yovik
Advanced Member
[SIZE=10.5pt]Here's a super basic question: which way to orient the truck when we camp for a few days?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]I've got a Hawk (rollover couch) on an F150. It's awesome, no doubt. As per usual with 4WCs of my era (2006), the passenger side of the camper has the big windows. We've added the Reflectix to those windows. The driver side of the camper contains the refrigerator, and I normally try to keep that on the shady side of the parking spot. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Normally, I park with the driver side to the west or the north and deploy my Low Cost Mod Shade Tarp (tm?) on the sunny side. The shade is effective, but the camper heats up, even with the Reflectix in all the windows (The Artic Pack is in our future, and that'll help with the heat a bit. So might not camping in the desert, but...I digress)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]This last weekend, however, I got to thinking about this normal strategy. Not to give it away or anything, but I did something different, and I gave more consideration to how the camper would heat up throughout the course of the day, rather than primarily thinking about keeping the driver's side and fridge minimally exposed to the sun. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Now I'm curious what folks on here might suggest. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Here's the scenario for this question: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]You're spending a few days in the desert in a 2006 Hawk configured like mine. There's no shade to help you out, so you've gotta make your own. Your fridge runs very well on the propane (50F below outside air temp), but it is sensitive to the sun's impact. Your camping spot is flat, and you can basically orient any direction and have a level, pleasant spot to camp. As mentioned, the shade you have with you can be deployed on either side of the truck. It's May and you're in Baja Arizona (south of the Gila River, Gadsden purchase country). This time of year, the sun is up for almost 14 hours. Daytime highs are 85-90F.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Given this situation, which direction do you orient the truck/camper and why? [/SIZE]
Thanks-Alex
[SIZE=10.5pt]I've got a Hawk (rollover couch) on an F150. It's awesome, no doubt. As per usual with 4WCs of my era (2006), the passenger side of the camper has the big windows. We've added the Reflectix to those windows. The driver side of the camper contains the refrigerator, and I normally try to keep that on the shady side of the parking spot. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Normally, I park with the driver side to the west or the north and deploy my Low Cost Mod Shade Tarp (tm?) on the sunny side. The shade is effective, but the camper heats up, even with the Reflectix in all the windows (The Artic Pack is in our future, and that'll help with the heat a bit. So might not camping in the desert, but...I digress)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]This last weekend, however, I got to thinking about this normal strategy. Not to give it away or anything, but I did something different, and I gave more consideration to how the camper would heat up throughout the course of the day, rather than primarily thinking about keeping the driver's side and fridge minimally exposed to the sun. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Now I'm curious what folks on here might suggest. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Here's the scenario for this question: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]You're spending a few days in the desert in a 2006 Hawk configured like mine. There's no shade to help you out, so you've gotta make your own. Your fridge runs very well on the propane (50F below outside air temp), but it is sensitive to the sun's impact. Your camping spot is flat, and you can basically orient any direction and have a level, pleasant spot to camp. As mentioned, the shade you have with you can be deployed on either side of the truck. It's May and you're in Baja Arizona (south of the Gila River, Gadsden purchase country). This time of year, the sun is up for almost 14 hours. Daytime highs are 85-90F.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Given this situation, which direction do you orient the truck/camper and why? [/SIZE]
Thanks-Alex