Bunk Insulation

[Medorg]

Q. Should I place my thermal insulation under the bunk end or on top of it? ie: between the plywood and the mattress.

I am thinking under the plywood, that way the 5/16 air space would not get crushed.

A. .........................

[Medorg]

Q. Should I place my thermal insulation under the bunk end or on top of it? ie: between the plywood and the mattress.

I am thinking under the plywood, that way the 5/16 air space would not get crushed.

A. .........................

[Kablewizard]

I'm not sure what you want to do. We place a solar blanket on the bunk ends. Shiny side out in summer in in winter to keep the heat in. Then we place electric blankets, the kind you can lay on under the sheets . Keeps us toasty warm. When we dry camped a few times we place nice blankets on the mattress.

[Medorg]

Hello Jim, I have a roll of insulation that looks like silver foil. It has an air space of 5/16 inch between 2 sheets of the real shiny reflective stuff. I think it is called mylar ?? That is why I think it should be under the bunk end, stapled so as not to loose the air space insulation effect...Dont know how to explain in American !!! other than what I put in first message...I should note it is shiny on both sides...Looks like a "space blanket" but thicker. Denys

[Kablewizard]

Thanks, now I know what you want to do, I think it will work. The only thing is be sure it won't get caught when you slide the bed in or out. Let us know how it works, I am sure others would like to try it.

[Lorna]

I placed my Reflectix insulation inside between the Air mattress (which will be replaced with the high density foam variety later) and the plywood decking. It doesn't seem to "crush" when we get on it. But my air mattress is 8" high when filled with air. It has made a huge difference in sleeping (the air mattress tends to be a bit cool for sleeping even during the summer). I would imagine that it really doesn't make much difference. I placed mine on the inside based on how my pop-up is built. I had no space under the bed plywood to put it on the outside. And it will be tore up less placed on the interior.

[Kablewizard]

Lorna; We also have the Coleman air mattresses. . We place the heating blankets on them in the winter, in the summer we don't need it.

[Medorg]

OK, Insulation is in place, put it on top of the bunk end supports, no space underneath, didn't pop many of the air bubbles either.

Also finished my new outside stove/sink area. Placed a 3/4 inch pvc throug/under the frame rails to meet the drain from my inside sink.

Photos are on the photo site. More Flagstaff Mac.

[mgwerks]

Ditto on the Reflectix. I have 2 layers between the mattress and plywood on the bunk end. Doesn't seem to crush. I also use the infamous Cabela's space blankets on top of the bunkend roof and hanging over whichever side faces the sun. Makes a huge difference in coolness inside.

The leftover Reflectix is being turned into 'slipcovers' for out ice chests. By also putting them under the bunkends, I expect this to cut our ice expenses in half.

IMHO

[George Miklas]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Medorg:
Also finished my new outside stove/sink area. Placed a 3/4 inch pvc throug/under the frame rails to meet the drain from my inside sink.

Photos are on the photo site. More Flagstaff Mac. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mac,
I like your outside counter. I've been thinking about something similar and you've given me an idea to incorporate.

Thanks,
George

[wmsmdgman]

Anyone ever insulate the side walls of the bunk ends with Reflectix? My initial thought (while freezing one night) was to cut some heavy plastic to fit between the screen and the zippered "curtain" to keep the wind from coming through at least a little bit. Then I saw this stuff and thought a few pieces cut to fit could be stored under the mattress when not in use. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

2007 Fleetwood Utah CP
2000 Honda Odysset

[Lorna]

I put side panels of Reflectix up on our pop-up but it was an Apache solid state (no canvas, all upper sections were ABS). I still have Reflectix "laying around" in the Class C that we upgraded to. So far, I've made a 3 pc windshield cover, inserts for all the windows (lose a lot of heat out those suckers) and have velcroed a piece to the interior side of our screen door (to reflect the heat back in and keep the cold out). All my pieces are covered with canvas cut from painter drop cloths (that contact cement in a spray can is neat... just don't use it inside). When traveling, I slide all the pieces under the air mattress, just like I used to in the pop-up.

[wmsmdgman]

Just thought I would follow up. I insulated the 'bed floors' of my Utah CP and created window insulation as I was suggesting. This really made the beds warmer/cooler, quieter and darker. The insulation I used on the beds was Reflectix as you would use in a house. It is not the greatest as it has a tendency to tear and the aluminum tends to rub off.

I learned from this experience and found the 'plastic' version for the windows. Since it is plastic on the outside, it does not wear off onto the canvas. To make the cutouts, I used 2 large pieces of brown paper to make templates for a side window and an end window. Cut 4 sides and two ends and then store them under the bed. I only wish I had used the plastic version under the mattresses as well as made them before freezing last fall/winter.

It definitely take less energy to heat and cool the P-UP now. Less wind blowing through the ends carrying the air away.

2007 Fleetwood Utah CP
2000 Honda Odyssey