RV Blinds

[CLHEJ]

Hey all. It's been a while since I've posted in here. I have been an RVer all of my life and absolutely love the RV lifestyle.

I currently work for a large supplier of accessories for the RV industry and love working around RVs as much as I love being in them. I have a question for everyone in this group.

What if anything would you like see differently regarding your RV blinds, or window treatments? Do you currently have any issues with your blinds? Is there a unique feature that you'd like developed for future product improvements?

Looking to possibly pick up on real life experiences and suggestions from this group if I can.

Thanks in advance!
Craig

[colliehauler]

Every RV I have ever owned I have put up cordless pleated shades. I took down the metal blinds with cords. Just ordered enough cordless pleated shades to do a current trailer project.

[ppine]

One of the secrets to a good camping experience is to go somewhere that is dark at night.
When I am home it is completelly dark. The only sounds are coyotes, owls, and donkeys. When I go camping I want it to be similar or darker and more quiet.

[Crabbypatty]

Need them to be black out shades. To block 100% of the light coming in so we can sleep. Seems light rvers like to sleep with all their lights on at night. Really annoying.

[Crabbypatty]

Need them to be black out shades. To block 100% of the light coming in so we can sleep. Seems light rvers like to sleep with all their lights on at night. Really annoying.

[CincyGus]

Of the Aluminum Blinds, Pleated Shades and roller blinds I've used, The aluminum blinds gave me the least trouble. I kept them in their clips at the bottom, properly tensioned and only rolled them shut or open with the twist handle. Mine never came loose, never caused and issue.

The pleated shades were dust catchers and impossible to keep clean.
The roller shades after awhile failed to go up without numerous attempts and way too much time to get it to do what it was supposed to do.

When any of mine fail going forward, I'll be making a reflectix window cover and curtains. A little velcro and it's in, and when I want light, I'll remove it, stick it below the window on a second piece of velcro and open the curtains.

I go camping to relax and destress. Getting aggravated over fighting with window treatments is cause for replacement.

[deltabravo]

Edd505 wrote:
I would like to see day/night shades, at least as an option. That's my next upgrade.

This is what you need

[deltabravo]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I would like to see blinds that keep all the light out for sleeping.

This is what you need

[deltabravo]

I Hate mini blinds in RVs.

[Edd505]

I would like to see day/night shades, at least as an option. That's my next upgrade.

[CavemanCharlie]

I would like to see blinds that keep all the light out for sleeping. Most of them don't fit well and light comes in around the edges. Not so bad until the sun is in just the right spot and shines past the edge of the blind right into your eyes.

[SoCalBirder]

We had the metal blinds in our first trailer. They swung and bent themselves pretty easily. I put up curtains, but there wasn't a good way to attach them so I ended up with rods/curtains that had to be put up every time.
Our new trailer has one miniblind setup (kitchen) which bent the first time out. So I have to travel with them open. Don't like that. The pulldown shades work OK, but as noted you have to raise them above the window latch to open the window at all. That is not optimal.
I'd pay modestly more for good, functional blinds.

[RobWNY]

Our first Travel Trailer had the metal mini blinds. They were terrible. They bent, made a lot of noise and were junk. In our 5th Wheel, we have pull down shades. Pieces of you know what. They don't catch and stay down easily, they retract too slow and they aren't easy to adjust. Curtains are the answer and like others have said, some company needs to make decent ones to buy at an affordable price. Not everyone is good at making them.

[troubledwaters]

CLHEJ wrote:
What I am finding out is that most manufactures are looking simply at price. Most of the current products are maid in China and are plastic and very inexpensive.

Is there a price threshold that would keep all of you from buying product that was built NOT to break or fall apart? Currently I represent a company that produces HIGH quality blinds, window treatments, but the RV industry through OEMs cannot justify the cost of higher quality blinds.

Thanks for all the input, keep them coming!!!!

What's the difference in price? Another $25 - $35 per window? $250.00± more on a $20K unit is not a deal breaker. If you're talking about window treatments that cost more than $25.00 - $35.00 per window (over and above the current blinds) they better be pretty special.

[D_E_Bishop]

While we preferred the woven wood blinds in our 1990 Bounder, the Day/Night pleated type are not too bad. In our case, once the tension was adjusted to our satisfaction, we've had no problems with the shades themselves.

On the other side of the coin they suck because the trim that the mfg's place around them makes operating the shades and the sliders impossible.

The Venetian blinds in the kitchen and bathroom are just a pain in every way imaginable and they are dirt catchers and they are noisy.

Now, is it possible to build a really great RV window shade? I don't think so, there are too many designers of RV's and too many shapes and positions of windows to make one shade that will serve every interior designer, manufacturer and owner.

In my opinion there are no quick fixes.