Insulating an aluminum camper shell / wedge tent camper.

[dstefan]

Ya, R8 from 5mm foam... no way. Looks like good stuff though... I might give it a try for window coverings.

Yeah, think it’s exaggerated too. However, it works really well, largely because I completely covered my aluminum frame members and because there’s an air gap to the skin of the camper so the radiant barrier is effective. There’s also coroplast paneling covering it and the air channels in that provide some help too.

 

[rruff]

Closed cell foam with no air gaps? Not that hard to do, is it? I don't see anyone worrying about it in their foam core panels.

 

[Ozarker]

Can you completely seal it... air and moisture tight?

Sealing a small space airtight is a good way to die, the dew point measures moisture in the air, when that reaches the ambient temperature you'll have fog or condensation.

Unless any type of cloth material has been treated with a sealant, like a PVC coating, it will not be airtight. An example might be inflatable rafts and waterproof bags.

In cold weather you'll need ventilation to keep air moving, easiest way to keep the moisture content from building up inside. Using propane heat you'll need good ventilation as it produces moisture.

 

[Ozarker]

As to insulating this aluminum camper, what I would do is use ceroplastic/coroplastic sheets with the "vents" or corrugation running vertically. At the bottom of those sheets a drip rail running the length of the wall and outside past the corners.

This stuff will give you an air gap and moisture created inside it can run down the corrugation into a drip rail. A 4x8 sheet weighs 3 pounds. It's not as stiff as plywood but fairly stiff, the thicker the stiffer it is. This material is primarily used for outdoor signs and it lasts.
A drip rail could be made from a small flexible rubber tube, cut a slit in the tubbing and slip it over the bottom edge. The slit would stop at the edge of the end of the sheet, at each corner, forming the tube then allowing the tube to extend past the camper to drain. Only a couple of inches would be fine for it to drain.

At the top leave the ends open to all air to escape to the aluminum roof.

After your interior box is formed then use spray foam.

On that project I would not add walls and ceiling to the interior, I would upholster the interior over the foam. I'd probably use auto grade or indoor/outdoor carpet, the thin stuff often used to cover speaker boxes or the rear of an SUV.

People have made small sleeping shelters out of coroplastic alone, simply attached to a frame. This could also be used upstairs for the bed area.

This would go against the aluminum sides.

 

[rruff]

Sealing a small space airtight is a good way to die, the dew point measures moisture in the air, when that reaches the ambient temperature you'll have fog or condensation. Unless any type of cloth material has been treated with a sealant, like a PVC coating, it will not be airtight. An example might be inflatable rafts and waterproof bags.

I'm talking about sealing the wall surface with waterproof materials, like closed cell foam and adhesive.

 

[Ozarker]

I'm talking about sealing the wall surface with waterproof materials, like closed cell foam and adhesive.

That's like walking out in the snow wearing shorts and sandals with a winter coat and a hat.

What do you do with the floor, the truck bed, and the ceiling?

I gave a solution assuming the owner would also address the rest of the unit.

You might slap up blue board on the walls and ceiling, it's better than nothing.

For the added benefit that painted canvas might provide, I wouldn't screw up my canvas and look like a poor man's solution to fiberglass and open my rig in public. Just increase the heat or A/C to compensate for the inefficiency of the canvas. Just use a 5KW generator and forget about it.

 

[ramblinChet]

Here is a radical suggestion - adjust your sleep schedule. That what I did for many years while sleeping in a hard-shell RTT in Virginia year round. During the hot and humid summer I stayed up later and normally knocked it off a few hours after the sub dropped, around 2300 or 2400. It may have been slightly warm and stuffy occasionally when falling asleep but every night I would pull up my wool blanket around 0300 or so - it was the night chill.

 

[Ozarker]

Here is a radical suggestion - adjust your sleep schedule. That what I did for many years while sleeping in a hard-shell RTT in Virginia year round. During the hot and humid summer I stayed up later and normally knocked it off a few hours after the sub dropped, around 2300 or 2400. It may have been slightly warm and stuffy occasionally when falling asleep but every night I would pull up my wool blanket around 0300 or so - it was the night chill.

Doing that is really dependent on your beer supply!