Staying Cool In Your Camper In Hot Weather

How to Stay Cool in a Camper Without AC

Our rental trailers don’t have air conditioning, and most of the time you won’t miss it. Bridgeport sits in the high desert of the Eastern Sierra, and most of our units get parked up in the mountains, where evenings cool off nicely. But every so often a heat wave rolls in, and a trailer baking in direct sun gets stuffy fast.

Here’s how to keep the heat out and the cool in. Most of it costs next to nothing.

Close up in the morning

Open your windows and vents overnight to let the cool air in. Then shut everything before the sun climbs. That traps the night air inside, and you’ll stay comfortable for hours longer. You’ll have to open up again eventually, but managing airflow this way buys you a lot of time.

Keep the blinds closed

Same idea as the windows. Closed blinds stop sunlight from heating the inside. If your trailer doesn’t have blinds, cheap blackout curtains from Walmart do the job.

Park in the shade and use the awning

Shade is the cheapest cooling there is. If your site has trees, park so the sunny side of the trailer is covered in the afternoon, and roll out the awning on whichever side is taking the sun.

Cover the roof vents and skylight

Roof vents and shower skylights let in more heat than you’d expect. You can buy insulated vent cushions made for this. They’re faux Sherpa on one side and Reflectix on the other, and they block light and heat from above. For a skylight, a bath towel held up with hook-and-loop fastener strips works as a temporary cover.

Run the roof vent fan at night

If your trailer has a roof vent fan, let it pull cool air in overnight so you wake up with a reserve of it to carry you through the morning.

Cook outside

RV stoves run on propane, and that open flame heats up the inside quickly. On hot days, cook on a camp stove or grill outside instead.

If you’re planning a campfire, check current fire restrictions with the local ranger district first. Hot, dry weather often means burn bans, and some limit camp stoves too. If fires are allowed, try hobo packets. Chop carrots, potatoes and beets, mix with ground beef, season, add a little olive oil, and wrap it all in foil. Set the packets in the coals for about 45 minutes. It’s dinner with no extra heat in the trailer.

Bring a fan

Moving air doesn’t lower the temperature, but it feels cooler because it helps sweat evaporate, and that’s what you’re after.

The 120v outlets in your trailer only work on shore power at a hookup site or with a generator, and generator rules vary by campground. If you’re camping without hookups, bring 12v fans that run off a portable power pack, or battery-operated ones. To get a breeze going, put a fan in one window pushing hot air out and open a window on the opposite side to pull cooler air in.

Try a swamp cooler

Our dry climate is where evaporative coolers shine. They cool the air by pulling it across wet pads, and the evaporation takes heat with it. The trade-off is added humidity, so crack a window. You can buy one on Amazon or eBay, or build one. YouTube has plenty of how-to videos, and many DIY versions pair a cooler of ice water with a small fan.

Cool off at the lake

If you’re camped near the water, use it. A dip in the afternoon cools you down faster than any fan. Not sure where to go? Our guide to camping near Bridgeport and Twin Lakes has ideas.

Go old school

Before air conditioning, people stayed cool with wet rags, towels and bandannas on their skin. Keep a spray bottle of water handy and spritz yourself when you need it. It’s like sweat without the salt.

Keep water within reach and drink more than you think you need, because heat sneaks up on you in dry air. And never leave kids or pets in a closed trailer, even for a few minutes.

Skip the setup

Want the camping without the towing or hauling? Check out our trailers, or book your stay and we’ll deliver one to your campsite. Not sure what’s included? See what comes with every rental.