Siding color affects internal temperature?

[JDiaz]

I'm looking at ordering a new Fleet and wondering how much affect the siding color has on the inside camper temperature in hot weather. Our current fleet is white, and that's our only experience, so we have no comparison point. You would assume the darker colors would be hotter, and perhaps the metallic silver would help reflect solar radiation.

Who has experience with this? Thanks so much.

 

[CPT Davenport]

I have always wondered the same thing. It is common knowledge that darker colors absorb heat and create their own thermal mass. While I have no experience with a with a fwc in a dark color, I have a comparison with metal objects. While on the boat I drink from a metal Yeti tumbler. My first one was an olive green color. When out in the sun the exterior of the cup was almost too hot to pick up. I switched to a silver color thinking it would reflect the heat. Wrong, still super hot in the sun. I finally got the same cup in white. Absolutely night and day! Even in full sun the white cup never even gets close to uncomfortably hot.

Dark metal on the campers sure looks cool but they must get hotter than plain ole white. I'm anxious to hear from someones first hand experience as well.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

IMO, white will be your best bet. We have a polished aluminum travel trailer, and the heat transfer between inner and outer skin is significant. The top of it is painted white to reduce some of it.

 

[Jkron]

Agree on white being the best choice if concerned about heat transfer. The top of all the FWC roofs are white, regardless of exterior color as well.

I have silver smooth siding, and it does alright in the heat. But on the side that faces the sun it definitely gets warmer inside, but not as bad as the darker color siding options.

 

[JDiaz]

Thank you all for your feedback. White isn't my favorite color, but if it means being more comfortable in the heat, then it may be worth it.

 

[m5040]

Thank you all for your feedback. White isn't my favorite color, but if it means being more comfortable in the heat, then it may be worth it.

Without AC the white color is the wise choice.

 

[BlueSky]

You know, I see a lot of black truck campers and van campers out there. I don't get it. It must be extremely hot in there in summer sun. There must be other ways to make a camper look cool/sick or whatever.

 

[ski3pin]

Just as an aside, white also shows far less "pinstriping" when squeezing through brush and trees.