Cheat Summer Heat w/ These 7 Simple Life Hacks
Summer is underway, and we all know what that means! It means you’ve gotta find creative new ways to cheat summer heat while you’re camping, or one of two things is bound to happen; you’ll either wind up burning out the A/C in your RV, or you’ll figure out mighty quickly that if it’s hot enough, you can fry an egg on your head. Since we don’t advise you do either one of those things, here are some brilliant hacks for keeping cool through those scorching summer days.
1. Get Yourself A Bandanna!
Your local dollar store has ’em, so grab a couple to bring everywhere you go. Before heading out in the sun, soak one in cool water, wring it out so it’s not dripping everywhere, fold it once from corner to corner and tie the ends loosely around your neck, allowing it to hang towards your back. Or, make a babushka by laying it across the top of your head and tying the ends beneath your hair behind your neck. When it’s no longer doing its job, simply re-wet it with water wherever you happen to be, whether from a stream or a well spigot. If the water is warm, just wave the bandanna around in the air a couple times to cool it down before putting it back on. Keep a second, dry bandanna in your pocket for wiping away sweat.
2. Carry A Canteen
Just about every sporting goods store sells them. Make sure you get the insulated kind so your water stays cool, preferably also with a large enough opening for tossing in a few ice cubes. It’s also a plus if it comes with a long enough strap to sling over your shoulder.
3. Go Old School And Make Yourself A Fan
Remember when you were a kid and something as simple and plain as a piece of paper held endless possibilities? Let the kid in you come out to play for a couple minutes and make yourself a paper fan. Don’t remember how? It’s easy. Works best with thicker paper, but two sheets of notebook paper layered together works just fine. Lay the paper out in front of you with one of the short ends facing you. Fold the very edge of the paper over inward by no more than a half-inch. Turn it over and fold the same end inward so it begins to look like an accordion. When you’ve folded all the way to the other edge of the paper, pinch one end and put a piece of tape all the way around the bottom. Then, gently expand your creation to reveal what will look like one of those fancy Oriental fans, and you’ll be ready to refresh yourself with just the flick of your wrist. Extra points if you decorate the paper before making the fan!
4. Go Jump In A Lake
Well, perhaps not literally. That truly depends on where you are and if it would be a safe thing to do. If you’re in a place where swimming is allowed, by all means, make sure your cell phone and wallet are out of your pockets and dive right in. You might not be too keen on jumping in with all your clothes on, so if you’d prefer to stick strictly to the swimsuit, go ahead and strip down first. However, if you’re doing things like hiking or anything else where you’re consistently exposed to the heated elements, hopping in the water with all your clothes on can potentially provide some extended relief from overheating. Wet clothes plus summer breeze equals feelin’ fine.
5. Do Not Fear The Popsicle
If you’re in an RV, you have a freezer capable of housing all sorts of frozen treats. In a tent camping situation, your luxury of refrigeration lasts only as long as the ice holds up in your cooler. Whatever the case, before leaving your site, pack an insulated lunch bag with a bunch of popsicles and a reusable ice pack. They make for a tasty treat that’ll help cheat summer heat when you need a break from walking, and they’ll help keep you hydrated. If you’re a stickler for balanced electrolytes, you can make your own popsicles by freezing your favorite flavor of Gatorade in an ice cube tray. Just pop some toothpicks into each section before you freeze them so you’ve got ‘sticks’ to hold your homemade popsicles.
6. Avoid Direct Sunlight
This sounds like a ‘duh’ statement in terms of trying to stay cool while you’re outside, but there’s more than one way to do it. A shady spot under a tree can actually be a full ten degrees cooler than standing in direct sunlight. Trees aren’t the only providers of shade, though. Unless the sun is directly overhead, you can find shade on the far side of a boulder or a cabin. And if you really wanna do it right, carry a parasol that’s designed to keep you out of the sun the way an umbrella would keep you out of the rain. Be careful not to confuse the two, however; umbrellas, especially dark-colored ones, can wind up actually absorbing and trapping heat.
7. Wear Light Colored Clothing
Speaking of things that are dark in color which absorb and trap heat, your clothing is no exception to the rule. Your teen might be going through that whole ’emo’ phase, wearing nothing but black everywhere she goes, but if she’s with you on a family hike, let her know that wearing black on a 97-degree day out in the sun will give her an entirely new reason to be emotional because she’ll not only be sad that she’s so hot, but she’ll be sorry she didn’t listen and anxious to find some relief. How’s that for being emo!
Staying comfortable when the weather heats up isn’t the easiest thing to do, but all of these useful ways to cheat summer heat can make the task of doing so not nearly as daunting. Now go jump in a lake!
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