Insulation under the bed

[Blatz]

Anybody use those foam insulation panels under the bed in the pass through area. Any down side to doing this, is it over kill? I can see early Spring and late Fall in the Midwest being rather cool at night

[ktmrfs]

insulated the pass through below the bed and along the inside wall. yes it does make a noticeable difference in bedroom temps. and it is pretty inexpensive and easy to do. used foam insulation the thickness of the stringers.

now if you normally don't camp when it is real cold or real hot probably not a big deal.

[ken56]

The wife did not like the mattress laying directly on the raw plywood and it made it hard slide it to make the bed. I picked up a $20 indoor/outdoor 5x7 carpet at Lowes, cut it to fit and stapled it on top of the plywood. Makes the mattress easy to move and it helped on the insulating and condensation issue. I still want to put something in the storage compartment to help out a bit more though.

We don't often camp in really cool or cold weather but when we do I would think a little more insulation would go a long way. My unit has the bonded foam walls and aluminum frame and is supposed to be an all weather camper but any help I can give it the wife will think I am a hero.

[fulltimedaniel]

louiskathy wrote:
Yoga / exercise mats are easy to shove into place and are easy to wipe down and put back in place. ... even a heavy wool blanket under the mattress helps quite a bit. After we pulled the old mattress I was surprised at the amount of mold that was on the bottom of the mattress.

Seems the cold causes condensation and the mattress doesn't allow air there so the underside of the mattress can get moldy. I didn't see it until I lifted the mattress completely.

Now my mattress is encased in a mattress cover. Not just one with the elastic corners... I'm talking about the one that goes over the mattress like a pillow case and zips shut.

Just a quick tip for you...Marine supply stores sell mattress Protectors. These are interlocking plastic squares that can be cut to fit any shape. They will hold the mattress above the base and allow air underneath to eliminate mold...it works on sailboats.

[afidel]

We used some cloth/batting/cloth material backed by reflectex in the front of the trailer because the single pane window was making the wife too cold in 30* weather, major improvement. The next plan was to reflectex the whole passthrough compartment because I still got some cold off the wall facing the interior of the RV.

[Gjac]

doxiemom11 wrote:
We have storage under our bed, so the extra sheets, blankets, some off season clothing etc all act as an insulation.

I store all my blankets and stuff on top of the generator cover under my bed, not to keep the bed warmer but to insulate the generator from noise. My wife put a 3 in foam mattress topper on top of the 6 in thick mattress so I can't see how another 1/2 in layer of anything is going to make any difference in warmth.

[doxiemom11]

We have storage under our bed, so the extra sheets, blankets, some off season clothing etc all act as an insulation.

[nineoaks2004]

I closed mine in with a piece of 1/2 inch plywood, all the blankets, spreads etc. that the DW has under there is enough insulation.

[DennisG9]

I put that foiled bubble wrap insulation under my mattress and made big difference

Now the mattress slides around easy too!

[Son_of_Norway]

I also did the same thing as Fulltimedaniel using pink foam panels. Made a big difference in the back and was well worth it. In extreme cold I aim a small electric heater under the bed and it makes the back bedroom nice and toasty. We have no problems camping during the winter.

[Paul_D_]

The moisture/ mold under mattress issue is very common in boat cabins.
To combat the we have lined the top the bed platform on our trailer with a product called Geomat. It is similar to heavy duty air conditioner filter media but more resistant to compaction. Picture a fiber mat about 3/4" thick. It allows air flow under the mattress.

[louiskathy]

Yoga / exercise mats are easy to shove into place and are easy to wipe down and put back in place. ... even a heavy wool blanket under the mattress helps quite a bit. After we pulled the old mattress I was surprised at the amount of mold that was on the bottom of the mattress.

Seems the cold causes condensation and the mattress doesn't allow air there so the underside of the mattress can get moldy. I didn't see it until I lifted the mattress completely.

Now my mattress is encased in a mattress cover. Not just one with the elastic corners... I'm talking about the one that goes over the mattress like a pillow case and zips shut.

[shum02]

Reflectex under the mattress and electric dual control mattress heaters!

[BurbMan]

Did the same thing. I Have 2x3's supports running on the underside of the bed and I stapled Reflectix to that and sealed the ends with tape to create an air buffer. I used styrofoam panels on the insides of the storage are walls under the bed.

We found ourselves emergency camping out of town in 15* weather for 2 weeks, so this quick trip to Lowe's was well worth the effort.

[fulltimedaniel]

I did it in preparation for a March trip to Alaska. It definitely made a difference.

I used the Owens Corning Pink Foamular panels and covered all of the interior surfaces including the "top" or "ceiling" as it were of the compartment AND the compartment doors. This stuff is water resistant so moisture is not a big factor. I coverd over the insulation with plastic Coroplast panels that are smooth and will Protect the foam insulation.

It is well worth it and it keeps the bed warmer. And yes depending on the temperature you can lose a great deal of body heat through the mattress if it sits on something cold.