I'm a teacher who camps/travels around the US in my SUV during the summer months. I do a mix of stealth camping and camping at campgrounds. I will review car camping products so you can see what's worth it and what's not!
There are more rigid plastic gutter guards at Lowe’s that doesn’t require any work or tape. Just cut to fit to width. This assumes your window is close to being a straight line. For my Toyota Sienna, I only had to cut off about a quarter inch off of each end and that’s it.
One thing you could try to reinforce the gaurd is to add a metal beam that extends down into the window and perhaps wedges between the window and the door frame on both the top and the bottom. This would give the gaurd a little more rigidity and maybe if you put 2 or 3 "beams" like this that run up and down, you can have a more secure gaurd. This is a good idea though and very easy to do. This is just what I was looking for though because most of the other videos I've seen use plastic ones or people don't bother doing anything to protect against people trying to stick things through the window or whatever (of course this does not gaurantee that but it will make it harder for someone to do so).
You called the metal pieces " gutter guards" bit when I looked them up none of them looked like yours or the other guy that did this too I am not sure of his name but he took a scrap of the metal pice when he trimmed them and wedged it vertically into window to cover gap in window
I wish you added the link to the other RU-vid you followed for this. I remember him squeezing the Channel to fit the window better and a bead of calk to cushion your window. Calk comes in black so it also is stealth. Take a bit of time so you are not rushed it makes for a longer lasting item.
This is a great tip! TY!…but I’m also thinking that the screen holes are a bit too too big…and that bugs will get through them easily…so it would prob be helpful to also slip one of those window socks aka bug “mesh” things over the screen as well.
She already has a bug screen as one of her materials: "Charcoal Fiberglass Extra Strength Screen Roll for Windows and Door $11.88". So you're protected from bugs. Commercial socks have two layers to them (inside and out) so they cut most of the airflow.
Been thinking about doing this for a while now on my own forester, and I think I'm gonna have to now. I've currently got the rain guards on mine, so I think to help with the stealth factor, and to keep even more rain out, I'd probably cut them a bit more so I can have the window rolled up further. Would also help to lessen that side gap.
