Insulating RV windows

Reflectix to insulate your windows against heat from the sun and cold season camping...and serve as room darkeners.

We had decided that with the trip the Atlantic/Maritime Provinces of Canada and our Wild West trips for 2013, we needed some added insulation for the windows and some daylight blocker for the bed areas (for the Canada part of the trip where daylight would be from around 4 am to 10:30 pm).  Generally speaking, if Donna sees light, it is time to get up!

Cut to size, add some self stick Velcro, poof you are done!

I like looking out windows but I knew this would save us some money on propane heat for this colder weather traveling.  We chose reflectix in the 48” x 10 feet…this size would fit most rv windows.

Reflectix is a stiff bubble wrap on steroids with reflective barriers on both sides. Just think of it as Silver curtains! We cut the Reflectix to size and used sticky back Velcro to adhere to the window frames…leaving a gap between window and Reflectix.  It was applied to the door window and to the two ceiling vents as well.  On the coldest nights, I was glad we had it in Canada.  With most of our nights in Canada spent boondocking, having this extra insulation to help retain our heat helped us to save some money AND it kept the light from streaming in at 4 am!!!

Close up of the self stick Velcro...the heavy duty stuff.

When the weather warms up, we will just remove and store them (except for maybe the sleeping areas). David hopes by my having the light blocked in the sleeping area, that I will be forced think it is not light out yet...thereby delaying when I get up (good luck with that...getting up early it is
inborn).

I didn't do anything about the entry door and I could feel cold air streaming in through the cracks.  Let's face it recreational vehicles are just very poorly insulated.  Even when we run the propane heat, it won't stay heated for that long if we turn it off. I have some ideas what to do with the screen door...not sure about the air infiltrating the cracks though.

Storage note:  If you put a square of Velcro (the opposite of what you are trying to stick it to) in a closet, you can just stick them inside your closets for storage.  They won't go anywhere...no bulky rolling, etc.

Frugal purchase tip:  share a roll with a friend providing both your units are not huge.