good window insulation/reflecters | Squat the Planet

good window insulation/reflecters

Swimsushi

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hey yall! so i've been playing around with the idea of either reflectix, those window windshield sun shade visor foldy thingies, or cutting up some cardboard and putting white and black fabric on each side.
I want to hear what yalls experience is with each of them. I'm looking to live in mostly warmer areas but maybe looking for some good insulating to keep cold out too. I'm probably going to stay close to urban areas if that affects anything. I dont have a big budget so if yall have any low cost alternatives too, ill take it. Thank you!
 

travelingheathen

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Rubber on asphalt; or dirt, or grass or gravel...
Save yourself the hassles and just go with the reflectix. Remember to cut it a bit larger than you would think... that shit shrinks after sum thyme.

When you can swing it, put it on the outside of the windows. Makes a bigger difference when that sun is beating down.

Not much good for insulation against the cold.
 

dprogram

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For my first and only conversion Ford E-150 - I used 1/4 foam for a garage - painted it black on both sides and no light came in. or out at night. However they were a pain to remove. If I do mine again....Im buying the darkest window tint then adding reflectix panel on the inside. BTW its legal to tint your front window up to 50%'....fully
 
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Swimsushi

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Isn't that usually a state by state thing?
what i got from that website is that a lot of states are nosy as hell and some dont even want to see your face. I think I'm going to stick with any tint the car I buy comes comes with and cover them when I need them to be. I'd hate to be going through some state like alabama or something and get ticketed.
 

travelingheathen

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Rubber on asphalt; or dirt, or grass or gravel...
Hey, that's good advise from Lupo. If you are going to be on the move leave the front section of your windows blank as far as tinting goes. All states are different with their laws.

Serious shit; just use the reflextic inside or out, depending on your comfort level wherever you end up.

In addition... you are never going to stop the heat or cold, you are just going to slow down the time it takes to get to you. No matter what you do.

That's coming from a fulltimer who has lived to see between 120f to -40f while living the van life. To stay in your comfort zone you have to move up or down in elevation or north and south.
 
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MatiasWoodard

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Hello there, folks. Sorry for bothering you in such an old thread. I need your advice on a car shade. It's too hot in my car, so I'd like to keep it cool when not driving.
 

avadog

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I've seen some people set up car shades to velcro to their windows, I tried this but they were a huge pain to take on and off, also people can still see in through the cracks and it was hard to make them look proper. Instead I used white linen curtains which I would highly recommend, they look nice and they do a good job of keeping the sun/lurkers out without looking too patched together. A reflective sunshade is good for the front window. For the back two windows of my van I used wood - helps with insulation and privacy and still looks nice. You don't really need to see out those windows anyways. Safe travels!
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