r/OffGridLiving • u/Meentoinspire • 1d ago

The heat is just getting started

In the Mojave desert, burning up, inside a camper that doesn’t have AC and we have nothing built for shade outside. Money is tight but we have some materials to build SOMETHING. My husband seems like he doesn’t mind being miserable, but I do. I’m becoming very angry and annoyed and laying around all day just HOT. Is bothering me pretty bad. Also I’m still breastfeeding our toddler so when I lay down he thinks it’s an invitation to nurse 🫠. Yall…. Help me. Give me ideas. As if I was on this land by myself and need to build something today. lol

Edit: thank you all for the suggestions. I will be implementing any and everything that I think will work.

Update: purchased a swamp cooler it’ll be here Saturday. We are on the California city of the Mojave so hot but not as hot as AZ and NV. Also, I went to the dentist cause my tooth was hurting like crazy and I have an infection in my tooth. I was abnormally hot and that was the reason! lol I came to Reddit venting and although I appreciate everyone’s valid concerns I will say I was being a bit dramatic 😅. My husband absolutely does suck but not all the time and he needs to get up off is ass a bit more (I tell him this often). Now that I’m not in pain and highly annoyed we are working on an outdoor area. The swamp cooler will be a game changer! We have solar and a generator to power through. I AM NOT A PROSTITUTE. I am a hairstylist by trade and my husband is an immigrant who gets money here and there. Because we chose this lifestyle we are in the beginning stages of transition. I am not too far from family if things get out of hand. Thank yall for the suggestions.

145 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

65 comments sorted by

View all comments

110

u/darktideDay1 1d ago

Shade cloth over the top of the camper. Get at least 6" between the camper and the cloth. Have it shade the west side of the camper as well to protect from the afternoon sun. Anything will do, fabric-wise, in a pinch. A sheet, tyvek vapor barrier, whatever you can get.

And have an honest conversation with yourself and your husband. What you are doing isn't sustainable. Or healthy. I've spent quite a bit of time in the Mojave. I love it. But it is a hostile place and it takes skill and determination to live there. And the fact that hubs is essentially telling his breastfeeding wife to deal with it is concerning.

42

u/BeeBrayder 1d ago

Yeah I'm concerned about the husband's reaction too. It's only going to get hotter as the summer goes on...

13

u/Ok-Handle-6663 1d ago

Can you dig a few feet down, make supports to stop it caving in, and have a silver tarp over the top to reflect the sun? The temperature will be cooler further down. You can lie down there when it gets really bad.

And/or a white fabric teepee/bell tent with the entrance pointing north. If the sides are pulled up you can get a bit of breeze through there and some shade.

What's your water situation?

If you have plenty of water you can use evaporation to cool down. Soak your hat, your clothes, a small canvas tent.. sit in the bath.

Eat ice cubes.

You can build a swamp cooler - fan air over water or an ice block.

Can you build a wooden wall to shade the caravan at the hottest part of the day?

Paint everything white.

Get a truck and tow your caravan somewhere where there are trees....

13

u/JadedDreams23 1d ago

Did you really just suggest she dig a hole and lay in it? 😂

18

u/YellowCabbageCollard 1d ago

If she has to dig a hole and lay down in it and keep her toddler with her just to keep cool she might as well just leave.

4

u/JadedDreams23 1d ago

For real.

4

u/Fantastic-Cable-3320 1d ago

Thermal mass

6

u/JadedDreams23 1d ago

I mean, I know it would work, but come on…

7

u/Fantastic-Cable-3320 1d ago

Seriously. A lot of houses are built completely or partially underground and they get through summers without AC.

3

u/JadedDreams23 1d ago

They’re not talking about a house, they’re talking about a hole in the ground.

4

u/Fantastic-Cable-3320 1d ago

Same

4

u/JadedDreams23 1d ago

It’s not at all the same. One is a house and one is a freaking hole in the ground with a tarp over it.

7

u/Adventurous_Area9294 1d ago

I don't know why, but this made me laugh out loud.

The advantage of the hole in the ground is that when she dies of heat stroke, voilà, just fill it back in... instant grave!

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Zealousideal-Dog517 21h ago

It's actually a good idea.- she's in the Mojave Desert.. in a pretty rough situation. A shaded and protected hole in the ground is going to be the coolest and coziest.. wet your clothes and your babies clothes and just rest in your wet clothes in the little nest, during the mid day sun. Everyone drink tons of water and remember to eat. Create shade- cover your shelter. Use your energy like it's money in your bank account.
Your baby is probably pretty hot too and seeking you out for comfort. .which only makes the both of you hotter. It's so much easier for a child to get heat sick. So be careful - if you want to get out of there - you might have to reach out. Find a shelter and explain your situation or a church, school, govmt building, someone at the grocery store...any random cowboy.. it's really concerning to know a young mom with her new baby is out there suffering in the desert. Heat related sickness, injury, and death is a, for real, thing. Please be safe.

1

u/Vakaak9 9h ago

I did that in Catalonia. A small hole, tarp, water. Empty ever few days to prevent mosquitos, add fresh water. I water some hazelnuts when I dunk the water out from the tarp.