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Operation Swamp Cooler Story & Photos by Calef Letorney Swamp coolers evaporate water, cooling the air much like air conditioning. I was 19 when I first learned of swamp coolers. My late introduction is due to the fact that I grew up in the relatively humid climate of Vermont and swamp coolers function best in dry climates. Right away I was intrigued by the low energy consumption and relative simplicity of the swamp cooler: All you need is air flowing through a damp cloth. This simplicity saved the day during a heat wave last July on a road trip from Vermont to Utah, when I decided to fashion a swamp cooler of sorts; evaporative cooling made all the difference and so I am sharing my discovery to cool fellow A/C-less Rover owners in hot dry places everywhere. My buddy Buck and I had just crossed the Colorado Rockies headed towards Salt Lake City on I-70. Like many Rovers, mine lacks A/C and so I prefer to relax in the shade of a swimming hole by day and drive at night, but chances had us stopping to see a friend in Moab in the oppressive mid day heat. On this particularly cloudless day, my TDI Defender resembled a convection oven and I desired A/C oh so badly. Seeing as proper A/C was out of the question, Buck and I got to thinking of using evaporative cooling to slow our melting. After all, we had plenty of fast moving dry air and gallons of water to evaporate. In essence we wanted to create a swamp cooler inside my Rover. Upon conceiving the idea of a swamp-cooled Rover, I immediately imagined a tank of water above the windscreen with a drip feed down to a wicking material behind my dash vents. In fact, Buck is a mechanical engineering student (which I understand is bit of a rarity for someone named “Buck”) and so we kicked the design idea around a bit. Granted, this design could create a bit of a wet mess in the dash area, but it couldn’t be any worse than the healthy amount of water ingression through my dash vents in a hard rain. The idea seemed promising so we even called a few Rover gurus to share the genius and the idea was well received. In the end we concluded that the project had promise but it wasn’t going to keep us from expiring in the near future. It was time for immediate action. Buck held the wheel (I-70 is mind-numbingly straight and deserted at this point) while I took my shirt off. Buck then emptied his water bottle onto my shirt and stuffed it into the mesh behind my open dash vent then repeated with his shirt in the passenger vent. We closed all the windows so the only air coming in was through our cooler and waited patiently… for maybe ten minutes. While the idea had promise it was ultimately considered a failure due to the seemingly slow or non-existent cooling effect. Unwillingness to wait was fostered not only by the increased heat from closing windows but also the uncomfortable sticky sensation of hot vinyl seats our bare backs. We proceeded to try several variations of opening and closing door windows, sunroof and side windows, all to no avail. And so the experiment was canned and Buck held the wheel again while I put my shirt back on. While ultimately a failure, the experiment was encouraging because I enjoyed a few cool minutes as the last of the water evaporated from my shirts and we learned much. It seemed airflow was all-important; when the windows were closed the cabin really turned into a sauna. It seemed the dash vents failed due to lack of airflow and so a new plan was hatched: we would 36
suspend wet T-shirts in the open windows. After exploring several different means of T-shit suspension this concept was also abandoned as nothing we could make while driving proved sturdy enough to hold a T-shirt in the 80MPH wind. Frustrated and incredibly sweaty I looked back at Buck’s dog Treker panting his tongue off behind us. All of a sudden I got the urge to pour some water on his fur. Then it hit me! I dumped my water bottle all over my head and the swamp cooler turned on immediately. For the first time all day I was experiencing a comfortable operating climate, a bit clammy but nice and cool. Buck and Treker promptly followed suite and both communicated approval. After protecting our intellectual property by beginning the patent process, we came up with the catchy name The Swamp Cooler Shirtâ and began discussing variants. We found that a turban-style application of The Swamp Cooler Shirtâ was great for reducing the typical drivers arm tan line. Disclaimer: When using The Turban Cooler Shirtâ it is important to apply copious amounts of sunscreen. Do not use for more than 15 minutes at a time. Keep The Turban Cooler Shirtâ high on head to ensure adequate vision. Misuse can lead to burns, serious bodily injury or even death. Must be 16 years or older with a valid drivers license, registration, insurance and waterproof seats to operate. After our great discovery, we proceeded to Salt Lake City in comfort. Buck, Treker and I went our separate ways. A week later with I met up with a few friends and we drove south to the Grand Canyon where we did a self supported 16 day raft trip down the Colorado River. I was in a kayak and had the ability to dunk my head in the cold water whenever the 110+ degree heat go to me, but I noticed many of the rafters wore what looked like a bandana around their necks. Upon inquiring I learned that the bandanas had a built in sponge for evaporative cooling. The whole practice looked a great deal like my patented Swamp Cooler Shirtâ. Then I remembered that I had seen the same trick done with wet canvas over a metal canteen. It seems we had reinvented a cooling method likely used for thousands years. The real question is, why had did I endured countless miserably hot hours behind the wheel when I had all the tools necessary to cool myself? The answer is simple: We are modern men driving semi-modern automobiles. Our adaptation to the convenience of A/C has made us forget the simple ways of doing things. And so I suggest that if you find yourself Rovering in the dry heat, try a little evaporative cooling! Happy Travels, _______ ________ 37
Page 2 and 3: OFF-ROAD / 12 MECHANICAL / 38 EXTER
Page 4 and 5: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Rovers N
Page 6 and 7: EXTERIOR / ROOF RACKS A RNA1196 A R
Page 8 and 9: OFF-ROAD EXTERIOR A / / TAILGATE PR
Page 10 and 11: Stayin’ Cool: Making the Most of
Page 12 and 13: OFF-ROAD / TRACTION MATS, FUEL CANS
Page 14 and 15: OFF-ROAD / RECOVERY A B C D E F G H
Page 16 and 17: OFF-ROAD / PROTECTION A RNA7402 B R
Page 18 and 19: Born Free Redux Story & Photos by L
Page 20 and 21: We’re stuck again, buried up to t
Page 22 and 23: inside each large box. For extra st
Page 24 and 25: ELECTRICAL / HELLA, BATTERY DISCONN
Page 26 and 27: YOU BELONG TO ME Sotry & potos by E
Page 28 and 29: SUSPENSION / PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION
Page 30 and 31: SUSPENSION / COMPETITION ACCESSORIE
Page 32 and 33: SUSPENSION / COIL CONVERSION KITS A
Page 34 and 35: Memories of Winter Past Story & pho
Page 38 and 39: MECHANICAL / BRAKE DRUMS, SHOES, RO
Page 40 and 41: MECHANICAL / CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER
Page 42 and 43: MECHANICAL / CV JOINTS, OIL FILTERS
Page 44 and 45: MECHANICAL / EXHAUST SYSTEMS NRP PE
Page 46: Land Rover Corporate Info LAND ROVE
Page 49 and 50: attle through a rigorous national a
Page 51 and 52: • Nuts! Nothing is more frustrati
Page 53 and 54: does look and sound quite used up.
Page 55 and 56: V8 ENGINE / SENSORS, IGNITION, HEAD
Page 57 and 58: V8 ENGINE LOWER END / 3.5, 3.9, 4.2
Page 59 and 60: V8 ENGINE TOP END / 3.5, 3.9, 4.2,
Page 61 and 62: DISC BRAKE KITS / SERIES II, IIA, I
Page 63 and 64: stretch to call the embroidering a

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