Keeping Cool !

Where you go, where you stay and everything to do with getting there and back.

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shorehambeach
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Keeping Cool !

Post by shorehambeach »

Hello Peeps ! Summer time is coming...

Any top tips for keeping the passengers cool this summer when sitting in a long French traffic jam in 35 degrees !
(Apart from icecreams.. open all window and vents .... and drinking buckets of ice water ....)

I guess 12v fans (any pointers as to which are the best ??) ...but I am hoping my fellow 80-90's might have a few more ingeniuous ideas!

Thanks !



:lol:
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Ian Hulley
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by Ian Hulley »

Try travelling in an evening, there can be far less traffic and it should be cooler. Small children will probably snooze anyway (we used to get our 2 into there pyjamas before setting off). You could also avoid the Peages ... most big jams are at toll stations.

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shorehambeach
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by shorehambeach »

Ian Hulley wrote:Try travelling in an evening, there can be far less traffic and it should be cooler. Small children will probably snooze anyway (we used to get our 2 into there pyjamas before setting off). You could also avoid the Peages ... most big jams are at toll stations.

Ian

Cheers Ian ! We do some big journeys to the West Coast of France so we spend all day in the van.... 650 miles. Even split over 2 days we always seem to get stuck in big queues and little hot and bothered !

As we are travelling to get to a destination (rather than touring) I find the peages brilliant in France - doing 70mph rather than 50/60 on the non-peages is much better.....

Just trying to think of some easy solutions :idea
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ibsey
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by ibsey »

shorehambeach wrote:Hello Peeps ! Summer time is coming...

Any top tips for keeping the passengers cool this summer when sitting in a long French traffic jam in 35 degrees !
(Apart from icecreams.. open all window and vents .... and drinking buckets of ice water ....)

I guess 12v fans (any pointers as to which are the best ??) ...but I am hoping my fellow 80-90's might have a few more ingeniuous ideas!

Thanks !



:lol:
Avoid the week when the French go away en-masse, the journey in France should then be quicker ie; more air flow in Van 8)
There are always other possibilities

Ralf85
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by Ralf85 »

In an earlier discussion I suggested doing what we do, based on experience over nearly 30 years. We purposely arrive on a Sunday (this year 28 July) and only travel to just South of Paris, so we sit behind the wave to avoid the traffic madness. The last weekend in July (27/28 this year) is when the masses from the North of France travel South causing traffic jams. Two weekends later there is a similar mass exodus North. Try and avoid this.

Alternatively, take it slower on the D roads as most people will be stuck on the motorways or N roads. That's where a large scale Michelin road atlas (1:200000) is brilliant (the big version not the A4 size). It shows so many alternatives. You can often find D roads relatively empty in comparison. Most importantly take plenty of water with you cooling as much as you can in the fridge (the beer can wait).

If you follow this advice you will miss most of the grief. Enjoy your trip.
:ok

shorehambeach
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by shorehambeach »

Thanks for all the replies Guys. I regularly do 1500 + miles in my beloved T25 through France so am used to driving through the day on the tolls :ok


What about 12v fans in the back ? Any good ? Any recommendations ??

Thanks in advance...

:D
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sarran1955
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by sarran1955 »

Hello,

I got a big swivelling fan , removable from its base from a well known auction site..

Wouldn’t be without it... 8) 8)

Drowns the engine noise..

You could easily fit one to a rear locker...

Just keep it out of the way of hair and fingers :!: :!: :!: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

BTW, last year, here, at this time it was 28 Celcius.. last weekend it snowed.. :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl

Cordialement,

:ok
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shorehambeach
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by shorehambeach »

Merci Beacoup ! :ok
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lloydy
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by lloydy »

The thing that made the biggest difference for the kids in the back was a opening window at the back. Get a nice through draught now. And it's also pretty nice sleeping with it open
Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you

cleagarr
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by cleagarr »

Hey!

We have a 12v fan in the front and one hooked up to the leisure battery - I fitted a 49p switch to it - noisy but chucks the air around.

Not sure if you can get a fan to fit in the skylight and hook it up to the leisure battery?
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Ralf85
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by Ralf85 »

lloydy wrote:The thing that made the biggest difference for the kids in the back was a opening window at the back. Get a nice through draught now. And it's also pretty nice sleeping with it open

That's the way I do it too!

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lloydy
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by lloydy »

You got a sliding window for rearmost window too? Supa rare!
Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you

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Palomino
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by Palomino »

Or you could try one of these:

http://www.conrad-uk.com/ce/en/product/ ... view1&rb=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Got to be worth a try at ony £17.99 :)
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shorehambeach
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by shorehambeach »

Palomino wrote:Or you could try one of these:

http://www.conrad-uk.com/ce/en/product/ ... view1&rb=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Got to be worth a try at ony £17.99 :)


Thats the one for me!

Thanks for all the replies guys and gals :ok

I will let you know how my Mini Air Con works !!!
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Ralf85
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Re: Keeping Cool !

Post by Ralf85 »

shorehambeach wrote:
Palomino wrote:Or you could try one of these:

http://www.conrad-uk.com/ce/en/product/ ... view1&rb=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Got to be worth a try at ony £17.99 :)
Thats the one for me!
Thanks for all the replies guys and gals :ok
I will let you know how my Mini Air Con works !!!

It got 3 reviews on Amazon. They all said it's no good for a room and one said it might work in a caravan, so you may be lucky.

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