An Inexpensive Way to Insulating Your Pop Up Camper

An inexpensive Way to Insulating you Pop Up Camper

Ever dread camping in the summer with your pop-up camper when it is disturbingly HOT outside! Or in the fall mornings when you wake up to a frigid camper. Keeping your pop-up cooler or warmer while camping makes like much better and allows you to avoid using your AC or heater too much within turn saves you money on Propane or gasoline, especially when boondocking. Here is how to add insulation to a pop-up camper and it is quite simple and inexpensive. Just under $30 dollars and less than an hour you’ll be on your way to controlling your popup campers’ air temperature. This method will be used for the bunk ends only. If you would like to use it for the middle of your camper you will need to double the number of rolls. You should have enough tape to complete the entire camper.

This is a one-person job, but it goes a lot quicker if you have two people. You will be measuring 1 large window and 1 side bunk window. Then you will copy and make the second window by tracing the first three you created. All six windows will be complete!!! Below is a diagram of a pop-up, you will need to measure if your pop-up has two different bunk ends.

What you will need:

Scissors
Black marker
Small tape measure
3 rolls of Reflectix 16”x 25”
Aluminum Foil tape 50 yds

Step 1:

You will need to pop up the camper and set up both ends. Pick a side and start with the biggest window. Measure from side to side from the longest part of the window. Then measure from the top to bottom of the window. Add about .5” on one side.

Next, roll out your Reflectix, measure out the length you got, and cut to size. You will need to cut 4 pieces of Reflectix the same size. When finished you will have the two largest windows completed.

Step 2:

Demonstrated above: Take 2 pieces and overlap them (hotdog style). Next, you will tape long ways across one side, leaving half of the Aluminum Foil tape for the other side. Once taped, then open the Reflectix tape like a book and tape the other side making one large piece with tape in the middle connecting the 2 pieces. Do this with the other pieces.

Step 3:

Zip down the window halfway. With your scissors at hand sit in front of the window and put the Reflectix piece with the tape going horizontal. It should slip right in and have extra fabric on top. This you will cut off. Carefully trim the Reflectix around the window, conforming the Reflectix piece with your scissors. Make sure you’re not cutting the Canvas or screen. This is a costly mistake!!! Remember each pop-up window will vary in shape and make taper up or down. As your cutting zip up your window allowing the reflective to not move and help you cut precisely to window shape.

Step 4:

Once cut and window is zipped up and reflective looks good you can remove it from the window and clean up the edges. Once it looks pretty clean-cut, trace it onto the next piece and cut that out. For added measure place in the next window and check accuracy. For extra added measure: use the Aluminum Foil tape and tape the edges. This step is not needed though.

Repeat

Repeat these steps for the next bunk windows. If your camper has different bed sizes, on each side, then make sure you measure the other bunk window for better accuracy. I had a camper that had both bunk-ends with 2 queen beds. In the current popup camper, I have a queen at one end and a full on the other side.