Weekend camper

[KoolKeith]

5 window short bus, worth insulating floor and ceiling for occasional camping, esp when keeping stock windows?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by KoolKeith

5 window short bus, worth insulating floor and ceiling for occasional camping, esp when keeping stock windows?

Not really.
I've got a 5 window and we're only going to camp in it a few weekends a year. I'm leaving the steel skins in it.
I may go with rv window, though. I just HATE school bus windows. But plenty of folks seem to like em just fine.

[bfuller181]

You mean adding more insulation? I never looked under the subfloor, but the walls and ceiling are insulated in mine.

[Dog Rescuer]

I live full time in my bus and I didn't insulate much - The walls and ceiling were factory insulated - and still in decent shape.
The floor is not - I didn't do much to it to help, either. It's fine, except in the winter, then it's really cold - but a few carpet pieces help a lot.
I left all the windows - and those are my main source of cold air in the winter and heat in the summer - a roll of reflectix helps. RV windows are certainly better - but I am one of those who likes the bus window look.
A Mr. Buddy heater will heat up the bus nicely and take the chill off. A Cubic Mini Woodstove really heats up my bus.
I have screens on 6 of the windows - and those stay open most of the summer - with a few small fans going - it's nice. But, that was not the case in Florida- where it was hotter than a pepper sprout. I'm was in Montana last summer - and I am back there now.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by bfuller181

You mean adding more insulation? I never looked under the subfloor, but the walls and ceiling are insulated in mine.

Fiberglass in a bus is "insulation". note the quotation marks. Metal and fiberglass don't do much for the temps.
Its mostly for sound deadening.

[TheArgobus]

What's your location?


I personally opted to rip out the floor/walls/ceiling and insulate them on my 4 window, simply because I figured I'm building my own camper and I should make it as luxurious as possible... even though I am keeping the stock bus windows... but that just made me think it's even more important if I can eke out an extra bit of insulation everywhere. I'm also a glutton for punishment.

[bfuller181]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Fiberglass in a bus is "insulation". note the quotation marks. Metal and fiberglass don't do much for the temps.
Its mostly for sound deadening.

With 20+ windows in the vehicle, the fiberglass is FAR from the top of the list of "places that heat is escaping."

[leadsled01]

I have not added any insulation to my bus. It is fine for weekend camping in all 4 seasons.

[Native]

I think it all depends on your definition of camping. Some are happy with a vehicle that gets them there and holds the gear and just love sleeping in a tent. Others want/need a glamping experience.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by bfuller181

With 20+ windows in the vehicle, the fiberglass is FAR from the top of the list of "places that heat is escaping."

Right.
The METAL sandwich is the cause. Not the fiberglass, man.
With the thermal bridge it really doesn't matter much what you've got stuffed in the walls of a metal tent.

[Mark_In_MA]

I always viewed removing the interior skins as part of the quest to seal leaks as much as it was part of adding insulation. (I've pulled the inside totally apart. . .may as well throw some fresh insulation in there while I'm at it.)

Still not as much of an issue on a weekend camper.