By Cheri Sicard
There’s no doubt that RV skirting can help keep your RV warm in cold temperatures as well as cooler in warmer temperatures. There are many types of commercial and DIY RV skirting available, but RV AirSkirts have to be the easiest to install.
In the video below, Mike from RVBlogger put his favorite brand, AirSkirts®, to the test by actually measuring the temperature differences they can make.
Mike begins by discussing the various types of DIY RV skirts you can make, as well as neater-looking commercial options that snap onto the RV.
He also discusses some of the downfalls of these RV skirting methods.
For one thing, unlike air, these methods provide little to no insulation value. They are also vulnerable to gaps that let air in. Obstructions like your RV’s tongue can be difficult to navigate, and securing these types of RV skirts to the ground presents a whole new set of challenges.
Installing the AirSkirts
The video below demonstrates installing the AirSkirts the very first time, with no prior experience, right out of the box.
If you are not familiar with this upgrade and brand, AirSkirts are inflatable tubes that fit snugly under the RV to create a barrier.
The entire process of unboxing the AirSkirts, laying them out in proper positions under the RV and inflating them, took only 15 minutes!
Beyond that demonstration, Mike also tests the RV AirSkirts’ efficiency.
In the first test, he tests how long it takes his RV to cool down during cold weather (35 degrees F outside), without the AirSkirts installed. Starting at 70 degrees F inside, without the skirting, the RV dropped 12 degrees F in one hour.
After installing the RV air skirting, he again raised the interior back up to 70 degrees and waited another hour. However, during that time the outside temperature dipped below freezing and the wind picked up.
No matter—with the AirSkirts installed, the RV’s interior temperature only dropped 5 degrees in an hour!
Mike then demonstrates how easy it is to deflate the AirSkirts and put them back into their carrying bag.
Give the video a view to see it all in action and see if RV AirSkirts might be right for you.
##RVT1177
Given the typical price, I’d need to do a lot of cold weather camping to justify them.
I went to the website and did a search for the ‘kit’ for my 30′ Arctic Fox TT. Just shy of $3k. As Jim below said, I’d have to do a lot of cold weather camping to come near making this a good deal. My biggest frozen water system dilemma came while traveling between Beatty, NV and Hawthorn, NV. Below freezing temps, black ice, and a long time on that road.
We have them and we live in a 38 foot Class A motorhome all the time. I put 2 60W trouble lights on the slab beneath the RV. This REALLY cuts down on the amount of propane we use in a typical Texas winter…that gets colder for longer every year. It also is more insurance against frozen pipes in our RV…my winter fear. It feels great on your feet when they hit the floor on a winter morning. They should last for years and the company is easy to work with also. We had a slow leak in a bag and could not find the source. They sent us a new bag. Works for us.
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 I have considered them, but they do not seem to be appropriate for our RV, given how, when, and where we travel. Also, hope to get RV #3 in 2 or 3 years, so wouldn’t get a lot of use from them. Thanks for the information, have a great week, and safe travels! 🙂
I converted our Little Guy Max teardrop camper to 4 seasons capable. This camper has double pane acrylic windows but no insulation under floors! Following this article I got 4 sheets of one inch thick foam insulation board (rated R-6) from Home Depot. Using fender washers and 1-3/4″ coated deck screws fastened the foam board under the floors. I installed tank heaters and put a lighted 3 switch control inside the camper. I boxed in the fresh water tank with foam board and used coroplast with R-7 fiberglass insulation to enclose the gray tank. I used 2 sections of 3′ long heat tape on the dump valves then insulated. Heaters & heat tape are 12 volts. Low point drains valves are now inside.