RE: Hot weather camping

[Kelly]

 
[font=" comic sans ms" ]Apologies in advance to those of you weathering that massive snow storm........don t want to make you too sad about your buried campers! [][/font]
 
 [font=" calisto mt" ]We are headed to the southwest this summer and I know it s going to be [/font]VERY HOT[font=" calisto mt" ] there....no other time to go since we have kids in school.  Any tips, advice, etc. for camping in that kind of weather?  We do have AC and I just ordered bunk end covers
 
 Any other tips would be greatly appreciated ~[/font]

[mike4947]

 Kelly
If you ve got a fridge make sure it s installed correctly. With a correct baffle and air space and insulation. As the evaporite fridges found in PU s have a limit as to how much they can drop the temp and anything wrong with the air flow over the back can (in 90 plus degrees) cause a lot of rotten food in short order.
 If your heading into " dry"  country where the humifity level is low, personal misters can really make life a lot more pleasant.

[Trlrboy]

 Kelly
Here s a couple of ideas we use in TX in the summer...
 
 1.  Bring a 20"  box fan with you.  There are a lot of days when the air is so still you can reach out and touch it.  Sitting outside in the shade is tolerable up to 102"  as long as the air is moving.  You can get a 20"  fan at any Walmart for about $20.
 
 2.  Have an oscillating fan in the camper.  Same idea, it keeps the air moving.
 
 3.  Coleman Extreme cooler or some equivalent.  Ice melts fast.  Invest is a top class cooler.
 
 4.  Screen house or something like it to make shade by the picnic table is a plus.
 
 5.  Never... repeat this many times... never turn off the A/C when it s really hot outside.  Let it it run all day and night.  Once that camper is hot inside you ll find it takes quite a while to cool it down again.
 
 Good luck.

[wapiti]

 Kelly
I have spent 36 years camping in the desert southwest. Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The heat in this area is a " dry heat"  and just being in the shade can make a big difference.
 
 Depending on where you re camping there may be different things to consider. Most of my camping has been done out in the boonies without hookups or water sources. So water capacity is a consideration when planning. You ll need to drink lots and get used to warm water. You sweat but it evaporates so quickly you don t realize how much water you are using. A rule is if you can t remember when you peed last, you re not drinking enough. And when you do pee, if it s yellow, you re not drinking enough.
 
 The nice thing about desert camping is that the nights usually cool down to where you can sleep comfortably. 30 degree swings from daytime temps to nighttime temps are not unusual.
 
 The good quality coolers are a must if you want things to stay cool. We ve stayed out for ten days at a time. And it s a bit of an art to plan meals when you know your ice is going to run out. Eat up the perishables first and survive on canned and freeze dried stuff near the end. But that s the really roughing it stuff. If a PU can ever be considered roughing it.
 
 If your going to hit the CGs, some will have hookups and others not. I never trust the water so always fill with a filter. And if you re hiking out in the boonies, don t drink from any " safe"  looking pools of water for there are high levels of arsnic in them.
 
 Where in the southwest are you planning to go? There s some really magnificent country out there.

[Kelly]

 wapiti
[font=" comic sans ms" ]John ~
 We re going to be in just the states you mention!!  We have a family reunion in Colorado Springs and then we re heading for Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands and Grand Canyon NPs.  Then on through Phoenix, Santa Fe and into OK before heading home (MN).  Really looking forward to it and want to make sure we are well prepared.....enough " little catastrophes"  with four kids along!!  LOL
 
 Thanks to all for the advice ~ Keep it coming, please!!
 [/font]

[Starryart]

 Kelly
When camping in high heat and the A/C doesn t seem to cool enough, we pull the bed curtains and window curtains closed during the day. Not cooling the beds is less area  for the A/C to deal with and the window curtains reflect out heat and help keep the cool inside. Then when evening rolls around and things cool off we open up them again. This helps quite a bit.
     Of course, don t expect the A/C to create real cold temps inside a camper during 103 degree heat, but cooling down to 85 is good.
      All of the advice from the messages above is excellent!  Go with it.
 Also wet handkerchiefs on the back of your neck is a good cooling system, especially in a breeze or in front of a fan.
 Never go in the sun without a hat(something that can breathe like straw or light cotton) or sunscreen on(and lots of it)!
 It sounds weird but a very light cotton long sleeve shirt will be cooler if you are in a lot of direct sun. Keep the sun from baking directly on your skin and If you sweat and the shirt gets damp it cools you.
 Have a great time. I have been to several of the places you mentioned and I know you ll love it.[]

[wapiti]

 Kelly
Kelly,
 There s almost too much to say about that area. I grew up camping out there. I m from Denver and still live here, but my parents started taking me out there when I was 5 weeks old. So I m sort of a desert rat at heart.
 
 Just really do your research on where you want to camp. Those NPs you mentioned are neat places to stay but some don t have hookups. Water is available, but electricty is rare unless they ve upgraded some of the CG s.
 
 In Canyonlands, Squaw Flat campground is a neat place to stay. And hiking trails abound. If you have time in Canyonlands visit Deadhorse point. It s a view that s very Grand Canyonesque. If you ever saw the Mission Impossible where Tom Cruise is rock climbing in the begining, that s Deadhorse point.
 
 This is not meant to scare you in any way, but one critter to keep an eye out for is scorpions. During the day, it ll likely be too hot for them to be out and about. They like to keep cool under rocks and dead pinion and juniper trunks. So just be aware when the little ones are playing in the dirt. Since you ll be in a PU, it s not nearly as likely as sleeping under the stars, but shake out your shoes in the morning before putting them on. And if you have a campfire, they could be hanging out near it in the morning trying warm up from the coals. Though I ve only seen that once in 36 years. So don t worry about  em just be aware of them. I would bet ticks are a much bigger problem from where you are than scorpions are in the desert.
 
 I could go on and on but I won t. I will almost guarantee a great time out there.
 
 
 

[AustinBoston]

 Kelly
Some of the places you mentioned are not only hot and dry, but high.  If you are not acclimated to high altitudes, it can take a toll on your energy.
 
 The first few days of your trip, avoid very strenuous activities, and put a curb on how much children run around.  Altitude sickness isn t likely to happen at the altitudes you will be at, but if it does, it will ruin your trip.
 
 Cary at least one gallon of emergency water per person.  If you will be travelling off of main roads, make it two gallons per person.  If you break down in a remote area, a lot of bad things happen all at once: *You loose your A/C;  *You may be stuck for hours before help arrives; *You may be without shade or fan (the tow vehicle can become an oven) and as a result dehydration can become a real danger.  Just be prepared and it will be a disruption instead of a danger.
 
 In some of the areas, there is no cell phone service once you are off the interstates and outside of town (uh, like in parts of Minn.).
 
 Almost everything wapiti said about scorpions also applies to rattlesnakes (shaking out boots, etc.).  One thing I would add is don t put your hands anywhere you can t see, such as under rocks, etc.
 
 Have fun and plan on spending a lot of time driving.  []
 
 Austin

[RamblingWreck]

 Kelly
A lot of good advise has already been given.  To it I would like to suggest you get some salt tablets.  Follow advise on the label.
 
 Rambling Wreck

[sandykayak]

 Kelly
sooo glad you asked.  I posted a query about camping in New Mexico but can t locate it via the search.  i know there were no replies for the first few days.
 
 I ll be flying (with a gal pal) into Albuquerque on the evening of Friday, May 2 and departing on Sunday May 11.  Except for the first and last nights, we ll be tent camping and hope to avoid the many parks that say " pit toilets."
 
 Any special recommendations re CGs near Santa Fe and Taos?  I thought I d like one between the two so we can stay 2-3 nights and see both areas.  I have some books, but the tourism guide still hasn t arrived and I ordered it about 3 weeks ago!  I got the AAA Tour Book but they were out of the camping guide.
 
 Question: is it crazy to try and go to Canyon de Chelly (and camp there (it s free!) for a couple of nights?   I d like to go the top route from Taos and do a loop back to ABQ.
 
 Also, do you observe daylight savings time?  At what roughly time will it get dark on May 2?  Also what will the average day and night temps be?  I m hoping that I ve picked good springtime weather dates.  
 
 Would it be dumb to take my small Puffin folding kayak?  The one shown in the latest issue of PUT and on the PUT homepage right now.  I bought it to travel with and I ve seen there are several CGs with lakes.  But then I read that the water can be really cold because of snow melts.

[wapiti]

 Kelly
First I would say that where you are going and when, it probably won t be hot weather camping. Santa Fe is at about 7000 ft. Albuquerque I believe is at about 4500 feet. Most likely it will feel springlike in Albuquerque with warm days and cool nights. In Santa Fe it ll be most likely what the mountain folks call " mud season" . Days can be warm but the nights are apt be downright cold and around the freezing mark.  You could even still run into snow.
 The grasses will likely be greening up in SF and but the trees will be just budding out if at all. The aspens at higher elevations will still be bare.
 
 So I would not be preparing for hot weather but cold.
 
 I can t help you as far as CG s. Because I ve only boondocked or stayed at NF CG s (pit toilet, no showers etc.)
 
 And no, it wouldn t be crazy at all to go to Canyon de Chelly! It is actually in Arizona not NM. If you go, go to the Thunderbird Lodge at the mouth of the Canyon and sign up for the tour. You can NOT go in without a Navajo guide except for a 2.5 mile hike to White House ruin. But the tour where they drive you all the way in is really cool.
 
 Another amazing place to visit while you are in the area is Chaco canyon. I think they refer to it as Chaco Culture NHP now. And it is in NM northwest of SF. It has the largest anasazi pueblo.
 
 NM does observe daylight savings. But I can t really tell you sunrise and sunset times without a table.
 
 Don t know much about kayaking but those lakes will be dang cold that time of year. Like hypothermia cold. The snow runoff will just be starting. The peak runoff is usually the first two weeks of June.
 
 I hope this was of some help.
 
 
 

[MDCamper]

 Kelly
One thing that the old board mentioned that will decrease the temperature in the popup are reflectix covers.  They re a shiny, reflecting material that you drape over the bunkends - it reflects the sun and decreases the temp inside the popup.  I ve never used them, but folks in Florida and other sunny climes swear by them.  There were multiple threads on the subject on the old board, and popup gizmos makes them if you don t want to - they re advertised in popup times magazine and have a website.

[Ab Diver]

 Kelly
The reflective covers made and sold by Popupgizmos really work, both to keep heat *out* in hot weather, and keep heat *in* during the cold months. Here s his web site:
 
   http://users3.ev1.net/~popup/index.htm
 
 Custom fit for your particular model popup, won t leave grey streaks on your bunk ends like cheap survival blankets can, comes with plenty of spring clips to keep them in place on the bunk ends, yada, yada... Worth the money, IMHO.
 
 Remember to have the TV in tip-top shape before starting your trip. A worn belt, tired brakes, old oil or fluid can sneak up and cause a problem, usually right in the middle of " Resume Speed, Middle of Nowhere" .

[sandykayak]

 Kelly
thanks, wapiti, big help.
 
 i was prepared for cool nights.  won t bother with yak, and found out that Canyon de Chelly is about 2.5 hours from the KOA at Bloomfield and Chaco Canyon is about 1 hour - with heated pool and a hot tub, might just stop there for a night or two.
 
 knowing that they observe daylight savings makes me less nervous about arriving at 6 p.m.   will stay at the hostel in ABQ the first and last nights. ($30 for private room).
 
 

[Opie431]

 Kelly
I took one of the cheap survival blankets and tied the ends  to fit over our  Igloo ice chest. In three weeks of camping in temperatures up to the 90s it really kept our ice use down.  When we add drinks to the ice chest we put them in early in the morning when they are cooler..unless we bought them cold in the first place.