Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am sure this is discussed somewhere on this forum already but . . .

I am considering building a teardrop. I live in Sunny (well foggy) California and am not concerned about cold. Are there other good reasons to insulate the sides rather than build with solid 3/4 inch marine plywood? . I plan on skinning the outside with Aluminum and lining the inside with, well I don't know yet.

Thanks, great forum, great people!

To keep condensation to a minimum. Water rots wood and you would be amazed how much water the human body puts off at night.

I did not insulate my 3/4" cabinet grade plywood walls and have had no problems with moisture. They are painted on both sides and I have never had any condensation build up on the inside walls. We have camped in weather down to 35 degrees and in heavy rain. We do get condensation on the metal doors and windows but it dries off the next day. Even if we aren't running the fan (like on colder days) I leave the cap wide open to provide adequate ventilation. My roof, end walls, and floor are insulated.

I have 3/4 inch un-insulated walls and like Les the only place I get condensation is on the windows and metal door hinges. Turning the roof fan on gets rid of the moisture fairly fast.

For 3 season camping, I don't see the need to insulate the sides.

You might insulate the sides for a lighter weight build. Framed sides with insulation and thin skins, or skeletonized ply with insulation and thin skins, are lighter weight than solid 3/4 ply. That is one good reason.

My sides are not insulated. Just solid 3/4 ply painted both sides, and they will have aluminum skin just as soon as I get to it.

How about insulating for noise control. Keep noise out, or in, depending on your situation.

woodywrkng wrote:How about insulating for noise control. Keep noise out, or in, depending on your situation.

It's pretty quiet on the inside of mine even without insulation on the side walls. I do have the floor and the roof insulated.

I am glad someone asked that question! I was wondering about noise. I am thinking of doing most of the inside of my TD with Cork laminate and some soft material on the ceiling. Wood looks great but I want it kind of cushy inside.

In Texas it is almost a necessity if you want to camp in the summer. When I was building it I put one of the insulated walls out in sun along with the uninsulated wall. The temps were much cooler under the insulated panel than the uninsulated one.

TPMcGinty wrote:

woodywrkng wrote:How about insulating for noise control. Keep noise out, or in, depending on your situation.

It's pretty quiet on the inside of mine even without insulation on the side walls. I do have the floor and the roof insulated.

Why insulate the floor when it will be covered in 4-inch foam (mattress)? Wonder what R value that is?

Depending on your climate, condensation can be a problem. We were camping in KY a little over a week ago on our way back from the CRA. One especially cool evening I noticed in the morning inside the teardrop that the areas of the wall where I had insulation were dry. The areas where I had left solid plywood (I know where they are) were damp. Yes they dried very quickly when the sun came out, and my walls are epoxy coated and painted so I wasn't really concerned about it, but if you're wondering if condensation can occur on uninsulated wood walls, yes it can. Whether or not you consider that a problem is subjective. If measures are taken to make sure it has an opportunity to dry out thoroughly, it probably won't be a problem. Be sure and check for moisture under your mattress too if you have an uninsulated floor. The moisture put off by your body will migrate down through your mattress and when it hits the cooler floor it will condense on the bottom of the mattress. (For those wondering why you should insulate a floor). When living on an uninsulated boat in southern California I had to lift up our mattress and prop it up to dry almost every morning in cooler weather until I found a ventilating mat to place underneath it.

citylights wrote:

TPMcGinty wrote:

woodywrkng wrote:How about insulating for noise control. Keep noise out, or in, depending on your situation.

It's pretty quiet on the inside of mine even without insulation on the side walls. I do have the floor and the roof insulated.

Why insulate the floor when it will be covered in 4-inch foam (mattress)? Wonder what R value that is?

So condensation doesn't occur in the bottom of the mattress.

Extreme heat or cold temperatures and/or high condensation areas are reasons to insulate. If you only camp in a hot, dry area that cools off at night, or moderate climates, then insulation isn't as important.

if you have a roof vent and windows are open then condensation is not a problem. If you live in an area that is extremely cold the insolated sides may keep you wormer but 3/4 ply is a good insolater. I live in ca. and my floors and sides are 3/4 ply plenty good for me. Thing is ya just gotta be comfortable with your build and do what is right for you. Best of luck.

As long as you stay west of the Rockies you may be able to get away with no insulation, but it can be a weight saver and add light weight strength! Compass Rose has 1.5" of foam 1/8" Filon exterior and 1/8" wall board with .060 1.5 X 1" aluminum tube.

I don't plan on insulating my walls. But then again I plan on doing either two pieces of 1/2" or two pieces of 3/4" plywood for my walls. I will be insulating my rood and floor just because there will already be voids based on my design. But if I insulate my walls I will just be losing precious interior space. I plan on my family of five sleeping in there, so interrior space is at a premium.

Additionally, being here in HOT AZ more windows, vents and fans will probably be better than the benefit of that thin piece of insulation.