About those solar covers for pop ups....

[trishy]

This may be a dumb question, but I can't help it.  I'm good at those.

Can you use the solar covers (to help keep the pop up cool) even if you DON't have air conditioning?  In other words, we have fans and keep the flaps unzipped.  Will those covers make a difference then or are they really only useful for keeping the AC usage down?

Blessings,
Trishy

[AustinBoston]

This may be a dumb question, but I can't help it.  I'm good at those.

Can you use the solar covers (to help keep the pop up cool) even if you DON't have air conditioning?  In other words, we have fans and keep the flaps unzipped.  Will those covers make a difference then or are they really only useful for keeping the AC usage down?

While the best results are had when air conditioning is used (one more or less scientific test showed 20

[trishy]

Thanks Austin!  Hmmm 10 degrees is ALOT of difference when you're talking 90 degrees being cooled to 80.  I guess we'll go ahead and get them.  I like the idea of reversing them in the cooler weather too.  

This is an older pop up that we are probably only going to have a couple of seasons before moving up to something bigger and better, so I don't want to invest hundreds into an AC.

Blessings,
Trishy

[AustinBoston]

Thanks Austin!  Hmmm 10 degrees is ALOT of difference when you're talking 90 degrees being cooled to 80.  I guess we'll go ahead and get them.  I like the idea of reversing them in the cooler weather too.  

This is an older pop up that we are probably only going to have a couple of seasons before moving up to something bigger and better, so I don't want to invest hundreds into an AC.

Blessings,
Trishy

Caution...I didn't mean to make it sound like it would cool your pop-up.  If it's 90

[trishy]

Caution...I didn't mean to make it sound like it would cool your pop-up.  If it's 90

[wavery]

That's correct. It like the difference between having a pure white car and a grey car. The white car will be cooler inside because there is no pigment in the paint to absorb the Sun's rays and heat up the surface. The grey car has pigment in the paint, sorta like your PU bunk ends. The solar covers merely reflect the Sun's rays and keep the surface from heating and resulting in higher temps inside the PU.

If you are parked in the shade, this eliminates the solar heating from the Sun.

[mountainrev]

Since we do most of our camping up in the high country, we use ours exclusively for insulating (shiny side down), not solar reflecting.  They do a great job of eliminating condensation on the inside of the bunkends when the temps dip into the 40's or below.

[dupreet]

These make a big difference, AC or not.  

If you don't have the $$$ for the custom covers from PUX, the 'high grade' solar space blankets from Cabela's or REI -

http://www.rei.com/product/407106

work great.  They are 5'x7' and cover most double/full bunks fine.  If you have larger beds, they can be easily sewed together.  They run about $12.00 each and come with grommet holes ready for rope or bungees.

Don't mess with the $2-3 mylar emergency blankets - they don't hold up and can leave their aluminum coating on your bunkends.
Good Luck,

Todd

[HouseInABox]

we bought ours at dicks or cabellas can't remember which but they do help even without the ac on.  We have an extra one that we use to wrap our cooler in (we have an extreme cooler) and get even better results for the ice melt and coldness of the water.   We do keep the cheap silver blankents on hand - we have used them inside and clipped them to the back of our curtains when our back side has been facing the sun and they made a difference in the temp inside with the ac on.  BTW you can get the cheapies at the dreaded walmart for .99.

[cndlzrus]

This may be a dumb question, but I can't help it.  I'm good at those.

Can you use the solar covers (to help keep the pop up cool) even if you DON't have air conditioning?  In other words, we have fans and keep the flaps unzipped.  Will those covers make a difference then or are they really only useful for keeping the AC usage down?

Blessings,
Trishy

YES! We use our all the time... It helps with  those hot days and when you flip them over and put the color side up it keeps the warmth in.   We bought our through the PUX store...  worth it...   So many parks now have less trees and it really helps keeping those bunk ends cool and or warm.