Australia is a land of extremes when it comes to our weather. In the middle of summer we can have snow falling in Tasmania, whilst somewhere like Birdsville might be sitting at 48`. At the moment many parts of Australia are experiencing heat wave conditions. These extremely high temperatures when you are camping or caravanning can be hard to handle but with a little bit of planning you should be able to survive camping in hot weather.
WATER WATER WATER
Keeping yourself hydrated when it is extremely hot is very important. And sorry everyone that means water not beer! Adults need to drink six to eight glasses of water a day. This amount should increase if you are physically active. Young children and older people can become more quickly dehydrated than adults. Symptoms of mild dehydration can include:
- a dry mouth
- feeling thirsty
- headache
- dizziness
- dark coloured urine
Symptoms of severe dehydration can also include:
- fast heart rate
- irritability, drowsiness or confusion
- little or no urine
- fever
Mild dehydration can be treated by drinking more water. Re-hydration tablets like Hydralite or Gastrolyte can also help. Even sports drinks like Powerade or Gatorade can help replace the minerals that your body looses from excessive sweating.
If you suspect a person is suffering from severe dehydration medical attention should be sort immediately. {SOURCE}
Always carry extra water with you, especially if you are heading out for the day exploring.
INSULATED DRINK BOTTLE
When you are camping or travelling a good quality, large capacity drink bottle is essential. These MontiiCo Stainless Steel drink bottles tick all those boxes.
STAY SHADY
During the hottest part of the day try and remain in a shady spot. Stay under the awning of your
When choosing your camp spot give some consideration to where the sun is going to be in the morning and evening and situate your tent or trailer accordingly. Setting up near trees can provide some extra shade, but also comes with some risk attached. Large trees can drop branches without warning when the weather is very dry.
Take advantage of any awnings you have available and use these to block the sun. Propping a flap open with tent poles is a great way to keep the inside of your trailer shady but still allow air to circulate.
If you know that it is going to be particularly hot try and plan to set up or pack up very early in the morning or later in the afternoon. We always pack up and then go for a nice cool shower or a swim before we jump in the car.
KEEPING COOL OFF GRID
If you are free camping it can be a challenge to stay cool in very hot weather. We absolutely love our Coleman 12 volt fan. As it’s not attached we can move it around the van or even sit it outside to help circulate some air around.
Another great idea is to get a Misting Kit and attach it to your awning. Just like the name suggests, it sprays a very fine mist of water out and it really helps cool the area under your awning.
TRAVELLING WITH PETS
If you are travelling with pets don’t forget that they can overheat too. Make sure you provide plenty of fresh cool water for them throughout the day. Never leave them locked in your car or
It can be much hotter inside a car, even with the windows down, than what the outside temperature is. If you are carrying your dog in the tray of a ute your dog’s feet may burn on the bare metal tray. Some rubber matting for them to stand on should prevent this.
ON THE ROAD
If the temperatures are really extreme, try and avoid travelling at all if possible. If travel is unavoidable try and travel during the cooler parts of the day. Take frequent breaks and make sure everyone has enough cool water to drink. Also keep an eye on your car’s temperature gauge especially if you are towing.
COOLING OFF
Find a river, creek or swimming pool. Even little towns have swimming pools where you can stop for a couple of hours to cool off. Plus, if you do have a dog they love a swim in a creek or river too and it’s a great way for them to keep cool. We usually have a bag with our swimmers in it in the back of the car so as we don’t have to go looking for them if we decide to stop somewhere.
If you are set up somewhere and find the temperatures soaring and you need to cool off, find the local library and head there. You could also head to the local shopping centre, the movies or even McDonalds. Anywhere that has air con will do the trick!
SUN SAFETY
Try and plan your activities for early morning or late afternoon so as you are not out and about during the hottest part of the day. Don’t forget to take extra care with applying sun screen etc in hot weather. You can find more Sun Safety Tips HERE.
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Yes it can get extremely hot this time of year, particularly in the centre of Australia and the northern states. When we camped we always erected a big shady tarp over our tent to create more shade. It is also a good practice to carry extra water with you when you are travelling because water can be scarce in more remote areas. Great tips Mel.
Great tips from you to Kathy…we do have a large tarp but because we have a tropical roof on our camper trailer we’ve never actually used it. I try to take extra water as well. Not only so we don’t run out but because it’s very expensive if you are not near a major centre!