Best ways to keep RV cool inside in desert climate

I found that using an infra red thermometer enabled me to find pockets of heat that grew and spread over the course of the day. Using small (12x12) box fans move that air. As I have basement a.c. I also put one on the floor about three feet in front of my air return. With the thermometer I saw that air was still plenty cool. The most important discovery was the sky lights. Especially in the shower. I cut reflectix in the shape of the skylight and attached it with heavy duty Velcro in key locations so I can remove it at shower times.

It is always easier to maintain a cool space then it is to create one. I have been in triple digits many time with MotorHome club and invited people inside who were struggling and they told me that inside my rig was "cold enough to hang beef".

Very helpful! Thank you very much...

Driving in the full sun will cause ours to stay, at best, about 15 degrees below ambient during the day with both house and engine air going full blast. Much better at night when the sun is not causing the heat. When it's hot outside, it's hot inside. Keep the inside as cold as you can all night and it will make the next days travels much better.

Interesting ideas, BUT why are we seeing more DARK COLORED RV units today? Years back they were mostly white with colored graphics. You would think that the majority of RV use is in the summer months, so why are we seeing these dark colors. They are heat sinks. They look sharp, but are not practical. Even if you head to the sun belt in the winter, It still is hot most of the time.
Just my thoughts.

The "operative" word in the OP's question was "traveling" which I interpreted as moving. If that's the case then the first thing to do is have your A/C checked to ensure it's operating up to its' full capacity. Ours works well no matter the weather outside. If yours does not and it's fully operational, then run your generator and fire up the front A/C unit. As stated, a simple solution is to run a spring loaded curtain rod just behind the driver's seat and hang a sheet over it thereby lessening the area that needs to be cooled......Dennis

Anything that keeps the sun off the RV will help -- my neighbor has a super-sized tarp that he suspends over his entire rig. He sets it up and then drives his rig under it.

Do the same as stated, Reflectix between the window glass and the blinds. When actually moving down the road and not wanting to run the generator you can add a curtin between the driver/passenger seats and the rest of the coach. Dash A/C sometimes can't keep up with the heat load.

As far as the roof units, no idea other than finding shade when parked.

We use all of our window awnings. Have the foil covered bubble wrap on our windshield and front windows and then I have a portable AC/heat pump that I use when needed to augment the roof top units in Summer and Winter.

We often stay in 80 to 100 degree heat.

All of our windows are tinted and have awnings. We deploy the awnings and patio awning. All blinds are turned so no direct sun light gets into the RV.

Our guests (& kids) are told there will be no going in and out...you either stay inside or stay outside the RV.

We use our ceiling fan to help circulate the air.

The air conditioner is on 24 hours a day, this helps keep everything inside cold and we cover up with jackets or blankets if we get too cold. The RV stays at a comfortable level throughout the day. If needed, we use portable fans to push the cool air into any warm spots where we will be. For example, one warm spot is at our dining table near the slideout wall.

we use the reflective foil on the inside of the windshield. I'd rather have the heat relecting cover on the outside of the windshield but we may be trading in shortly and don't want to spend the bucks for that. also park facing east or north to reduce the amount of sun hitting the windshield.