Given my priorities it is extremely unlikely I will ever have a fan in Q. Tilt out windows front and rear are excellent for cross-breeze, but they also seem to attract mosquitos like magnets.
Speaking of magnets, I decided I needed some magnetic screens. The commercially available ones seem like they could work, but are ugly, oversized, and go outside the vehicle. Hardly stealthy, and virtually screams for someone to come investigate if not let themselves in.
Last year I took a few minutes, some rubberized anti-pet screen, 1" black duct tape, rare earth magnets, and made myself a set for the front windows. I cut the screens to fit inside the doors, and get pinched in the weather strips when the doors closed.
Initially this was brilliant! A squirrel would be challeneged to break in, the look was very subtle and sleek, and it worked perfectly. I was prepared to live out of the van for a month of summer heat!
Daily use showed me what a limited idea this was. The tape was an awful matieral. It didn't fold, flex, or have any tolerance when it came to positioning the screen and getting a good deal. Anyone could walk up and unlock the van by lifting the locking knob, or just punching out the screen. Not to mention nightly rain and dew in the van.
Before long the screens were trashed. Magnets had managed to punch through the tape, and where the screens were folded for storage the edges were kinked to the point where I wasn't getting a good fit anymore because it would bridge convex curves. The stiff tape bridging also prevented a good seal on the barn doors.
Here's the right way to build yourself a bomber set of screens. If you think there is an obvious shortcut I'd bet you I tried it and it wasn't as good as the following procedure. This was a headache to make idiot-proof.
Go on Amazon and buy pet-proof screen (2 rolls will do all 6 windows, black silicone (3 tubes will do all 6), and 100-200 strong metallic magnets. You'll also need wax paper, a good set of scissors, and razor blades. A well lit and ventilated large working surface above waist height is ideal for constructing these screens.
Pick the door you'll see up close the least and start there (not the front barn door). Using a liberal number of magnets, get the screen material perfectly and securely fixed to the door. Try to use a corner to reduce waste. Use a fresh razor to rough out, then finalize the screen's shape. Use the grid pattern to help make move straight lines (hint, make sure the grid is square from the start for easy cuts). Use the scissors to clean up any odd spots. The screen should follow the outside edge of the flat surface surrounding each window. Make sure the corners clear lock mechanisms.
Prep your work area with wax paper and lay out the first screen. Make certain that the side facing into the van is upward on the table. Determine the minimum size of a square piece of screen material needed to nicely sit over a single magnet and drape back to the main screen. (The magnet should have plenty of room to move around.) Repeat for a 2 magnet stack. Create good templates, then made produce these square from the scrap material left over from your roll. Set the templates aside in case you need more later.
Magnets will be affixed as follows: place the magnet(s) in the desired location, choose the correct sized square. Run a medium sized bead of black silicone on square follow around the outside edge. Center the square over the magnet and place it down gently, making sure that the magnet is free, and not glued in place. Gently pat the silicone down so that it "were out" both layers of screen and soaks through to the wax paper. Do not press too hard and squish the silicone bead out of place- the idea is just to envelope the mesh with silicone. Smooth out the surface as needed to keep your work looking neat, and clean your fingers off with an old towel (not a paper product!). Check back and make sure that the silicone is still wetting out both layers once it is nearly cured. You'll have to play with your technique a bit to get consistently good results.
Put a double stack in each corner, and the middle of each side. I put 2 single magnets between each double stack, but these could all be done in double stacks, or single larger diameter magnets.
Once cured check your work. Make sure that there isn't mesh showing were you laid the silicone bead, and that the pouches you've now formed to hold the magnets are secure. Adjust as needed, and the other screens will be much easier and faster to produce.
Once these are dry you'll find they are perfect. The magnets can self adjust, the edges conform perfectly, and the silicone allows for durability and easy storage.
Enjoy!
