Aluminum walls are cold!

[TMT]

We just camped for the first time in our new to us 2005 Airstream Interstate.
It was in the low 40's at night, and we did have the heater on appropriately.
But boy, those walls beside the bed are really cold! COLD!

I would love to hear what some of you have done to combat those cold walls. You just can't help but touch them somethings during the night.

Thanks!

[J. Morgan]

Yea probably a bit extreme for most folks, but it really does help...




1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[HowieE]

That is the nature of aluminum. The walls next to my bed, up to the windows, are covered with velvet cover batting. Above that there are curtains in a tract. We still radiate to the cold walls but if we touch the covering it is not cold to the touch.

Aluminum is probably the worst material one could pick to make trailer of if maintaining a comfortable temperature was a consideration.

[wahoonc]

The 70's trailers have an upholstered pad that is mounted to the wall just above the bed. If you roll over at night you will hit it rather than the cold aluminum.

Aaron

[oldiesel]

What Wahoonc said! Must have been a good idea,since they seem to have abandoned it on the newer trailers. Ours was a material that matched the Gaucho upholstery,we are going to recover it over what is there to add to the insulating quality,but with some materiel matching the colors we have now.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by TMT

We just camped for the first time in our new to us 2005 Airstream Interstate.
It was in the low 40's at night, and we did have the heater on appropriately.
But boy, those walls beside the bed are really cold! COLD!

Later-model Interstates replace the bare aluminum with aluminum covered in the infamous "imitation mouse fur" (actually a velour material notoriously easy to get dirty and hard to clean). That could be your answer; cut velour fabric to fit, and glue it in place, like a cloth version of wallpaper.

On Edit— Forget gluing it in place. Stick it up with Velcro, or snaps, or grommets, so that you can remove it to throw the covering into the wash…

[Ray Eklund]

Our 2006 Safari had an insulated textured material covering the interior. It was like having cellophane windows to keep out the cold.

When it was 18 degrees on a July camping trip in Wyoming one morning... my tongue stuck to the fabric. That is how cold it was.

Have you tried this test when it is 18 degrees with an aluminum interior? I am looking for a volunteer to try this on our latest aluminum interior finish model. I might have been dehydrated when I did the test in the 2006 on fabric.

The only long term WINTER CAMPING within an Airstream worth considering... would be in Miami, Florida.

[Ted S.]

Originally Posted by HowieE

Aluminum is probably the worst material one could pick to make trailer of if maintaining a comfortable temperature was a consideration.

I totally agree. Aluminum is a fantastic conductor. My company performs energy models for new buildings, if we tried to model an aluminum house it would fail so bad.

Even knowing this, I just had to have an Airstream. Because they're cool. No pun intended.

[masseyfarm]

Just be patient. Summer will come and the aluminium with be hot!

Dave

[Nomad518]

Our 2001 Safari (70th Anniversary Model) has the white mouse fur wall coverings. It provides a bit of insulation, but it can still get cold. My wife sleeps on the side of the bed by the wall. I always try to snore really loud to give her something to focus on other than the chilly wall. That's worked pretty well for me so far. Try asking your husband to do that for you. Or, have him sleep by the wall and see how quickly he comes up with a solution.

[MarkE]

On my '51 FC I installed carpet, matching that on the floor, on the walls directly touching the beds. I used a wood trim strip along the top edge of this carpet (matching the original woodwork). It looks sharp and sure is an improvement over rolling over, in the night, to be shocked awake by that cooooold aluminum wall!

[TMT]

The idea of placing a sort of batting or fabric insulation on the walls with velcro may be very workable. That's why I love this group. Always lots of ideas and willing to share! Thanks.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by TMT

The idea of placing a sort of batting or fabric insulation on the walls with velcro may be very workable. That's why I love this group. Always lots of ideas and willing to share! Thanks.

If you do use Velcro, put the hooks on the fabric, and the loops on the walls. That way, when the fabric isn't there, you don't have scratchy strips on the walls, you have fluffy strips on them. Much more comfortable to accidentally rub against.

[Protagonist]

While we're discussing fabric on the walls, if you sew pockets into the fabric, you will also have a new place to tuck your TV remote, the book or Kindle you were reading, your eyeglasses, whatever.

[AnnArborBob]

Try a yoga mat or one of those closed cell foam mats used in the gym for floor work. They are fairly thin but have some insulation value. I would use Velcro to attach to the wall so you could remove for cleaning and/or aesthetics. Either can be cut down to size.

[Janet H]

I had stock wall pads on a 70s model and took them apart to reupholster. They were corrugated cardboard wrapped in batting and then covered with fabric. No sewing - this is a glue gun project. They were riveted onto the walls. I reused the cardboard and they were surprisingly effective.

[Rollster]

My husband uses one of those body pillows along the wall in winter. It takes up less room than me and doesn't snore or steal the blankets!


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[Tim A.]

We made a cozy pad with fleece on both sides and polyester batting inside. It is about 10 inches high and attaches all around the aluminum walls of the bed. The attachment is snaps to allow removal for washing. We camp each year where it is very cold at night and the pad was our reaction to the first year there! Our walls have the mouse fur, but the cold wall was bad anyway. I hate to think about what the bare aluminum is like.

Tim

[J. Morgan]

Fwiw, last winter in Lubbock, I was able to keep the Airstream toasty warm in low teen weather with a single space heater....


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[GTOChucky]

We have a AS 325 MH. We woke up one winter morning outside of Albuquerque NM in late January 2011 and it was -6 degrees! That's 6 degrees below zero! Yes, the walls by the beds in back were cold and they are covered with a velour material. This was our answer, we had electric mattress covers and oversized feather bed quilts on each bed. The beds were VERY warm and toasty. Our problem was the water lines froze!