Keep Your RV Cool This Summer: 20 Easy And Affordable Tricks!

Some of these tips are more affordable than others, but they are all within reason.

Without further ado, let's dive into how to keep an RV cool in the daytime heat!

Cut the reflective insulation to fit and place it in all RV windows that get direct sunlight. Putting some in the back and tops of your upper cabinets can also be helpful.

You can also tape the Reflectix to the outside of your windows, but I've never gone that far.

Reflectix is easy to cut, easy to store, and easy to apply.

It's a very cheap fix for beating the summer heat! You can find rolls of reflective insulation in big-box hardware stores. They also sell on Amazon.

This is the #1 best way to keep your camper cool in a hot climate besides chasing elevation. Chasing elevation costs more in gas money and time.

If you can park at a campsite where it's shady for even half of the day, that's better than nothing.

But there are other helpful ways to orient your RV, depending on your situation and how hot it is outside. 

See the next tip:

So really, the time of day you want to sit out should determine how you position your camper.

The bad news is that if you face your door to the northeast, your awning won't be of any help in providing shade from the afternoon sun.

So, this scenario is best when it's so hot out that you can't be inside the RV in the afternoon, no matter what kind of shading you have.

(Like when it's so hot out that even if you're parked so your awning shades afternoon sun, it's still in the '90s in your RV.)

Of course, if you're in a campground and can't pick your campsite, you may have zero orientation options to keep your RV cool at all.

Also, remember that you may not ALWAYS be able to use your awning. If it's windy, it must come in. Then it does you no good whatsoever.

Attach a large tarp to the top of the south side of your RV and secure it down at the ground using stakes or another attachment method.

If you create air space between the RV and the tarp, that's even better.

If you choose to park with your door facing north, this is your best option to help shade the sunny side of your RV without using the awning (assuming you have an awning on the side getting the southern sun).

Or, use the portable one on the south side for maximum RV cooling.

Shade Your Roof With Shade RV

Shade RV is a product that covers your roof to create shade when you can't park under any. This might be the most expensive option on the list, but it's also one of the most effective. Using Shade RV is an excellent solution if you don't move much or are in full sun in extreme heat somewhere such as Arizona. 

When it's not excessively hot out, and you only have one vent fan and a small RV, I'd advise you only to open one window.

Because if you hang out between the open window and the fan, you'll get an airflow with the cross breeze.

If you have TWO fans, set one to pull air in and the other to push hot air out. This will also help with the cross breeze.

If you have a stock fan that is NOT a Fantastic Fan or a MaxxAir fan, replacing it with one would do you a world of good.

Typically the stock fans have a teeny-tiny fan that barely pulls warm air in or out. Very lame.

If your vent fan is flush with your ceiling or you have a skylight, you can buy a vent cover that insulates or a skylight shade.

Some RVers put a bit of Reflectix up there, too. I find the foam does an adequate job- no heat gets through mine sans Reflectix.

They are super cheap yet effective.

Find these in any camping store, on Amazon, or even at Walmart. Or, make your own.

Add Blinds

Most RVs come with blinds, but if yours doesn't, this is a no-brainer. 

Add insulated ones such as honeycomb cellular window shades or any insulating material if you can.

Insulated curtains are also helpful.

Minimize Your Stove Usage

Stoves are hot when on, duh. The less you use yours in high temperatures, the better.

Try using a microwave instead. Or cook outside using an outdoor grill, sun oven, or fire pit.

However, if you must use your stove, once finished, put the pot or skillet outside right away.

No sense in letting it cool off inside your RV, warming your camper or motorhome even further.

Finally, you can opt to eat food that doesn't require cooking, such as salads, sandwiches, and granola.

 Put up a shade cloth that hangs from the end of your awning. It serves two purposes:

1. Create a more private (and cooler) outdoor space
2. Keep more shade on the side of your camper

You can buy them pre-made, or you can rig up one yourself.

Remember, just like the awning, this shade won't fare well in windy conditions.

But more importantly, they put out way less heat than incandescent lights do.

This solution doesn't seem to make much difference, but it does. It also saves battery power when you're boondocking.

So, buy yourself some stand-alone fans.

You can do either 120-volt or 12-volt fans, depending on how often you are off-grid and if you have an inverter.

120-volt will likely be more powerful. But 12-volt fans will also help give you some cooler, fresh air.

Use A Dehumidifier

If you are on the east coast and in high humidity, taking the moisture out of the air helps to make your environment more comfortable.

No, it's not the most cost-effective solution.

But chasing elevation is one of the most effective (and adventurous!) solutions to the heat when living in an RV full-time.

For every 1000 feet you climb, it gets about 3.5 degrees cooler. It will cool even more if it's not humid or raining/snowing.

If your water hose sits in the sun, the water inside gets hot. (Yuck!)

Get your hose shaded if possible. Don't let it be sitting outside on the hot pavement.

If you keep it under your RV or cover it, your rig's water won't be sickeningly warm.

You can install a TurboKool in your RV, but it will set you back a good chunk of change.

This makes it the easiest swamp cooler to use of all. It's up high, easy to use, and out of the way.

It runs $599 on their website.

There are also 120-volt stand-alone swamp coolers you can use if you can access 120-volt power.

Homemade Swamp Cooler To Keep Your RV Cool

Search on the Internet for 'homemade swamp cooler,' and you'll find many ways to build one.

They are simple, easy to make, and all have the same premise.

The unit cools the air using a fan to move air over either falling water or ice. The evaporation of the water or the ice cools the air.

Homemade versions are often made out of a cooler or a bucket. Minimal parts are needed.

Parts are a fan, a water pump, a container, a little tubing, and water. Cheap and easy!

For maximum cooling effectiveness, the homemade swamp cooler should remain outside of your RV (or vent to the outside).

Close Interior Doors!

If you have rooms you aren't using during the day, such as a bedroom in a fifth wheel, shut that room off and close the vents. No use wasting precious cooled air in that room- vent it into the living space of your RV for maximum effectiveness.