Camping gear upgrades for keeping cool in hot weather - SUV tent, screens, fans, and more.
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- It may only be April, but summer is ramping up, here in Arizona. Time to ramp up the shade, ventilation, airflow on the 4Runner. I got a Napier Sportz Cove hatch tent, a moon roof screen, loaded up the GeekAire battery-powered fan.
Also on board, are some new upgrades and mods, not related to keeping cool - like a mini grill, cargo loops, and storage hooks.
______________
THE GEAR
Napier Sportz Cove Mid to Full Size SUV Tailgate Shade Awning Tent
amzn.to/3EV1TqH
2-Pack 18-Inch Gear Tie, Black (also available at Home Depot)
amzn.to/3voEpHz
Geek Aire Battery Operated Fan, Rechargeable Outdoor Misting Fan
amzn.to/38uy0Se
Now Geek Aire makes one with a water reservoir and pump!
So you CAN have misting without a hose hookup.
amzn.to/3xSNNVw
Spare battery
amzn.to/3OHMw9F
Portable Clip on Fan with Hanging Hook, LED Light, 3 Speeds
amzn.to/3My3qFV
SUV Magnetic Sunroof Shade
amzn.to/3OH2L6X
XL Car Window Screens
amzn.to/3vQqUiU
CampingMoon Mini Stainless Steel Portable Tabletop Charcoal Grill with Carry Bag
amzn.to/3koUarq
iClimb Mini Solo Folding Table
amzn.to/3EVl6ZF
Cargo Tie-Down V-Ring Anchors
amzn.to/3vSi2cF
Back Seat Headrest Mobile Phone Holder Hooks
amzn.to/3rV2mUw
If you're worried about the dash light being on with the hatch open, you can usually "trick" the car by putting a carabiner or something similar in the latch mechanism on the door. Some people put a colored string/rope or something on the carabiner so they remember to remove it before they close the hatch, otherwise, you're in trouble. :)
Good tips(s)! 👏👏👏
"I don't know why you'd want to stand up here but you can". I lost it! Love watching your videos AND Gunther!
Later, I thought that would be the perfect height to hang a tiny chandelier. I haven't been able to bring myself to spend the money on something so frivolous -- but, some day! 😂
Do it! Out here (Arkansas), we have Goodwill and Restore (Habitat for Humanity). Maybe you can find one on the cheap!
FYI: I'm SO happy Gunther is with you. I cried watching the vineyard post, lol. Happy trails!
I will keep my eyes peeled! And thank you, so much. We are so lucky to have him! I knew it was meant to be. It was just a matter of "when" 💕
You have a very professional sounding voice. Quite enviable.
As someone who feels like I sound like a huge doofus, I appreciate that! 😄
Enjoying watching all of these videos. I drive a 2019 Ram Promaster 2500, Professional build. I'm seriously thinking about downsizing, you make it look even more appealing. Now, see I go and try to get rid of unnecessary stuff, like the glass remover suction devices and you go and make me wish I had kept them. go figure.
That's always how it is, isn't it? OTOH I can't tell you how many things I've held onto, because I might "need" them one day -- and never do!
Another idea for sun relief is an inexpensive shade cloth. They come in numerous sizes & have tie down holes around the edges. I have a 90% sun blocking one that I secure to my SUV's roof rack. The other ends I tie to trees or prop up with my hiking poles. Stakes & paracord to stabilize. Another nice thing about a shade cloth is that they fold flat & easily store under your mattress or whatever 😉.
Another great video, keep them coming!👏🏕️🌵
... trees? 🤔. But seriously though - great idea. This last trip, I oriented the hatch opening NE for max shade, and to catch the sunrise, so the SW side got utterly pounded by the afternoon sun.
I think I'll stash a tarp next time my site is in such an open area. Even if I drape it over the exposed side, it would probably help a lot. Having a tarp is always a good idea anyway. 😄
Shade cloths also allow some airflow: gentle breezes can waft through your campsite, and high winds don't cause as much flapping (and sometimes failing) as with waterproof/airproof tarps.
@@evelyngorfram9306 Yup, just what I was 💭. Tarps are noisy & catch in the often blustery desert winds. A good shade cloth isn't much more $$ than a cheap plastic tarp...They block the intense sun while letting the breeze flow through.
@@ShoestringMartha Oh ok, screw the non-existing trees & buy some cheap metal awning poles! 😉 ( I need some of these poles too, my hiking poles are too short.)
Do carbine trick for light. Use open close function on fob to open close the hook on hatch.
I'm not sure what you do for a living, but you are a problem solver!! I just love your videos, they are always so full of useful knowledge! I hope whatever you do they pay you well! Keep It up and thank you!
lol thanks so much! Professionally, I am a UX (User Experience) Designer. So I use design to solve problems, but in the digital space. 😀
This is the first video I’ve watched and I’m so happy I’ve found your channel!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So many creative ideas. It’s really got my mind turning now. I’m going on the road full time in a 4Runner, hopefully the end of June. I’ll definitely be looking into some of your suggestions. Looking forward to your future videos and I’ll definitely be watching your older videos. Safe travels, Aggie In Ohio 🇺🇸
Welcome - glad you're here, and may your travels be joyous! #4runnernation
So helpful, thank you!! I love your expression when you hung the fan upside down 😅👍👍
Great video and very informative. I have the Napier tent on order and excited about trying it out. I am hoping to cover the tent and the back of the van with a an umbrella bug screen so there will be an enclosed space at the back of the van to sit or eat outside without bugs. Also hope to make a little cover/curtain under the hatch to provide privacy to stand up and change. Hopefully my ideas will work! This is all a new adventure for me!
Love these ideas! Next time, I'm also planning on the using velcro tabs to hold a strip of LED lights. That big shock-corded hoop is an underrated framework, for all sorts of uses!
Very cool set up you have! I've just stumbled on to your channel recently and I have enjoyed your videos thus far. We are tent campers ourselves but I find your gear to be super cool! I'm digging your chuck box by the way! Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you for coming along!
Hey, I have a KIA Sportage and the cargo light stays on as well, even when the power switches for everything else is turned off. I found that the hatch lock is where the switch is. I went to the dollar store and bought a cheap carabiner and it fits perfectly in the latch closing the power circuit. To release the carabiner I simply use the emergency hatch release just above the latch itself and the carabiner drops out.
Cheers for that! I've now gone a few times with the Sportz Cove, and the dash light doesn't seem to be enough of a draw to bother the battery, so I decided just to not let it bother me either. 😂
I have that sportz cove too, and use it on my Dodge Grand Caravan. I use a small step stool when I need to snap the straps to the luggage rack. (I'm short and old, so having a wee step stool with me is worth it.) And you're absolutely right that its best to do that FIRST. The first time I tried it that way, the hatch door just slid into the pockets by itself, but the next time it took some fiddling. I am also pleased that I can stand up on the tailgate, but I can't say why either.
I think it's kind of like having high ceilings in a house. You don't *need* them. It just *feels* nice. 😄
really excellent video! glad I found your channel
Welcome! There should be a part 2 sometime soon, as I’ve tried out a few new things during this Summer. 😅
Instead of the Napier tent I have a Kelty Sideroads awning that I set up on one side of my 4Runner. It provides a large area underneath where I can cook and sit and read. I also made fitted window screens from noseeum mesh to keep the bugs out so I can have windows open.
That sounds like a lovely setup!
Brilliant solution for mounting the fan! Love your videos!
Thank you for always trying/adding new things for your rig. I just got a 2023 4 Runner (just traded in my almost 200k mile Tacoma and will be selling my small truck camper asap) and am looking forward to getting it all set up to spend some time this winter in Arizona. I should be working on my house here in California, so I can get it sold, but I have constant itchy feet 🤷♀️🤦♀️🤷♀️
I don’t blame you. Gearing up for travel is wayyyyyy funner than home repairs. 😂 and congrats on the 4Runner 👏🏼
@@ShoestringMartha Agreed! Thank you
mine is a 40 yr old canvas setup for a pickup with topper. these days i have to pad the upper window section corners as they are rather sharp for 40 yr old canvas. one other thing i do is once the end closure tent is in place. i run a full length tarp( 8 footer for my truck) from over the front lip to over the rear lip. that way the rain will run off an not sneak inside at hinge points. with the tailgate down i get 7.5 feet of room otherwise it is 6ft. want my legroom. been doing teenie-tiny firewood for decades.
I like to use a hand-pumped pressure spray bottle to keep fabric wet for evaporative cooling - the cloth can stay in place, the water's distributed fairly evenly, and the air itself gets a small dose of the cooling effect. If you use a small rock or something to prop the spray trigger on, you can leave the spray bottle and it'll keep spraying on its own until the pressure gets low.
Love it! I've been thinking about getting one of those as a shower, and I do love multipurpose items.
Love your setup. No nonsense!
Pick up some tire chocks. Can't be to safe!
Hi! Martha:
If it is not too sexist of me to say, I like your hair cut short. I've often wondered why more women don't do it. But I know many women feel it is their duty or badge of honor to have long hair they take care of. And I really do feel women taking care of hair of any length is quite an art. But I also think of the time involved. Short hair is much better for a busy woman. As a man, I'm awed by a woman's hair. Afraid to touch it for fear of being yelled at.
But on to keeping cool in hot weather. I live in an apartment. But I do enjoy the outdoors. I once was camping in the eastern Sierra. I had a large "blue" tarp I used for sunshade, staked down with rope and with poles outside my tent. One day I was sitting in the shade of the tarp reading the paper minding my own business. When all of a sudden a huge gust of wind came up, tore the paper from my hands, carrying it hundreds of feet out into the desert. The same gust ripped my "blue" tarp nearly in half, leaving it spread across the ground.
I have felt ever since then, the ideal shade out in the open like that, is coarse woven fabric they sell in garden centers as sunshade. You can hem it with a nylon rope and put brass grommets in it of any size you wish. You can make it any size that fits your needs. Relying on manufactured things limits you to the sizes made. Which may or may not fit you needs. With heavy winds in sandy areas you will need longer stakes. And plan on the wind shifting direction during the day or night.
Clever lady! 🤙
You should try a solar oven. They can be made from cardboard and you need a thin metal pan with a lid. Turkey roasting bags make clean-up easy.
I have one I made out of a shoebox, foamcore, and plexi! Despite what happened in this video, it does work 😄 Love the roasting bag tip 😏
czcams.com/video/Lqs2CCrZfek/video.htmlsi=_T46K9zCnV4_Ewu8
That’s a great lil grill y’all got there
I know this is old, but for the window covering...Weather Tech makes a full set of window shades for every window. It's what I use for when I sleep in the 4runner.
Happy to report that I ultimately did go with the WTs! czcams.com/video/5EPruBBb4NE/video.html
Instead of time to do things you should tell us in the puffs it takes for each activity. Love you and your vids
@Shoestring Martha. I’d like to suggest you get one of those step/table things that fit over one of your tires. With such, you’ll have a step to give you easier and safer access to the spot where you need to attach the awning to the roof rack.
Thanks for the tip! Luckily, with those long Gear-Ties, I can now attach from the ground. But I have been eyeballing those step/tables, because you can’t have enough surfaces 😁
Love your video! Very helpful!
Now, for the phone holder it works fabulous for my Chevy Trax, my daughter it.for phone n tablet, the head rest on my car is flat straight
Ah-HA! So success varies by vehicle 🤔 Thanks for the intel!
i love how resourceful you are! Just like me :)
Loved all the gear. Thanks for sharing.
The avocado. 😂
Intended for last night's tacos -- wondered where it went to. 🤣
In New Hampshire, the soil in cleared fields can spontaneously "grow" rocks over the winter. In Arizona, it's avocados. ;)
Thank u..I was concerned about the battery with the hatch up
Hi Martha😀 new subscriber here. I have the same netting for sunroof but I’m going to try to make this sunroof fan that I found on CZcams 😁. Look up Matt The Designer “ Car Camping Cooling and Ventilation to Stop Condensation” I’m going to make this for my Honda Fit. Saw your awesome interview with SUV RVing. Happy and safe travels to you and pup ✌️
Welcome! I have seen that one and I think the design is absolutely brilliant. It's included in my never-ending projects list -- somewhere between faux molle panels and completely rebuilding my bed and storage. 😬
Had to laugh when Gunther uprooted you from your bed. When Henri stays with me, that little wiener takes up my whole bed! I’m teetering on the edge and it’s a queen size! 💕
Right?! He's twice as long as he is wide, and of course, always lays perpendicular, rather than parallel to me.
@@ShoestringMartha yup. 😆
Mini evaporative coolers are neat but beware, some don’t have a sealed water chamber. They have to sit level and water will spill out during movement. I tried using one in my mail delivery vehicle. It was a fail.
Oh yikes!! I’d use it only while stationary, but good callout for anyone who’s thinking of using one while in motion 💦😅
You can use a screwdriver to close the latch, just remember to open it by operating the handle prior to closing otherwise you will get the nasty thud of closed latch on the striker
Thanks for the tip! Forgetting to remove it sounds exactly like something I would do 😂
@@ShoestringMartha there are latch lockouts that have little red material markers on them. They are not readily available as they are a tool for people working with the door open for hours, think car alarm guys, but you can do the same thing for most SUVs as the switch is built into the latch.
Brilliant Ideas
great tips!
Very nice!
I put popup bathroom under clam and had privacy and place to put stuff. And clipped tapestry to block sun and dust.
Noooice
Love the things you used on the back window to hold the fan. Did you find that on Amazon as well?
We got them at Home Depot, where they are about $8 each. They have smaller / cheaper ones at Harbor Freight for a little over $2 a piece. These are the Amazon equivalent of our Home Depot ones: amzn.to/3kn8Uap
Thank you so much! I love all of your ideas 😊
I wonder if that would fit my Bronco, it has a tail gate not a hatchback
Unfortunately I would say it’s unlikely. It depends on the open hatch for its structure. 😕
I worry about the safety of camping with the hatch open. Animal or human invasion is possible with a tent type structure.
It's certainly not for everyone, but for me, it's been a lifesaver in the heat. Haven't died yet! 🤞😬🤞
Will two armchairs and a small table protect from rain?
Short answer: probably. If the rain is coming straight down, 2 standard camp chairs against the bumper would be fine. The table might get some sprinkles, depending on how big it is.
Hi Martha, I'm thinking of purchasing one of the fan that you recommended..just not the misting one. I wanted to support you. Do you have an Amazon link for the non-misting one? I'd love to give you the credit. I'm thinking of the 16in rechargeable one.
That is so kind of you! Here’s the standard color: amzn.to/3yxFGNT / the red: amzn.to/3uihqNs and the yellow: amzn.to/3yzKBy6 Stay cool! 😎
Thank you! Really enjoy your videos!
Where did the avocado come from?….
California I think 🤔 Oh! I mean, it was a stray camping meal ingredient that I thought I’d lost 😄
I noticed your little fan. Does it work well? Is it batteries?
It does! It is USB rechargeable. There’s a link in the description that has the details. They don’t have black anymore- just aqua, which I kind of like better 😄
❤️ the 🏜 faerie lights. I truly miss seeing those every day now that I moved a bit north of Phx.
I have so many string lights now, I keep forgetting about the cacti! They're still the cutest of the bunch 🥰
Does your set up have an individual screen to keep out mosquitoes and horseflies?
It does indeed!
@@ShoestringMartha thanks for your reply.. just read my question and it is messed up, glad you understood it.😁
❤TFS
I think a moon shade would have been easier then that one
I considered one, and liked the larger coverage area. But at 3x the cost and no screen layer, it wasn’t for me.
Can the sports cove be used on a van with rear brand doors?
Unfortunately, I don't think it would work. It relies on the lifted hatch to provide most of the support -- like a roof.
Are there gaps around the car for bugs to crawl through?
There is a stretchy elastic ring around the opening that surrounds the vehicle, so bug invasion would be unlikely.
Where do you find the wee aluminum table?
It's this one! It can be a little tricky to set up the first time, but once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake.
iClimb Mini Solo Folding Table - amzn.to/3KR9nhE