Insulating using Ensolite & Thinsulate

After perusing and debating the endless options for insulation in the van, we opted to go with two products that made the most sense to us:

• Ensolite: a thin closed cell foam
• Thinsulate: a batting style automotive grade insulation that is hydrophobic and will not separate like fiberglass

These two products also have the added perk of acoustic insulative properties, which helps to keep sound out of the van and keep any noise we make inside the van. (Actually, the Ensolite is sold primarily as an acoustic insulator with the added benefit of some thermal insulation.)

Our strategy with insulation was to use the Thinsulate to stop convective heat transfer from the outside air or sun, and the Ensolite to stop conductive heat transfer from the bare sheet metal. Matching the depth of the structural ribs inside the van, we used 1” thick Thinsulate on the ceiling and 2” thick on the walls.

On the large sections of single-walled sheet metal, we applied the Ensolite first against the metal and Thinsulate on top of that. For the structural ribs we reversed the order of operations and filled the ribs with Thinsulate using pokey tools and homemade plumbobs (and a reasonable amount of swearing), then covered the remaining exposed metal with Ensolite.

The 2" thick Thinsulate is still thin enough that it does not take up any of our cargo space when installed on the walls.

A thin layer of Ensolite underneath the factory wood composite floor helped to quiet the interior and added a small amount of cushion when standing on the floor.

We even went so far as to pull out the headliner above the cab and line it with Thinsulate.

For adhering the Ensolite to the metal, we tried both the sticky-back version of Ensolite and the less expensive regular Ensolite combined with 3M 90 spray glue. We found that the spray glue allowed us to smooth out the Ensolite better than the sticky-back version did, and was generally easier to work with. For the Thinsulate, we again used the spray glue but had to be a little more precise and diligent in our gluing strategy. If we used too little glue, especially on the ceiling, the batting would start to peel away from itself and the whole piece of insulation would slowly sag.

Looking rather dapper dressed in black - operation "Insulate the #&%* out of the McVansion" complete!

Now that we are getting into some winter weather in the van, we are extremely pleased with the performance of the insulation. We have spent several evenings and mornings in the low 30’s and find that usually just being awake and moving around will heat the interior of the van enough for it to be bearable. If we do a little cooking inside the van for dinner or coffee, that heat is enough to keep us pretty comfortable. As a last resort if we are feeling super chilled, we can also run a Mr. Heater Portable Buddy to generate a lot of heat in just a few minutes. We’ll turn the vent fan off but leave it cracked and find the van remains warm for several hours – basically until we go to sleep or open a door to start our day.