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Old 12-21-2017, 08:12 PM   #1
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Full sun insulation

Last year we had a spot in full sun and the outside temps were in the mid 90’s. I had the pop up gizmos on the bunkends and slide out but the best I could do inside was ‘80 degrees with the ac going full blast which was disappointing.

I’m thinking about buying reflectix for the windows next year in case I’m in this situation again but curious how much difference that would’ve made. I’m guessing maybe ~5 degrees lower? Any thoughts? Is it possible to hold a ~70 temp in that situation or is that just a pipe dream?
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Old 12-22-2017, 08:09 AM   #2
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There are a couple of things you can do to improve the situation. One is the reflectix in the windows, but what works better is to buy reflectix in wide rolls and cut it to go on the outside of the bunk ends. That helps more than putting anything on the inside. Another thing that works really well is to buy a couple of ez-up tents and put them up over the bunk ends. That looks funny, but the amount of shade you get from them makes a huge difference in heat gain in the RV.
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Old 12-22-2017, 08:52 AM   #3
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We use reflectix in the bunk windows and it really makes a huge difference along with gismos. We camp at nascar tracks with no trees and electric. We rely on this and limited use of generator to keep it cooler.
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Old 12-22-2017, 09:23 AM   #4
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X3 on doing the Reflectix mod. Did it to our previous popup and hybrid and it did make enough of a difference to make it worth the cost/effort.
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Old 12-22-2017, 12:52 PM   #5
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reflectix in the windows will help - ......but thinking you can maintain 70 degrees in a popup may not be very realistic. Tent material has no real insulation properties.

We did not use gizmos or reflectix when we had our highwall popup, only used the AC to really remove humidity, and keeping the popup camper in the low 80s with lower humidity was very comfortable for us when the outside was in the upper 90s. at 70 degrees, we would be freezing. And really, we only needed to cool it down to sleep, which cooled down fast enough once the sun went down. We were always outside during the day and were not sitting in the camper.

Now with our hybrid, we do have reflectix and gizmos, helps alot as our back bunk can get super hot (no AC vents back there). They work very well there to keep it comfortable.
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Old 12-22-2017, 07:24 PM   #6
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Thanks all for the thoughts and guidance! Sounds like the right move to make. I look forward to doing some driveway testing to gauge how much a difference it makes over just the gizmos.
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Old 12-23-2017, 08:37 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GalsofEscape View Post
We did not use gizmos or reflectix when we had our highwall popup, only used the AC to really remove humidity, and keeping the popup camper in the low 80s with lower humidity was very comfortable for us when the outside was in the upper 90s. at 70 degrees, we would be freezing. And really, we only needed to cool it down to sleep, which cooled down fast enough once the sun went down. We were always outside during the day and were not sitting in the camper.
Until we moved to Colorado, I never really understood how low humidity makes BOTH high and low temps much more tolerable. An outside temp of 30 degrees with our low humidity feels like 45-50 degrees in East Coast humidity. And as you stated, a temp of 80 with low humidity is pretty tolerable.

The disadvantages of perpetual low humidity are also considerable: skin dries out, nose bleeds are more common, you need lots of water (sometimes forced) as water loss is not manifested in sweat, and wood does strange things.

just my experiences
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Old 12-23-2017, 10:40 PM   #8
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Full sun insulation

Quote:
Originally Posted by pgandw View Post
Until we moved to Colorado, I never really understood how low humidity makes BOTH high and low temps much more tolerable. An outside temp of 30 degrees with our low humidity feels like 45-50 degrees in East Coast humidity. And as you stated, a temp of 80 with low humidity is pretty tolerable.

The disadvantages of perpetual low humidity are also considerable: skin dries out, nose bleeds are more common, you need lots of water (sometimes forced) as water loss is not manifested in sweat, and wood does strange things.

just my experiences
Fred W


Boy Howdy! We visit a family that lives 4000' above Denver. After you shower it takes about ten seconds to dry off. Condensation doesn't exist and when it snows overnight it's mostly all evaporated off by afternoon.

The elevation doesn't bother me but when we fly in my wife has to stage in Denver for a few hours before going on up.
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Old 12-27-2017, 09:02 AM   #9
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You might want to check your ac. I know there are different sizes plus they may need service or recharging. I think it should work better on a day in the 90’s especially if you have the gizmos already.
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