Colder weather is coming! I can already feel the fall breeze coming through our windows. One of the biggest causes of heat loss for RV living is windows. In this article, I’ll share how we add insulation to our camper’s windows, as well as some ways others have used.

One thing about RV windows is they do NOT seal well and so making sure you stop the draft is key to staying warm and keeping heating costs down. Also, single-pane windows produce a ton of heat loss, but some RV’s (including ours) has the “polar package” which includes dual pane.

So why would we need to insulate them?

Well, because emergency exit windows do not seal and produce a draft.

I cringed at the thought of our already dark RV feeling more like a dungeon with the lack of sun and then sealing the windows. I did everything I could to talk Joe out of covering the windows.

The solution I had was to cover only the emergency exit windows. I know it doesn’t seem very safe nor smart because if we sealed them then how would they be used during an emergency? In reality, we weren’t using anything that couldn’t we couldn’t punch through, so it didn’t bother me too much. But to avoid insulating ALL windows, we opted only to cover the emergency ones, because they were the ones that you could feel the draft through.

Our first year in our unit, we parked in the State Fair Campground which was a wide-open parking lot. The backside of our unit caught the wind and also had two emergency exit windows and the kid’s bedroom. When knew we needed to seal them up well to keep our babies warm.

We used bubble foil reflective insulation over the windows and secured it with aluminum tape. Yes, for a few short months it felt like we lived in a dungeon, but it helped to seal the windows, stop the draft, and keep our children warm.

Last year we were parked down in a valley full of trees. I opted out of insulating the windows since we were blocked pretty well from the wind. With all the trees and the lack of sun beaming through, I knew covering the windows would make it feel like we lived in a cave. (If you can’t tell, I NEED sunlight)

This winter will be our third one in our RV, and we will be on our own property. We will be out in the open with miles and miles of fields surrounding us! We are going to park on the east side of our pole barn to help with the wind, but I have a feeling we will need to insulate the windows again.

Other ways to insulate your windows that I have not tried but others have:
• Shrink plastic-this allows the sunlight to come in still and works fantastic, but only if you can get it to stick. The double-sided sticky tape often won’t stick to the walls or falls off because of condensation.
• Bubble wrap- some have used this method by simply dampening the windows and attaching it to the window. Maybe taping it if necessary.
• Clear vinyl covers adhered with Velcro- the Velcro doesn’t provide a proper seal, but it does allow some protection. It is also easy to remove if you want to open the windows on a beautiful day.
• Plexiglass- This would add another layer of protection and still allow sunlight to come through but I would NOT recommend it on emergency exit windows at this can be a more permanent solution.

So, there are a few ways to insulate your windows to help prevent heat loss and keep you warm in the winter. If anyone has used another method, I would love to know what it is and how well it worked! Hit us up using the contact form or comment below!