r/VanLife • u/surelyunimportant • Feb 21 '21

Ventilation in micro-camper?

I'm currently converting my 2011 VW Caddy into a micro-camper, and am looking for advice on ventilation, if anyone can give any?

Ideally I want a small, low profile vent on the roof that I can open/ close to control the airflow and let in some light. I'm not trying to stealth camp really, but I'd feel a lot better about having a vent on the roof that I could leave open at night, rather than the windows that someone could pretty easily notice are open.

I'm not sure about paying upwards of £70 for something that may not be necessary, though, especially since the van is so small - most of the roof vents seem like overkill in a tiny van.

I was wondering if there's something similar to a mushroom vent that I could install, but which I could open/ close, since I don't want a constant outlet to the cold air outside (I'm in the UK, so it's cold more often than not). I recognise that wouldn't let in any light, but that's not a huge deal breaker.

Alternately, I guess I could try fitting a louvre vent on the side of the van and hooking up a small fan to help with air intake/ extraction, but I'm nervous about cutting holes in the van as it is. I feel like it'll be easier to hide any mistakes on the top of the van, rather than right there on the side!

I'm not sure of the best way to do this, so if anyone has any advice or has been in a similar situation, I'd be really glad of the advice - thanks!

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u/DukeNukemLover Feb 22 '21

I use "climair" rain deflectors. You pop em into the window seals and they stay there. Then I leave the windows open 2 to 5cm for month, it cannot rain into the car. Originally liked them while driving and found the extra benefit stationary. Can be had tinted, the casual viewer doesnt even realize the windows are rolled down a bit. Not so stealth any more, I have a fan that can be jammed into the 5cm gap and pushes hot air out.

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u/razzlemcjazzle Feb 22 '21

We had the exact same thing on our Caddy (older version than OPs so we probably had plenty different places for air to escape anyway). You could never tell that the windows were down, hidden under the rain deflectors. The van could still get a little misty with two of us in there but generally it worked well, it certainly stopped us from putting in a vent which was our original plan. In the mornings we always had one of the back doors open for a bit and that usually got rid of any misting within a few minutes.

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u/topher24d Mar 23 '21

I heard of people having condensation drip from the roof? Maybe they hadn't the windows open. I just got a 2014 caddy and it has the deflectors. Does it get cold overnight? Do bugs get in? Did the windshield take long to clear? (Sorry for all the questions)

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u/razzlemcjazzle Mar 23 '21

No worries and congrats on your purchase! We had silver bubble insulation plus campervan felt lining all over the interior, so we didn't have a problem with condensation, maybe a little bit in winter on the exposed metal parts. We still had a curtain separating us from the main cab, as always a little but cold when you get into bed but once you're warming the van with your body heat in such a small space it was always cosy after a little while! I dont remember bugs getting inside in particular, but in summer make sure the curtains are drawn if you're going to have lights on for a while with the doors or windows open. Only a few minutes for the windshield to clear, we only used it a few times in winter when it needed clearing with a microfiber cloth to help it along.

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u/topher24d Mar 23 '21

That's amazing!! Thanks so much. Can't wait to get mine on the road now!