Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Remember those dusty roads I was talking about? Here's one I was on this last week.



I was on a road up and over the top of some pretty big hills.



I am happy to say that very little dust got in. I had more dirt from the mud of afternoon thundershowers to deal with than the dust on this trip.

Climbing to the top and leaving the smoky air behind.



But with a little gain elevation, it's easy to find some clean air.



Some clear water.



And some fat fish that make for a happy camper!

I was boondock camping for 6 full days this last week. For years I have put a soft cooler inside of my regular cooler, and it has worked well. A couple of months ago I picked up a new Coleman Xtreme 50 quart cooler. Like this one at Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-50-Qu ... r/23374667 I've used it before, but not for a long period. It is smaller than some of you will need, but when it is just me it fits my needs.

I have an Artic Zone soft sided cooler that I always put inside my other cooler to extend its insulation. To use it in this one I had to take out the hard plastic tub lining. That isn't too much of an issue as I mostly use gallon jugs of ice and not loose crushed or block ice. If I use them, I will probably have to rig up some kind of catch basin in it. I'm not sure how soaking will affect its function. Maybe it won't cause any issue at all.









This time I loaded the combo-cooler with two gallon bottles of ice and one additional half-gallon bottle of ice. I was taking some frozen meat and soups, along with a liter of milk and some other things like salad, salad dressing, cheese, and a large sub sandwich that I picked up on the way. I didn't pack any drinks in it. I like putting the cheese and lettuce etc on the top or along the outside of the soft cooler. They don't need to be as cold, and they seem to benefit from the lack of being jostled around in with everything else.

I probably opened the cooler at least 3 to 5 times a day and still the ice lasted the full 6 days. When I got back home the half gallon bottle was fully melted, but both of the gallon bottles had about a quart sized chunk of ice in them. Bottom line is that I am really impressed with the Coleman Xtreme cooler.

What a sweet campsite!

Nice going all the way around. Especially finding a place with that fat cutty! Im adding 2 store-bought blocks of ice to my Extreme every 3 days in this heat. Its "wish I had a/c" month!

There have been a few days lately that I have thought about the a/c also, but then I just go wet wade (aka - fall in the river!)

This last week I used a block of ice from the store. The store ice sure doesn't seem to last as long. I only picked up one. I probably should have used two. It lasted about 4 days, but I was putting a lot of "warm" drinks in as I wasn't worried about it lasting for perishable food. I was opening it more too.

Still I think that if you can use frozen gallons from home they are much better than the store blocks. Also I think that the more ice I can get in to start with, the better.

Dang, it's hot out!

The store blocks have more air in them. Frozen water bottles are solid. Ive been on the road since June 20, and do miss the frozen bottles. Im buying blocks every 3rd day.

Rainier70 wrote:Remember those dusty roads I was talking about? Here's one I was on this last week.



I was on a road up and over the top of some pretty big hills.



I am happy to say that very little dust got in. I had more dirt from the mud of afternoon thundershowers to deal with than the dust on this trip.

Cindy, good news on the dust issue.

I finally got around to getting another computer fan for in my window. I have an Antec Big Boy 200mm fan in my vent and love it, but sometimes I want more air either in or out my windows too.



So I got a second fan and put it on a 12v extension cord. I have 12 volt plug-ins at both ends of my trailer, so I can hang it just about anywhere that I want more air movement. The fan is about 8 inches in dia.

Here is the Amazon listing for the fan.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V6 ... UTF8&psc=1

It is three speed, uses little power, and is very very quiet. It moves a good amount of air, 134cfm on high at 0.3amps and 30dBA.

I put it on a chain so that it would be easy to hang, and also easy to just turn around, depending on whether I want to move air in or out the window. It is also quick to remove and put away for traveling.

I added a small inline single pole switch that I picked up at Radio Shack for an on/off.

Hanging: (I don't know why resizing my picture should make the window screen look like Medieval chain-mail but it does. Weird!)



Cord, Switch, and speed control

Another creative, practical, functional, affordable idea from Mt Air Express!

Thanks for the tip Cindy.

Rainier70, Howdy;

Cindy, you sound like a woman that will get a penny to holler "Uncle!!!!!"
Nice tip and looks like it should give you plenty of fresh air.

hank

Hank, you're right. I do squeeze the pennies pretty tight, and I enjoy making things work out. Sometimes I find solutions with used parts around the place, not for money reasons, but because I live 30 miles from the closest store of any kind. I do a LOT to avoid going into town! But the real deal is finding something that works for me.

The full deal on the fan is that I sometimes cook or boil water with my stove on the table right below that window. I wanted an "exhaust" fan in that window as close as possible to my stove. It takes the fumes out quickly, and away from me. Easier on my lungs. My other criteria for the fan was that I wanted it to be portable, light, quiet, and didn't use much battery. The computer fan meets those requirements. Putting it on an extension cord and hanging it so that I could move it around and turn it are just extras. I could have done a permanent mount on that window, but I like being able to move it to the back window and pull air in there where combined with the fan and vent it the front, they quickly cool the camper down when I come in after a hot day. The downside is that it is one more thing that I need to put away before I hit the road again.

Someday I might think about putting a Fantastic-Fan Vent in, but for my usual needs I don't need 900cfm ventilation. Plus I would rather use 0.3amps than 3amps.

I have an O2 fan from Walmart that is 12v also, but it is bigger, louder, and doesn't fit in the window as well. It isn't a bad option instead of the computer fan though.

Great idea Cindy! I also agree with the penny squeezing! I am going to have to check on these fans, I like the size and low current draw ... maybe I can work on mounts

Great going!!

I bought one of those computer fans a couple weeks ago, and I've been in hot, sunny eastern Oregon for the past several days with it hanging in one of my side windows just like you showed. Its Awesome. So quiet I can't hear it at all. Virtually no power draw. Brings in cool air that feels great after sunset. As advertised! Thanks again Cindy! I'll probably get one more next spring just for good measure.