10 Tips For Staying Cool While Camping In An RV

With temperatures soaring, it’s more important than ever to stay safe while enjoying the outdoors. If you’re planning a camping trip, or already have one booked, have no fear! RVnGO is here to make sure that you’ll have peace of mind when the temperatures rise. Staying cool while camping can actually be a breeze!

Although heat exhaustion or heat stroke are very real dangers that can accompany high time spent under the sun, they’re perfectly avoidable too. With our tips for camping in the heat below, you won’t have to worry about getting sick— and you won’t have to change your trip either!

Keep your AC units cranked, drink some water, and join us as we beat the heat with our tips for staying cool while camping in an RV.

10 Tips For Camping In The Heat

Keep Wet Towels In The Fridge

This is a big one in terms of keeping your body temperature down. What you need to do is bring at least two hand towels for every person camping. Wet each one, then place them in the refrigerator of your RV. When you’re feeling hot, alternate between the towels by placing them on your forehead or the back of your neck until they lose their coolness.

In addition to staying hydrated, keeping the temperature of your body down is the second most important thing you can do to avoid serious complications from the heat. 

When it comes to feeling noticeably cooler, your wrists, feet, forehead, and the back of your neck are the best points to target with cold compresses for relief.

Choose An RV With At Least 13,500 BTU Air Conditioning

RVs are much safer to camp in during the heat than tents for this reason alone. Staying cool while camping depends greatly on having a functioning AC unit in very hot weather.

The general rule of thumb regarding AC units and RVs is that you need around 60 BTUs of AC per square feet to be effective. This means that for the average RV rental of between 22-28 feet, 13,500 BTU ACs are required to keep cool. Most RV rentals between these sizes will come with these ACs, but it’s important to double check that with your RV’s host.

If you’re renting something like a teardrop trailer or campervan, you won’t need as many BTUs. Smaller RVs under 20 feet can get away with 8,000-9,000 BTUs. 

For large RVs over 30 feet, you’ll need at least 18,000 BTUs to keep cool— if not more. In RV rentals of over 35 feet, it’s common to have two 13,500 BTU units on either side of the vehicle.

Bring Hydration Packets To Mix With Water

First thing’s first: you’ll need to bring 1 gallon of water per person per day for your trip. Don’t skimp out on water. Yes, you will need that much. If you’re a family of five that’s camping for five days, you’ll need at least 25 gallons of water for your trip.

Something that can be a total lifesaver for your trip is bringing hydration packets with you. Brands like Liquid IV and Nuun Hydration can be found in grocery stores or online and are well worth an investment for any strenuous outdoor activities during the summer. 

You’ll be able to gain back precious electrolytes and minerals lost from sweating with a single glass of water. We strongly recommend mixing either the tablets or powder into 16 oz water bottles and bringing them with you for all daytime activities while camping. 

Leave Activities For Early Mornings or Evenings

Optimize your days by splitting them into segments for activity to avoid the heat.

If you plan on hiking, canoeing, biking, or even just laying out in the sun, do them in the early morning. And we do mean early morning. Plan to be out of the campsite at around 7:00am to make the most of the day before the afternoon heat sets in. That way, you’ll have at least five hours to work with before the midday sun strikes, if not more depending on where you are/how early you got up.

Unless you’re camping near cold, swimmable water, return to your RV rental for the afternoon hours. When the sun is hottest, between 2:00-5:00pm (give or take an hour or two on either end), stay inside. Take this time to nap or bring board/card games inside the RV.

After 5:00, when it begins to cool down again, you can return to the outdoors. Since the sun won’t be setting for a few more hours, you’ve got time to go for another hike or swim.

Plan Meals Around Cold Options

Similarly to the tip above, orient your eating habits around the heat. If possible, try not to use the oven at all. If you must, don’t do so during the afternoon hours. Staying cool while camping, even with AC units, is difficult with oven use in such a small space.

We recommend preparing cool meals for the majority of your food intake if possible. This means cold sandwiches, potato/macaroni salads, cereal, and fruits for snacks. If you want to enjoy things like BBQ or hot dogs by the fire, save these for after the sun has gone down. 

Packing lots of cold meals/snacks will also free up your time from cooking. Preparing your meals and snacks beforehand allows you to focus more on being in the moment while you camp.

Plus, snacking on ice cream or popsicles is a really efficient way to keep cool in the heat. 

Bring/Make Your Own Cooling Spray

Keep a small bottle of water with you to mist yourself with throughout the day. Although regular water will do just fine, you can take it one step further and either purchase or make your own cooling spray.

To make your own, mix tap water in a bottle with ¼ cup of aloe vera gel and a few drops of essential oil like lavender or peppermint for the smell. Although just water alone will keep you cool, aloe is wonderful for soothing sunburns and hot skin. It will provide an extra relief factor that will last a little longer than water on its own.

Bring Portable Fans

For on the go and for keeping in the RV, portable fans are another layer of protection against heat exhaustion. 

If you’re unsure that the AC in your RV is strong enough, bringing fans can be a game changer. In addition to keeping the cool air circulating in the RV, the extra breeze can help immensely after cool showers for keeping your external body temperature down. 

Similarly, bringing handheld fans with you outdoors works in tandem with the cooling spray. Misting yourself and then running a fan by your skin can make a world of difference when you’re hiking or canoeing and need a quick cool down. Hydrating keeps our internal body temperature down, while misting and fanning helps maintain it.

Soak Your Feet In Cool Water

Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, another great way to cool your entire body down is by submerging your feet in cold or lukewarm water.

As we mentioned earlier, our feet/ankles are one of the main parts of our bodies that helps keep us cool. There are lots of pulse points in the ankles where the blood vessels are close to the skin, which is why dunking them in water can make our entire body feel cooler. If you’re sitting outside, especially near a grill or fire, keep your feet in a bucket or large bowl of water. Switch out the water when it begins to lose its effectiveness. 

Sleep On An Air Mattress or Pad

Even if your RV rental has plenty of beds, it may help to bring air pads to place on top of them.

Air mattresses and inflatable sleeping pads provide a much cooler sleeping experience than regular mattresses. While this is normally not desirable, in high temperatures it can be a blessing in disguise to sleep above cool air. This way, your body temperature can regulate better than on a regular material like memory foam that’s known for retaining heat.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

This last tip for staying cool while camping is huge. Although many people enjoy indulging in alcohol during vacations or on a sunny afternoon, high temperatures can make doing so very dangerous. As we should all know, consuming alcohol quickly causes dehydration. During heat waves, we need every bit of hydration we can get to counter the effects of the sun.

If you really want to cut loose during your vacation with some drinks, only do so at night. That way at the very least you won’t have to deal with the hottest parts of the day making the dehydrating effects of alcohol any worse.

Even when drinking at night, be sure to consume lots of water. On an average day, we need at least 64 oz of water to be safely hydrated. After a day spent in the heat, where we’ve lost so much water through sweat, we need every bit of hydration we can get. If you’re drinking alcohol, have water on standby. For every 12 oz beer or 4-6 oz of liquor, drink 16 oz of water to stay afloat.

Staying cool while camping doesn’t have to be rocket science. If you abide by the tips above, you’ll be able to beat the heat during your vacation. Know your body and watch closely for any signs of heat exhaustion or even stroke. Stay safe and have fun!