Shady Side for Van Life shows you when the sun will hit the sliding door of your van at your exact location, for whichever way you park. Turn the nose on the compass, watch the door’s sun hours change, and park the way you want: sun in the door on a cold morning, shade all afternoon on a hot one.
Free on the App Store for iPhone (iOS 17 or later). Not on Android yet; see below.
Why I built it
I live full time in a Ram ProMaster with two cats, and the single biggest lever I have for comfort in the van is which way I park. On a cold morning in the mountains I want the sun pouring in the sliding door. On a 95 degree afternoon I want that door in shade so the cats and I can breathe. I used to guess, or stand outside squinting at the sky, and I got it wrong a lot.
The sun’s path is pure math. Give it your location and the date and it’s completely predictable. So I built the tool I wanted: point your phone the way the van’s nose points and see, to the minute, when the sun comes in the door today. Then I added the things I kept wishing for, like telling me where to point for shade between 1 and 5 PM, or where to aim a portable solar panel.
I’m an SEO and content person by trade, not a career programmer. This is my first app on the App Store, built in the van, tested in the van, and now used every time I pick a spot.
What it does
Free
- Live compass with today’s sun path drawn over it
- Exactly when the sun comes in the sliding door for your heading, updated live as you turn
- The van’s shadow on the ground, so you can see which side is in shade and when
- Real van dimensions (Ram ProMaster presets, or enter your own), so a high sun that only lights the outside wall doesn’t count as sun in the door
- An awning option
Pro (one-time $4.99, no subscription)
- Find heading: say when you want sun in the door, or shade, and it tells you where to point the nose
- Solar panels: best aim and tilt for a portable panel, set once or re-aimed morning, midday, and afternoon
- Plan ahead: scrub to 7 AM tomorrow, next week, or the winter solstice before you pick a spot
- Sun by side: a sun and shade timeline for every face of the van
Privacy
Everything is calculated on your phone using the NOAA solar position equations. There’s no account, no tracking, no ads, and nothing leaves your device. It works with no signal, which matters when you’re parked somewhere good. The privacy policy is short because there’s nothing to disclose.
Android
Shady Side is iPhone only for now. An Android version is built and working; it’s waiting on Google Play’s new-developer requirements, which include a two week closed test with at least 12 testers before it can go public. If you’re on Android and want to be a tester, get in touch and I’ll add you to the list.
Questions or bugs
Email me at teecorleyseo@gmail.com. I read everything, and if the door times look wrong at your spot I want to know about it, ideally with your van model and which way you were parked.