RV Camper's Survival Guide

[KestrelSF]

Wow, you really CAN turn anything into DubStep... I wondered where they got the samples for this track. Now I know. BTW, don't slam the fucking door.

phpBB [video]

[ohCarie]

Of the mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, REDUCE should be your north star. I think some of our best modifications have been keeping us from using a lot of resources in the first place, like installing a single handle faucet lever. It can be turned on and off with a flick of the wrist. Also add a low flow faucet adapter that sprays. This cuts water usage 75% and gives more pressure for getting soap off. Which brings me to soap: use foaming soap! It deposits way less soap that has to be washed off. You can make your own biodegradable mixture if you want, which uses about 1/4 soap and 3/4 water and can be refilled several times.

We now bring several bags of skillet meals which require no water, no prep, just one skillet--BAM! one dish to wash. Using thin disposable plates and bowls, even inside reusable ones, are great since they take up little room in trash and dont need washing which uses lots of water. And super yummy & filling too!

Also, we put our (#1) t.p. in a trash bin. You will be surprised how much bulk there is after 8 days that's saved from the black water tank.

[ranger magnum]

Im not too sure about putting tp in a trash bag. If you use the proper additives in the black water tank, the tp liquifies into almost nothing.

[Captain Goddammit]

I'll never understand the extreme water conservation biz.
I use another plan - figure out how much water you use, then bring at least that much or more!
Water is still free or super-cheap.

[Canoe]

The default world rudely intruded on my available time. As time is running short, and I haven't completed the whole document, here's the Cheat Sheet on keeping the heat down in your RV.

RVs on playa - heat protection - Cheat Sheet from Draft 8.png

[Canoe]

And if you're going to be taping any doors, windows, etc., please consider Emergency Exits ...

RVs on playa - heat protection - Emergency Exits from Draft 8.png

[ohCarie]

I cannot comprehend how the cost:benefit ratio would dictate taping closed windows and vents. I mean, how much heat and dust is coming through really? Any gain is tanked by simply opening the door even once. Just tape up a few emergency blankets (silver foil) along the sun sides, cutting holes for vents, and you're just fine. I mean the goal can never be zero heat and dust entry. It IS Burning Man after all.

I do love the swamp coolers. They take the edge off for resting and those nights that remain warm.

[Canoe]

... how much heat and dust is coming through really? Any gain is tanked by simply opening the door even once...

Ever been in a green house?

Under the sun, an RV can become unbearable inside within a few hours of sunrise. It can quickly become hotter inside than outside. So hot inside, you have to retreat outside to get away from the heat. Without A/C, forget about sleeping past 9:30 a.m.. Also, the heat coming through a window frame that's in the sun is very surprisingly large. Trying to sleep in beyond 9:30 a.m. with foil-sided bubble-wrap only covering the glass but not the frame, the heat radiating onto my face from the window frame made me curious. I touched it and burnt my finger.

Instead, vents taped shut, taping foil-sided bubble-wrap over windows and window frames and a few inches beyond, with the same treatment for the roof vents = very comfortable morning, staying comfortable enough all day (except for late one afternoon where I resorted to using A/C for 15 minutes). There was still a significant amount of heat conducting through the fame and through the FWBW, but that was greatly reduced by painters tape over top of the frames outside, and that tape covered with the foil tape, then you're comfortable all day.

Cost? A small roll of the FSBW and a roll of painters tape and a roll of foil tape. Cost benefit? Huge. Comfort or the fuel savings from not running generator for A/C. I'm sure the neighbours appreciated that too.
Getting the rest you need, when you need it or want it, to enjoy your burn more?
Invaluable.

Get out there, explore, participate and experience to your fullest.gif

The dust is merely a bonus, or a cleanup issue. If you're renting an RV, this can be a cost issue, due to cleanup fees.
And no, it takes time for the heat to get in an open door when it's the size of an RV. Never had an issue going in and out, but that was infrequent, not high traffic from a dozen people sharing an RV.

[Captain Goddammit]

I cannot comprehend how the cost:benefit ratio would dictate taping closed windows and vents. I mean, how much heat and dust is coming through really? Any gain is tanked by simply opening the door even once. Just tape up a few emergency blankets (silver foil) along the sun sides, cutting holes for vents, and you're just fine. I mean the goal can never be zero heat and dust entry. It IS Burning Man after all.

I do love the swamp coolers. They take the edge off for resting and those nights that remain warm.

Oh man... You are incorrect!!! A fucking shit ton of dust comes in around vents, hatches, and windows during a dust storm! It can be like someone spraying an aerosol can of dust from every crack when it gets blowing.
And no, opening the door to get in and out does not negate all the other dust-proofing measures.
I tape shut every hatch and window, put foil up (also to block light so I can sleep any time I want) and my camper stays remarkably clean. I run a Rainbow vacuum (that uses water as a filter) if I do get any dust, and yes, I have damn near zero dust inside - contrary to popular belief by those who don't know how, it can be done.

[mulch]

Do you have any cleaning off ritual before going in? I was thinking one might want a foot bath dip and some baby whipes for when the is a lot of dust stuck on before entering?

[Captain Goddammit]

I have a vinyl floor instead of carpet and keep it swept. If you are renting and are stuck with carpet I'd suggest covering it with something to protect it - and replacing it with anything but carpet if it's your own.

[pink]

I have a van conversion, so the door opening lets in more heat/dust per cubic foot of interior volume than in an RV. That said, the difference pre and post learning of bubble wrap & taping is amazing. In 2008, PBW (pre-bubble wrap) I literally had dust drifts on the windowsills of each of my always-closed drivers & passenger windows. It was coming in through every crack. And hot! ABW (after bubble-wrap) the interior stays cool until about noon. I haven't yet wrapped the roof, so that's a heat entry point when the sun's high. The stuff is cheap, light, and amazing! I leave one small window on the afternoon sun-side uncovered just so I have an indication in the morning whether it is actually morning yet.