Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am just in the design stages, just in my head at this point. Why do people insulate their trailers? I live in the North East but do not likely see myself camping in the winter, but in the fall and spring probably.

If my construction was 3/4" plywood for the sides and luan and stringers for the roof why insulate the roof? I was thinking I could give it a post and beam look to the roof.

I also noticed some people insulate the floor, again is this really needed?

With 3/4" for the walls, or even 1/2" why insulate the walls?

What about Pressure Treated floor plywood versus exterior grade with some kind of roof tar or underbody coating? What is the norm or the pros and cons? I was also thinking about the framing members under the ply wood same thing P.T. or coat?

Thanks

Stan

Stan,

Don't forget the heat. A lot of tear owners live in hot climates and want to keep the cooler air in.

I am a new teardrop owner and my tear is not insulated but from what I have read here insulation can cut down on condensation that sometimes accumulates inside a tear while occupied. Another reason may be to make the cabin quieter.

The way I look at it is if you are running electric and/or plumbing and are using a double wall to hide your lines, you may as well insulate.

For most practical purposes I don't think insulation is necessary.



Pressure treated wood emits toxic vapors and therefore may not be a good choice for a small, occupied area. Since the floor is likely to be covered, it may not be a big issue but I think that many people just don't want to risk it.

Here is my own personal experience with my un-insulated TD.

Like you mentioned, my roof is spars and skin, basically that "post and beam" look you mentioned. My side walls are 3/4 birch plywood.

I have never been cold sleeping in my TD, even in January with snow falling, and that's all I really do inside my TD. I have a heater that I sometimes use during sleep, but often just turn on to get out of bed in the morning.

I could easily sleep in my TD in freezing weather with no heater, if I have my sleeping bag with me from my tent camping days.

In the summer, I have my air-conditioner -- rather essential down here. The compressor runs less than 50-percent of the time during the night.

Hot or cold, I always leave my windows cracked to get fresh air to breathe, and the heater and AC can deal with it with no problem.

I built my TD to be my "tent on wheels." It is a lightweight, simple place to eat and cook. So, for me it works. But, it is not for everyone.

So, to answer your question, yes, you can just use plywood walls and a single layer roof, and be comfortable camping. Some people want more than that -- to each his own.

On the floor issue, I would not use pressure treated lumber on anything I plan to sleep in. I just used the same 3/4 birch that I used on the walls, and tarred the bottom of my TD.

CD

Good point about the off gassing from P.T. wood.

Thanks

Stan

Stan,

I have a trailer similar to that which you describe.
3/4" plywood walls, and exposed roof supports with two layers of 1/8" ply for the roof.

I camp in hot summer temps, and pretty cold fall weather, down to freezing.
I have a heater, and A/C for those times they are needed.
I get by okay.

That said, if it weren't for the "look" I was going for when I built it, I would have put two inches of rigid foam insulation in the ceiling.
Keeping the heat out in summer, and the heat in during cold weather is much easier with an insulated roof.
Walls come second, and floor last.

Sound proofing is another consideration for some where insulation helps.

Rob

If your campgrounds always have electricity available, using A/C and heat is not a problem. Also, the A/C and heater would probably help dry up any condensation on the ceiling and walls. If you drink a lot and party into the night, there's a chance that noise will not be a problem for you. If you do all that, I don't want to camp near you!

Eastern North Carolina insulation was a must have for me. The heat and humidity around the south east coast is hard enough to deal with at times even with insulation, heat and air. I have a lot of trouble sleeping and want to mute the outside noise (1 1/2 insulation on my build on roof, walls, and floor. I'm building a 4 x 9 so I should be able to heat and cool with very little effort. The stick built frame is a lot more work than plywood but to me is worth the extra work.

I wanted the finished look of paneling on the inside and knew I'd appreciate the
insulation on cold mountain nights. It's worked out better than I expected. We built the walls flat on a table. Included were the insulation and all wiring. They were also finished lying flat for a better look. I can leave one or both windows slightly open along with the top vent. It's always cozy and warm. All sides, top, bottom, inside and outside have three coats of varnish lovingly applied.
Steve

The teardrop had 1-1/2" of insulation in the roof and 3/4" in the walls. It worked so well that I bumped the walls up the 1-1/2" on the Boxcar and added an inch to the floor:



I won't cut back on insulation if I ever build a 3rd trailer.
Bruce

My tear is not insulated except for the ceiling. The only time I wished I had insulated the wall was after sleeping in it when it was -10. I was plenty warm with my $10 Walmart heater, but from the floor up about 9" was 1/6" of ice from condensation........ Well there you have it my 2 cents.

Stan - in colder temperatures touching an uninsulated wall with bare flesh may be enough to wake someone from a sound sleep. It may also be unwelcome in the morning as you're getting into your clothes. If you choose to go with uninsulated walls consider gluing foam back indoor/outdoor carpeting to the walls. Several members have done that and reported good results.

Ventilation is key to being comfortable. In a small, relatively air tight container it's also essential for staying alive.

48Rob wrote:Stan,

I have a trailer similar to that which you describe.
3/4" plywood walls, and exposed roof supports with two layers of 1/8" ply for the roof.

I camp in hot summer temps, and pretty cold fall weather, down to freezing.
I have a heater, and A/C for those times they are needed.
I get by okay.

That said, if it weren't for the "look" I was going for when I built it, I would have put two inches of rigid foam insulation in the ceiling.
Keeping the heat out in summer, and the heat in during cold weather is much easier with an insulated roof.
Walls come second, and floor last.

Sound proofing is another consideration for some where insulation helps.

Rob

I agree if you are going to insulate just one thing, make it the roof. And, if you cold weather camp a lot, you can always put a sheet of insulation under your mattress, although a foam mattress is insulation in and of itself.

Sound can also be an issue. I put an EZ-Up over my TD if rain is expected. Otherwise, rain hitting my roof can get a bit noisy. The EZ-Up also allows me some covered area to get in and out of my TD.

CD

I use to do a lot of winter camping/mountaineering. I am talking about tent camping, but an uninsulated Teardrop is similar.

When sleeping in temperatures below freezing your body expels about a quart of water overnight. This is in the from of vapor from your respiration. The warm vapor will condense on the first cold surface it encounters, because hot air rises, that's mostly the top, but it will also condense on walls forming frost or ice.

You will have to deal with the frost/ice in the morning. If you add a heater, it will turn back into water and fall on you in the from of snow or rain. Wiping surfaces with a towel when it turns back to water helps control this, but that's more work than just insulating in the first place.

You can help reduce the vapor condensing by opening vents and windows, but that's not always possible if it's nasty outside.Insulating won't completely prevent the condensation, but it will reduce it considerably.

Also, insulating really keeps the noise out. You won't know that bear is tearing apart your car to get to those steaks in the cooler.

$.02
Larry C

I only insulate the ceilings in mine...it doesn't take much cool weather to get condensation...and I'd just as soon avoid that nice cold clammy bedding and trying to dry it out the next day. Doug