive guide to all the possible ways you can stay cool when the weather is hot. This is just what I did to get through an unexpected three-day July heat wave. Lister and I survived, so it must’ve worked.
Go Somewhere Not Hot
Our homes have wheels, and the absolute best way to stay cool is to start the engine and drive somewhere it’s not hot. Simply driving north doesn’t necessarily work, as we can see because I’m going through this in Montana. Higher elevations are good. The temperature drops about 3ºF for every 1,000 feet you climb, so even a 3,000-foot climb can make a big difference in comfort. I spent the hottest part of last August at 9,000 feet near Pikes Peak in Colorado, where it was rather comfortable.
But right now, I’m at about 3,000 feet, and it still broke 100º here. There’s nowhere within 1,000 miles that I can escape this heat wave. It will be over by the time I get somewhere less hot. People also run into situations where they have jobs they can’t leave, or even vehicle breakdowns where they’re stuck waiting for money or parts and can’t go anywhere.
So while going someplace else is certainly the most effective way to avoid extreme heat, it’s also not always possible. The rest of this guide will focus on how to survive the heat if you find yourself stuck in it anyway, like I did.
Find Shade
You may not be able to control the temperature, but being directly in the sun feels much hotter than being in the shade. That’s one reason why I chose to sit out this heat wave at a free campground in a National Forest. The surrounding tree cover is enough to keep me mostly in the shade, yet still provide a few hours of sunlight directly overhead for my solar panels to keep my batteries charged up.
If you can’t find your own shade, store-bought is fine. I’ve set up my tarp awning to give me even more shade. In the direction I’m parked, with the nose pointed generally south, the van itself provides good shade until about noon or so. The awning extends that shade through about 2:00 pm when the sun starts peeking through from the west. The trees provide partial cover from that point on. In a perfect world, I’d point the van north to get its shadow during the hottest part of the day, but the sizes and configurations of the campsites here prevented me from doing that.
Stay Hydrated
I saw a few days of high temperatures in the forecast and took the opportunity to fill up all of my water containers before leaving the Buffalo Chip. When they say “It’s not so bad, it’s a dry heat,” there’s some truth to that, because sweat evaporates quickly to help keep you cool. But sweating also takes water out of your body, so you have to refill.
Drinking large quantities of water can get boring, so I like to mix it up a bit. I keep powdered Gatorade on hand to replenish electrolytes and other things you lose while sweating. Seltzer is literally just carbonated water, and I like mine with just a little fruit flavor. My Sodastream lets me make this on-demand without carrying cases of cans, which take up a lot of space both before and after drinking what’s inside them. A Coke tastes refreshing, but don’t rely on this to stay hydrated. The same goes for beer, and it’s best to stick with lightweight, low-alcohol varieties if you do imbibe. It’s already too easy to lose judgment from the effects of heat alone.
Spray Yourself Down
I adjusted Lister’s “Bad Kitty” spray bottle from a narrow stream to a fine mist and used it to spray myself during the hottest part of the day. This evaporated quickly, helping cool me down more than sweat alone. Wrapping a wet towel around your head or neck, or putting on a wet t-shirt, can also work. An actual shower is great if you have access to one, but there’s little point in getting all clean midday only to sweat up a storm immediately after.
Cool Yourself From the Inside
This is where a refrigerator/freezer comes in especially handy. Eating or drinking something cold can help chill your internal temperature, which feels quite good when it’s too hot outside. Cold drinks work. So does ice cream in small quantities. I like those cheap freezy pops that come in a bag of 50 for $1. It’s literally just flavored ice, which tastes good, helps cool you down, and makes you feel like a kid again. They also don’t add massive calories the way eating an entire container of ice cream will.
Take a Siesta
A siesta is “an afternoon rest or nap, especially one taken during the hottest hours of the day in a hot climate.” The Spanish word tells us where it originated, but it’s a common practice in many areas that get hot weather. Personally, when I get too hot, I can’t think or do much anyway. During this heat wave, I’ve been awake quite early in the pleasant mornings, then worked until it gets too hot for me to think anymore. I lie down for the afternoon and relax, even if I don’t sleep, and don’t pressure myself to remain productive. When it finally cools off in the evening, I return to my normal self and stay awake pretty late because I spent the afternoon snoozing. This practice is part of what leads to the incorrect racist stereotype of “lazy Mexicans,” but don’t knock it until you try it for yourself. It works, and they have good reasons for doing it.
Run the Air Conditioning
Most of us don’t have air conditioners or a way to provide the large amounts of electricity they need. But worst case, you can start your engine and crank your van’s air conditioner for a bit of relief. It may not cool your entire van unless you have rear vents, but just blowing some cool air on yourself for a little while can help. I’ve also made plans to travel during the hottest part of the day, such as the longer afternoon drive I took to get to this campground. This lets me not only get from one place to another but also lets me have air conditioning during the drive I’d already be taking anyway.
Don’t Forget Your Critters
During all this, I kept a close eye on Lister as he tried to stay cool. During the hottest part of the day he started panting, and I knew he wasn’t doing too well. I closed up the van, took off his harness, and put him in front of one of my AC vents. This helped.
I feed him half a can of wet food a day, put a lid on it, put it in the fridge, then feed the rest to him the next day. As luck would have it, I had half a can of cold food in the fridge for him, so I fed him early. This not only gave him a treat while he wasn’t feeling well, but it also helped reduce his internal temperature, as well as rehydrated him. I hope he doesn’t expect me to hold the can for him every day, but this time it let him eat in front of the AC vent for maximum cooling inside and out. He felt much better than before, and we got through the rest of the day until it cooled off in the evening. I took a full can of food and put it in the fridge so it would be cold the next day.
Smokey Da Van 