Reflectix Insulated Custom Window Covers Privacy Stealth Camper Car Van Light Blocking Prius 

Holy crap

Barry Begley Thank you for your kind comments! I keep trying till I find something that works. Sometimes that takes quite a while. Thanks for watching!

I was about to comment and then I saw this and thought "well this is what I wanted to say but better articulated than I could have hoped." Really a great video and great tutorial.

I agree.

I agree

@@timdillen hiii do you sell these stuff or do you know anyone who can sell me this thing ?

That's an awesome idea! I didn't think about that. Thanks for the great tip and for watching!

Another way I learned doing flooring. Cut a 1 to 2 inch triangle opening in the the center area of the paper. Use masking tape over the opening to hold the paper to the glass. Also, if you cut thru two layers of paper where they overlap, you can align the triangle openings latter to assemble a multisheet pattern.

Glad it helped! Thanks for your kind comment and for watching.

Did you do it?

Jackie Gannon You’re comment made my day! Thanks for that. It’s so much more fun to do these projects thinking someone else might give it a go. Thanks for watching!

Actually You can make and sell it. I will buy

Kathy Endicott Thank you for your kind comments. They have been keeping me warm and also help keep out the noise. Glad you enjoyed and thanks for watching!

problem is the outside outline is not necessarily the same as the inside. just use a few drops of water on the masking paper and you wont have a problem even with the weirdest shapes.

Maybe they did not want to cut the window tint.

Did you make yours exactly like the video? I was wondering if it would work in the summer with this tutorial or if covering it in a dark material would only retain heat verses keeping the car cool? Did you leave part of the reflectix showing on the outside to reflect the uv rays? I'm looking into making window covers/insulators for my car, as I plan to live in it while I travel the states for a bit starting in the spring/summer months.

@@cheyennemarie910 my front windshield reflector does NOT have any fabric on it. It's bare reflectix on both sides. There are light gaps, but they're pretty minimal compared to what most people put in their front windshield. I might eventually put fabric on the back for additional light sealing. My front side window insulators have black Cordura facing out and a bigger piece of black Cordura on the inside mostly sealing light gaps. I bought the Cordura online. I choose Cordura since I didn't think it would retain moisture from my breath on cold nights. My rear passenger windows I did NOT put any fabric on the side facing out, but I did glue Cordura on to the inside to reduce light gaps. My front windows are only tinted to 70% (legal limit), but my rear side windows are tinted to 5%. My rear glass is tinted to 30%. The tint makes almost no difference in heating, but it sure adds a lot of privacy that I appreciate. To directly address your question, I don't think it makes much of a difference whether you've bare Reflectix pointing out or black fabric. Theoretically it sure makes sense to have the reflectix pointing out, but in actuality the difference I notice is pretty small. The outward facing side gets crazy hot in both cases (and regardless of tint)! One thing to understand about the insulators is that the inside of the vehicle will still get hot if it's hot outside. It's just it won't become a 130 degree oven if it's 100 outside. The insulators will allow one to sleep in longer. The vehicle won't absorb as much heat during the day and will be cooler once the sun goes down too. I constructed mine very similar to this video. I used poster board from my local art supply shop for the air gap. It's been great. I did find the hot glue would not adhere to the reflectix, so I applied duct tape to the reflectix in places I wanted to glue the reflectix to the poster board. Furthermore, the Cordura has a waxy film on one side that the hot glue wanted to adhere to for a day or so, but eventually peeled off. I used E6000 glue from the crafts section in Walmart to bond the Cordura to the duct tape on reflectix. The E6000 has held strong! Otherwise, going from memory, I followed the video to the T. I used parchment paper to form a template and really took my time! I purposefully cut the poster board first and purposefully cut it a bit too big so I could gradually trim it down to get the right fit. That's the most important part of the process. If you rush it and cut any single section too small, you might have an insulator that wants to fall out, which is beyond frustrating (one of mine does)! If you'll be sleeping in your vehicle, I'd pass on a few thoughts: (1) having black fabric on the outward facing side of non-tinted windows draws less attention, (2) tinting rear side windows to 5% really does allow people to not see in your vehicle while it's daylight (allowing you to see out though if you don't put the insulator in the window), and (3) using the red lighting option on a 5050 LED strip that's USB powered along with tinted windows and the insulators gives you super stealth lighting when you need it. Note on point #2, tinting your front windows to 5% is illegal in most states, but tint shops will still do it. I've been in a vehicle with the windows tinted to 5%. You have to roll them down at night to see out on darker streets. It's a real problem, and it would be easy to hit a pedestrian. Also, tinting the rear window to 5% will make backing up at night a real problem too. Regarding point 3, search eBay for "5050 USB LED strip" and choose your length. I thumb-tacked mine to my ceiling. I've used it for hours, and it has never drained my vehicle's battery. The red lighting doesn't easily get through window tint, particularly if there's light outside the vehicle like a street light. Obviously I'm rambling at this point, but hopefully a bit of what I've learned is helpful!

@@danchirpich8592 This is awesome! Thanks for giving me so much information and tips. I truly appreciate it! Now that I'm back from a trip, I'm going to be working on converting my car, so this is really helpful.

Great advice - thanks!

Hehe! Thanks!

More like Bob Vila but ok

The reflectix can still be used as a insulation piece. It's insulating the hot or cold air fro leaving the car, not trying to deflect the heat from the outside. He also chose to cover the outside with black so it draws less attention.

I ended up using gorilla glue.

1/2 inch foam insulation? What is the specific name?

@@hippieHawk go to any Lowe’s or Home Depot insulation section. I think it’s rtech. It’s a giant sheet, cant miss it. Might want to look bring a razor to cut into more manageable pieces if you don’t have a pickup. I’ve also used 3/4 and that works too.

@@Allenw154 thanks for taking time to reply to me, much appreciated 😊

I understand the concern about the covers. I have found in testing that they are so well insulated that the heat on the black on the window side does not transfer any heat to the interior side. I use the Reflectix for it’s thermal insulation not it’s reflective property. I suppose it still works on some IR or UV wavelengths but not sure. If you are not worried about stealth during the day, having a silver side would work well. I felt that the dark color inside at night was less claustrophobic. Your periferial vision does not seem to pick up on flat black whereas the reflective side made me feel closed in. I suppose that depends on the person. Yes there is more heat loss from the door panels now than the insulated windows. I am afraid to take off the door panel for fear of damage. I did insulate in rear hatch and basement storage. I made a video on that - pretty easy to do. The back hatch is not well insulated on the edges. The area where the spare tire is not insulated well either and the back quarter panels have none. Check my video list for the 2 insulation videos for the prius. They should help.

+PSC Camper Conversions thanks for your comprehensive reply! I agree with interior silver, I was gunna make some other loose fold down aesthetic wall hangings with patterned fabric or something to make the interior homey. i have a truck so a bit more space to play. That's my current debate also, i want to maintain potential resale value so not commit too much interior damage by ripping things out for insulation etc. I'm still thinking about how to move ahead.

@@DavidPuckArtist Also you have to think that tinted windows are black and actually keep your car cooler during the summer.

Hehe! Sadly no. There are certain projects I feel the same way as you!

I'd be willing to use a checkbook too!

Jane IsOnAJourney Glad you liked it. It’s a long process but rewarding to make!

It's a fun hobby. I had to find a way to travel cheap...and comfortable! Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Or the other side reflexive? Did you try it the way you mentioned it?

justicel62 Awesome! You will have so much fun both getting your Prius set up and traveling for cheap. What year did you buy?

PriusStealthCamper Adventures 2015 trim 3, 23k miles looking forward to the adventure

justicel62 Post some videos of your progress. I’d enjoy seeing a modern Prius conversion.

So glad you found the videos helpful. If you have not already finished I did a second series on these that might give you a few more helpful tips. If you have finished, let me know how they turned out!

OtterTex

Thank you! Having one side of reflectix is a great idea and will work well. The front windshield will work it is just a matter of finding space to store when not in use. I leave the rear window in place all the time so don't have to store. You could make with some small gaps and use duct tape on both sides of the white plastic so that it fold up accordian style. Then cover with material.

Imagine running the A.C. in your car until the temperature inside is low. This will help keep the cooler air in longer.

It takes up a lot of storage space. I though of making one but having it be able to fold at least once.

It can be tough to find. You might want to visit your local fabric store. Ask for full synthetic (polyester is fine). Place fabric over eyes and look outside to see if light blocking. A matte finish on one side helps to just look like window tint and glue sticks better.

@@timdillen Thank you so much, I'll check it out!

Find a blackout curtain at second hand store and cut it to size. Very inexpensive.

Howdy, I just stumbled unto your videos. Great find, thanks for your tutorials! I managed to find a Lowe's that sells the Reflectix and Plaskolite. I tried finding the black vinyl/fabric material online as you mentioned you were able to get yours at Walmart. Did you get a specific kind? I searched using "vinyl fabric" and got several hits. Does it matter what kind as long as it blocks out light? Thank you.

So far the glue has held up and not become brittle. If you are in a really hot climate sitting in direct sun, the glue could possibly reach its melting point but if wedged in the window I think it would just reset when cooled below. I wish I could of found some high temp glue but the one I used is doing fine.

David Seapy Thanks for you kind comments. I have tested down to 30deg and there was zero heat loss. They take some time to make but have helped me stay warm. Thanks for watching!

I traced out some Christmas paper. I was out of newspaper

Thank you! I tried to show every step. Thanks for your kind comment and for watching!

Good idea!

The back window is made the same way however if your back window has a big tilt, it will tend to fall out with the hot/cold cycle. I had to take an flat aluminum rod from lowes and bend it to hold in the insert and then put a screw in each end and attached to the plastic trim. It causes 2 small holes but keeps the insert snug. If your window if pretty vertical then it should stay in ok.

I have found sometimes that Lowes sells out of the stuff. It should be over on the isle where they have the pink insulation. If not, it can be purchased on Amazon/Ebay . It comes in many size rolls so get the one that you won't have to section pieces together and can have one solid piece for each window.

Thank you!

@@timdillen No, no. Thank YOU good sir. You saved my frozen heiny.

I though that was pretty neat too. They work great in the summer and winter. Thanks for your kind comments and for watching!

Did you ever figure something out for ventilation?

I tried the black plasti-dip flat paint on the reflectix and it looked better but you could still tell is was reflectix when you got closer. The material is very hard to detect. Glad you found the video useful and thanks for watching!

You might start running into storage limitations based on the size of your vehicle.

@@HondaFit4Adventure thank you! :)

2 options. These are so well insulated that I use in the summer because even with the black fabric, the heat can't get through. You can use a different fabric (white) or just leave raw reflectix on one side, then to reverse, just swap them from one side of vehicle to the other.

@@timdillen cool thanks for replying.. I'll try it out see how it goes. 👍🏼

It will disintegrate and loose it's sturdiness over time.

I know what you found, that is something different and very painful to cut - very sharp. The material you are looking for is over where they cut the glass in the hardware department. There are some bins with glass, plexiglass and then the white vinyl sheets. It is made of soft vinyl and looks like a corrugated box material. It cuts with standard scissors. It's the same material that they make those political signs on the side of the road from. I try to get you a link.

Here's the link, you can give the associate the stock number as well. Zoom in on the edge to see how it looks. www.lowes.com/pd/PLASKOLITE-2-5-ft-x-3-ft-3-9878-mil-Corrugated-Plastic-Sheet/3381288

Lowes item number: Item # 345710

Thanks! This is really helpful!!! Can't wait to custom fit my Subaru's windows.

Here's some information that hopefully will help you find it: Walmart Material: At store bar code: 48580210161 Online *I think this is the material - not 100% sure*: Walmart # 571225833 www.walmart.com/ip/Ottertex-Canvas-Fabric-Waterproof-Outdoor-60-wide-600-Denier-Many-Colors-sold-by-the-yard-Black/543662949?variantFieldId=actual_color

Awesome, thanks for the reply! I ended up going to my local fabric store and purchased "Marine Vinyl" used for boat seats/interior. I think this will work, too. Thanks, again!

Great! Let me know it turns out.

It looks great! Fits super snug! I'm so grateful of you for sharing this method.

Glad I could help!

Yes! I keep these in year around. Even though the black does absorb some heat in the summer it can't penetrate the insulation layers.

The ottertex fabric comes in numerous colors :)

You can go several ways with the color. As far as the material - go to your local material shop and hold the material over your eyes and look outside, if you can't see anything you are probably good. As far as the color, I went with black for the stealth aspect. I found that the inserts are so insulated that the heat from the sun on the black material never gets inside. I keep them in all year around. Hope that helps.

Yes there are numerous ways one could accomplish this each with there own pros and cons.

There's no more condensation build up then there would be without using these. Ottertex is a weather resistant vinyl so I think mold wouldn't be an issue. The side windows have enough of an edge to sit nicely. The back window I had to attach a suction cup.

Awe thanks. They take some time to make but work great. Thanks for your comment and for watching!

Thanks for your kind comment, glad you liked the video. They take a bit of time to construct but they are really insulated. Thanks for watching!

They would look great if sewn together but I don't have the skills. You might have some luck with black duct tape but it tends to be shinny and I think it might let loose when it gets too hot or too cold.

I used gorilla glue. Very time consuming because of the drying process.

Walmart Material: At store bar code: 48580210161 Online *I think this is the material - not 100% sure*: Walmart.com # 571225833 This should be the fabric on Amazon: a.co/d/iMjpPtQ but still not 100% sure.

@@timdillen Love the videos. In fact, I'm wanting to build mine the same way now. A little worried about wiring the 2nd battery and inverter though. May ask you questions later about it on that video. Anyways, I went to Walmart today and looked for the same material via that product number, but they didn't carry it. Guess mine is just a smaller Walmart. I also went to the search box at Walmart.com and typed in the 2nd number you posted, but nothing came up. Is there any tag that came with that material that would have the exact fabric name on it? Or, maybe I'm searching Walmart.com incorrectly. Would you mind to double check that number you posted for Walmart.com? Thanks man!

@@timdillen P.S. How many yards would you suggest purchasing to cover the same amou t of windows that you covered?

Try this link: www.walmart.com/ip/Ottertex-Canvas-Fabric-Waterproof-Outdoor-60-wide-600-Denier-Many-Colors-sold-by-the-yard-Black/543662949?variantFieldId=actual_color

I think I bought 4 yards to do 4 windows.

I do a couple things. During the day I leave the front side windows uncovered and open - sometimes with a bug screen velcroed around the windows. It is so dark in the back that no one can see in. At night I have the rain guards on the windows so leave the windows cracked in the front and have a clip fan on the top of the seatbelt or headrest to push the air back. So generally I keep the back windows up with the inserts in but yes, you can tilt them in and crack the window too.

@@timdillen holy this is brilliant as long as I can find rain guards for my Magna Wagon 😂

Good question - I did not know there was more than one type. Learned something new. I purchased mine from Lowes so I would guess it is the cheaper 200g. I threw away the label so am not really sure. With the 2 layers of reflectix it is amazing how they do not transfer any temperature change. You can feel a difference when feeling the door panel but not the insert (winter or summer).