The heat wave is underway in Iowa. Strong southwest winds are ushering in Gulf heat and humidity. One of the things full-time RV dwellers dread is extreme weather. Cold is just as bad as heat. The very nature of the construction limits the capabilities if insulation. In our recreational camping days, we simply didn’t go when the weather was extreme. We stayed home in our homes with attics and 18” of insulation and 8” stud walls full of insulation topped with Tyvec and siding.
We learned a simple trick from a new neighbor in volunteer village and is worthy sharing. We have all reached into the pantry or other cabinet located in a slide out and pulled out a mushy bag of chocolate chips or liquified shortening. Or the opposite, cold clothes in the winter when you are trying to stay warm. This solution fits all the RV life criteria, inexpensive, lightweight and doesn’t take up much space.
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Reflectix[/caption]Your local home improvement store sells rolls of reflective blanket insulation like the stuff the silver car sun visors are made of. A pair of scissors, and a staple gun and you can improve your indoor climate a great deal with a couple of hours work and around $50.00.
We simply cut it to fit the ceilings and exterior walls of all the cabinets in the slide-outs and the big storage area in the driving compartment. Staple it in, since glue will just melt and lose it’s adherence in the extreme temperatures that will be trapped behind the insulating layer. It will make a noticeable difference. Another unexpected benefit we noticed was the silver reflects light, you don’t feel like your feeling your way around in a cave when you are looking for the birthday candles, or trying to read a soup can label. The baking chips are still individual pieces and the sardines are not cooking themselves in their cans.
Even if you are not full-time this easy modification will make a huge difference on those hot weekends when you are in a sunny camping spot.
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Until tomorrow,
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