Wednesday, May 30, 2018

DIY Sun Shade for the Desert Heat


So after spending four days in the sweltering heat of Death/Saline Valley in April, 2018, I came to the conclusion that I had to do something to keep the heat off of the "canvas" sides of my camper.  When hit by the direct sunlight, the sides radiated the heat inside the camper and it was unbearable for most of the day.

I put my noggin to work and tried to come up with a low cost, easy and simple way to solve the problem and this was my answer.

I bought a roll of Reflectix at Home Depot, put some grommets on the top side and picked up some cheap carabiners to attach it to the camper.  I was reluctant to drill holes in my camper, but they're not in a critical spot, so I gave it a shot.  I also used some simple little spring clamps to weigh it down so it won't blow around in the wind.

The holes are drilled in the same spots on both sides so I can attach it to either side.  As long as I can park perpendicular to the path of the sun and move it from one side to the other as the day goes on, it should work...at least it should help a lot.

I'll update this page with the results after I use it a couple of times.