Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I will be full timing it and just wondering if anyone knows if a 13 R value will be good for all weather conditions?

It is if you have enough heat or cool to make up for the loss.

We're only talking about 140 cubic feet here so, space heater would work just fine then, right?

"R"13 should be more than enough.

Big RV manufacturers don't even use that much.

Most won't even tell you what there "R" factor is using sayings like "exceeds industry standards" or "The highest in the industry" or just plain "Insulated".

Happy Trails

Len

timlsalem wrote:I will be full timing it and just wondering if anyone knows if a 13 R value will be good for all weather conditions?

How are you getting R 13 ?

Batts require a 3 1/2 wall cavity and foam requires a 2 - 2 1/2" wall cavity.

Compressing an R 13 batt in a skinny wall will NOT still give you R 13.

I installed 2 layers of 3/4 foam in "The Barn" for an honest R 8 and with a inexpensive 1500 heater I was well over 100 degrees (at the roof) and a comfortable 75 at the bed with 18 degree outside temp. This is heating just under 300 cubic feet.

I am also a bit curious how one would get R 13 inna teardrop wall, floor and ceiling.

Steve_Cox wrote:I am also a bit curious how one would get R 13 inna teardrop wall, floor and ceiling.

2x4 wall studs ????

Guess I shouldn't have ripped mine down to save weight

Just a quick question. How does the regular type house insulation hold up in tears? I see Lil Guy and few other companies use this type of insulation. You,d think if it gets wet or damp by a leak..it would need to be totally repaired..

Here its called fiberglass wool insulation. Directly translated from Finnish to English.

Fiberglass batts should not be used unless totally encased in plastic. Vibrations from travel break the fibers which become airborne or settle to the bottom. Having torn down several 1960 era trailers, insulation is a joke. They use f/g that is about 1/4" thick.

I am taking 2x3's, which is actually a 1 1/2"x2 1/2 and ripping them to a true 2" and these will be my framing. Lowe's has foam insulation board that come's in 2"x4'x8' with an R-value of 6.5 per 1" thickness.

My first TD I used fiberglass and used plastic as a vapor seal. It worked great except when it got wet. Won't ever use fiberglass again. I do have a question about my doors. Both my TD's doors swelled when in damp weather. How do you rid yourself of this problem? I've tried wood sealers and everything with no remedy.

Since we're all talking about insulation, do people insulate the bottom of their teardrops? If so, how? Or do you just count the bed as the bottom insulation?

Thanks!

claw73 wrote:Since we're all talking about insulation, do people insulate the bottom of their teardrops? If so, how? Or do you just count the bed as the bottom insulation?

Thanks!

Some do - some don't - it's a matter of preference. IMO - a 4 Inch foam mattress is a pretty good insulator

timlsalem, claw73,
We were in a hurry and bought a 4'x8' tear-like trailer to take on a winter vacation. Being tent campers with no trailer experience, in our minds what is between us and the cold ground is most important.... So we retrofitted the inner floor with 1" foam board, topped it with a carpet, and then the 3" foam mattress (a series of cushions) and summer sleeping bags. It worked great, including several nights at just above freezing. Preheating with a little ceramic heater on low for approx. 20 minutes was all it took to warm the cabin into those insulation layers before we crawled in to sleep. We will do the same thing or a variation of it if we eventually build our own. See the middle of this thread or my album for pix. The roof/curve is also insulated but not the side walls. However if building from scratch my preference would be to insulate on all sides, regardless of climate.

timlsalem wrote:I do have a question about my doors. Both my TD's doors swelled when in damp weather. How do you rid yourself of this problem? I've tried wood sealers and everything with no remedy.

growing up in PA, humidity & swinging temps, ah, metal exterior doors were the greatest new thing since.. ehh..hmm...

get new doors? anything not made of wood