Keeping cool in French heatwave

[Elly Swanson]

I have two boxes of these in the van. Use them to attach the infill panels of the awning room to the van. Very strong.

View attachment 96184

Cheers, Grumps.

 

[kave]

Bought an aircooler at Lidl for 20€. Seems to cool the air a bit when using water in it.

 

[ThomasHJ]

VW Campercentrum in Amersfoort (NL) make and sell an outside fridge isolation foil readymade. I used to have one, it does help and it's nicely made, good quality. On my 2010 T5 the EHU charger was under the fridge and would sometimes overheat and switch off, that did not happen with the outside isolation. Haven't bought again for my new van yet, mainly because it's yet another thing to carry and not really needed for road trips.

Of course doing your own with foil and magnets is much cheaper and might be more fun too.

Does anyone own this by any chance? Would love to know the dimensions. Think it might help a bit during the heatwave. If not, I'll do a guesstimate, which will work just fine, but hey, if anyone does know the dimensions, that'd be nice.

 

[bob_summers]

Can’t help with tips but nice van OP!

We stayed in a hotel this week - over 40C here and not below 30 at night . Camping would’ve been miserable…

I actually forgot the fridge was running, van parked in the street… god knows what temp inside the van…compressor must’ve been running continuously pretty much as the leisure batts were flat after less than 2 days!

 

[ThomasHJ]

Can’t help with tips but nice van OP!

We stayed in a hotel this week - over 40C here and not below 30 at night . Camping would’ve been miserable…

I actually forgot the fridge was running, van parked in the street… god knows what temp inside the van…compressor must’ve been running continuously pretty much as the leisure batts were flat after less than 2 days!

hey Bob,

where exactly are you experiencing these temperatures?

 

[StevenP]

A roof liner does keep the heat out, to an extent. In my experience this works best if I keep the roof windows (both tent and liner) fully zipped up on the sun side, while keeping the other side(s) open.

Yes that’s what we’ve found too.

 

[DavidofHook]

We returned from France on 25 June after a month and had weather that rose from 31c up to on one day 38C . We parked the van under a tree for shade with another tree close by for eating under. I put out the awning and we always use a Fiamma Blocker which effectively increases the the shade it gives.
We have a zip on Brandrupp fly screen so at night we slept with the the side door open. Also the side windows part open with fly screens. Also the tent vents open too, we sleep downstairs. Most nights we just slept on top of the duvet.
During the day we kept the tent vents open, zipping them up as the sun came round. The frig side of the van faced East and was under the tree so the frig worked well. Eating was tricky as our bits of shade kept changing but we followed it round. Almost always eating outside.
We used our bikes to get provisions and for coffees out etc which was a really nice way to travel in the heat.
A minor crisis was resolvEd with the help of the Forum as we had no ice for our G&T’s but , as advised we bought some ice bags from the Supermarket and put them at the back of the frig. Worked a treat!
It was very hot but we did enjoy it and really wish we were back there!

 

[Elly Swanson]

Does anyone own this by any chance? Would love to know the dimensions. Think it might help a bit during the heatwave. If not, I'll do a guesstimate, which will work just fine, but hey, if anyone does know the dimensions, that'd be nice.

Get a roll of foil radiator reflector. It’s easy to cut, you can double up on the layers, seal the edges with silver duct tape and keep in place with magnets. Cheap and effective. Easy to replace if it gets worn or stolen.

Essentials 470mm x 4m Radiator Heat Reflector Foil - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. 470mm x 4m. (1.88m²). Easy to apply, reflective, metallised polyester and polyethylene foam roll. Reduces heat loss from radiators by reflecting heat back into the room. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

 

[Hawthorn37]

Couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately there’s very few polycotton awnings for sale. I looked for one earlier this year, but the choice was very limited.

We went for a Vango Kela polycotton awning as we’ve had a polycotton tent before in France etc and it works great. It also rustles less in the wind. Also we use Outwell Hillcrest and Fallcrest tarps.

 

[Annsinlangdale]

Had four weeks in Spain in June 38degrees. Cordoba then north east from Nerja. Slept in the roof with all vents open and downstairs drivers windows ajar. where possible under a tree. Nearly got struck by lightning in France, Dordogne on the way back !

 

[phil keegan]

Does anyone have a view on if the colour of their van makes a difference in extreme heat? We went for white to hopefully reflect some of the sunshine - a black paint job must absorb more heat.


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[phil keegan]

Does anyone have a view on if the colour of their van makes a difference in extreme heat? We went for white to hopefully reflect some of the sunshine - a black paint job must absorb more heat.


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One of several Google answers (hadn’t thought about better fuel efficiency):

https://www.autoguru.com.au/car-advice/articles/which-car-colours-keep-you-cooler

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[bob_summers]

hey Bob,

where exactly are you experiencing these temperatures?

Huesca - watching the news in the hotel on Weds night, they said it was the hottest day in 82 years.
Actually we came home yesterday (Basque coast) and it's about 10C cooler, but way worse. Impossibly humid. I did some mountain running in Huesca and it felt so much easier than running here today - but I still felt sorry for those down on the campsite.

 

[Cal’ish]

Currently staying at the mid Atlantic coast in France, to far temperatures have peaked at 34 and sleeping in the bus works ok. For Monday 40 degrees is announced, 26 at night. We’ll see how that one turns out.. at least we have plenty of shade.

 

[J P]

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.

Get some 2L water bottles fill them with water put them at the bottom of your fridge all day, make sure your fridge is set to 3 or more, at night take them out wrap them in a towel put them at the bottom of the bed and put your feet on them. Worked for me.

 

[DavidofHook]

Had four weeks in Spain in June 38degrees. Cordoba then north east from Nerja. Slept in the roof with all vents open and downstairs drivers windows ajar. where possible under a tree. Nearly got struck by lightning in France, Dordogne on the way back !

Your comment about lightning reminds me that I somehow forgot to add the last part of our adventure to France
After the heat of Tournon on the way back we stopped at Saint Amand Montrond. When we checked in she said there might be a storm. When we went to bed it all seemed ok so I left the blind out. Anyway, I knew that if it rained it would be ok as I had invested in those weights they use on market stalls to hold the legs down and being a Fiamma the legs would slide down and any water on the blind would tip off. Big blunder!
At about 12.30 started the most ferocious storm. An hour of continual thunder, lightening, high winds and heavy rain. My plan to go out & close the blind was scuppered by Mrs DoH who said she had no wish to return home with a lightening struck corpse even if the blind was ok.
Huge crack outside as one leg broke off. The blind was hanging down on the side of the van and we later found that one of the aluminium blind arms had also snapped.
I spent the night trying work out in French how to explain to a garage mechanic what had happened and persuade him to come out & remove the blind so we could at least travel home. Not a good night.
Next morning things did not look quite so bad and we managed to wind the remains back in and secure it with duck tape and this got us home. The van was undamaged luckily
After 20 years with a California I am an idiot. I should have known not to leave the blind out. But I won’t do it again!

 

[Dave Wickham]

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?

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View attachment 96103

Yes, just returned from France and it was HOT!! Stay on sites with swimming pools or those next to a swimmable river

 

[Dave Wickham]

Would not dream of doing this. These small fridges heat up quickly, all that will happen is your food will go off faster. Bad stomach in a van on a campsite, does not bear thinking about. My opinion - don't think about it!

Agree, turning off the fridge is suicide....

 

[StevenP]

By way of an update we’re now in the Dordogne and it’s still hellishly hot but we are enjoying it nonetheless. Nights are spent with tailgate and side door open using flyscreens and the extra tarp outside works well. The fridge seems fine and the van generally seems to cope with the hot weather very well. Cycling is cooler than walking and river swims in shady spots are pure heaven. Winter will be here soon enough…

 

[soulstyledevon]

I’m off to Switzerland this week.
I planned on borrowing a friends roof-box for extra provisions. The only downside I can see is, it will block my solar panel…
Really hoping the leisure batteries can cope with the fridge on all the time, hopefully the weather cools down over the next week.

 

[RobertCalifornia]

A fortnight ago we booked a week at a campsite at Lac d’Hourtin. Delighted at the time, but now slightly unnerved to see the Gironde wildfires nearby and reports of a ‘heat apocalypse’ in that part of France. Hope it cools down a bit by August…

 

[Dave Wickham]

A fortnight ago we booked a week at a campsite at Lac d’Hourtin. Delighted at the time, but now slightly unnerved to see the Gironde wildfires nearby and reports of a ‘heat apocalypse’ in that part of France. Hope it cools down a bit by August…

What with the unpredictable weather we are seeing it'll probably be snowing in a month

 

[sbmcd]

By way of an update we’re now in the Dordogne and it’s still hellishly hot but we are enjoying it nonetheless. Nights are spent with tailgate and side door open using flyscreens and the extra tarp outside works well. The fridge seems fine and the van generally seems to cope with the hot weather very well. Cycling is cooler than walking and river swims in shady spots are pure heaven. Winter will be here soon enough…

View attachment 96379

Did you buy the tarp and poles together, where from?

 

[ThomasHJ]

Found some spare time and decided to do the DIY. Had magnets already lying around. Bought a piece of reflecting foil and asked 'grandma' to do the sewing. Turned out quite nice. Looks quite like the one you can buy. See below for the one I made vs the one you can buy.

The one I made.



The one you can buy.

 

[Kingfisher]

Very nice indeed! I was thinking you would just throw some foil and loose magnets in the boot, but this is much better! Fully integrated and no risk of damage from the magnets. Well done, @ThomasHJ and ‘grandma’ !