This is so helpful!! No one ever shows you how to make the freakin template! Foil is perfect. All other thicker material is terribly unruly and is a pain. Perfect. Thanks so much.
This is a really helpful video. So many of the other videos out there overcomplicate the process. Not only is your process simple, but you do a great job of explaining it. I'm off to shop for my materials now. You are a smart cookie, Jonathan Yentch!
Good detailed video, like always! Just a thought... If you trim the folded over fabric more carefully (as close to edge as possible) you'd have reversible blinds at no extra cost - so on super-hot days, you could keep the vehicle cooler if you blocked the windows shiny-side out when parked in the sun all day.
Yesterday I did a $7 DIY curtain that can easily be pulled into place within a few Seconds! It stays in place so I never have to keep taking it down & putting it back up, use up space to store it, etc. I use 2 1/4" X 5ft PEX Pipe (PVC) $2.25ea, Paracord to feed through it and secure it to the sun visor and the back seat roof handle. Snip holes about every 3-4 inch in a dark lightweight $2 tshirt fabric from Walmart. 1 Clip for each of the front seat ceiling handles to support the PVC and fabric. A pieces of Velcro on the dashboard. This will allow you to have one long piece of fabric that can easily slide into place & gather up next to the seat or even better yet, behind the headrest so that you can still have complete visibility in the blind-spot & your back seat can stay hidden 24/7!
Using blackout material will cover the silver pretty well. No need to spray-paint the Reflectix. Your demo is the fastest, easiest way I've seen to make window covers. :)
Great video but it doesn't say what to do when you wake up and look out your window and see an old lady staring at you while chain smoking cigarettes?????
I like this idea of using aluminum foil (will still need to find a way of using all the foil (cooking/baking/bbq) first, before recycling it. I think I would only use the black fabric maybe a tiny bit bigger than the Reflectix itself (as previously commented), so I can use the shiny side in the heat (non-stealth canping). Thanks for making this video, btw.
I’ve found that it’s difficult and expensive to find just the right black fabric. Duck canvas is super expensive. The solution is to buy black blackout curtains. I like the Eclipse brand from Walmart. They are currently on rollback for $9.97 for one 36”-40” x 63”-80” (I can’t remember the exact measurements) for one panel. Depending on your vehicle, you may be able to get away with buying only one. I needed 2 panels. But it was way cheaper to buy the blackout curtains and cut them instead of buying specialty fabric!
Why would you use reflective window covers if you cover it up with black fabric? That seems a little wasteful and like cardboard would be a better alternative.
No need for templates, just making it harder than it needs to be. Measure window so you get a big enough chunk of reflectix, then just firmly push it into the edges of the window and trace with a sharpie. Cut about an inch or a little less bigger than your tracing and trim as needed. I found I didn't have to trim much at all and the slightly larger size helped them stay in. But...like I said, skip the template and make things a little easier on yourself.
