Driving with camper windows open?

My travels: vents open, yes, window no.

ADA6969 wrote:
I DRIVE WITH THE PASS THREW OPEN AND ROOF VENT OPEN ABOUT 1/2" IT SEEMS TO WORK???

That works for me also but when I just had the pass thru open the slide pushed out three inches from pressure. Happened twice till I wised up. I don't hook the restraints after forgetting to undo them and breaking the rubber strap. No problem as long as I don't close up tight and open pass thru.

I close and lock everything when driving
works great :)

People's experiences are almost always different. I have run with vents under MAXXAIR covers open and closed. I have had cross winds try to suck the driver's door open with the window rolled up and the TC loaded.

Leaving Denver, my son did not latch the escape hatch on the left side of my TC overhead. The wind sucked the window open with the latch lever banging around and the screen totally disappeared.

Wind velocity and direction variables can cause different reactions.

Roll the dice, take your chances. Life is short, don't let little things suck........

Has anyone tried using their vent fans to pressurize the interior. If so, does that work to keep the dust out?

I didn't have an automobile with Airconditioning until around 1990. We manually rolled down the windows

We installed central Airconditioning in our house in 1991 (we had a 48" attic fan and a window airconditionaire before that... with open windows)

I didn't have a truck with airconditioning until November 2002,

Our 1970 Chev 21034 came with two window cranks and big vent doors near the floor.

We had a truck camper with no airconditioning from 1970 until 2003. From 1970 until the mid 1990's Janet and the kids traveled in the TC... we had a battery powered intercom and they operated the windows and escape hatch.

You can bet the the windows were open and the hatch was cracked open ... it was hot outside... and would've been much hotter in the camper without the moving air.

No one had to ask or rationalize... we were smart enough to let air in and heat out by opening windows and vents.

We knew that moving air is always cooler that "dead" air.

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We keep our 2003 camper cooler:

We leave the wheel well door under the fridge open. I installed a 24" x 24" furnace filter over the opening in the wheelwell side (stops mosquitos and dirt) Rain can't get in through the wheelwell either.

And... we have a model 6150 Fantastic Fan in the camper bathroom that opens and closes automatically... rain or temperature sensors control it.

Our little system takes care of itself... on the highway, in camp, or at home.... and has for 10 years.

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By all means... open the windows... it has always worked, even on stage coaches.

Sleepy :R

I can say from recent experience on a pop up style - DON'T. It litterally blew the top off of my palomino bronco. Amazingly the AC unit still works. Now spending $1000 to get a new top built. Created an uplift. Amazingly even more, it didn't hit anyone on the interstate and no damage or injury other than a new roof. May be a blessing in disguise. discovered some hidden leakage that I am now fixing before the new roof is put on

Nobody has mentioned that we have a huge opening over the stove already that vents air while driving (unless yours has a lock on it). Add to that the bottom access door on my TC that usually pops opens and we are not as well sealed as we would think.

We have the old style glass louvred windows. They certainly aren't very air tight.

We often run with these slightly open. Usually the ones above the cab.

Our rear door is really badly sealed also, so there is no concern about pressure build-up - attempting any sort of air leak test by pressurising our camper would be futile unless pressurising it using a jet engine!

However, driving along the slightly open cabover windows must cause a slight pressure increase and a flow through the camper. I've mentioned this before, but driving through miles of that fine dust you get in parts of the Sahara we were amazed to find no dust penetration at all. In Namibia we had a vehicle that sealed almost air tight, and dust still got on every surface, but in the Sahara - nothing. Must be the positive ventilation effect (only clean dust-free air enters the over-cab windows, and the pressure of that prevents the dusty air behind the camper being sucked in through the leaky rear door and windows).

Note though - If I had those modern plastic Windows I would be very concerned about leaving them even slightly open for fear of being torn out.

Steve.

One dog generally rides in the camper, so the front window and covered vent are left open. The front window below the overhang is well protected from bugs and rain. Dusty roads will cause a shift in that policy, though.