To Aircondition or Not Aircondition that is the question

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

This is really one of those things only you can decide. Location and heat tolerance are things to think about.

At first, I found it odd that Babler Memorial Park offered electricity only at it's campsites, while you have to use your water tank and pump.
After spending a weekend there in late July, I now understand; it's for your Air Conditioner!

In California, you get both Water and Electric or you get neither.

[Ray N]

The first night in our EggCamper was at Van Buren State Park in Michigan that only had electricity at each site. We figured it was because water lines would freeze up there. I think all the Florida and Alabama state parks have electricity because of the need for air conditioning.

[PaulOWindsor]

Group : I think I've finally figured out how to air-condition our Trillium...& I thought it best to continue with this existing thread, for the benefit of those who might be interested in reading the earlier comments.

As some of you know, the wife & I bought a new Trillium 1500 from Trillium RV in California (we love it..) & had it delivered in Feb, when Tom was bringing two other units up for the Toronto RV show. Of course, as you may have guessed...I didn't order the trailer with air !!

Anyway, over the summer we bought a small (floor model) air conditioner that puts out 5000BTU... Portable Air Conditioner, 5000 BTU | Canadian Tire

My plan is, that when we need the air on, the unit will sit in front of the trailer (by the tongue) and because it's outside, it can vent hot air through a hose & away from the trailer & the condensed water can run off through a hose in the same way.

I'll attach another hose to the top of the unit (where the cooled air comes out) and then run it up to the front window of the trailer, where it will be held in place by an opening in a small wooden board.

The board will run along the outside bottom of the window & will be held in place by the "spring loaded pegs" that secure the front window cover when we are travelling.

To prevent the cool air from escaping...on the inside of the front window, I'll be fitting a piece of clear plastic over the screen, with a hole cut into it to allow the cool air in.

Air conditioning problem solved !!

I'll be looking forward to showing this solution off to anyone interested at the Bolerama 2012 !!

Cheers, P.

[honda03842]

I considered a similar solution with the air conditioner located in our bumper box. Finally settled on putting it in the bottom of the closet where it works fine. Ours is also 5000 btu.

We rarely use air but this summer on our way home we'll be traveling thru the upper mid west in July.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by John Hall

Great input everyone,

This is John's wife Debra. We are in Minnesota, but have traveled quite a bit out west and in Canada. This last year we were out East for a change, so we have covered all kinds of climates. I am pretty good with heat, but John tends to like it cooler while sleeping like some of you have mentioned. Sounds like we could probably get by without air, but it might be a nice luxury for those occassional nasty heat waves.

We really appreciate all the feedback. This forum has been very helpful in making our decision.

If no AC make sure you get a Fantastic Fan at least. I use to carry a portable AC but now I have a Fantastic Fan I have not bothered with the AC. Mostly camp on the West Coast but have spent a fair bit of time in the mid west in the high 90's with only the Fantastic Fan and it worked out fine.

[Nancy]

If it is so hot I need air conditioning, I need to find a cooler place. After about 40k of pulling our trailer we had to stay twice in motels going across the plains in July. We just couldn't do with 100 temp. We have routes mapped out where we hit high elevation for night sleeping. The problem is our stop in MT/ND/western WA. Since there isn't much electricity where we stop an air conditioner wouldn't be much help. And we like to keep it simple so a genarator isn't on our list either.

Good luck with your decision. Typing from Grand Marais, MN. The colors are great, the temp is great. My kind of "camping".

Nancy

[JohnF]

We are placing an order for 13' Scamp tomorrow and AC was a decision for us as well.

But we live in the upper midwest and I plan to simply use a small portable window AC unit in the rear sliding window if needed - a few simple fabricated mounts from other posts here are straightforward. Far cheaper at $150 or so and for the other 95% of my needs, I can leave it at home and save the weight and reduce the wind resistance. And in exchange I'm gaining a giant 14" or so escape hatch vent (in addition to the fantastic fan vent) which should let in even more light and ventilation for that 95% of the time. Works for me.

[Bob H]

It's a regional decision. If you're camping in the Humid South in the summer, a A/C is NEEDED. If your in the North or Northwest or dry Southwest, not so much. Consider also that the egg you purchase may not have the support bracing for a roof-top AC. Without it and it'll not support the weight. My closet-mounted AC has cooled me very well. Down here in the South, year-round.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by John Hall

Hey Everyone,

We are getting ready to buy a trailer and are undecided on one last point. Do we need the airconditioner or not? We are both tall and worried about headroom. Interested to hear your take. We generally camp and backpack, but were thinking it might be nice to splurge a little. Not sure if it is worth it if we are bumping into it though. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

What you need to consider is the same issue with any product...
No really balanced person wants a drill, he wants holes!
Do you want cool dehumidified air?

I did and I love my A/C on my Scamp 13. It's prefire and I'm 6ft tall.
Another point to consider is that you can order your A/C with a heat strip
which provides convenient, even heat without taking more space.

[DavidSo]

If I had reliable and consistent access to power I would want AC. The places I travel and camp that is rarely the case. The power consumption becomes an issue. Mostly I'd be hauling around the weight and expense with little benefit. I have just learned to live with fans and they do a surprisinging good job, even in humidity. Seems like over the last couple summers I have hit every record breaking heat event in the country . From SC to the Midwest. 90 degrees in the Moab desert at 2am! I woke up every hour or so and sprayed myself and the dogs with water till we were wet, then back to sleep. This winter I'm installing high efficiency fans in the trailer to keep air moving. I have a fantastic fan in the ceiling, but you need direct airflow when it really gets hot. I can sleep real well with a fan blowing on me too. Luckily the computer industry has driven the development of some very quiet, low power fans at very low cost.
David

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by John Hall

Hey, this is Debra's not as good half. John. I want to reiterate how appreciative we are for your input. I want air because I am a wimp (like most guys are), Debra on the other hand does not care either way. That said, I will have to duck regardless (I am 6'3 and a half). My concern is my wife needing to bend down when making my food I want, washing the dishes for my next meal and warming my water for my sponge bath she will give me when I want her too :-) She also has two bad disks in her neck. On the Trillium website it states the interior height of the units are 6'3 which would imply that it would give her head room to stand up strait under the air conditioner (she is almost 5'11). The only option is to mount it over the stove and sink. It hanges down three plus inches. However, it appears there may be some inconsistencies among the units relating to floor to ceiling height. Any tall trailer owners out there who want to weigh in on whether the floor to ceiling height with an air conditioner is an issue for you? How big an issue is it?

I suppose that A/C could be nice under some circumstances. I don't have A/C, but I did get a "Constant Breeze" 12Volt fan. So far I've used it twice.
If your style of "camping" is always pull into an RV resort with power and you're one the "stay inside" people the cost might be worth it. If you're style is be "boondocking" or someplace without power most of the time, why bother or spend the majority of you time outside it might not be worth it.
There's a third type that just wants it to have. That's willing to put up the the extra weight, the drag, the leak problems, and it maybe not working when you want. Which means additional cost to maintain.

So it's all up to you.

[steve dunham]

I purchased my 16 FT. Scamp used . It came with a rooftop AC with strip heater.
I'm glad I have both ,in Spring and Fall the strip heater is great for taking the chill off and when it's 90 deg and humid the AC makes it a lot nicer sleeping. I have a Fantastic fan also which helps cool the Scamp but does little when the humidity is high. When it's 95 deg and 95% humidity even in northern Minnesota it's uncomfortable

Thanks Steve Dunham

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I suppose that A/C could be nice under some circumstances. I don't have A/C, but I did get a "Constant Breeze" 12Volt fan. So far I've used it twice.
If your style of "camping" is always pull into an RV resort with power and you're one the "stay inside" people the cost might be worth it. If you're style is be "boondocking" or someplace without power most of the time, why bother or spend the majority of you time outside it might not be worth it.
There's a third type that just wants it to have. That's willing to put up the the extra weight, the drag, the leak problems, and it maybe not working when you want. Which means additional cost to maintain.

So it's all up to you.

There is a certain appeal to the ...if you don't have it , it can't break philosophy.

The weight argument has a bit of legitimacy, but it applies to every onboard and take-along accessory.

The drag, reliability,and leak arguments are Red Herrings.

A broken A/C does, of course,work every bit as well as no A/C.

Many accessory and convenience items on the average Tow vehicle would succumb to the same arguments.

[honda03842]

Last year we had an air conditioner in our trailer for the first time. We had borrowed our son's Casita 16 with the air conditioner in the front closet. Even though we had many 90's days we rarely used it. The first time we used it was for a cake decorating contest, not wanting the frosting to melt - I made a Casita cake and won third place.

When we purchased our Scamp we decided to install a closet air conditioner ala the Casita. They are inexpensive (less than $150), draw relatively little power (less than 5 amps) and are not subject to leaks. We'll be gone from Nov to October this year and figure there will be some time we'll be glad we have it.

I agree that appropriate windows and a fan usually are enough. In general I think roof ac units are ugly but particualrly on a fiberglass trailer they look out of proportion.

As well I think AC units are more valuable to the casual RVers who may tend to camp during the summer and live in a warm climate. For us we usually manage to avoid weather extremes, defintiely the cold but usually the blazing hot.

Interestingly it appears that both the Parkliner and Snoozy seemed to have opted for traditional home air conditioners.

Stay cool and safe.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by floyd

There is a certain appeal to the ...if you don't have it , it can't break philosophy.

The weight argument has a bit of legitimacy, but it applies to every onboard and take-along accessory.

The drag, reliability,and leak arguments are Red Herrings.

A broken A/C does, of course,work every bit as well as no A/C.

Many accessory and convenience items on the average Tow vehicle would succumb to the same arguments.

Floyd, how many times have we heard of A/C units on top coming loose? Drag, ok maybe.
Reliability -- everything breaks or wears out, it's just one more thing to break and wear out. The chances are pretty good it will last a long time, but...

I am trying not to advocate one way or the other, only pointing out that some problems have been reported both here and Yahoo Scampers.

Way your options, desires, and drawbacks carefully. One A/C unit is worth a few tanks of gasoline.

[rgrugg]

Our Egg Camper has a small home type window ac mounted under one dinette seat. Used it very little since we've had the trailer only since spring. Seems to work well.

[DogHaus]

I have no a/c on my Scamp but wish I did. it doesn't heat up as much as my friends' conventional campers, but I can't ever get the temp inside lower than the temp outside, no matter what I do with fans and windows. And being in the Northeast, it's humid, and a/c would take care of the humidity too. So I say yes, get it.
Norm, how did you add your a/c unit?

Originally Posted by honda03842

Last year we had an air conditioner in our trailer for the first time. We had borrowed our son's Casita 16 with the air conditioner in the front closet. Even though we had many 90's days we rarely used it. The first time we used it was for a cake decorating contest, not wanting the frosting to melt - I made a Casita cake and won third place.

When we purchased our Scamp we decided to install a closet air conditioner ala the Casita. They are inexpensive (less than $150), draw relatively little power (less than 5 amps) and are not subject to leaks. We'll be gone from Nov to October this year and figure there will be some time we'll be glad we have it.

I agree that appropriate windows and a fan usually are enough. In general I think roof ac units are ugly but particualrly on a fiberglass trailer they look out of proportion.

As well I think AC units are more valuable to the casual RVers who may tend to camp during the summer and live in a warm climate. For us we usually manage to avoid weather extremes, defintiely the cold but usually the blazing hot.

Interestingly it appears that both the Parkliner and Snoozy seemed to have opted for traditional home air conditioners.

Stay cool and safe.

[honda03842]

I mounted my Air conditioner in the bottom of the closet. I cut two rectangular holes thru the plywood floor.

The rear hole is for the AC's exhaust. I mounted two 12 volt muffin fans over this hole to blast the hot air out.

The front hole is the intake for the AC. It is seperated from the exhaust section by foam between the AC and the walls of the closet.

(When you look at a window mounted ac unit air comes in the side vents and exhausts out the rear.) These two sections of the AC need to be isolated from each other.)

I also built a duct that heads towards the middle of the trailer so the input draws in cool air.

The only remaining issue is water. AC's contain a drip tray along the bottom. Ours had a drain hole in the back. We installed a drain tube in this hole using Lexel caulk. and drain the unit thru the floor.

You can see more if you go to Preparing a 1991 Scamp 16 in the modifications thread.

Many people have used the closet approach on this site. Some of their approaches are very clever.

Hope this helps

[DavidSo]

If an AC is to be fitted I much prefer the inside schemes. You don't have that weight flexing and working the roof, the trailer ends up with a lower center of gravity, and maintenance is more readily performed. I'm guessing that you get more for your money with the little inside units because they are not RV specific.

Everybody's idea of what is needed is equally vaild I would say. Heck there are people who would say none of us even need trailers at all. My personal philosophy is that anything I don't absolutely need is a burden. My Scamp is pretty spartan as a result.

David

[floyd]

Originally Posted by DavidSo

If an AC is to be fitted I much prefer the inside schemes. You don't have that weight flexing and working the roof, the trailer ends up with a lower center of gravity, and maintenance is more readily performed. I'm guessing that you get more for your money with the little inside units because they are not RV specific.

Everybody's idea of what is needed is equally vaild I would say. Heck there are people who would say none of us even need trailers at all. My personal philosophy is that anything I don't absolutely need is a burden. My Scamp is pretty spartan as a result.

David

I see no evidence of flex on mine after eight summers and I usually drop the trailer before entering a roadrace course with my tow vehicle.
Although cabinet space is at a premium in a small fiberglass trailer, I do agree that the small A/C units can be a great value! and with a little thought can be installed in a convenient and reliable way.
I prefer to avoid mounting the A/C close to the floor,where possible, since cold air drops and you get cold feet and a hot head. An open roof vent helps.
It must be said though, that many trailers come that way from the factory.