What are the best camper insulations in 2021?
If you’re looking for some quality camper insulation for sale but don’t have enough time to do any extensive research, then the following paragraph is intended to help you out in an expedient manner. We believe that a vent pillow would be the minimum required to properly insulate an RV, since the glass or plastic lid these are generally outfitted with tends to allow for a lot of heat to escape during the winter and can let the sun’s rays in during the summer. The Camco 45192 is made out of a highly reflective metal surface for pushing the sun’s rays away on top of 2.75” of insulating foam. The 14” x 14” in size should allow it to fit most standard RV vents, but it’s fluffy enough to adapt to smaller ones. If you’re interested in some universal heat and noise insulation, then the Carisnulation.com CI-RL14 should serve you well.
Comparison Table
The insulator is durable and easy to store, its reflective surface being efficient for keeping the vehicle cool during summer days. It blocks light and fits tightly in standard 14 x 14-inch RV vents.
This product will not fit into all RV vents, and some adjustments might be required before installing it. The reflective surface on the top could start flaking off quickly.
This insulator works well - it does what it is supposed to do and is efficient both in winter and summer. The vent should be carefully measured before ordering because the insulator might not fit.
This product is useful for controlling heat and reducing the vibrations, soundproofing the interior. It is lightweight, flexible, and has a nominal thickness of ¼ inches. It blocks radiant heat.
The insulator is not delivered with adhesive or foam mats. One layer could not be sufficient for all applications, its heat blocking properties being not too powerful.
If you are looking for a lightweight, easy-to-install car insulator, this product is a good choice. However, consider buying a greater quantity as you might find one layer insufficient, and a doubling necessary.
The inexpensive product is self-adhesive, making it very easy to install. It can be used for soundproofing too, as it reduces vibrations. It is effective for insulating the interior of RVs.
The included adhesive and the chemicals used for manufacturing it emit a strong, tar smell which could persist for some time. It is also highly toxic, so safety measures are needed.
Provided that you allow it some time after installation to air out and eliminate all the bad smells, the insulator is efficient, and the easy installation makes it great for those with little experience.
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Also To Consider
A short buying guide
The term “insulation” refers to a relatively wide spectrum of functions, and it can cover solutions intended for keeping either noise or heat at bay, applied to multiple parts of the RV, from the engine compartment to the living space. While the products used for each application rarely overlap, there are some general characteristics that the best camper insulation material should universally share.
Good value
There are many solutions for good camper insulation out there, and what will prove best will generally be the one that offers a maximum of functionality for minimum expense. If you only need to muffle the noise of the engine, for example, there’s no need to cover the walls of the RV in padding.
Likewise, small solutions applied to problematic areas like the vent can sometimes prove enough to offer a discernible difference in living condition without going through the hassle and expense of padding large surfaces.
Certain areas in your RV will be disproportionately “responsible” for heat transfer and noise. Find out what these are for your particular camper and cut out on the cost by exclusively insulating these with some adaptable padding material.
Thickness and material
RVs are usually cramped enough without some extra wall padding taking away from the interior space. That’s why regular house insulating material, like fiberglass cotton or polyurethane foam, won’t make an ideal solution in this case.
Butyl rubber is a fairly common material that can effectively keep out noise even if cut thin. This provides for a fairly expensive solution, however, and those with price concerns might want to look towards rubberized tar for a similar function.
A word of advice, tar can smell fairly pungently when not properly covered, at least for the first few weeks of use. It kind of makes up for this by offering superior fire resistance properties, although it doesn’t stop heat transfer to a significant degree.
The best camper insulation for keeping away heat, both from the engine or from the sun, would bear a reflective coating on top of a material with poor heat conducting properties, like polyethylene.
Convenience
Before purchasing that item you saw do well in camper insulation reviews, consider that you will also have to install it. Is it easy to cut with a common pair of scissors? Does it require any special adhesive, or better yet, does it provide its own adhesive surface?
These aspects might seem secondary to some, but we believe that good camper insulation shouldn’t provide more of a hassle than the heat and noise it’s supposed to prevent.
Our top picks
Camco 45192
This is basically a foam pillow that solves the problem of heat transfer through one of the most sensitive areas of an RV: the vent. It’s sized according to the 14” x 14” standard for RV vents so it should fit most frames with little difficulty.
If this is the case, then the pillow should keep itself in place and no sort of fastening will be required. For slightly larger frames, stuffing it with rags or other such filler should do the trick, because the actual insulating foam is kept inside a fluffy covering that can be opened up via a zipper.
The top of it has a reflective surface, to provide an additional level of protection during the summer. In the cold season, the 2.75 inches of insulation foam should keep any heat from escaping through the glass surface above.
Simple, affordable and convenient, we can’t really see any reason why anyone would want to pass on this product.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($13.09)
Carinsulation.com CI-RL14
The CI-RL14 provides good sound and heat insulation for any area of the car. Since it works just as well on a house or the living area of a trailer, one might call it a “universal” insulation material.
It consists of a layer of cell reinforced polyethylene which provides noise dampening and prevents heat transfer, enclosed within a reflective material that serves the primary purpose of driving away radiating heat.
The whole sandwich is only ¼” in thickness, so it can comfortably line most engine compartments without the risk of contacting hot surfaces.
This also makes it ideal for the interior of an RV, since it won’t add so much to the overall thickness of the walls for the space to feel more constrictive than it already is.Even if used in liberal amounts, the weight added will be insignificant, with only 0.04 lb per square foot of material.
It should be easy enough to install, since it can be effectively cut to size with a common pair of scissors and it is compatible with most adhesives.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($70.99)
FatMan Mmo-PN FM10
If you want an inexpensive, highly convenient solution for keeping the noise at bay, then this tar-based insulator should provide, as long as you don’t mind your trailer smelling like a newly built road for a couple of weeks.
It is self-adhesive, which would make it particularly easy to install, as you won’t have to apply a layer of glue and wait for it to dry out for every strap. Properly cleaning the area of contact will be enough, and the integrated adhesive is reported to set almost instantly.
Judging by the response it received from users, it works very well in minimizing sound and vibrations but the tar smell tends to persist for some time, so we recommend that you don’t apply it immediately before setting on the road, and allow for proper ventilation while this is still new.
Since it’s intended for automotive use, it is thin enough to snuggly fit between on any part of your RV you would want to dampen.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($25.99)