Wall insulation?

[Tychi15]

Should I insulate my walls? I have 3/4 inch think ply on a 5 wide by 8 foot long by 5 foot high benroy Style trailer. I insulated the floor already what are your opinions? I would like to go to Alaska and Canada in my tear I will have my wife with me for body warmth is it worth it to insulate?

[Woodbutcher]

Insulation will bring you all kinds of answers. My first Teardrop was built with 1 " solid insulation and 1/4" on both sides. It stays nice and warm but does require a small heater to keep it warm in real cold weather. The next one I just used 3/4" with the only insulation in the ceiling. The third one is only 1/4" sides on the framing. No insulation or inside paneling. Each has it's advantages. The 3/4" ply sided one was the quickest to build and was very sturdy. The third one was the lightest. Last summer I spent 2 weeks in Wyoming, with the third one because it was the lightest weigh trailer. It got below freezing some nights. I brought extra bedding and was very comfortable until I had to get dressed in the morning. But there were no electric drops where I camped so I did this without a heater. I will say that on all 3 trailers the inside walls will get cold to the touch when it is below freezing. I may look into a 12V blanket in the future. If I were to do 3/4" walls again I may covering the inside walls with a fabric just to keep the walls a little warmer to the touch.

[Tychi15]

Good to know I have an electric blanket already that was a must because my wife absolutely hates the cold I'm thinking I might just say no on the insulation and hang some fabric on the inside thanks for the tips it will also give me another couple inches if bed space which is always nice

[len19070]

I think a good compromise is lining the walls/ceiling with a Foam Backed Carpet.

Don't know what the "R" value of a rug is or its foam back but its gotta be something, plus its a nice Quiet finish for the inside.

I've done it many times.

Happy Trails

Len

[Woodbutcher]

I just had a second thought on fabric . You can buy auto headliner material pretty cheap and it has about a 1/4" foam on the back. Easy to glue up to.

[alaska teardrop]

Should I insulate my walls? I have 3/4 inch think ply on a 5 wide by 8 foot long by 5 foot high benroy Style trailer. I insulated the floor already what are your opinions? I would like to go to Alaska and Canada in my tear I will have my wife with me for body warmth is it worth it to insulate?

Depends on where and when you travel to Alaska & how hot your wife is.

Seriously though, insulation or not, bring good warm bedding, because electrical outlets for that blanket are few & far between in the Yukon & Alaska. None in the best camping spots.

Fred

[Tychi15]

I am hopefully going to have solar when I'm ready to go up north so I won't have to worry about the no hookups I'm thinking since this is my first tear I'll go no insulation in the walls just roof and floor thanks all for the help time to attach the walls

[GuitarPhotog]

The only real issue with no insulation is condensation. If your walls/ceiling are the least bit thermally conductive, they will get wet from condensation whenever the outside temp is below the dew point. My clothes actually get wet in my uninsulated storage compartment because of condensation on the walls and roof.

<Chas>

[dustboy]

The only real issue with no insulation is condensation. If your walls/ceiling are the least bit thermally conductive, they will get wet from condensation whenever the outside temp is below the dew point.

I second that, but your 3/4" ply shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as the sheet aluminum I had skinning my last camper. It rained inside at night!

You could probably do pretty well by covering the interior surface of the plywood with some kind of vapor barrier, like a sheet plastic or tyvek. Space it off 1/4" or more for an air gap between the ply and the plastic.

The best solution though is the foam sheet insulation you can find at home improvement stores. It's cheap and a few sheets should be plenty for you. $60 worth of this stuff will make your little camper far more cozy, dry, and better insulated to the noisy neighbors partying next door. Fill the gaps in the insulation with expanding foam.

[bobhenry]

In about the middle of this page of my build thread I discuss a press in 3/4 foam lining with cloth covering.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=38489&start=75

This option is removable to repace the covering if the mood strikes. The rope lights hold it in at the upper profile and the window trim holds it at the fixed window.






It worked well at 12 degrees and made the little trailer easy to heat at our 2012 shivaree.

[kirkman]

My tear is not insulated. I have slept in it in some pretty cold temps -10 and even with a small electric heater running, the vent and a window cracked I had 1/8 inch of frozen condensation on the walls from the floor to about 10 inches up. When the sun hit my dark tear it all melted getting every thing wet. So if I was going to Alaska I would insulate so you don't have the same condensation problem I did. Hope this helps!
I did solve my problem by gluing 1/4 inch foam camping pads to the walls.

[Kim Armstrong]

Just wondering. Do Camp Inn, Little Guy and other big name companies insulate their walls? And if they don't, do they have a problem with condensation or do they use something else to deal with it?