Insulated window covers are a “must-have” for camper or adventure vans because they provide privacy and thermal insulation (for hot summer days or snow chasing winter vanlife). By strategically inserting magnets all around the edges, the window covers are super easy to install/remove: they simply snap to the metal window contour. Neat and functional, like it should be! The shape of the window covers can be changed to fit pretty much any vans: Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, etc.
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1- Insulated Window Covers In a Nutshell
1.1- Overview
Back when we converted our Ford Transit camper van, we decided to make the insulated window covers ourselves (DIY). More information on how we made them is available further down this page, but for now, here is an overview of the final product:
Interior
Exterior
Side
Windshield/Cabin
Side Door
Rear Door
Windshield/Cabin
Rear Doors
1.2- Privacy
A well-made cover should match the window contour AND have enough magnets so the edges stay in contact with the window contour.
Light IN
Light coming in (from street light, car driving by, sunrise, etc.) is super annoying and disturbs our sleep. The truth is, we don’t always sleep in the middle of nowhere, so light is to be expected!
Light OUT
Compared to an RV, a van is “stealth”; you can sleep on a city street, and chances are that people won’t notice and won’t call the cops on you. But if light leaks out, that’ll reveal your presence…
Privacy
People are curious, and it’s not unusual to have someone peak inside the van. That’s not cool, and it might even get you in serious trouble: there are laws against indecent exposure so don’t put on a show…
1.3- Thermal Insulation
People tend to go crazy with insulating their van, but the windows are often neglected. Remember that glass (window) is a poor insulator; you can spend a fortune on insulation, but cheaping out on window insulation will pretty much cancel out your efforts…
Summer
The greenhouse effect needs no introduction: leaving your car in the sun will raise the ambient temperature to an unbearable level. And because of thermal mass (energy absorbed by all the objects in your van), it will take forever to cool down afterwards. Using window shades dramatically reduces the greenhouse effect, we can’t emphasize that enough.
Winter
For us, there would be no winter vanlife without insulated window covers. For example, just removing a single window cover makes the surrounding area cold and uncomfortable (when it’s sub-freezing outside).
2- Insulated Window Covers: Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
This project turned out to be way, WAYYYYY more time consuming than we ever imagined. The problem is sewing the layers all together: we tried with a normal sewing machine, but all it did was break the needle. Turns out an industrial sewing machine is required. Of course, we didn’t have one, so Isabelle’s mom sewed all of them BY HAND. She’s experienced, so we thought it would be fine, but that’s a lot of material to go through, so it’s extremely difficult and time consuming. We’re incredibly grateful for all of her help, but we suspect she’ll never want to do this again 😂 (with reason).
Time Spent
80 hours
(No jokes!)
Total Cost
~$500 USD
Material
| ITEM | BUY LINK |
| 3M Thinsulate AU-4002-5 (1″ thick)* | eBay |
| Low-E* | eBay |
| 3M 90 Spray Adhesive | Amazon |
| Rare Earth Magnets | Amazon |
| Spring-loaded extendable curtain rods | Amazon |
| Synthetic Fabric | We sourced it locally |
*Please make patterns (in cardboard or something) and check the quantity you need. At the time of writing these lines, we forgot exactly how much we used sorry…
We won’t get into much detail, but here is the important stuff:
- The layers are as follow: Low-E/Thinsulate/Fabric.
- The 3M 90 spray adhesive was used in between Low-E & Thinsulate layers.
- The rare earth magnets are POWERFUL …but not that much once they’re covered with fabric, and they have to hold the weight of the cover. Make sure to use plenty of them all around (we used 9 round magnets per cover for the rear doors, 12 for the slider door, 3 for each driver/passenger door) and make sure not to use a thick fabric over the magnets (we wish we had used a slightly thinner fabric, the black border you see on our insulated window covers is quite thick). Also, with time, the magnets have migrated slightly away from the van metal contour, making them even less effective. Bottom line, the holding power is affected by the magnet dimension, quantity, and location accuracy. We didn’t quite find the perfect balance, it’s up to you to do better than us!
Each magnet is contained in a small pouch, and this pouch is sewn onto the the Thinsulate (so the magnet stays where it should):
On Second Thought...
- We should have used synthetic fabric because after a few years our covers shrank a little, and we lost some privacy (especially around the windshield edges).
- The exposed Low-E gets damaged over time, and repairing it is not really an option…
- We love the fact that the insulated window covers can be installed on-the-fly with the rare earth magnets, but we would use more magnets (and make sure they don’t move away from the metal border) and a thinner fabric to retain the power of the magnets.
- The Low-E is not exactly stealth… it might be a good idea to make the insulated window covers reversible: one side with Low-E (to reflect the sun) and one side black (stealth = not to attract attention at night).
- We would use 1″ thick Thinsulate on all covers to reduce the weight and make them easier to store (we updated the “material” section to reflect that!)
– If you’re living with an Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity condition, get these insulated window covers NOW 
! Yep, it seems that Low-E is an excellent signal blocker (similar to metal). If you’re working from your van, you might want to get a cell phone signal booster. Once the covers are installed, we lose about 2-3 bars of signal, and we completely lose signal in weaker spots. We sometimes remove the covers to get better signal, but then it gets uncomfortably cold… So get a Monopoly game or get the WeBoost 4GX-RV signal booster! It’s not cheap, but, again, if you’re working remotely, it might be a good investment. There are cheaper options out-there, but this is the most popular and best available:
If we had to start over...
Yeah, we would just buy the insulated window covers and save our precious time to work on our van build instead!
3- The Easy Way (Buying Window Covers)
No sewing skills? Or maybe you’d rather spend this precious time working on your van conversion? Then we recommend going pro:
Van Made Gear
Top-quality window covers for Sprinter, ProMaster, and Transit vans. These window covers attach magnetically (except for the windshield) and are insulated with Low-E. Handmade in the USA.
At checkout, use “faroutride” coupon code to get 5% discount!
We’ve been testing a full set of the VanMade Gear window covers in our Ford Transit camper van, and we confirm these things are GREAT! Their contour match the window patterns perfectly, it’s super easy to install/remove them (thanks to the magnets), and they’re quite compact when stored away. As a downside, the thermal insulation is not as good as our DIY window covers, but that’s the price to pay to have more compact window covers. We’re OK with that!
4- You Might Be Interested In...
Mosquito Screens
If you’re like us, the noise of a single mosquito can ruin a good night of sleep. They say that killing the mosquitos before going to bed is part of the Vanlife routine… it actually doesn’t have to! Adding bug screens to our van was a priority, and in retrospect, we’re SO GLAD we did! In the article below, we’ll give you a quick tour of our bug screens and give you a solid option for the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, or Ram ProMaster vans.
Thank you for details instruction. It’s very helpful with picture to visualize for those that new. Also appreciate the links & purchase items suggestions.
Hi Guys! Awesome project and blog. So many usefull details.
One question: have you considered to use the external insulated window covers for the front part (including motor part)??
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Giacomo
The problem with an external cover is that it’s exposed to the elements (rain, dust, etc.) and it would be very annoying having to deal with drying it (or dusting it). I much prefer having it inside!
My humble opinion,
antoine
Do you think the commercial covers provide sufficient r-value to be worthwhile?
I have a thinsulate insulated van and a Webasto, but the webasto only keeps the indoor temps about 30deg F above outdoors. I think heat loss through the windows is the biggest culprit right now.
I’m using reflectix covers, but the don’t seem to help with the problem a ton.
Unfortunately, I don’t think commercial covers will do much below freezing temperature. I think we’ll have to use our homemade thinsulate insulated covers when we use the van for ski trips.
I have an older van that I am trying to make more private for camping. It is a 1993 GMC Vandura which has the raised roof, swing out double back doors, and double opening doors for the cargo area on the passenger side instead of a slider. Is there anyone who can help me find a bug screen and window covers, plus I am also trying to find the window privacy permanent screens that you would put in the back of a pickup so I can use them on the back doors and side windows of the van.. Any help is appreciated.
How about the pull over netting covers to the 2 front doors (like a wide expandable sock netting) that they advertised as a window shade but it’s netting so it can also function as a bug screen solution for your need.
Do you think a non-reflective exterior would keep it cool in the sun? Most covers for sale seem to not have the reflective layer. Some put low-E on the inside – wouldn’t that be useless?
Also, why do you say reflective is less stealth? If I wanted to be stealth I’d be sure to put the reflective layer facing out so I look like a normal van trying to keep the sun out. Black screams “I’m in here hiding!”
Actually a foil layer works as a radiant insulation layer and would function either in or out. The only advantage of having it out is that it’s lighter in color and would not absorb the light rays at all.
Van made gear does not ship tp Canada!
Did you write to him directly to ask, maybe he would reconsider?
Heyy, loving your website for all the incredible resources, thanks so much!!!
I’m wondering if there a Canadian company who makes these window coverings too??? Instead of having to pay the exchange. Many thanks!
I’m not aware, sorry 🙁
Good luck!
Where can you buy the window roll down cover for the big sliding door window. I like how yours rolls up and secures in place? Thanks in advance!
You can find all the information about the mosquito screens here: faroutride.com/mosquito-screens/
You have window covers, so do we, but I notice that you also have a curtain, I have never seen it discussed. Do you sometimes not bother with the window covers and just drape the curtains over the backs of the reversed seats? Like in moderate weather when you aren’t heating too much?
And does the curtain rod go from the hole (or the big indent) in the blob from one blob to the other?
The curtains is faster to deploy than the window covers; it’s useful when you need to use the toilet or if you need some privacy. We still prefer to use the window covers overnight, so we can still use the cabin as living space.
The curtain goes from one blob to another, pretty much. It’s attached to the ceiling, not directly to the blob.
I was wondering if there is a way to take used sleeping bags and sew window coverings out of them? We have a second hand store here in Chattanooga that gets a lot of the camping gear that is left at Bonaroo and they sell it for pretty cheap(with good reason). I am not sure I would sleep in one of those bags, but I think I would be willing to wash them up and use them for window insulation. I assume getting them the right size so that they fit close to the window is important. Thoughts?
Why not! The downside I see is that the covers will be super “soft”, so make sure to use plenty of magnets (or velcro, whatever you had in mind). Yeah, in theory you want them as close as possible to the window to minimize condensation (but you’ll get condensation anyway, so…).
Good luck with that 🙂
Wow.
Mocked up some covers over the last week for our first winter trip, very interesting.
Thank fully, I only have three windows I need to insulate, the front window and the driver and passenger windows. This is excepting the back-side window over the bed, which I don’t intend to cover. We don’t have a half window in our sliding door yet, and the longer I go without it, the more I might not add it. But you are correct, it is a painful blindspot.
I did not appreciate the massive size of the front window covering. I now know what covers the majority of your your bed during the day. And getting it in/out, is that normally a two person job? Whew.
I ended up using a sandwich of EZ and mini cell, no thinsulite, bonded with spray adhesive. It’s pretty stiff, and reversible, and about the same R-value.
Georgia? Really?
Hey, if you get up to Michigan (not great mountain biking or half boarding), visit. Great beer here in Kalamazoo. We are 2 minutes off I-94. And can drive you both to Bell’s Brewery (place of Two Hearted IPA) in a non-van.
One of the most informative and down to earth van conversion articles I’ve read, great work.