Insulated Thermal Pack?

R

rando

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2013
Messages
1,638
Location
Colorado
With winter around the corner, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with trying an insulated thermal pack to keep the camper, and particularly the bed area warmer?

I made a DIY thermal pack a number of years ago using the same material as FWC and it has worked well, but as we spend more and more time out during the shoulder and winter season, I am wondering if I could do better with a thermal pack with actual insulation? Something like Warm Window Fabric or some other type of insulated fabric?

I am sure this is a little bit of a lost cause given how poorly insulated the rest of the camper is, but I do notice that with sleeping E-W, the furtherest forward sleeping spot is noticeably colder than the rest of the camper, and as a result this is where much of the condensation forms. If that area were warmer we could easily drop the thermostat a few more degrees over night.

I am also wondering if anyone has done anything to insulate behind the lift panels, or maybe even the lift panels themselves? It would also seem much brighter if the panels weren't black, so maybe there is some sort of stick on foam that would insulate and brighten the lift panels?

Eager to hear about anyone else's success or failure in trying this!
 
There are definitely threads here where people made their own out of insulated fabric, but I don't think those same people had a regular one to compare it with.. They were happy w/ them, but I don't remember reading a comparison of theirs vs stock. (sry, just noticed who the OP is, and I'm sure you've seen all the same threads as me : ) )

I insulated inside all the cabinets. Made covers for the windows. All with the same 1/2" thick foam insulation w/ foil sides. I also insulated under the mattress w/ the same foam to help keep the bed area a little warmer. My wife seems to think it helped.
An area of concern is around the fridge... It is not tight, and basically open to the outside. I've been using the ceiling fan, exhausting air, to help pull in the sides and bring the top down when I close the top. And I can feel a large volume of air coming in around the fridge.
Has anyone done anything about the fridge area? I've not come up w/ a good way to get to it, w/out taking the entire front of the cabinets off... so that has not been fixed on mine. I thought about spraying foam around it through the gaps, but that would create a future problem when replacing the fridge.
 
I don’t have any bright ideas on this, but I would like to remind folks adding insulation (or anything else for that matter) to always consider fire safety. One of the ways you keep an enclosed space safer is by not introducing large amounts of material that may continue to burn or even small amounts of material that makes toxic smoke. A DIY thermal pack introduces a lot of material, with one corner of it very near the stove.
 
I do remember some other folks trying insulated thermal packs, but did not have great luck finding those threads. I will look harder.

I have noticed the same thing about air leaking around the fridge and drawer below the fridge while lowering the roof with the fan sucking the sides in. I have thought about looking for a way to seal this up (maybe by removing the vent covers on the outside) but haven't actually investigated. It also made me think about adding some vents on the counter top behind the stove (over the fridge) and somewhere lower in the cabinet so that in the winter you could slip some foam into the outside vents to seal them and have the fridge dump the waste heat into the camper.

First things first - I will make some insulated window coverings.
 
Jon R said:
I don’t have any bright ideas on this, but I would like to remind folks adding insulation (or anything else for that matter) to always consider fire safety. One of the ways you keep an enclosed space safer is by not introducing large amounts of material that may continue to burn or even small amounts of material that makes toxic smoke. A DIY thermal pack introduces a lot of material, with one corner of it very near the stove.
Click to expand...

This is a good reminder. My current DIY thermal pack is the same material that FWC uses - Kimberly Clark Evolution which now appears to be called 'Block-It NOAH'. It doesn't appear that this offers any fire ratings, so no mater if your thermal pack is DIY or from FWC you should be careful near open flames.
 
I remember seeing how to DIY thermal pack a while ago, posted by Rando or Ski3(I believe), but can't track it down. Would you gents paste the link please?
Thank you
 
All this talk of drafts has me feeling quite pleased with how I did my Puma rebuild. When I stripped it down I removed all the factory RockWool and replaced it with 1" solid insulation, filled in any cracks and taped it all with Aluminum Duct tape. No drafts. Doing a retrofit like this is not for everyone, but something to think about when/if you have any of the interior wood paneling off.
 
Howdy from Jackson Hole!

Hmmmm... I admire the elbow grease determination it takes to retrofit your FWC into being draft proof. But... Isn't some draft important for oxygen in the camper?

I've been cracking a corner of 2 opposing windows by the door, and cracking the fan cover on top as I've been told it's a safety measure to prevent croaking from carbon monoxide poisoning when running the heater.

Does everyone here crack the windows a bit? With all the drafts in a stock FWC, can I stay warmer by closing everything up tight?

I've got a feeling I'm going to hear the Gospel according to St. Vic, and I eagerly await...

Thankx!
 
Has anyone had success working with an auto upholsterer to make a thermal pack? The FWC price is high ($800 I think), and I certainly do not have the tools or skills to sew something up like lineman. I contacted a few tailors and they weren't interested in the project. I was planning to contact a few auto upholstery places as I think they would have the tools and skills to make something for the Hawk.
 
Karlton said:
Has anyone had success working with an auto upholsterer to make a thermal pack? The FWC price is high ($800 I think), and I certainly do not have the tools or skills to sew something up like lineman. I contacted a few tailors and they weren't interested in the project. I was planning to contact a few auto upholstery places as I think they would have the tools and skills to make something for the Hawk.
Click to expand...
Check with a boat canvas shop, too.
 
MountainSufi said:
Howdy from Jackson Hole!

Hmmmm... I admire the elbow grease determination it takes to retrofit your FWC into being draft proof. But... Isn't some draft important for oxygen in the camper?

I've been cracking a corner of 2 opposing windows by the door, and cracking the fan cover on top as I've been told it's a safety measure to prevent croaking from carbon monoxide poisoning when running the heater.

Does everyone here crack the windows a bit? With all the drafts in a stock FWC, can I stay warmer by closing everything up tight?

I've got a feeling I'm going to hear the Gospel according to St. Vic, and I eagerly await...

Thankx!
Click to expand...
Just like our house up here in Calgary, I appreciate warm non-drafty temps in the winter when it is really cold out. Being able to decide when/where the fresh air comes in makes a big difference in how comfy the camper is. And yes, it helps to crack a window or turnbuckle door to keep the condensation down and the air fresher.
 
MountainSufi said:
I've been told it's a safety measure to prevent croaking from carbon monoxide poisoning when running the heater.!
Click to expand...
If the heater isn’t failed in some way, the combustion gases exhaust outside. The stove, on the other hand, is a CO threat in normal operation.
 
Has anyone had success working with an auto upholsterer to make a thermal pack? The FWC price is high ($800 I think), and I certainly do not have the tools or skills to sew something up like lineman. I contacted a few tailors and they weren't interested in the project. I was planning to contact a few auto upholstery places as I think they would have the tools and skills to make something for the Haw
Click to expand...
Howdy from Jackson Hole!

I'm a DIYer, legendary cheapskate, with a vintage 1970's Husqvarna sewing machine. The $800 I coughed up for the "official" FWC insulation pac is the best $800 I ever spent. I paid for it completely by drinking cheap beer for a month.... :rolleyes:

I was amazed at how warmer the rig is, and the thermostat no longer constantly cycles on & off thru the night. Whether you make one yourself or buy it, do it!!!
 
Mykiss said:
OMG thank you very much!!! I tried searching it under the" thermal pack " but nothing came up, then tried searching your posts but only the first few were available for view...
project for my wife :cool:
Click to expand...
I made Ski3pin's thermal pack in 2019. We've been very happy with it. Easy to make, super cost effective, and has lasted so well for our winter ski trips. Now we just have to fix that ceiling condensation!
 
Its not so much to get fresh air in but to get the moisture out. Did you try calling All Terrain Campers? Thats where I got mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads - WTW

K
Insulating under flatbed tray?
kmcintyre
K
C
New thermal pack: quilted with lower window covers
2
SigSanDiego
S
C
do you keep/store anything in camper between uses
2
CreekRob
C
Stormfishing
2017 Silver Spur Hawk for sale Clean **SOLD**
Stormfishing
Stormfishing
T
DIY Thermal Pack/Inner Canvas
Cheerios sailor
C

New posts - WTW

Back
Top Bottom