Should you shade your RV?

[Elliot]

You would want to retract the RV awning whenever you are not present and alert to keep an eye on it. That I am sure about.
The ones on the slide-outs should be OK -- I expect.

[Canoe]

I agree. The simple Mylar in the pic below worked flawless and made a huge difference inside my truck, but for my Springbar tent, I used the aluminized bubble-wrap to cover the roof. Wow, that was an amazing difference!
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Do watch out for ensuring that you've taped entirely around any wrap/cover. Any little gaps can be picked up by a strong or wrong angled wind, and then it's ripped off and it's gone across the playa.

That looks like vapour-barrier tape?
I haven't had reports of its use on the playa.
How did you find it for holding strength, any releases in the heat or wind, and how about residue on the paint to clean up?

[Canoe]

You would want to retract the RV awning whenever you are not present and alert to keep an eye on it. That I am sure about.
The ones on the slide-outs should be OK -- I expect.

I phrase it a little stronger.

rv awning.jpg

RV/Trailer Awnings
Can get damaged and ripped off of the RV in strong playa winds, both awning material and structure. Some “uninstall” in surprisingly light winds. Whether you own, borrowed or rented, if you use an awning on-playa, use with caution and only while supervised.
Do not sleep or leave your camp while an RV awning is extended!
While watching an awning “uninstall” may provide some entertainment value to those upwind, it tends to terrify those downwind. Ripping off and blowing away, an awning structure can really hurt someone, or damage/destroy vehicles or shelters. Even before leaving the RV, it can seriously damage those trying to restrain it as it flaps around.

[Canoe]

Given the above comments, it looks like I'm going to be getting lots of foil bubble-wrap and encase the entire sides of my RV in it ([censored] dark paint job!). Not sure how to shade the black air conditioner housing; maybe I should just paint that white...

That's been done. Works wonders if the RV is older and not the greatest in insulation. More important for the sun-side and the roof. If you can part facing East or West, they I wouldn't do the whole outside of the ends (just windows) and you only need to cover windows on the North side (doors too, or at least their windows).
BUT, the windows and skylights are far more important - and their frames!

For the roof, yes it would be better if it's outside on the roof to reflect and insulate at the source of the heat, but don't discount putting a layer on the inside instead:

• a lot less dangerous (no ladder, etc.),
• works well,
• you can use cheap & easy to remove painter's tape, and
• you can both install it and uninstall it from the inside no matter that weather is happening outside.

Don't tape a whole roll down a side, as that may not be enough holding strength in a strong blow (you can't count on having a gentle year) (and the way wind blows around your structure can result in negative pressures that try to suck the covering off of the side). Cut it into smaller panels and tape each to the surface. Same for larger windows. Tape one half, then the other half.
Aluminum foil tape is great for taping one panel to the next one that it's butting up to, but NOT for taping to the RV surface.

White paint is common and looks good for A/C housings. A paint with actual aluminum in it would reflect more heat, and can be buffed with a cloth for more shine, but has to be done right to look good. White is safe.

[FIGJAM]

Elastomer roof coating is 93% reflective and goes on easy with very little prep.

[Canoe]

That elastomer roof coating is great. I followed Figjam's example and painted/treated/sealed my BM trailer (raw plywood) with it. Very glad I did.
I had one failure, and that wasn't the paint, but a void within the plywood, easily sealed.

But, I have a bone to pick with the marketing literature for the elastomer roof coating products.
When they provide "reflectivity", they mean visible reflectance, NOT heat reflectance. Some will combine the reflectance (or emittance) of visible, heat & UV to hide or soften the heat reflectance or absorption number. You have to mix & match the various literature to get the real performance numbers.
Next to impossible to get the heat reflectance out of the manufacturers, but when they slip and provide heat 'emittance' at 90%, then the heat absorption is also 90% and you can calculate the heat reflectance at 10%. An emittance of 80% is 20% reflectance, etc.. So a heat reflectance of 20% or 30% sounds really bad (which is why they don't publish the numbers that way, let alone as a heat absorption of 70% or 80%), but it's a lot better than typical roof materials where the reflectance is maybe 3%, so they're absorbing 97% of the heat, and around the same of the light, which gets turned into heat too.

As a roof product, it's a lot better than the black roof tar or asphalt shingles it's meant to replace, and elastomer roof coating paint has a good purpose for some of our BM shelters (sealing, and some useful heat reflectance - it all helps), but it's not in the same league as something that is so heat reflectant that it can be called a (heat) radiant barrier, like aluminized Mylar and foil-sided bubble-wrap at 94% heat reflectance.
(those are starting values: once crinkled, AM can degrade to 70%, and lower, and FSBW to 90%).

[FIGJAM]

I'm sure you are correct.

I can only speak from experience.

At our regional it gets quite cool at night, but warms up quickly in the morning, so I don't use my shade over the pod there.

If I don't get up and open the window and the door first thing in the morning, it will stay uncomfortably cool in the pod till noon!

[Canoe]

That's why I'm glad I used it on my trailer.
And I'd use it again.
But it is not in the league of effectiveness of Radiant Barriers.

[Roundabout]

That looks like vapour-barrier tape?
I haven't had reports of its use on the playa.
How did you find it for holding strength, any releases in the heat or wind, and how about residue on the paint to clean up?

It is 3M Contractors Heavy Duty Poly Stucco Tape 3260. I got it at HD, and I think it is rated for a 21 day application, meaning that it is safe to stick without residue for 21 days, even in the blazing sun. It worked great. Stuck very tightly, even in dusty conditions, and after 10 days pealed off without effort or residue. I highly recommend it.

[Canoe]

...How did you find it for holding strength, any releases in the heat or wind, and how about residue on the paint to clean up?

It is 3M Contractors Heavy Duty Poly Stucco Tape 3260. I got it at HD, and I think it is rated for a 21 day application, meaning that it is safe to stick without residue for 21 days, even in the blazing sun. It worked great. Stuck very tightly, even in dusty conditions, and after 10 days pealed off without effort or residue. I highly recommend it.

wow
With the water resistance, good adhesion, resistance to alkalis, UV & temperatures, removal in one piece (no/low fracturing), sticks to most wood, metal, painted surfaces, etc., it's almost like stucco tape was made for BRC structures needing sealing or secured coverings on the outside.
Don't know if the following is specifically on the 3m product, but due to the nature of stucco and the resulting requirements, I'd expect it to be the same or similar. http://www.eifsdepot.com/red-stucco-tape/

Note: as it is so adhesive & strong, I would not recommend it for sealing the seams of doors or windows against dust where you may need to use them as emergency exits. Use painter's tape instead: may or may not break apart with force, but easily cut/broken by running your thumbnail down the seam.

[Ratty]

I really enjoy the new feature on eplaya that displays similar posts.

[knobdyspcl]

I agree Ratty, this is the first board I've used that has it installed! I've got a used pool solar bubble thingie they use to let sun it and keep the water warm. I've used it in the past between the roof and a silver tarp. learned after the first campout to make sure there is space between the bubble thingie and roof.

Does anyone have a tip for protecting a roof exhaust fan from letting in dust if you want to open it to let the hot air out when you first turn on the AC? I'm not wanting to run the AC all the time when I'm not there. figured I could use a supper dupper hvac filter on the out side of the window i'm going to open a little bit at night, but can't figure how to run the ceiling vent without letting in the dust.

[EGAZ]

If I understand what you want to do.... When running A/C, keep everything closed. The idea being is the air is recirculated through the A/C unit over and over again. No need to vent the hot air. Evap cooling is once in, once out, not re circulation.

Not having been there, but plenty of experience with talcum dust off road racing. Short of a HepaFilter setup, (very pricey) dust will get in.
Taped properly, an allergy rated pleated filter would knock down a lot, but not all of it.