Pop Up Soft Side Campers in the Winter

profdant139 wrote:
I'm surprised that the newer hard side TCs don't have much insulation -- many of the newer travel trailers have thick panels of styrofoam in the walls and ceilings. Is there some reason that the TCs don't have this feature?

By the way, while on the topic of hard side vs popup TCs, does the pop-up feature result in a noticeably lower center of gravity or better mpg due to less wind resistance?

What is thick? 1" styrofoam don't yield much in R value in the fist place, maybe R5, maybe. More of a sound deadening quality than anything else.

I have 1.5 inches in the roof of my pop up TC and 1" in the sidewalls (between the inner wall and the outside Filon skin, which is all you can get in there anyway. More about noise abatement than anything else.

In any unit, reducing the drafts and air movement equates to better heating, moreso than insulation. But then the ugly condensation issue comes about so it's a balance between stagnant air and condensation versus air movement and condensation mitigation and that applies to any camper, hard side or soft side. I rum my Fantastic fan on thermostat and let it provide air movement, but it's till a balancing act. Any enclosed confined space with human inhabatants aspirating moisture from their bodies (we all do, all the time) will produce condensation on cooler surfaces (walls, windows and doors). Fact of life and physics.

Your second comment concerning Cg, a popup will always have a lower Cg than a hard side because the Cg is entirely predicated on the fixed location of heavier items (appliances and storage). In a popup, items like fridges and microwaves are mounted lower than a hard side, resulting in a lower Cg. Design predicates that, The top has to be able to be lowered and yes, the fuel mileage is better as well. Popups are always a lower profile, thus less wind resistance and they are usually lighter than a HS as well.

I used to get 13 with my Lance HS. I now get 18 with my popup, sometimes 19. I average 21 empty so it's quite a savings in diesel fuel on a long trip and handling is much better because the camper is low profile. My Lance was always a handfull in cross winds on my F350. I don't even know the popup is on the truck unless I glance in the mirrors.

Myself, I prefer the pop;up over the hardside.