Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Having been a tenter since the age of 7, my folks were always camping somewhere, I remember those early days in my canvas pup tent with the sides you couldn't touch and the overwhelming feeling upon waking that it was too hot in there. For those who do not recall the old style kids pup tents were made of heavy canvas not windows and a zippered gnat door with heavy canvas flaps and canvas ties that tied when the flaps came together. They were waterproof, heavy and damp in mornings when you cooped yourself up in there.

I think of some of the teardrop designs even with one person may get a little "close" in there in the summertime. The folks who live in warmer climates especially have to deal with this problem, but I have been camping in Maine in summer with my modern three season tent and had the same problem. I have had an equally difficult problem tenting in the Delaware Water Gap of PA in early July being so hot I couldn't sleep in my tent with nothing but a 12volt can running sucking the tractor battery down to nill by midnight

How do you guys and gals handle having ventilation without electricity running a fan all night? That is besides of course opening your windows?

My windows and doors are all screened. I built a 2 chamber ducting system in the front of the camper and have several 200mm computer fans acting as intake and exhaust. The ducts exit out of the floor. That works very well in many cases, but here in the south it gets brutal in the summer. I'm turning an old window AC into a DIY petcool, that will just plug into the bottom duct when needed. I'm also doing a mod on my on-demand water heater to act as heat when needed. You'll find a couple of long threads on how folks are doing this. For the AC, yes it needs shore power, but for the heater 12v is fine.

dave

daveesl77 wrote:My windows and doors are all screened. I built a 2 chamber ducting system in the front of the camper and have several 200mm computer fans acting as intake and exhaust. The ducts exit out of the floor. That works very well in many cases, but here in the south it gets brutal in the summer. I'm turning an old window AC into a DIY petcool, that will just plug into the bottom duct when needed. I'm also doing a mod on my on-demand water heater to act as heat when needed. You'll find a couple of long threads on how folks are doing this. For the AC, yes it needs shore power, but for the heater 12v is fine.

dave

I saw some computer fans used for cooling. I love that idea. Quiet, efficient and clever. I will look for those threads. I know that I must be sounding a bit redundant with all the questions that have been answered before but I figure that technology changes, people are always finding new ways to do old things. Sometimes a new tip may mean all the difference in the world.

Thanks for the tip Dave

I have a few O2cool battery operated fans, the batteries last a few days running all night, and replacement D cells are cheap.
I find the bigger help is large, low placed windows. I build in wiley windows, that are as large as my doors can fit. Placed low so the incoming cooler air flows right onto me as I lie on the bed.
For the really hot weather we have air conditioning.
Most tears have a roof vent and a 12V fantastic fan.

rowerwet wrote:I have a few O2cool battery operated fans, the batteries last a few days running all night, and replacement D cells are cheap.
I find the bigger help is large, low placed windows. I build in wiley windows, that are as large as my doors can fit. Placed low so the incoming cooler air flows right onto me as I lie on the bed.
For the really hot weather we have air conditioning.
Most tears have a roof vent and a 12V fantastic fan.

Hello -
Being a newbie I was unsure what a wiley window was until I saw a YouTube video of a British chap showing off his creation of one. Pretty clever. I went further to find a link on our site (http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/hopper-window.pdf that shows schematically how they work.

How low do you make yours? I can see a "DANGER WILL ROBINSON" moments if the wedge falls out or the glass pane breaks in transit. But cool idea!

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=57192 they are also shown in the build album link in my signature.
I use plexiglass for Window panes, in a size stocked by almost every home Depot.
I tow, store and camp with the glass in but open, removing it completely for hot nights and only closing it for cold nights.

rowerwet wrote:http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=57192 they are also shown in the build album link in my signature.
I use plexiglass for Window panes, in a size stocked by almost every home Depot.
I tow, store and camp with the glass in but open, removing it completely for hot nights and only closing it for cold nights.

What you did is not a bad idea. Where I go there are a lot of flying insects, moths, and various curious winged creatures, not to mention Black Bears, Pine Martins, Otters, and the general cornucopia of creatures that smell things in the night and want to investigate. Keeping my food in a bear bucket high in a tree is one way. Keeping food smells away from camp is the only way I know how. I like the plexiglas idea for transport and glass for long term storage. I think the Brit had Plexiglas too now that I think about it.

I would install screens to keep the night / day things out of the camper.

My windows all have screens, so do my vents

rowerwet wrote:My windows all have screens, so do my vents

Good those critters get in everywhere!