Does the Trunk Get Hotter Than the Car

photog7320 • Senior Member • Posts: 2,423

Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

Aug 4, 2010

Any thoughts on keeping a notebook computer (13" MacBook Pro) at a safe storage temperature while stored in the trunk of a car in the desert?

I have a trip coming up where this will be an issue on the day I leave the hotel because I want to take some short hikes in Joshua Tree NP nearby. I can handle > 100F heat pretty well with sufficient water and sunscreen, but I'm not sure my notebook can handle the trunk of a car, even with the sunroof and windows cracked.

An ice chest comes to mind but I don't want to necessarily freeze the thing either. (Though Apple's storage range is -13 to 113F, so freezing should technically be OK.) I'm wondering what mix of ice/cool water would keep it cool for hours but not drop below freezing.

Incidentally, this came up on a recent trip to Zion. The computer stayed in the back of my friend's truck and that evening I pulled it out and thought that it must have gotten pretty hot to still have that much heat in the aluminum casing. It's OK, but it scared me. The temperature that day hit 101F which I didn't really expect. I'm scared to think of what the truck bed hit with the lid shut.

daMatrix • Contributing Member • Posts: 880

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

There is two items to take care of; The heat and condensation.
Without knowledge of this specific situation I suggest;
Wrapp the notebook in plasticbag. But the notebook in coolerbox with coolpacks.

Another point I missed in your question; Why has the notebook be in the trunk while you are hiking? Most simple would be leave the thing at hotel/pension. If the place has no safety service put it in a armored caes with lock to inmovable object.

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

In reply to daMatrix • Aug 4, 2010

.

That is a tough situation for sure, maybe a google search will come up with an idea.

I had a Bic lighter explode in my parked pickup at around 100F outside.
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OP photog7320 • Senior Member • Posts: 2,423

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

In reply to daMatrix • Aug 4, 2010

daMatrix wrote:

Another point I missed in your question; Why has the notebook be in the trunk while you are hiking? Most simple would be leave the thing at hotel/pension. If the place has no safety service put it in a armored caes with lock to inmovable object.

Because I want to hike a bit on the day I check out before coming home.

Cedarhill • Veteran Member • Posts: 4,672

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

You can buy car coolers that use solid state cooling devices rather than ice or a compressor to keep things cool. They don't work as well as a refrigerator but will probably do the job. Here is a link to show you what I am talking about. I know nothing of this seller and don't know whether they are a good place to buy. I just picked the link at random to illustrate the devices.

They will run your battery down over time.

http://www.compactappliance.com/12-Volt-Travel-Coolers/Outdoor_Living-Travel_Coolers,default,sc.html

John W Hall • Contributing Member • Posts: 549

Insulation inside trunk lid?

several years ago I had a Honda Civiic "Del Sol". This has an aluminium roof panel that can be removed and stowed on a hinged frame inside the trunk. It is spaced a few inches below the trunk lid.

On several occasions in the Four Corners area during very hot conditions, I noticed that when I accessed items in the trunk (open trunk lid, then raise hinged frame holding roof panel), the inside of the trunk area was much cooler than when the roof panel was in place as part of the roof.

It seemed that the 'double-walled' trunk lid was insulating the trunk from the worst of the heat caused by the sun shining on the trunk lid.

From which I assume that if the inside of the trunk lid of a normal sedan was covered with e.g. a stick-on or sprayed-on insulating foam, the trunk would be significantly cooler than otherwise.

DjD_a700 • Contributing Member • Posts: 779

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

I would think packing it like it came from the factory in it's original box would be your best first step. From there if you wanted further heat protection I would place it in something insulated with foam but would not get carried away with ice or cool packs as they create moisture.

Parking someplace with shade will also reduce the inside trunk heat but may not be an easy solution.

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Dennis

acsmith • Senior Member • Posts: 1,850

Don't Worry

The trunk of a car will be significantly cooler than the passenger compartment. It's the windows in the passenger compartment that cause the dangerously high heats. Even with a hatchback like my car will be cooler in the trunk than the passenger compartment as long as the removeable panel is in place. Any additional insulation you provide such as a carrying case will provide an additional margin.

I have spent the last fifteen years supporting appprox. 300 notebook computers and we have never had any heat damage from storage as long as the computer was out of direct sunlight. Geographic location include all the Gulf coast states as well as some less pleasant locations. I taught carrying the computer in the trunk in my users class.

A. C.

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Just put it in a clean, dry cooler.

I went through the same concerns while on a ~400 mile road trip temple/palace tour in India. Things I was worried about went into a clean, dry cooler in the trunk, and they stayed cool. Temp was 112°F in the shade. No need for ice packs etc.

jb_va2001 • Veteran Member • Posts: 7,741

I use an ice chest, no ice. It protects from high temps. /nt

Daniel Lee Taylor wrote:

Any thoughts on keeping a notebook computer (13" MacBook Pro) at a safe storage temperature while stored in the trunk of a car in the desert?

I have a trip coming up where this will be an issue on the day I leave the hotel because I want to take some short hikes in Joshua Tree NP nearby. I can handle > 100F heat pretty well with sufficient water and sunscreen, but I'm not sure my notebook can handle the trunk of a car, even with the sunroof and windows cracked.

An ice chest comes to mind but I don't want to necessarily freeze the thing either. (Though Apple's storage range is -13 to 113F, so freezing should technically be OK.) I'm wondering what mix of ice/cool water would keep it cool for hours but not drop below freezing.

Incidentally, this came up on a recent trip to Zion. The computer stayed in the back of my friend's truck and that evening I pulled it out and thought that it must have gotten pretty hot to still have that much heat in the aluminum casing. It's OK, but it scared me. The temperature that day hit 101F which I didn't really expect. I'm scared to think of what the truck bed hit with the lid shut.

ABA DABA • Veteran Member • Posts: 3,088

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

Get an insulated Pizza bag, it keeps the heat in or out. Pre cool the inside(open) the nite before, Cool not cold.
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ABA DABA

ScottRay • Forum Member • Posts: 60

Re: Not an issue

In reply to ABA DABA • Aug 4, 2010

I live in the Phoenix area and regularly leave my laptop in the trunk during business calls. Be sure to turn the laptop completely off (don't leave it in sleep or hibernate modes). Before using it again, let the laptop cool down to roughly room temperature. Then, turn it on.

BTW, I'm an electronics engineer. Max operating temperature for most commercial electronic components is a minimum of 70 deg C. Storage temperature (not powered) is considerable higher. Think of it this way: if you buy a computer from Best Buy in a southern state, it's been sitting in a truck baking for days while in transit. Then, it's offloaded into the store. You take it home and it works fine.
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Regards,
Scott

Jim N'AZ • Veteran Member • Posts: 7,575

I think the pizza bag is a great solution! However, I

didn't get the memo re: pizza bags soon enough... So, I had already invested the princely sum of $5.00 in my insulated carrier pictured below.

This shows a 15.5" screen laptop inside and it pushes down to fit perfectly flat.

I use it more for camera gear as it accepts my camera bag perfectly. There are compartments that accept ice packets (frozen plastic containers) if needed. The cart that comes with it will hold up to 80lbs. and the bottom can be extended as well. A great deal for just 5 dollars! Well, actually, I found this in a 2nd hand store... I checked the website of the maker and I think this model sold for 60-70 dollars!

Just an excuse for me to shoot a few pics INSIDE today as it is 110F outside and will hit 115 later this week! See why I use an insulated bag?
Again, I think the pizza bag is perfect for your usage tho.
Regards, Jim
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Re: I think the pizza bag is a great solution! However, I

In reply to Jim N'AZ • Aug 4, 2010

According to Apple, the specs for the Macbook pro state that the storage temperature must be in the range: -13° to 113° F

This is from http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

Bill Force • Veteran Member • Posts: 6,607

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

If it were me I would wrap the laptop in a woolen blanket and put it inside a cheap stryrofoam chest and it will be as cool as the "other side of the pillow" when you remove it. The blanket breathes so no condensation. Incidently, I grew up in the Calif, desert and normal precautions are all that is needed.
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Simon97 • Veteran Member • Posts: 3,287

Do nothing

The components can run hotter during normal operation than when off in the trunk. That's why most notebooks have fans. As long as the computer is not operating in the hot environment it will be fine.

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OP photog7320 • Senior Member • Posts: 2,423

Thanks everyone

I think I will try an ice chest with no ice just to keep some of the excess heat out.

There were several suggestions to do nothing, but I'm not entirely comfortable with that. I realize certain components can operate at very high temperatures. I've seen my CPU hit > 170F under heavy load. (And yes, that's actually OK for this particular model and CPU.) But I'm not convinced it's a good idea for the entire notebook to bake at up to 140F (max trunk temperature I found in a Google search) for an entire day, even if some people are getting away with it.

Roger99 • Forum Pro • Posts: 11,572

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

Since you use deg. F I assume your in the U.S. so may not know what an Esky is so...Beer cooler. Beer cooler with a couple of saline freezer blocks in it but remember to put the laptop in a ziplock bag (and let it warm up a bit before you open it) first as laptops don't always like condensation. That set-up will give you about 12-24 hours of enviable comfort if un-opened.

If you don't have a commercial freezer block, a couple of spring water bottles 90% full of salty water (so they don't burst and leak in the freezer before the trip).

I used to just find a store near where I was staying/camping with a freezer and beg them to let me put them in overnight to re-freeze. Ya can go for months.

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PaulRivers • Veteran Member • Posts: 7,420

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

The one thing I would NOT do is use ice or any sort of powered cooling. Like other people have said, computers generate heat and are designed with high temperatures in mind - the cpu, memory, etc get really hot while operating and the computer is designed for handling that. If you use ice or water, you risk damaging your computer from condensation (electronics aren't fond of water) or something - on other words, doing more harm than good in your attempts to protect your computer.

The only thing I would say, like other people say, is to let it cool off before actually turning it on or using it. Even that's probably not a big deal as modern laptops have throttling where if things start to get to hot, the computer will slow down the processor, graphics card, etc and it won't let things get above safe operating temperature (which is like 175 degrees or something like your said), but can't hurt.

The only part inside the computer that's hurt by the lower amount of heat your body can withstand, that I know of, is the battery. Lith-ion batteries (and most batteries) wear out faster when they're used in heat, or sit out in heat. That's probably the reason for the apple's heat range rating - if you store a battery 115f for months at a time, it ages and loses capacity faster than if stored at 70 degrees.

pixelless • Contributing Member • Posts: 612

Re: Keeping a notebook computer cool in trunk in >100F weather

I don´t think you need any "special" attention. I´m from Brazil and we have a lot of days during the year that temperature goes beyond 100ºF - A few days a year it will go above 110ºF. I leave my notebook in the trunk all the time and never had a problem.

If you are still concerned why not stop by a train station or airport and leave it at a locker... or just ask the Hotel to keep it for you. Even if you had already checked out I´m sure they could keep it for a day.

Does the Trunk Get Hotter Than the Car

Source: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/2846066#:~:text=The%20trunk%20of%20a%20car%20will%20be%20significantly%20cooler%20than,cause%20the%20dangerously%20high%20heats.

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