How To Make Insulated Window Covers For Van
Insulated window covers are a "must-have" for camper or adventure vans because they provide privacy and thermal insulation (for hot summer days or snow chasing wintertime vanlife). By strategically inserting magnets all around the edges, the window covers are super easy to install/remove: they simply snap to the metallic window contour. Nifty and functional, like it should be! The shape of the window covers tin can be changed to fit pretty much any vans: Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, etc.
Table Of Content
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i- Insulated Window Covers In a Nutshell
i.one- Overview
Back when nosotros converted our Ford Transit camper van, we decided to make the insulated window covers ourselves (DIY). More information on how we made them is available further down this page, merely for now, here is an overview of the concluding product:
Interior
Exterior
Side
Windshield/Cabin
Side Door
Rear Door
Windshield/Cabin
Rear Doors
1.two- Privacy
A well-made cover should match the window contour AND have enough magnets and so the edges stay in contact with the window contour.
Light IN
Low-cal coming in (from street calorie-free, machine driving past, sunrise, etc.) is super abrasive and disturbs our slumber. The truth is, we don't always sleep in the middle of nowhere, so low-cal is to exist expected!
Light OUT
Compared to an RV, a van is "stealth"; you can sleep on a city street, and chances are that people won't notice and won't call the cops on you. Just if lite leaks out, that'll reveal your presence…
Privacy
People are curious, and it's not unusual to accept someone peak inside the van. That'south not cool, and it might even get y'all in serious problem: at that place are laws confronting indecent exposure then don't put on a testify…
one.3- Thermal Insulation
People tend to go crazy with insulating their van, but the windows are oft neglected. Retrieve that drinking glass (window) is a poor insulator; you tin spend a fortune on insulation, but cheaping out on window insulation volition pretty much abolish out your efforts…
Summer
The greenhouse effect needs no introduction: leaving your car in the sunday will heighten the ambient temperature to an unbearable level. And because of thermal mass (free energy absorbed by all the objects in your van), it will accept forever to cool down later on. Using window shades dramatically reduces the greenhouse result, we tin can't emphasize that plenty.
Winter
For us, there would be no winter vanlife without insulated window covers. For instance, just removing a single window embrace makes the surrounding area cold and uncomfortable (when it'south sub-freezing outside).
two- Insulated Window Covers: Practice-It-Yourself (DIY)
This project turned out to be way, WAYYYYY more time consuming than we always imagined. The problem is sewing the layers all together: we tried with a normal sewing auto, but all it did was break the needle. Turns out an industrial sewing machine is required. Of course, we didn't have one, so Isabelle's mom sewed all of them Past HAND. She's experienced, and then we thought it would exist fine, just that's a lot of cloth to become through, and so information technology's extremely difficult and time consuming. Nosotros're incredibly grateful for all of her help, but we suspect she'll never want to do this again 😂 (with reason).
Time Spent
80 hours
(No jokes!)
Material
| ITEM | Purchase LINK |
| 3M Thinsulate AU-4002-5 (1″ thick)* | eBay |
| Low-Eastward* | eBay |
| 3M ninety Spray Agglutinative | Amazon |
| Rare Earth Magnets | Amazon |
| Spring-loaded extendable mantle rods | Amazon |
| Synthetic Fabric | We sourced information technology locally |
*Please brand patterns (in cardboard or something) and check the quantity y'all demand. At the time of writing these lines, we forgot exactly how much nosotros used sorry…
Nosotros won't get into much detail, but hither is the of import stuff:
- The layers are every bit follow: Low-E/Thinsulate/Fabric.
- The 3M xc spray adhesive was used in between Low-E & Thinsulate layers.
- The rare earth magnets are POWERFUL …only not that much in one case they're covered with cloth, and they have to concur the weight of the cover. Make sure to use plenty of them all around (nosotros used ix round magnets per cover for the rear doors, 12 for the slider door, 3 for each commuter/passenger door) and make certainnot to use a thick fabric over the magnets (we wish we had used a slightly thinner textile, the black edge you lot see on our insulated window covers is quite thick). Also, with time, the magnets have migrated slightly away from the van metal profile, making them even less effective. Bottom line, the holding power is afflicted by the magnet dimension, quantity, and location accuracy. Nosotros didn't quite detect the perfect balance, it's upwards to you to exercise better than usa!
Each magnet is contained in a small pouch, and this pouch is sewn onto the the Thinsulate (and then the magnet stays where it should):
On Second Thought...
- Nosotros should take used synthetic fabric because subsequently a few years our covers shrank a little, and we lost some privacy (especially around the windshield edges).
- The exposed Depression-E gets damaged over time, and repairing it is not really an option…
- We love the fact that the insulated window covers can be installed on-the-fly with the rare earth magnets, but we would usemore magnets (and make sure they don't move away from the metallic border) and a thinner fabric to retain the power of the magnets.
- The Low-E is not exactly stealth… it might be a good thought to make the insulated window covers reversible: ane side with Depression-E (to reflect the sun) and one side black (stealth = non to concenter attention at dark).
- Nosotros would use 1″ thick Thinsulate on all covers to reduce the weight and make them easier to store (nosotros updated the "fabric" section to reflect that!)
– If you're living with an Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity status, get these insulated window covers NOW 
! Yes, it seems thatLow-E is an excellent bespeak blocker (similar to metal). If you're working from your van, you lot might want to get a cell phone signal booster. Once the covers are installed, nosotros lose nigh 2-3 bars of signal, and we completely lose betoken in weaker spots. We sometimes remove the covers to get better signal, but then information technology gets uncomfortably cold… And then become a Monopoly game or get the WeBoost 4GX-RV signal booster! It'southward not cheap, but, once again, if you're working remotely, it might be a practiced investment. In that location are cheaper options out-there, just this is the most pop and best available:
weBoost Drive Attain RV
If we had to offset over...
Yep, nosotros would just buy the insulated window covers and save our precious time to piece of work on our van build instead!
3- The Easy Way (Buying Window Covers)
No sewing skills? Or maybe you'd rather spend this precious time working on your van conversion? Then nosotros recommend going pro:
Van Made Gear
Peak-quality window covers for Sprinter, ProMaster, and Transit vans. These window covers attach magnetically (except for the windshield) and are insulated with Low-East. Handmade in the United states of america.
At checkout, utilise "faroutride" coupon code to get 5% discount !
We've been testing a full set up of the VanMade Gear window covers in our Ford Transit camper van, and we confirm these things are Dandy! Their contour lucifer the window patterns perfectly, it's super easy to install/remove them (thanks to the magnets), and they're quite compact when stored away. Every bit a downside, the thermal insulation is not as practiced as our DIY window covers, but that's the price to pay to have more meaty window covers. We're OK with that!
4- You Might Be Interested In...
Mosquito Screens
If you lot're like us, the noise of a unmarried musquito tin can ruin a skilful night of sleep. They say that killing the mosquitos earlier going to bed is part of the Vanlife routine… it actually doesn't have to!Calculation bug screens to our van was a priority, and in retrospect, we'reSO GLAD we did! In the article below, nosotros'll give y'all a quick tour of our bug screens and requite you a solid choice for the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, or Ram ProMaster vans.
Desire More than?
Nosotros'RE But GETTING STARTED.
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About u.s.
NICE TO Come across Yous.
Hello! We're Isabelle and Antoine 🙂 In 2017, we sold our house (and everything in it), quit our engineering careers, and moved into our cocky-congenital campervan. We've been on the road since then, and every day is an opportunity for a new adventure; we're chasing our dreams, and hopefully it inspires others to do the aforementioned!
Source: https://faroutride.com/insulated-window-covers/
Posted by: wilsonglond1958.blogspot.com
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