At the end of the day, when the engine’s shut down and the a/c with it, it can get pretty stuffy inside the SUV with the windows closed as they have to be in mosquito infested areas. There are all kinds of netting devices that can be purchased on Amazon and other venues. But I saw a neat hack on one of the Facebook groups I’m a member of.
The poster bought a couple of those 10″-high sliding screens, and used foam pipe insulation around the edges. I thought it was brilliant and did the same thing when I was in Gettysburg on what was supposed to be my epic adventure. At night I set my small USB fan that runs off the Bluetti power pack in front of one of the screens. It sucks in the air from outside and cools the interior of the vehicle.
The sliding metal parts of the screen are white and the insulation is black.
Makes the setup stand out like a neon sign. While holed up for the weekend at the Susquehanna Auto Service yard waiting for my second alternator to be installed I painted the screens black with some Krylon spray paint I had with me. In the dark they are nearly invisible.
Works great! EXCEPT when it rains. Then you have to take the screens out and close the windows until the rain stops. Now you’re all stuffy again. My solution for that was the use of large, plastic garbage bags. I trap the top of the bag in the top of the door with the screen and let the bag drape down.You need to have weight on the bottom of the bag to keep the wind from blowing it around and letting rain hit the screen.
At first I used whatever was available…my rain boots, small bottles of water, canned goods. But that really wasn’t satisfactory. So, after getting my THIRD alternator of the trip installed in Lake City, FL, I went to Home Depot and purchased four magnets. They’re small; 3/8 in. x 1/2 x 1-7/8 in. They come two to a pack and, of course I bought two packs for a total of about $5.
One goes in the bottom corner of each bag. Rain comes, it only takes a second of two to drop the bag and bam! the magnets grab the side of the door and the wind is NOT going to move them. Doesn’t look sleek but it does the job.
One More Good Adventure 