Insulate between panels or box in?

[CoffeeGuy]

Sorry if this is a repeat for anyone, but I haven't gotten any responses on my build thread, so I'm reposting here for more visibility.

How would you insulate the areas pictured? The metal is heavier than the wall panels that we removed, and it appears to be structural. This is where our bed is going, so it's important that we insulate.

Is there any point to trying to insulate between the outer wall and inner panels? Or should we just start the insulation inside the existing metal? Would you remove any of the metal? What is the best approach?

[musigenesis]

I don't fully understand the back structure of an RE, but I don't think those panels are really structural. They are thicker material than the corrugated stuff that is used on most of the side walls, but it's the same material that is used on the back wall of a CE or FE, and we usually remove that in the demo stage (so at least removing it in your case wouldn't be any worse than what everyone else has done).

However, insulation between metal studs or ribs is a lot less effective (maybe half as much) as continuous insulation of the same thickness. Since this is your bedroom, you might not care as much about losing an extra inch or two of width/height by leaving the panels in place and insulating on top of them.

[TJones]

I would insulated over the panel that is on your engine intake side. The panels on either side of the bench seat are structural so insulate over them. The back wall panel around the window could be removed but may offer some stiffness to the rear wall. Mine is staying as my bus has a fiberglass rear cap behind this area. The side opposite the engine intake could be removed but probably not worth the hassle.

Ted

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by TJones

I would insulated over the panel that is on your engine intake side. The panels on either side of the bench seat are structural so insulate over them. The back wall panel around the window could be removed but may offer some stiffness to the rear wall. Mine is staying as my bus has a fiberglass rear cap behind this area. The side opposite the engine intake could be removed but probably not worth the hassle.

Ted

Thank you! This agrees with the conclusion that I was reaching, though we haven't actually taken any steps on this part yet. After a couple days flurry of activity, we've had to chill due to the weather shifting. I hope we get to tackle it again over the next couple days.