Insulating the floor of your camper

[smlobx]

We hope to be able to do some colder weather camping and I was thinking about how to maximize the thermal efficiency of our camper.

One of the things I realized is that there doesn't appear to be any insulation on/under the floor... so I decided to add some. First, I looked under the camper and realized that the underside of the rig has firing strips running the length of the camper. In my case they are 1 1/2" thick. I decided to install solid rigid foam board to fill the gaps between the runners and bought a sheet of Styrofoam insulation..

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-FOAMULAR-250-1-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-R-7-5-Square-Edge-Rigid-Foam-Board-Insulation-Sheathing-4C/100297916

I then measured the distance between the runners and ripped the board on my table saw..NOTE the distances between the runners were all different....Measure twice-cut once!

I attached the foam board to the bottom of the camper with the appropriate foam board adhesive by applying the foam to the board and then lowering the camper onto the precisely placed foam boards. I'm letting them sit overnight to bond completely and I should be good to go.

The whole project cost less than $30 and only took an hour. The foam board is impervious to moisture and should last as long as the camper. It provides us with an additional R-7.5 and probably weighs less than 5 pounds.

The foam board pieces sit flush with the runners so they don't affect the height of the camper.

 

[Happyjax]

That should really help you stay toasty!

 

[smlobx]

Here's a not so great phone picture of the foam lying flush to the bottom of the runners...

 

[Scott_H]

I was considering doing this for my Milner. Would love to know if you are able to tell a difference with this mod? I was thinking of using some velcro or a more temporary way to keep in place when the camper is off of the truck. Any thoughts on this? Do you also use a rubber map between your truck bed and Everest? Thanks!

 

[knoxswift]

I did this mod. I was able to tell a difference. The floor doesn't feel as cold as it did with the bare feet test...lol

 

[Advmoto18]

Eddie, great idea!

Our camper is sitting on the jacks, so a good time to add the rigid foam.

I stumbled upon this concept and it has worked great for us.

This sleeping bag pad from WalMart cut to fit. We camped on the Alvord (OR) in a blizzard. The inside of the camper was nice and toasty; we could walk on the pad bare footed, that warm and comfortable. I lifted the pad and the camper floor had to be near freezing temp.

Bill

 

[Durango1]

I used the exact same foam board from Home Depot to fill in the spaces on my last two FWC flatbeds. However, I ordered them with only one 'runner' so we only had 3/4" to work with. (It kept my overall height lower.) Does it work? Don't know but definitely worth the 20 bucks or sure to know we did the best we could!

 

[pvstoy]

I was wondering how that insulation got there...thanks Steve!

 

[smlobx]

I was considering doing this for my Milner. Would love to know if you are able to tell a difference with this mod? I was thinking of using some velcro or a more temporary way to keep in place when the camper is off of the truck. Any thoughts on this? Do you also use a rubber map between your truck bed and Everest? Thanks!

Hi Scott-
Yes we do use the rubber mat under our camper that Hallmark provided us but doubt that it adds any insulative qualities as the air gap provided by the campers runners allowed cold air to circulate under there.

 

[LosAngeles]

It is my understanding that in current (new) Hallmarks there is some insulation in the floor. If I recall correctly.

 

[Vic]

What a great idea - thanks for the tip and its on my project to-do list for the next winter trip! Thanks!

 

[DanoT]

Eddie, great idea!

Our camper is sitting on the jacks, so a good time to add the rigid foam.

I stumbled upon this concept and it has worked great for us.

This sleeping bag pad from WalMart cut to fit. We camped on the Alvord (OR) in a blizzard. The inside of the camper was nice and toasty; we could walk on the pad bare footed, that warm and comfortable. I lifted the pad and the camper floor had to be near freezing temp.

Bill

I do a lot of winter camping and I went to a dollar store and bought a couple of $3 30"x20" kitchen mats made out of the same stuff as 1/4" sleeping mats. I put a 30"x20" drainage mat on top so any snow that melts or debris that is tracked in ends uo on the dollar store mat and the drainage mat remains dry. Easy cleaning: Lift off the drainage mat and drag the dirty kitchen mat outside.

 

[rubberlegs]

We use two layers of carpets.

 

[Sleddog]

I insulated the floor of my camper, but chose to put the foam inside and covered it with a piece of 1/4 inch underlayment and new flooring, only lost about an inch and a half of head room. It helps a lot keeping cold from seeping up and the floor is now comfortable to the touch with bare feet.

 

[Vic Harder]

I insulated the floor of my camper, but chose to put the foam inside and covered it with a piece of 1/4 inch underlayment and new flooring, only lost about an inch and a half of head room. It helps a lot keeping cold from seeping up and the floor is now comfortable to the touch with bare feet.

how thick is that foam? R value?

 

[Sleddog]

I used 1 inch blue board with an R5 rating, it is available faced with an R10 rating if you think you need more. The 3/4 plywood underneath plus the 1/4 inch underlayment and vinyl flooring brings it up to about an R6.5 rating overall. Even at R6.5, we noticed a huge difference in the temp of the floor and are happy with the results.

 

[rubberlegs]

Sleddog, did you cover the top plywood with vinyl or carpet? It sounds good that it's comfortable with bare feet.

 

[Sleddog]

I used vinyl flooring, solid sheet, folded up at the corners bathtub style. Might get a door mat for wiping feet, but no carpet, didn't want anything that might soak up water. I didn't use any sort of glue or fasteners,a few screws in the trim holds everything in place, so super easy to change flooring or add more insulation if desired.