Wrapping Van in Mylar

kirby · Post by **kirby** » Sun May 29, 2011 7:18 pm

I am a BM virgin. I'm taking my van and thought I'd sleep in it. Someone told me to wrap it in mylar so I wouldn't bake in the morning. Does anyone have supporting details to accompany that suggestion? Where to get the mylar, wrapping details, etc.? Do you think this is a good idea? Thank you!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun May 29, 2011 7:31 pm

It's a variant of those windshield things that they sell at truck stops to keep the sun from baking the car. In fact, going to a truck stop and buying a dozen would be the easiest way to follow this advice. You would then put them behind every window, shiny side out, and maybe gain 30 extra minutes of sleep in the morning.
The problem is that cars (and vans) are not well insulated to begin with, and to truly get something that would not warm up in the sun, you'd have to put in an inch of fiberglass all the way around. What works best with cars for sleeping would be to put a shade over yours, with at least a foot between the roof and the shade, for air to circulate. Then you could open the back and all the windows and be pretty comfortable.
Or you can do your night sleeping in the van and your day sleeping in a separate shade structure. I don't think mylar's going to buy you much time, but I'm not one of the expert shade people. One of them will be along in a few minutes to give you much better advice.

EspressoDude · Post by **EspressoDude** » Sun May 29, 2011 8:27 pm

park it under a 'costco' carport. you get the air space that way.

anything wrapped over a vehicle will get abrasive playa dust between it and your van. Add wind and you get a freshly sanded paint job.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Sun May 29, 2011 9:51 pm

in 1999 or 2000 I talked to a camp that wrapped a RV completely in Mylar. They took care to leave the right stuff uncovered like vents ect... They said it gave them 3 extra hours of sleep in the Morning.. It was quite the site to see for sure.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:04 pm

Just buy a carport...its easier

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:06 pm

WE use those windshield covers on all the windows of the RV, we get them at the $1 store.
Attach them to the OUTside using wide blue painters tape, completely covering every edge of the reflectors to ensure they don't come off, and also so they don't rub like everyone is warning you about.

And yes, this might or might not affect your paint job on the van when you peel the tape off, as it can stick better than one might think.
(it doesn't phase the siding on our RV)
And some finishes it might not stick to at all(unpainted aluminum)

so, yes, a carport is the easy way out, but on a budget those windshield reflectors will work for ya.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:11 pm

I slept in the back of a truck with a topper two years and wrapped the topper and windshield of the truck in mylar. It stayed cool well into the morning. If the van is a light color you could probably just do the windows and roof.

I used those mylar emergency blankets from the camping department at Target. I taped it down with 14-day removable painter's tape. Make sure you tape it down right after you arrive on the playa before your van gets coated with dust.

Rigging some sort of shade over the van with some airspace between them will give you even more time.

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:16 pm

The winshield reflectors are cheaper than mylar, and block 100% of the light, as they are double thick...we have darkness inside the RV all day long if we want it.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:20 pm

oneeyeddick wrote:The winshield reflectors are cheaper than mylar, and block 100% of the light, as they are double thick...we have darkness inside the RV all day long if we want it.

it's now clear why they said you looked so good in your RV.

Post by **Elderberry** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:59 pm

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

BBadger · Post by **BBadger** » Mon May 30, 2011 6:14 am

We put a silvered tarp over our tents to keep the sun/heat out. While it did an admirable job of keeping the sun out, it was the lack of airflow that kept the heat in. A carport would probably work wonderfully, but barring that, just make sure that whatever heat does accumulate can vent away.

Token · Post by **Token** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:08 am

The simplest solution is the following:

Park van so passenger side is perpendicular to sunrise.

Get a nice cot and place it up against the van driver side.

When it gets too hot in he van, move to the cot which will be in the shade until mid afternoon.

Learn how to love sleeping in two hour intervals.

Not tape, no gizmos, no work. 2 minutes of thinking to figure out East and your done.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:23 am

Try Mylar pyjamas.

On the van, I'd go with fur.

Foxfur · Post by **Foxfur** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 7:00 am

Bob wrote:Try Mylar pyjamas.

On the van, I'd go with fur.

Oh for the love of all that is fuzzy, I want to hug your RV.

Apox · Post by **Apox** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:19 pm

Foxfur wrote:
Bob wrote:Try Mylar pyjamas.

On the van, I'd go with fur.

Oh for the love of all that is fuzzy, I want to hug your RV.

epic. I can only imaging what someone would do to that rv when they are rolling on X...

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:18 pm

Last year I made a mylar sanwich.. Took a 1X2 and attached a king size blanket.. The 1X2 was long enough for the full legth of the van..
Then folded the blanket in half with mylar in the middle. Attach both sides of the blanket to the 1X2.. Tucked (with clamps) the 1X2/blanket into the rain gutter on the van.. Strung a rope insdie the bottom fold and tied the ends off to the bumpers..

This year I'm going to do the wind sheild and rear window of the van..
Right now I have the material to build a roof top convextion cooler.. That if the design is right , It will draw hot air off the inside ceiling of the van..

All that and along comes FIGJAM's bucket swamp cooler design.