Summer is our fun-loving relative. We can’t wait for summer’s arrival, but man, once summer is here, it is a full-tilt, nonstop, sizzle of activity. And no matter how much you love the fun, the heat, and the sweat of summer, chances are you will soon (and often) be seeking the crisp, cool interior of your RV. But is your RV prepared to keep summer outside, where it belongs?
For any newbies out there, there are some great tried-and-true tricks: parking in the shade, avoiding cooking during the day, cranking the AC to full capacity, or just heading to a cooler climate. But sometimes your RV simply needs to put on more muscle. Because sweating ain’t cool, here are a few renovation tips to give your RV a better beach bod.
Block the Heat, Keep the View
You want to block the heat, but traditional shades and materials like Reflectix also kill your view. Fortunately, there are several good products out there to solve this problem, like EZ Snap, Blindsgalore®, Dual Roller RV Shades, and solar screens—but our favorite is Magne Shade. The Magne Shade System blocks 90 percent of harmful UV rays and heat, is custom cut to fit your windows snuggly, and mounts easily with small, powerful magnets. Best of all, installation requires no ladder or drilling, and can be done in minutes for motorized and towable units. And taking it one more level of cool, your shades can be customized with the image of your choice, whether that’s an American flag or your favorite vista from Glacier National Park.
You can’t see your undercarriage, but man, heat gets trapped down there like a mouse in a snake belly. Many folks only think to insulate their undercarriage in the cold months (to prevent pipes from bursting), but skirts also help keep cool air from escaping into the heat. There are multiple RV skirt options from DIY types to custom RV drape skirts, but AirSkirts stand out for the ease of setup and efficiency. These RV skirts use air as a natural insulator and are durable, made with heavy duty PVC and military grade valves. AirSkirts deploy in under 20 minutes, and best of all, require no modification to your RV.
Your air conditioner, the king of cool, does some pretty heavy lifting in the summer months. So if your AC is struggling, first make sure its maximum efforts aren’t being wasted on other inefficiencies. That can be forgetting to clean your AC filter, which you can wash in soapy water and let air-dry. But there’s another key efficiency that you can optimize with a small installation: airflow. Using a specially designed module that installs between the bottom of your AC unit and the cover plate, RV Airflow Systems capture 100 percent of the discharged air and direct it smoothly into your RV's existing duct work. Nonelectrical and nonmechanical, the module removes air friction and turbulence to allow your roof-mounted AC to work at full capacity, which can improve efficiencies on average by 40 percent. Which is a very cool percentage.
With your RV buttoned up, be prepared to extend the kingdom of cool a bit further. Open that awning up, buy some comfy chairs and make a space that you want to spend time in. You can cool the outdoor space even more by hanging some sunscreens to block the sun and add a portable fan to create your own breeze. Then top it off with a touch of the deluxe: a Dometic CFX3 portable refrigerator freezer. Powered by AC (110-240), DC (12/24 V) or DC solar power, these little fridges are user friendly, weatherproof, durable, and easy to carry. Built with two compartments with dual-zone technology, the Dometic CFX3 allows you to set either compartment for refrigeration or freezer. Just as cool, Dometic added a mobile app that allows you to control and monitor the temperature right from your phone. So those craft beers can achieve the perfect cool—just like you.
