I spend a lot of time afield. Upwards of 300 days per year have me in the hills and forests for at least a few hours. Primarily, I am training my hunting dogs, and this often finds me sleeping outdoors. I travel up and down the northeast competing in field trials with my dogs, and will also take a week and and remain in the briars, and not waste the gasoline to come home at night just to return to the wild in the morning. At other times, I will park my truck and use it as a basecamp as I take a few days to explore the surrounding area for potential hunting spots. While outdoor journalists are often “roughing it” we also can be found camping with some creature comforts with a 4 x 4. My pickup truck has a rooftop tent, and it provides a great deal of comfort. Indeed, the Maggiolina tent was designed as a four-season tent intended for the Alps. Summer months can make it a little warm. So, I roll up the canvas doors and let the wind keep it as cool as possible during the day. Then, at night, I resort to something else.
There are a number of modern coolers that can be utilized to keep your provisions or catch of the day cold. Yeti, Pelican, Orca, and more are all available. I own one. But I also own a cheap Styrofoam cooler. Why? Well, for the air-conditioning. Let me explain. I have modified a cheap Styrofoam cooler by using a knife to cut a hole in the lid slightly smaller than a PVC elbow that I bought at the local hardware store. I then bought a battery powered fan, and cut a rectangular hole in the lid to accommodate the fun. The fan can simply rest on top of the lid, but I sometimes tape it down. Make sure that the fan is situated to blow air into the cooler, not out.
Of course, there is finite space inside the cooler, and I pack it full of ice, or ice packs. This chills the air inside the cooler. With the PVC elbow in place, the fan blows warm air into the cooler, and the laws of physics require that some of the air has to come out, via the PVC elbow. When that air vents out of the cooler it is noticeably colder than the ambient air. It certainly won’t cool my house in August, but you know what it will make comfortable? My small rooftop tent or a small dome tent. I bought the same Styrofoam cooler again, just to get the lid. When I go on the road (off road) and stay for a few days, I fill the cooler with frozen gel packs and travel with the non-modified lid on top of the cooler to keep the gel packs frozen. When it is time to sleep, I utilize the lid made to accommodate the PVC elbow & fan. I can always get one night of cool relief from the gel packs, maybe two. After that, it is a matter of transferring ice from my expensive cooler, which can keep ice for much longer. If you are going to be living out of your vehicle/tent for a few days while working in the summer, I highly recommend giving this cooler a try. A good night’s sleep is worth a bag of ice and a couple D batteries.
There are a number of modern coolers that can be utilized to keep your provisions or catch of the day cold. Yeti, Pelican, Orca, and more are all available. I own one. But I also own a cheap Styrofoam cooler. Why? Well, for the air-conditioning. Let me explain. I have modified a cheap Styrofoam cooler by using a knife to cut a hole in the lid slightly smaller than a PVC elbow that I bought at the local hardware store. I then bought a battery powered fan, and cut a rectangular hole in the lid to accommodate the fun. The fan can simply rest on top of the lid, but I sometimes tape it down. Make sure that the fan is situated to blow air into the cooler, not out.
Of course, there is finite space inside the cooler, and I pack it full of ice, or ice packs. This chills the air inside the cooler. With the PVC elbow in place, the fan blows warm air into the cooler, and the laws of physics require that some of the air has to come out, via the PVC elbow. When that air vents out of the cooler it is noticeably colder than the ambient air. It certainly won’t cool my house in August, but you know what it will make comfortable? My small rooftop tent or a small dome tent. I bought the same Styrofoam cooler again, just to get the lid. When I go on the road (off road) and stay for a few days, I fill the cooler with frozen gel packs and travel with the non-modified lid on top of the cooler to keep the gel packs frozen. When it is time to sleep, I utilize the lid made to accommodate the PVC elbow & fan. I can always get one night of cool relief from the gel packs, maybe two. After that, it is a matter of transferring ice from my expensive cooler, which can keep ice for much longer. If you are going to be living out of your vehicle/tent for a few days while working in the summer, I highly recommend giving this cooler a try. A good night’s sleep is worth a bag of ice and a couple D batteries.
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