Insulating a Campervan

Insulating a campervan is step for van conversion

Once you’ve purchased the best van for your conversion project, insulating is the first big job.

Insulation for Campervan can be a bit tedious because it involves some expense and hard labor and it’s not cosmetic; most of your hard insulating work will be covered up in future steps.

So while you’re planning for van insulation, it can help to keep your eyes on the prize: A comfortable traveling and living environment that will last for many years of exciting adventure.

Do you need to insulate a campervan?

The obvious answer is yes. But the bigger question is, what are we’re insulating against?

Consider insulation systems in houses. Builders and engineers have a long list of factors to consider. They draw from decades of hard earned experience, often based on issues specific to region.

But since you’ll be traveling to many different areas (I hope), the work of insulation for campervan build success goes beyond region.

For example I live in Washington state where I can spend a week in the dry desert, then some days in snowy mountains, head to the coast for a few days at the beach.

In this short time my van could be exposed to direct sunlight, wind, dust, snowfall, driving rain, ocean mist (full of corrosive salt) and more sun.

What is the best insulation for a Campervan?

Our recommendation for the best insulation for campervan builds isn’t just one type of material, but several in combination. While we’d love to be able to suggest one material, it takes some thought and planning to get insulation for your camper van right.

I recommend a combination of materials and gear for campervan insulation:

• Sound deadening mat for rattle and other noise reduction
• Mass Loaded Vinyl for stopping cold and heat transfer through steel from outside.
• Thinsulate blanket insulation for filling large and small voids and most wall insulation.
• Recycled Denim blanket insulation for large and small voids.
• Foam Panel for floors and filling some small voids.
• Reflectix for reducing light and some R value and vapor barrier.