Truck camping when its too damn hot!

[Brandon.miller.4]

Here's the dilemma...I do alot of 3 or 4 day scouting/hunting trips during the August and Sept timeframe. Temps can obviously get up there at these times of the year and I'm trying to find a reasonable way to stay cooled off and comfortable midday.

What I've done in the past is drive to the nearest town to escape the heat (unnecessary miles), nap in the cab while the truck is running ($$$), lay on the cot next to the truck in the shade (no trees and the bugs can be bothersome).

I do not want the hassle of setting up a Basecamp and a camper because I am solo and covering lots of country. I also have a half ton so a truck camper is out of the question.

I have a topper and I'm pretty sure I'm going to build a bed platform in the box but what way have you guys kept cool? Portable ac unit and generator? Please post pics of your truck camping setups.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

We have a USB powered fan in our boat that we use to sleep when it's warm. I also use it sleeping in my truck when it's hot. Helps a lot. And they are really cheap on Amazon.

 

[Fatcamp]

Portable ac and generator. Or suffer.

My wife gets migraines from heat so we haul equipment.

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

Portable ac and generator. Or suffer.

My wife gets migraines from heat so we haul equipment.

Recommendations on portable ac? Generator? I'm assuming a 2200 would more than cover it but I also see no reason to go smaller... ac I haven't got a clue

 

[wesfromky]

Short of hauling a generater and a portable AC, you can look at installing a Max Air fan on you topper. They run for a long time on battery power (goalzero, yeti, etc).

 

[Justin Crossley]

A quality camper with AC is the only way to go for warm-weather camping.

 

[rclouse79]

For bug country I made some screens to go over the windows made out of weed fabric with magnets sewn in. It is the type of weed fabric you can almost see through, so it lets a lot of air through. I put a magnet at each corner and at the center of each side.
My Yukon came with heavily tinted windows. I don’t like them for a lot of things, but it doesn’t seem to get as hot in the summer.

 

[Mt Al]

It is miserable trying to sleep in the heat. 12V fans, as above, make a big difference at low cost. I've never had a topper, but slept in the back of a Subaru a bunch of times. Parking in the shade is a must, can't get cool no matter what when parking in the sun. I liberally use bug spray but the mesh fabric with magnets sounds like the thing to do.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

My Honda 2200 runs the A/C in my 16" trailer no problem. I don't know if it would handle The frig. microwave and other devices all at once or not, I never tried it. There are also small evaporative coolers available, but then you have the moisture problem.You might be able to keep windows half way down to see if that would help with moisture. Prolly only available in 120 volt, now ur back to generator.

 

[jacob_ski4]

I have a Bluetti auxiliary battery I have wired into a switch panel (super easy to do) that sits in the back of the bed with a topper. I wired a 12V fan into the panel and that was able to keep me cool enough to sleep when I lived out of my truck for 6 months. Spent august split between Utah and Alabama, so it got hot for sure. The fan I got was like 80 bucks but well worth it. I found it on Amazon and it was a marine 12V fan that was super adjustable and had a shutoff timer you could set for those nights that started warm but got cool enough you didn’t need a fan. On its low speed it drew less than 1 Watt per hour, could’ve run it for hundreds of hours. For the overall cost, I think it’s hard to beat that system. I looked into portable AC but for the cost delta I thought the fan was just fine and having the auxiliary battery to run lights and charge phones made the decision easy.

 

[Gone4Days]

get a camper

 

[Fatcamp]

Recommendations on portable ac? Generator? I'm assuming a 2200 would more than cover it but I also see no reason to go smaller... ac I haven't got a clue

We use a 2000 Wen and an older portable AC unit.

Here is an article to get you started. It's quite the rabbit hole, and the camper/cargo trailer mod groups on Facebool talk about it constantly.

Air Conditioners: Portable AC vs Mini Split [Pros & Cons]

A portable air conditioner, or a full mini split? Read about the pros and cons of both and learn how to choose the best appliance to make your home much cooler.

www.electricrate.com

 

[MallardSX2]

Find something else to do in the summer and let the hippies do their thing.

 

[Dos Perros]

Is the OP complaining about dry western mountain heat while an entire state of hillibillies are converging in the Ozarks June to August to river float in the sweltering heat and humidity and damn happy to do it?

It sounds like my standards of comfort may be different...but I'd string a hammock in some north facing timber and rack out.

 

[WKB]

I did JRTC in July and August. For those that don't know what that is, think of it as an all expenses paid month long austere camping trip in the swamps of Louisiana. I had a small D Cell battery powered fan I bought from Dick's Sporting Goods that I kept with me. I would turn it on right by my head and the movement of air and white noise would put me to sleep quickly. Light to pack, lasted the whole rotation with no battery replacement.

 

[5MilesBack]

All of my camping is in the mountains, so I don't have that problem. It is always cold at night in the high country, so sleeping isn't an issue. And during the day, good shade and those mountain breezes will keep you cool. That's why camping site selection is so critical......for comfort during all temps.

 

[huntsman22]

One of the little swamp coolers might be a way to go....

here's one .

Wanna Relief from Hot Summer & Humidity Wherever You Go?

 

[WCB]

I mean if your fine napping int he shade of the trucks but bugs are the issue just make a bug net tipi or something. I will say we bought a couple small rechargeable (usb) clip on fans for our kids. We clipped them to the stroller on walks or clipped them on their car seat on UTV rides. I've used them sitting in a blind early season, ice fishing to move the heat around in a popup fish house and use them when doing maintenance on an ATV/truck in the garage when there is no air flow. Just google "clip on fan" tons of options.

Obviously a small air-conditioned unit would be a step up.

 

[*zap*]

comfort crisis?

I sleep in a tent in Kansas during the summer with just a small 4-d cell hanging fan (Mr. Heater) on low and a small M-18 jobsite fan on low. Put a 10x10 tarp over a tent so I can do without the fly unless there are strong t-storms. Most nights I use my wobbie over me..the Mr. Heater lasts 20+ hrs on low and the M-18 lasts 7 or so, just have a second battery if needed but I usually shut that one off during the night. Last night was 70° with 90+ humidity so it was not bad at all....the 80-90° nights can be rough but I just turn up the fans.

No problem for me at all. Without the fans it would be tougher but still doable. Fans are wonderful things....

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

Is the OP complaining about dry western mountain heat while an entire state of hillibillies are converging in the Ozarks June to August to river float in the sweltering heat and humidity and damn happy to do it?

It sounds like my standards of comfort may be different...but I'd string a hammock in some north facing timber and rack out.

I think alot of people forget that mule deer live in the plains too lol . If there was ANY trees, I'd spring for this option but we don't get that luxury here and Temps often exceed 90. Fine for southern boys but I'm a northerner and start panicking above 70 lol.