Why no insulation in Roadtrek

[mlts22]

I feel like a shill mentioning Sportsmobile often, but I did notice that as part of the standard van conversion, they do a decent job of insulation, and have "extreme insulation" packages available for additional cost, which also slightly reduce the space inside.

What blows my mind is that I see some class "B"s with uninsulated wheel wells, and the bare metal. At least the maker could have slapped some Hushmat there, which would at least be of a slight help.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by mlts22

What blows my mind is that I see some class "B"s with uninsulated wheel wells, and the bare metal. At least the maker could have slapped some Hushmat there, which would at least be of a slight help.

I believe Hushmat is employed on the Coachmen Galleria but IIRC it's directed more toward noise reduction than temperature control.

[classbbud]

Originally Posted by Doneworking

Classbud, that is a heck of an idea. I have no knowledge of these space blankets other than that they exist. Would you post a link to the ones you are using? Since they work for you so well, I would like to emulate your idea.

Paul

These can be found many places. Ebay, Walmart and Amazon to name a few. Here's a link to some choices at Ebay. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+x+52&_sacat=0

[Doneworking]

Thanks. I am going to buy me some of the blankets and make me a Space Alien like classbbud's in the picture.

RVs are amazing creations. You pay six figures for a B and you have to insulate wheel wells and other obvious places. You have to put a thirty dollar resonator on an Onan to get it below the db level of a 757. But Bs are not in this game alone. Go buy a new B+ or C and spend a few days reinforcing cabinets, correcting obvious errors in design and so forth. It's all about marketing. Slap 'em together and they sell. Demand exceeds supply. This was controlled to a degree in the past because of pretty limited financing and at comparably high rates of interest. That all changed in the last many years and so ......slap 'em together and they sell.

Paul

[InterBlog]

Intending no disrespect, because Classbbud's idea really is a good one (to the point where I ordered my own space blanket ten-pack from Amazon), a couple of us on the other forum are having some fun meme-ing this unusual creation. Here's a heck of a solar augmentation for ya:

[JohnnyFry]

It certainly looks effective but how do you handle the fridge?

[classbbud]

There aren't any cutouts or vents on the sides of our van. The frig vents to the inside.

[ProseMan]

Originally Posted by classbbud

These can be found many places. Ebay, Walmart and Amazon to name a few. Here's a link to some choices at Ebay. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+x+52&_sacat=0

Loved the emergency blanket idea. I did something similar with Aluminet. I didn't want to drill through the metal to add hooks, so I hung the tarp using 90lb magnet hooks. Worked like a charm.

The one in the picture is 12x12, folded. I'd recommend a 10x14 if I had it to do over.

[InterBlog]

Another small battle fought and hopefully won in the insulation war - I used my existing Reflectix window shield as a stiffening core for a 4-layer Insul-bright upgrade. As I mentioned previously, it's all about layering different measures and methods to decrease overall thermal loads. Blog post with construction details here. The bottom photo shows an old Reflectix shield (for a different window) next to the new project (we keep our window coverings Velcro'd to the walls for easy access).

[silex840]

I have a Carado, which is a brand of Hymer Group who also owns Roadtrek, and they only use “blown in” insulation. Not sure why a coach manufacturer albeit a mass produced one would do this considering how expensive these cost to begin with.

[ContinuousImprovement]

Originally Posted by ProseMan

Charcoal Grey. That obviously exacerbates the problem. All the more reason to insulate!

Grey saves LP in cold weather. Insulation is best for year round

[ProseMan]

Originally Posted by ContinuousImprovement

Grey saves LP in cold weather. Insulation is best for year round

True. Insulation seems like the perfect way to reduce battery load (or LP usage) both in the summer and winter. Which is why I'm so shocked that Roadtrek would produce such an expensive Class B with absolutely no insulation! If the goal is to develop a premium boondocking solution, good insulation would seem imperative.

I'll soon find out what a difference insulation makes. I've ordered some recycled denim insulation from Home Depot and plan to gradually insulate the entire interior. Then we'll see how much of a difference it makes.

[604eholston@charter.net]

ProseMan, neither does my 2015Winnebago Era. It too has the Mercedes Sprinter van chassis. I suspect it has something to do with weight. I looked at the high end Foretravel prototype on this chassis in Nacogdoches last summer but did not inspect for insulation. But then the Roadtrek is just about as high end as one can get.

[WingedRyno]

I'm going to be blogging about this in a bit, but we've been testing out reflective material for a bit. Reflectix on the inside is great, but the window still gets very hot on the inside. And the window to the bathroom can't be blocked from the inside so the bathroom gets extremely hot.

What we've found that is fabulous is using sheets of greenhouse quality thick mylar on the outside of the van. We covered the van using large magnets and mylar with the wind creating an air gap between the mylar and the van and it made a massive difference. It keeps the van at ambient temperature even in the sun.

Next step for us, externally mounting roller containers (think movie screen style) around the van so that when we park we just pull them down and hook them to the bottom of the rig so that the air passes through but the sun is blocked. Easy to retract and stow.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by ContinuousImprovement

Grey saves LP in cold weather. Insulation is best for year round

That's true, thermodynamics supposedly plays no favorites but nevertheless it always seems easier and faster to warm up the interior of an RV than it is to cool it down.

[ContinuousImprovement]

Originally Posted by WingedRyno

I'm going to be blogging about this in a bit, but we've been testing out reflective material for a bit. Reflectix on the inside is great, but the window still gets very hot on the inside. And the window to the bathroom can't be blocked from the inside so the bathroom gets extremely hot.

What we've found that is fabulous is using sheets of greenhouse quality thick mylar on the outside of the van. We covered the van using large magnets and mylar with the wind creating an air gap between the mylar and the van and it made a massive difference. It keeps the van at ambient temperature even in the sun.

Next step for us, externally mounting roller containers (think movie screen style) around the van so that when we park we just pull them down and hook them to the bottom of the rig so that the air passes through but the sun is blocked. Easy to retract and stow.

The Aktiv has insulation on many surfaces. We added more behind the panels.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by WingedRyno

I'm going to be blogging about this in a bit, but we've been testing out reflective material for a bit. Reflectix on the inside is great, but the window still gets very hot on the inside. And the window to the bathroom can't be blocked from the inside so the bathroom gets extremely hot.

What we've found that is fabulous is using sheets of greenhouse quality thick mylar on the outside of the van. We covered the van using large magnets and mylar with the wind creating an air gap between the mylar and the van and it made a massive difference. It keeps the van at ambient temperature even in the sun.

Next step for us, externally mounting roller containers (think movie screen style) around the van so that when we park we just pull them down and hook them to the bottom of the rig so that the air passes through but the sun is blocked. Easy to retract and stow.

In hot countries it is called a tropical roof, double roof.

https://www.google.com/search?safe=a....0.psRJaU2gsms

[stevigee]

Check out 3m Thinsulate insulation from Hein at Impact Products. This is what a lot of people doing DIY camper vans are using.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by stevigee

Check out 3m Thinsulate insulation from Hein at Impact Products. This is what a lot of people doing DIY camper vans are using.

…..and there are good reasons for it: Thinsulate is hydrophobic, good sound barrier, good thermal insulator, easy to work with, no VOC, no harmful floating fibers, light weight, easy to remove in case of a fender bender. In 2013 I had difficulties to get it, found a full roll in a marine store, since Hein started to distribute it is easy to get. One of the best of all decisions in my conversion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq671waCndc

[dhectorg]

I was set on buying a CS Adventurous, but I keep coming across accounts like the OP's that call into question the overall build quality and attention to detail of Roadtrek's products. Not insulating at all is inexcusable in my opinion, and these aren't cheap, entry level vans either. Paying that much and having to retrofit insulation yourself is absurd.

In spite of the much higher cost, I'm starting to consider a custom build, done by a professional shop like ARV here in Ohio. It may mean having to wait a few more years to be able to afford it, but I think it's worth it in order to get a rig that I know will be built well and last for the long term without needing a bunch of repairs or modifications.