Our goal is to have an R Value of 14 on the walls when the insulation is complete. This will allow us to camp in the summer and in the winter comfortably, as most exterior walls on houses have this R Value.

This is the bare wall of the trailer. The first step was to unscrew the sheathing from the walls which exposed the metal beams.

roll of Reflextic: $47 (4ft by 25ft)

Step two was to install the reflectix radiant barrier. We installed it on the inside of the beams leaving a 1 inch air gap between the refletix and the sheet metal of the trailer. The air gap is very important for the reflectix to do its job – it wouldn’t work if it was placed directly on the sheet metal. The air gap is what makes this product work. With the 1 inch air gap, the relfectix alone gives us an R Value of 6.

1/2 inch foam: $9 (4ft bt 8ft)

6 fur strips: $2 each (1.5 in x 1.5 in x 8 ft) = $12

2 inch screws: $6

Step 3 was to instal the 1.5 inch fur strips over the relfectix, screwing them to the metal beams. This gives us another gap so now we can place the foam insulation in between the fur strips. We bought 12 fur strips and 1 box of screws just to get started, but we are going to need a lot more.

Step 4 is to install the 1/2 inch foam insulation board in between the fur strips. They are pressed up against the reflectix and friction fit in between the fur strips. The 1/2 inch material gives us an an R Value of 2 and combined with the R Value of 6 from the reflectix, we are up to an R Value of 8.

We ran out of daylight and it started snowing – we will install the next layer tomorrow!