Insulated or Non-insulated Walls

[Elrodbt]

Hello,


I am wondering what everyones opinion would be on insulated or non insulated walls. I am still in the designing phase of 5x8 offroad TD. I was originally going insulate my walls but now I am thinking about not doing that and just doing the floor, roof, hatch, and front wall to save some cash and space. I live at 9000ft so I am planning on doing some late winter and spring camping hopefully nothing below 15 degrees. I am thinking I will be fine without the walls being insulated. I will be skinning the trailer in aluminum as well. Thanks for your thoughts.

[lrrowe]

For the cold weather camping you are thinking about, the joy of saving $$$$$ will fast turn to disappointment once you are in the "cold" world. IMHO.

[Trevor57]

I spent $15 for 5 sheets of 3/4", and about $15 for adhesive. It will add about 2 lbs of weight, and 1-2 hours of total time to the build. I didn't insulate my converted trailer, and that was a mistake.

[tony.latham]

Hello,


I am wondering what everyones opinion would be on insulated or non insulated walls. I am still in the designing phase of 5x8 offroad TD. I was originally going insulate my walls but now I am thinking about not doing that and just doing the floor, roof, hatch, and front wall to save some cash and space. I live at 9000ft so I am planning on doing some late winter and spring camping hopefully nothing below 15 degrees. I am thinking I will be fine without the walls being insulated. I will be skinning the trailer in aluminum as well. Thanks for your thoughts.

My first teardrop was factory built wth straight plywood walls. No matter how much ventilation, condensation was a problem on cool nights. Our current drop has 3/4" and we don't get condensation.

Tony

[swoody126]

FALSE ECONOMY, IMHO

sw

[Nobody]

I vote for insulated walls! When I built my 5x8 (weeell, 60"x114" outside dimensions) in 2006 I put 1" of Dow 'blueboard' foam insulation under the floor, 3/4" in the walls, & 1 1/2" in the front/roof. I've slept in the TD in 18 degree weather with the door windows cracked an inch or so, in perfect comfort with only a medium duty sleeping bag. NO condensation except around the aluminum perimeter of the door windows. Also, some campgrounds get kinda noisy at different hours of the night. The insulation in the walls helps to reduce the noise that penetrates the TD, aiding in better sleep & making for better listening to the stereo...

Under floor insulation


Sidewall/roof insulation



Exterior covered with 1/8" Luan before skinning with 0.040" mill finish aluminum


Camped at 10K' in San Isbel NF, southern CO, Blue Lake C/G, Jul 2011

[booyah]

Another vote for insulation here... We camp below freezing fairly often, and if we have shore power will use a little 400w space heater, and can keep it easily 70 inside.

without insulation, you might as well be in a tent!

[Woodpecker]

Fully insulated adds stiffness to the sides as well. I stuff insulation everywhere I can.

[working on it]

• I built my TTT for strength, durability, and weather resistance, thinking that thickly polyurethaned 3/4" plywood joined by steel braces would be all it needed to survive the North Texas environment. A/C, a strong fan, and minimal heating were given prerequisites for the warmer than average climate, but insulation wasn't considered a necessity, since camping would be scheduled for the warmest months. I didn't account for the combination of a tightly sealed trailer, with high humidity inside and out, and the air exchange of even one occupant, that come together to cause a lot of condensation, whether warm or cold.
• In hot weather, the interior is cooled by A/C, in moderate weather by a 11" fan, and in cold weather, by one or two 200 watt heaters. In low humidity, all work well, and there is no condensation to speak of (small computer case fans circulate minimal airflow thru upper wall vents at all times, reducing humidity build-up inside). But, in very humid conditions, condensation begins to occur: on the exterior when the A/C is running, and on the interior when the heater(s) -only- are on. But, by using the high-flow air circulation furnished by my 11" fan, I can minimize the interior "wall sweating" , and I care little about the exterior "sweating", since the exterior poly/paint was formulated for water resistance anyway. Since I can use variable fan speeds and angles to circulate the interior air, the condensation isn't a problem, but I've put some carpet on the lower walls (where my arms might contact them, while sleeping) to combat any clamminess upon touch.
• My main concern would be eliminating ceiling condensation, which would drip, but I've yet to see any, so far. If it weren't for good venting, and good air circulation, then I might have a problem, but since I like to run a fan year-round (as "white noise"), it works out just fine. However, to build again, or refurbish, insulation would be included. Live and learn....

[deleted]

I would definitely recommend insulated walls. Once I had my trailer I realized my intentions to not camp in cold weather or for extended periods were just that, intentions. The reality is that I've several times found myself in the trailer on 28º nights when condensation could have been a problem and lived out of the trailer for several months from winter to summer in CA when I ran the gamut from cold, to rain, to heat.

Like Nobody above the only condensation I ever get is around the metal window frames and on the glass. It's easier to be prepared than to have to fix interior condensation/moisture damage later imho.

[saywhatthat]

No insulated walls = Hot box
On my build it has insulated all a round no wood to give R1
So the more insulation the better .