Why Insulate the Floor?

[Tomterrific]

I used a heavy 3/4" ply floor bolted directly to the trailer frame. Why would so many folks sandwich insulation between two pieces of heavy plywood? Heat goes up and we sleep on a thick mattress so I doubt there is any comfort involved.

Tom, the curious.

[ae6black]

If you camp in really cold weather, you discover fairly quickly where the wood frame meets the insulation behind your inside wall skin. Where the wood is during a cold weather camp, you almost always have a buildup of frost while the places with insulation behind it will be frost free. I use my TD almost exclusively for winter camping and this has been my experience on almost every trip. I've even had my mattress frost frozen to the floor in 18 degree below zero. Still quite comfortable inside with a ceramic heater and the windows cracked for ventilation. But if you never camp below the teens you'll probably never have a problem.

Art

[Bdubz]

I built a nice enclosed trailer conversion a year ago, and I insulated everything but the floor. The camper performed flawless even in 27 degree weather, stayed nice and warm, however I woke up one morning, stepped out of bed with bare feet, and OH NO, wow was the floor cold, I mean like frozen cold...Although heat rises, nonetheless my two builds therafter each recieved 2" foam insulated flooring. The following two builds also did well in Arizona's summer heat. With the insulated flooring the AC unit did not work as hard to cool the campers down. When I build teardrops, or campers now I try to approach it as Iam building a big giant igloo cooler, of course that vents, and has exhaust fans.

[lrrowe]

I built a nice enclosed trailer conversion a year ago, and I insulated everything but the floor. The camper performed flawless even in 27 degree weather, stayed nice and warm, however I woke up one morning, stepped out of bed with bare feet, and OH NO, wow was the floor cold, I mean like frozen cold...Although heat rises, nonetheless my two builds therafter each recieved 2" foam insulated flooring. The following two builds also did well in Arizona's summer heat. With the insulated flooring the AC unit did not work as hard to cool the campers down. When I build teardrops, or campers now I try to approach it as Iam building a big giant igloo cooler, of course that vents, and has exhaust fans.

Where is my "Like" button?

[bobhenry]

I insulated all the trailer floors except the chuck wagon.

I even went so far as to insulate the floor of both my tiny house.

1 1/2 in each bay of the caboose (per spec R 13 +/-)

Used insulated zip panel in the House in a house R 6.5 over the concrete floors. Laid in scrap from work like big tiles.

Here is a little sliver laying on it's side over the installed tiles.

[deleted]

Even though I thought I was only going to use my trailer for overnight trips around California sometimes life is what happens when you're making other plans. I didn't even think I'd ever take it out in the rain... So imagine my surprise when the first year I had the trailer I spent a 28º night in Iowa at a truck stop and another 28º night in Oregon. I also ended up living from the trailer full time for 6 months from Jan-June in Northern CA last year. No sub-zero temperatures but some cold and wet nights. I can't tell you how many times I thought to myself I so appreciated that Alaska Teardrop had the foresight to add all of that insulation into The Glampette, including the floor, as well as some other features I didn't think of like the passive air vents during rain storms when I had to keep the windows and vent fan closed. I guess my main point is if you're building from scratch it's better to add things like insulation (and wiring) in while it's easier to than trying to figure out a way to do it when everything's all finished (closed up) and wishing you had later.

[Shadow Catcher]

We have carpet under the 5" of the foam mattress, seems to work fine.

[Gunguy05]

I've always been under the understanding that it was to keep the top surface of the floor warm so as to not create condensation from the moisture of the inside air. I know the mattress insulates your body from the floor, but if the floor is cold then it will get wet inside ... Or at least that's my best educated assumption (my floor is insulated).