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Heat In The Cargo Box?

S

Sumtoc

GUEST
Getting very close to closing on a 2003 Z71, less than a week or two. I have been cruising the forums here and that has been very helpful. However, I currently keep my rifle match shooting gear in the back of my '99 Tahoe. This includes a fairly expensive Kowa spotting scope which is a little sensitive to heat. I live in SE Alabama, so the summer is pretty hot. Leaving the scope in the Tahoe has been sorta borderline safe.

Does anyone have any impressions of the heat level in the AV box (with the 3 pc cover), relative to the heat in an SUV like the Tahoe? The AV covers are somewhat insulated, but I don't know if they are really effective that way.

Any input/impressions would be appreciated
 
My observation (in Florida :cool:) without actually measuring is that is stays cooler in the back than it does in the cab similar to the difference in a car vs. its trunk. This is probably because of the windows if I had to guess. May not be a good comparison, but I have kept aerosol cans of cleaning stuff in the side compartments without any issues yet.

Rich
 
I don't know how much a difference the drain holes make, but without windows I'd bet it is fairly cool compared to the inside of the AV.
 
This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but recently on a cruise I loaded my driver side cargo area with sodas, ice etc. With an outside temp between 80 and 90, two bags of ice lasted all day long. Days later after the ice was gone the cans inside were still cool. So far I have been impressed with the insulation.
If you want to gauge heat transfer, use something like a warm soda or something else that will expand under heat and leave it in your crago area with your AV parked in Direct Sun light.
You can also buy a really cheap thermometer and just leave it in there over a few days and average the temps.
BTW..My AV is Indigo Blue which is a nice dark color and I have never felt it very hot inside the cargo areas. I also carry cleaning/detailing supplys inside.


Hope that helps.

Later.
CT
 
Since the glass in SUV/Car acts like a greenhouse where the cargo box is shaded - you should have no problem with heat compared to a Tahoe. :B:
 
Hey SUMTOC what rifles cal. do you shoot i shoot competition here in Pa indoor 50ft .22cal outdoor 100 to 1000 yrds. 30cal.
 
Thanks for all the great input. I was hoping this was the case. Went back to the dealer today to begin the search for the right vehicle, right options, etc.

I shoot High Power (across the course and long range). Shoot .223 in CLE spaceguns for XC, shoot a custom prone gun in 6.5X284 for the 1,000 yd matches. Planning to add a Bedslide to my new AV, that should make it a great High Power hauler for me and 1-2 buddies. We travel to a lot of matches here in the Southeast and go to Camp Perry for the Nationals each year.
 
Do I smell a custom, multi-rifle rack for the back of the Av being developed by someone soon? :)
 
Not from me. These guns are tranported in hard cases and out of sight somewhere. More like a luggage thing. Besides, they are not pratical for anything other than competitive target work. They are long and heavy (14-17 lbs)
 
DO you have a max temperature?

I fell the temp is the same as ambient outside the truck
 
No max that I can define, but I know that the back of the Tahoe in the Summer is really hot and it actually caused the sealant in the spotting scope to soften and run. Sent it back to Kowa and got the "new improved" sealant they now use. No problems for 2 yrs now. But they advised me not to leave it in the heat anymore.

Bottom line, if the AV box with the hard cover is cooler than the back of the Tahoe, I should be good to go.
 
That is some impressive rifles you have there what grain bullet do you use in your 6.5x284 and what is the barrel twist if i may ask
 
Your question about how hot the cargo box gets made me curious. I hung a Taylor Minimum/Maximum thermometer in the box from one of the panel handles , and checked it out. I put my truck in my parking lot at work in the normal sunny spot. The ambient air temperature in the shade got up 92. The box temperature got up to 112. The cab reached a toasty 124. So it does stay cooler in the cargo box, but not enough to make much difference to your guns. :cool:
 
Excellent information, thanks for going to the trouble. This confirms earlier posts with actual data. Your temps down there in Miami are very similar to ours here.

BTW, the rifles themselves are not the concern, it is the 80mm Kowa spotting scope. It has the least resistance to heat of all the gear I carry. But according to your figures this should not be a problem in the back of the AV.

Thanks again.
 
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