Keeping cool in French heatwave

[StevenP]

We were looking forward to some summer sun but weren’t expecting the current heatwave which has been challenging. We are still quite far north but 34c means sleeping tailgate open if possible and the duvet we brought is largely redundant! Awning / canopy hasn’t been necessary either and seems to attract / trap every living creature with wings so camping al fresco mainly. Has anyone got good tips for hot weather camping in a California?

 

[Brightonbelle]

Oh dear, I really feel for you. I’m afraid I’d have to give up and find an air conditioned hotel at this point. Not what you want to hear, I guess. and of course that depends on funds and availability of hotels.
We are heading over to France later this summer, so I’ll be interested to hear of suggestions including if anyone has bought a portable aircon unit?
May I ask where you bought your fly screen for the sliding door etc and also the pocket hanger I can see in front of your back wardrobe?
I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday.

 

[pluc99]

Pack up and go to somewhere cooler, somewhere in the mountains or on the coast where you get a breeze and it cools down at night.

 

[StevenP]

Oh dear, I really feel for you. I’m afraid I’d have to give up and find an air conditioned hotel at this point. Not what you want to hear, I guess. and of course that depends on funds and availability of hotels.
We are heading over to France later this summer, so I’ll be interested to hear of suggestions including if anyone has bought a portable aircon unit?
May I ask where you bought your fly screen for the sliding door etc and also the pocket hanger I can see in front of your back wardrobe?
I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday.

It’s fine really we are enjoying the endless sunny days and yes fly screens are essential they are Brandrup as is the pocket thingy. We also have an electric desk fan we brought for inside the van as we always book electric pitches, and campsites here seem to offer shaded pitches generally if they’re not all booked up. Last tip from us is a 10 litre hand pump ‘solar’ shower unit from Decathlon - it’s £49 well spent for cooling off or hot water for washing up if you leave it in the sun.

 

[sidepod]

Lovely looking 4 there. Same colour as mine. . Spec? Red i ?

 

[Billy]

+1 for hotel with aircon, thats the beauty of the Cali you can mix it up, its no fun camping ( sleeping) in this heat, even worse if you have dogs with you, that is exactly what I am doing now , I am currently in a hotel in Spain for the same reason and the air con means its actually too cold at night in the room so we snuggled under the duvet!! Cali is in car park for day trips and to be fair the cost of a hotel room is not much more than a camping pitch if you shop around

 

[Perfectos]

Bucket of water for your feet, ice cold beer / wine ( delete as appropriate).

Shower B4 bed , leaving hair damp, crack every window

go to bed late in cooler conditions. Sleep down stairs with the pop top fully up (headliner) if poss (presume only two of you as only two chairs)

create some shade for the van to reduce full sun (Big picnic blanket in photo, drape it over the van)

mist spray water to cool off (damp sheet cover work wonders )

Raise and lower the roof b4 bed to change the air.

Enjoy you lucky camper

great looking T4

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Is the roof not cooler to sleep in?

Our T5 SE has windows and insects nets and I often thought the air moves around better up there - in the sky! - with the two side windows allowing a breeze. The windows are kind of near your torso as well which is where I would want a breeze.
It looks like you have a liner in the roof. Can you not take that out?

 

[66tim99]

If you can't sleep with the tailgate open, these extortionately expensive brandrup steel bars let you get some airflow with the tailgate locked.
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/brandrup-air-safe-vw-t6t5-automatic-closing-aid-tailgate

 

[Peter84]

Personally I would move to cooler places, preferably the mountains. Above 2000 meters I assume it will be much nicer

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

I bought one of these and it keeps me cool (enough) and fits under the bench seat in a Club Joker. Uses 250-300 watts at full power. I bought the variant without the battery as I have an inverter and 200AH of batteries in the van. However I see you are on electric hookups so this would work a charm there. A little late for this trip though!

ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 AC

ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 Battery Portable Air Conditioner, Just press the button and enjoy the cool air anywhere. Get yours at the ZERO BREEZE Online Store now!

www.zerobreeze.com

 

[66tim99]

I bought one of these and it keeps me cool (enough) and fits under the bench seat in a Club Joker. Uses 250-300 watts at full power. I bought the variant without the battery as I have an inverter and 200AH of batteries in the van. However I see you are on electric hookups so this would work a charm there. A little late for this trip though!

ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 AC

ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 Battery Portable Air Conditioner, Just press the button and enjoy the cool air anywhere. Get yours at the ZERO BREEZE Online Store now!

www.zerobreeze.com

Cor its a big lump and very expensive but I didn't know such a thing existed, thanks

 

[soulstyledevon]

I remember a few years back, Italian Lakes touching close to 40c. We jumped into the van and headed for the cooler mountains.
I’m with the above poster, heat like this I would head for an air-conditioned hotel with pool.
Campings no fun at this temperature , it has its limitations…

 

[phil keegan]

The heat immediately option on our 6.1 coast has a ventilate mode. This can run for a couple of hours on the timer. I think it would probably also switch back on with the heater remote. Clearly not as good as portable aircon but might be ok for those who don’t have a camping ceiling fan or something similar.


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[66tim99]

The heat immediately option on our 6.1 coast has a ventilate mode. This can run for a couple of hours on the timer. I think it would probably also switch back on with the heater remote. Clearly not as good as portable aircon but might be ok for those who don’t have a camping ceiling fan or something similar.


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I’ve still never used that feature.
Can it be on all night on hookup?
Does it pull outside temp air in effectively?

 

[phil keegan]

I’ve still never used that feature.
Can it be on all night on hookup?
Does it pull outside temp air in effectively?

I think I saw on a video (California time) that the ‘heat immediately’ function only runs for a maximum of 120 mins (including when set to ‘ventilate’). I assume however that you could turn it on again for 120 mins with the remote (my understanding again from the video is that the remote turns on the previously used settings from the ‘heat immediately’ menu).


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[Perfectos]

The only problem the OP has, they are in a T4

doesn’t really help them with their question and their specific thread relating to their issue.

 

[phil keegan]

The only problem the OP has, they are in a T4

doesn’t really help them with their question and their specific thread relating to their issue.

Agree but might help someone like me getting to grips with a T6.1


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[Elly Swanson]

If you can't sleep with the tailgate open, these extortionately expensive brandrup steel bars let you get some airflow with the tailgate locked.
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/brandrup-air-safe-vw-t6t5-automatic-closing-aid-tailgate

We used our air safe for the first time last weekend at Ely Folk Festival. It was great and let a bit of air flow through without compromising security.

 

[Elly Swanson]

We were looking forward to some summer sun but weren’t expecting the current heatwave which has been challenging. We are still quite far north but 34c means sleeping tailgate open if possible and the duvet we brought is largely redundant! Awning / canopy hasn’t been necessary either and seems to attract / trap every living creature with wings so camping al fresco mainly. Has anyone got good tips for hot weather camping in a California?

View attachment 96102

View attachment 96103

Take the cover of the duvet and sleep under that.

 

[Elly Swanson]

We’re at a festival this coming weekend in the UK and the weather is set to be stonking hot, so I’m taking:

• 2 tarpaulins to put up for extra shade. Don’t know what configuration yet but they’re very versatile, small to pack and can be attached to the van or set up separately, just need to remember poles, guyropes and pegs.
• a spray bottle to mist ourselves with water
• towelling flannels to soak in water and apply to forehead, wrists, neck, ankles
• some cotton, terry towels to soak in water and fix them with magnets outside against open windows
• thermos flasks to fill with cold water
• some foiled bubble wrap type material to attach to the outside of the van, where, the fridge is to reflect heat so the fridge doesn’t have to work so hard
• a Quechua hand pump shower, for cool water, so we can strip off and hose down whenever we want/need (a bowl of water and camping mug or soaked flannels works well too)

 

[StevenP]

Lovely looking 4 there. Same colour as mine. . Spec? Red i ?

Hi it’s a 2000 Generation Syncro California yes great colour!

 

[StevenP]

Is the roof not cooler to sleep in?

Our T5 SE has windows and insects nets and I often thought the air moves around better up there - in the sky! - with the two side windows allowing a breeze. The windows are kind of near your torso as well which is where I would want a breeze.
It looks like you have a liner in the roof. Can you not take that out?

We decided to sleep downstairs and it’s been fine although good question about the liner in our roof, which was there when we bought the van and we assume it keeps it warmer in cold weather and cooler in hot. But maybe it would be cooler with it out. ??

 

[StevenP]

I bought one of these and it keeps me cool (enough) and fits under the bench seat in a Club Joker. Uses 250-300 watts at full power. I bought the variant without the battery as I have an inverter and 200AH of batteries in the van. However I see you are on electric hookups so this would work a charm there. A little late for this trip though!

ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 AC

ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 Battery Portable Air Conditioner, Just press the button and enjoy the cool air anywhere. Get yours at the ZERO BREEZE Online Store now!

www.zerobreeze.com

Thanks for the tip it looks like a neat little AC unit.

 

[StevenP]

We’re at a festival this coming weekend in the UK and the weather is set to be stonking hot, so I’m taking:

• 2 tarpaulins to put up for extra shade. Don’t know what configuration yet but they’re very versatile, small to pack and can be attached to the van or set up separately, just need to remember poles, guyropes and pegs.
• a spray bottle to mist ourselves with water
• towelling flannels to soak in water and apply to forehead, wrists, neck, ankles
• some cotton, terry towels to soak in water and fix them with magnets outside against open windows
• thermos flasks to fill with cold water
• some foiled bubble wrap type material to attach to the outside of the van, where, the fridge is to reflect heat so the fridge doesn’t have to work so hard
• a Quechua hand pump shower, for cool water, so we can strip off and hose down whenever we want/need (a bowl of water and camping mug or soaked flannels works well too)

All good ideas, and you do get used to it and as I said previously camping in endless hot summer days is actually amazing given our usually damp and cold British climate! Cycling around can be cooler than walking too and with the right cycling gear is a good way of staying cooler.