Hot Weather Tips

[superrach73]

Hi All, Off to france for our first holiday abroad in our Cali. I'm sure there must be a thread on this somewhere but can't find it I'm afraid. Looking for tips on surviving hot weather, any gadgets you have found useful. We are trying to keep it as simple as possible. We have two young kids though and the heat and little ones not a great combination so any tips for keeping cool gratefully received. I've read about the boot lock which seems like a good idea to keep some air flowing through the van at night time. I'd be interested to know if there was a good fan anyone has bought that can run through the night or anything else useful really.
Thanks in advance!!

 

[Loz]

Look for pitches and parking under trees and try not to let it heat up too much during the day.

 

[GrannyJen]

If leaving it during the day, try to find shade, cover up the windscreen with reflective insulation or similar, open every vent that you can find.

If there is the slightest hint of a breeze then those big vents in the tent are remarkably effective.

 

[snowy55]

If you leave the vehicle parked up in the day pull all the blinds down and put the side window and windscreen blinds on.

When you arrive at campsite after a long drive lift the bonnet to let the heat from the dpf and engine escape easier rather then heating up the floor/bulkhead.

 

[Hotel California]

Put a tarp up on the left hand side giving shade to the bodywork of the Cali , the side where the fridge and inverter sits . It sits under the fridge or above the 2nd lesure battery in the back depending on the year of your Cali The inverter can overheat and go in safe mode switching itself of ending up in a fridge with spoiled food.
Take out the plasic caps under the coocker to the left in the wardrobe
I puttet some exta ventilation on like this
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/xtra-ventlation-for-wardrobe-battery.10267/#post-95802
Some even mounted a xtra electric fan.
Other than the usual stuf , look for shaded spots .
Sunblindes down , external thermalscreen,....
Leave the roof up , open the zippers , i got also vents for the front side windows and the air vent thing for leaving the boothdoor secured on a small opening ( Brandrupp things).

The best tip is to stay away from the south part of Europe this time of the year.
Just a minute in from my garden here at home in Belgium looking for some cool-down . We got 33celcius in the shade at the moment , and i find the best place to be with such high themps. Is home....don't feel the need to go on trips in the Cali in July and August....

 

[DavidofHook]

Keep the windows in the roof tent unzipped to let in air, except the window facing the sun. As the sun moves round you have to open and close to suit!

 

[bigmac77]

Currently in France and using a usb fan on low is really helpful, they run off the 12v system and have minimum effect on battery life

 

[dfps]

Hi All, Off to france for our first holiday abroad in our Cali. I'm sure there must be a thread on this somewhere but can't find it I'm afraid. Looking for tips on surviving hot weather, any gadgets you have found useful. We are trying to keep it as simple as possible. We have two young kids though and the heat and little ones not a great combination so any tips for keeping cool gratefully received. I've read about the boot lock which seems like a good idea to keep some air flowing through the van at night time. I'd be interested to know if there was a good fan anyone has bought that can run through the night or anything else useful really.
Thanks in advance!!

We have bought one of these to trial .They look good for the money and have 2 speed settings.They are 12v and low power usage so will run a long time on leisure batteries.
We are off to S France tomorrow and I was going t report back on how effective it was when we return.

This is the link : https://www.roadpro.co.uk/product/01h01-12v-24v-fans/10-portable-12v-fan-roadpro-usa-c3212/C3212

 

[2into1]

Home Bargains have good quality (nearly all metal construction) USB fans in stock for £2.99
I know they are cheap on Amazon etc but if you are near a Home Bargains store, these seem great value and obviously no postage to pay.
They are switched on the back, and adjust position nicely. The base could also be hung from the roof.
(probably for next year now!).

 

[Lewis]

We have bought one of these to trial .They look good for the money and have 2 speed settings.They are 12v and low power usage so will run a long time on leisure batteries.
We are off to S France tomorrow and I was going t report back on how effective it was when we return.

This is the link : https://www.roadpro.co.uk/product/01h01-12v-24v-fans/10-portable-12v-fan-roadpro-usa-c3212/C3212

Just looking at cooling options for a trip to the South of France in summer - how was the RoadPro fan?