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Summer Vanlife: How to Keep Your Camper Cool in Summer

Amber McDaniel

We are mild climate creatures.  Anything below 40ºF or above 75ºF is too cold or hot for us. As much as we can, we avoid extremes. If Texas summer vanlife is your thing, however, you’ll need to know how to keep cool in summer to make vanlife bearable.

Though with climate change and the soaring temperatures we’ve seen over the last few years,  even cool summer retreats are becoming sweltering nightmares. As such, learning how to keep your van cool in summer vanlife is a necessary skill.  And if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the camper.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Navigation for Vanlife and How to Keep Cool in Summer

How to keep your camper van cool
How to find cooler parking places
How to sleep cool in hot weather
How to keep bugs out of your camper van
How to prevent mice in your camper van
How to keep your camper sink from smelling

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How to keep your camper van cool in the summer vanlife heat

Before you commit to summertime vanlifer, you’ll want to learn how to summarize an RV or camper van.  And by “summarize” we don’t mean draining the antifreeze out the pipes.  We mean equipping it with the van life gadgets needed to make summer vanlife, well, livable!

Here are some things you can do to combat the summer van life heat.

Maximize air circulation.

Stagnant air will make your van feel hotter than it already is, so fans are key.  The trick is finding ones with a minimal power draw that don’t take up too much space.

If you have the foresight for this issue while building your van (like we did NOT), you would install two vent fans, instead of just one.  Just make sure they both feature dual intake/exhaust capabilities so you can have one set to bring air in and the other to push air out.  That way, you’ll get the most movement.

Sometimes all you can do is stand in front of a van with your bug zapper at the ready.

For this, we recommend two Maxxair 0007500K MaxxFan Deluxe, which features a remotely operated lid, multiple speeds, and dual intake/outtake functions. We have one of this exact model and love it (perhaps one day we’ll get the guts to cut another hole in our roof and install a second!).

But since we’re currently too chicken to do that, we have to circulate air using a mini USB powered fan.  Specially, we bought the Opolar Mini USB desk fan.  It’s cheap, has three speeds, and works pretty darn well.  Though not nearly as powerful as having two roof fans, it’s better than nothing, and requires practically no draw, even if we leave it running next to our bed all night via this 12V outlet we have installed there.

Get a dehumidifier if you live in a humid place.

Humid climates can wreak havoc on a camper van.  Too much time there with not enough ventilation and you’ll have mold growing behind your walls in no time.

Not to mention humidity is the one thing that can make hot temperatures even MORE unbearable. 

Save yourself some misery both in the moment and trouble down the line by investing in a simple dehumidifier for those days when you don’t need to stay hydrated because it feels like you’re already drinking the air.  Depending on your budget and needs, here are a few options:

Go big and breezy with a portable AC unit

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The most expensive, but most effective, way to keep your camper van cool is to actually use an air conditioning unit.  For years, AC units faced the trouble of not being able to run on a DC circuit and drawing huge amounts of power.  However, the rechargeable Zero Breeze may be the first legit brand the change that.

Available in either the less expensive Mark 1 (rechargeable 12v battery) or more powerful Mark 2 (rechargeable 24V battery), these aren’t swamp coolers disguised as air conditioners.  Rather, they’re legitimate AC units with a whopping 1100 BTU cooling power and 5-hour cordless battery life.

If you spend much time in hot areas, you may want to actually go all out and install an AC unit into the roof of your van.  It’s a costly and involved procedure but definitely worth it for the space saved by not having to lug around a separate cooling unit.  

Here are a few options for an in-roof camper van AC units, organized by price:

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How to find cooler parking places for summer vanlife

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Keep the sun out as much as possible.

Duh. Sounds simple, but when you consider one of the biggest perks of vanlife is having your front door always open, it becomes tricky.  Fortunately, there are ways to keep the sun out AND still have your doors open as much as you like.

First, block out the driver cab using reflective window coverings (available for Promaster / Sprinter / Transit / GMC Savana). You can also do as we did and hang thermal insulated blackout curtains between the cab and living space.  These provide great privacy, block out light for sleeping, and keep a lot of the heat from the front cab out of the back (equally good in the winter when you don’t want to be losing all your heat out of the front windows)

Second, park smart.  Try to angle your van so you aren’t getting direct sunlight in through your door or windows.  This might mean changing your parking position throughout the day.  If you don’t want to deal with that hassle, orient your door toward the east, as the morning sun isn’t as intense as the afternoon sun. 

In fact, due to our camper van refrigerator placement just across from the sliding door, we have to be really careful about letting afternoon sun in the van because it shines directly on our fridge and heats it a significant amount.

Because of that, we recently invested in the Dometic IC CF 40 thermal insulated cover to increase our portable fridge’s cooling efficiency. We highly recommend upgrading any vanlife refrigerator with one.

Dometic CF-X Portable First Available: Dometic  / Amazon / Backcountry

Dometic Cooler Cover Available: Dometic /  Amazon

Install an awning.

This is the one thing we REALLY wished we had installed early on in our van days (but in Alaska where we built our van, getting one for a reasonable price was tough).  This summer, we finally plan on upgrading and getting one!

The Thule Hideaway (available in 10.7’ or 12.3’)  is about the best money can buy (but it sure is expensive). It stretches out 8 feet, has a super easy crank opening system, adjustable legs, and spring-loaded tension arms to absorb movement and aid in stability in wind resistance These are roof-mounted, and since not all van roofs are the same, be sure to check and see if you need an adaptor kit.  Our Promaster, for instance, takes this Thule Promaster Adaptor.  

If you have a roof rack you’d rather mount the awning to, Thule also makes a roof rack adaptor kit (available on Amazon or Backcountry)

If you’re not looking to spend quite that much (or if you have a shorter vehicle), the Thule Overcast or Yakima Slim Shady are much more affordable and still perfectly decent options. 

If you have a shorter van (around 6’) you’ll find lots of cheap options, but the higher your van gets, the most expensive the awnings get.

For a full review of all your options, we highly recommend you check out Outbound Living’s guide to camper van awnings.

Other summer parking tips.

First, stick to higher elevations if you can, especially as temperatures drop more dramatically at night in higher places.

You might be tired of hearing the “living in a van down by the river” quip by now, but there’s some desirability to it.  It’s just about always cooler near running water. So if it’s hot outside, damn right we live in a van down by the river! Just be sure to read below for some bug repellant tips if you do so, because bugs like these areas, too.

It’s also worth noting that if you're still in the van choosing stages, a white van is definitely preferable for hot climates.  White reflects heat, while dark colors absorb it.

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How to sleep cool in hot weather for summer vanlife

Keeping your van or RV cool is no easy task, especially at night in areas where the nighttime temperatures don’t really drop much.  And sleeping cool is the key to sleeping well.  Here are some ways to sleep a little cooler at night:

  • Run your fans: Whether it’s a vent fan, Opolar Mini USB desk fan, or whatever, these low draw van life gadgets keep the air flowing all night long.

  • Keep the door open at night if you can. Obviously we don’t recommend sleeping with the door open if you’re parking in a city or anywhere else where leaving your door open could present a danger to you.  But if you feel safe and comfortable enough to do so, and open door makes things a lot cooler. Don’t forget an eye mask (like Ettitude’s eco friendly bamboo lyocell mask) to keep out those long hours of daylight if you’re sleeping with your door open.

  • Get a temperature-regulating mattress topper:. Putting one of these on top of whatever your van bed is (ours is just two 4” memory foam toppers) can really help.  We recommend the Linenspa 2 Inch Gel Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper, which actually has temperature regulating gel beads that dissipate heat disperses through the foam…. and it’s less than $50 for a full like ours!

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How to keep bugs out of your camper van for summer vanlife

Nothing can ruin a peaceful summer night in the mountains faster than a mosquito that just WON’T STOP buzzing in your ear.  Summertime means bugs, especially if you love the world’s wilder places, but that doesn’t mean you need to invite them into your living space.

Keep bugs out of your camper van using these methods:

  • Install a bug net. We installed a Magzo 62”x80” Magnetic Mesh Bug Net, which mounts via Velcro around our sliding door, and it has been CLUTCH.  This is the best fit option we could find, outside spending hundreds of dollars on a screen custom made for the sliding door of a cargo van.  It’s a little long in each direction, so we just trimmed the bottom and sealed it with Gorilla Tape and stapled the excess on the side.  

  • Swat away any that sneak in.  The bug net isn’t 100% perfect.  They can still slip in when we go in and out.  For those tricky critters, we have a ZapIt! rechargeable bug zapper wand to quickly and conveniently get rid of them (plus it’s kind of fun!).

  • Ward away bugs using natural bug repellent oils.  Lavender and peppermint oil are two really common ones that smell great… just not to bugs. We prefer these to Deet bug sprays because they smell better and don’t eat away at synthetic clothing as Deet can. If you want an insect repellant you can spray on, we recommend Rooted Earth’s all-natural, non-toxic bug sprays.

  • These same natural scents diffused can keep bugs from your space.   If part of your vanlife self-care ritual is having an essential oil diffuser like ours, just put some lavender oil in it.  Lavender is a natural insect repellent as well as a stress reliever.  Citronella candles work similarly, though they generally don’t smell as nice.  In the past, we’ve used FarmRaisedCandlesCo Mintronella Candle, which is great because it actually smells nice, too!

  • Get a Thermacell Deet-free area barrier: We recently just bought one of these to keep away the errant mosquito that would find away through the screen (and to keep them away from the door so we can go outside in peace). We were pretty skeptical but these things honestly work! They take about 10-15 minutes to warm up and create the “barrier zone” but after that, they’re great. We no longer find mosquitoes in the van or about 20 clinging to the outside of the screen. There are different options depending on your needs, but we got the cheap (barely $20) MR300 Portable model and couldn’t be happier. Just be sure you buy a pack of replacement heat pads and cartridges because it only comes with 12 hours worth of protection.

  • Use an ultrasonic pest repellant.  These electronic devices rely on frequency to ward away mosquitoes, roaches, and other bugs (though we haven’t personally tried one so can’t vouch for it).

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How to prevent mice in your camper van for summer vanlife

Off all the potential problems and setbacks we braced ourselves for in vanlife, we never imagined mice would be one of them. And then we got a mouse.

 After several nights of little sleep and tracking his patterns, we discovered where he was getting in and trapped him. Then we got another one only a couple nights later!  It was then we learned that as the weather gets hotter, mice look for a cooler place to nest.  What better place than the walls and engine compartment of your van.

This is problematic for a few reasons.  First, mice carry all sorts of diseases and you don’t need them pooping through your van.  If they nest in the engine compartment, it’s likely they’ll start to chew through critical wires and cause you some major problems down the road.  

So after getting two back to back, Suffice it to say we now keep a couple of mouse traps on hand and have taken steps to pest-proof our van.

The truth is that you can’t totally mouse-proof your van. Mice can get in anywhere and cargo vans have a ton of holes in the undercarriage for moisture to drain out. That’s aside from the usual steering column, pedal shafts, and cable holes vehicles already have.  This means you not only need to worry about them in the engine compartment but in the actual living space.  However, there are some things you can do to help.

  • Use steel wool.  Stuff it into obvious holes where you think mice are getting in.  They HATE this stuff and won’t even try to chew through it (for obvious reasons).

  • Use Great Stuff Gaps and Cracks.  You can also seal some cracks and gaps with expanding foam spray (like you use in insulating your van).  Just make sure you don’t block off crucial drainage points.

  • Use mice repellants under and around your van when you park. You can try natural options like cedarwood, hair, peppermint oil, or these premade botanical repellant pouches. These are the easier way to prevent mice in the engine compartment.  You can also try the ultrasonic pest repellant we mentioned above, which also works on mice.

  • Don’t leave food out.  Most mice only come into a van because they small food.  To take away that smell as much as you can.  We keep just about all our food in OXO poptop airtight containers, which not only helps us buy groceries in bulk and be a little more toward zero waste in our vanlife, but ensures mice can’t smell the food or chew into the containers. 

  • Keep your van clean. Wipe down countertops and sweep the floor regulator so there aren’t any crumbs or other bits of food drawing mice in.

  • Keep your van ventilated and moisture-free.  Mice will also seek moisture in hot weather so making sure everything is well ventilated can keep them out.

While these steps aren’t foolproof, they do work pretty darn well.  We’re pleased to say we haven’t had a mouse in over eight months!

If you do find you have a mouse, it’s crucial you deal with it as expediently as possible.  The biggest problem is letting one live there long enough to nest and babies in the walls. Then, if you kill the mama, you’ll have smelly baby rat corpses stinking up your van for weeks.  Sorry to paint such an ugly picture.

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How to keep your camper sink from smelling in the heat for summer vanlife

When you live in a small space, there are few things worse than a smelly drain. And the hotter the weather, the smellier it gets. To some extent, this is a reality of vanlife, but you can greatly minimize the odor (so unless you’re sticking your head in the sink and taking a big whiff you won’t smell it) by following a few small rules of thumb:

  • Keep as much food out of the drain as possible. Especially meat and dairy. You can do this by wiping off your dishes prior to washing and dumping greasy water in a bottle to be thrown away.  We reuse other trash-bound plastic bottles and containers for this so try to minimize our waste and be a little more zero waste. 

  • When installing your van plumbing, make sure you install a U-shaped sink trap in your drain system.  This catches a lot of the smell and prevents it from drifting back up through the sink. Read more about this in our upcoming guide to camper van plumbing.

  • Add Camco TST Grey Water Odor Control to your grey water tank.   Just like you would add TST to your portable toilet, you can add this to your grey tank to help stuff down and remove bad odors.

  • Dump your tank as frequently as possible (that also goes for a portable toilet in your van- heat over time makes that smell faster, too). Since we have a 6-gallon grey water tank, it’s already a given that we dump about once a week.

Before You Drive Away...

So even though vanlife in Texas in summer isn’t on the map for us at any point in the near future, we’ve been preparing our van for the hot summer months to come. Because even in Montana, where we’re spending our summer, temperatures we’ll exceed 80F which feels pretty darn warm in a metal box.

For those of you in even hotter climates, we hope this guide has helped you learn a thing or two about vanlife and how to keep cool in summer. Other vanlifers with tips, we’d love to hear your tricks and as always, reach out if you have any questions and we’ll do our best to answer them.

**This post contains affiliate links to support the continued creation of these van life guides. This just means that if you purchase something from one of the links above, I get a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Read more here or reach out with more questions.