Skirting the RV – Our Options

Skirting Options for Winter RVingThis post may just be the most boring thing I’ve ever written.  BUT, with the possibility that it might help someone as they decide how to skirt an RV, I’m posting it anyway. There are several options for skirting a camper, today I’m sharing our list.

South Dakota in the winter dictates that we need to skirt the RV.  So does Hart Ranch (where we are staying).  It really is a win win I suppose.  We get to have warm floors and save on our electricity/propane costs. So we 

Being a cheap thrifty gal, I don’t want to skirt the RV because of the cost and pain of figuring it all out.

Mark and I have measured the RV five times!  We’ve calculated.  We’ve asked tons of questions.  In the end, we’ve balked at making a decision.  BUT I think we just don’t want to bite the bullet on something that could be a flop and not work

Regardless, here are the options we’ve come up with:

  1. 2″ Foam Insulation Board
    • Pros – More insulation, inexpensive (I don’t know how much but it’s pretty cheap)
    • Cons – Not mobile, not durable unless reinforced with plywood
  2. Plywood
    • Pros – sturdy & durable, inexpensive (about $200)
    • Cons – not mobile
  3. EZ Snap Kit
    • Pros – mobile, professionally done
    • Cons – expensive (just under $1,000), not heavily insulated
  4. Hay Bales
    • Pros – cheap (probably less than $100), heavily insulated
    • Cons – mice, spiders, & fires OH MY!
  5. DIY Vinyl 
    • Pros – mobile, moderate costs ($700)
    • Cons – more labor from having to piece the vinyl, room for us to really jack this whole thing up.
  6. RV Skirting.com
    • Pros – custom made to fit and relatively hassle-free, mobile
    • Cons – more costly (over $2,000 for our rig)

There may be more options, but these seem to be the most common ones out there.

We’ve decided to do Option 5.  It’s a hybrid of #3. EZ Snap Kit, but by purchasing the components from 2 different vendors, we’ll save some money this way over buying it all from EZ Snap Direct.

UPDATE:  I WISH we would have gone with Option #1, the Foam Insulation Boards.  The vinyl was pretty costly – even as a DIY and it ended up causing more frustration that what it was worth.  

Since we have to spend money on skirting, we wanted an option that would be durable, mobile, and cost effective.

We didn’t want to go with RV Skirting.com because we’re doing this whole debt pay-off thing and that was the most expensive option (though the easiest we could find).  Plus we figure we’re mildly intelligent people.  We should be able to figure this out.  Right?

We’ve ordered our supplies and will post another update when we actually install the skirting.

Any RVing experts have an option we didn’t cover?

64 thoughts on “Skirting the RV – Our Options”

  1. Thanks for writing this blog post! It was a handy reference in helping me decide how to skirt our 2009 Keystone Everest fifth wheel for a winter in Kansas City. I ended up going with DIY vinyl purchased from a company that sells used billboard vinyl very cheap–about $50+$20 shipping got me enough black 11 mil ripstop vinyl for my whole RV. (The website is billboardtarps.com in case anybody is interested.) To hang it we installed tarp grommets and used transparent adhesive wall hooks from Amazon. (Here’s a picture of the style https://goo.gl/0bv6Bd – available from lots of different sellers. The hooks stay secure in all kinds of weather weather and are rated to hold 13.2 pounds.) Since the vinyl we bought had pipe sleeves along the bottom, we were going to use PVC pipe to weight it down, but rather than purchase a bunch of PVC pipe that we would have to cut and later haul, instead we just folded the tarp under and set plastic gallon jugs of water on the inside to weight it down. The whole project cost around $250, looks sharp (in my opinion), and it has worked really well so fa…has withstood gusts of 20 mph wind, and the water jugs stayed liquid at 25 degrees. Last weekend we had our first really cold weather with temps in the single digits, and we stayed cozy warm inside the RV with no problems (our RV does have a heated storage bay and an enclosed underbelly, so that helps). Anyway, just wanted to say thanks and to share our solution!

    Reply
  2. I think it would be really great for someone to make a weighted tear proof warming skirt that would snap or velcro on and run on a small solar panel to keep the rv from freezing underneath in the cold seasons.

    Reply
  3. Speak Your Mind….OK…I have a 41.5 ft. fifth wheel, I’m 64 and even my fingernails hurt at this point. The thought of skirting all of my trailer makes even my eyes hurt! So, my wife and I just use LOTS of blankets, a heated RV hose, a cover over the outlet at the park and wait until late morning if necessary for things to thaw out. Of course, what won’t work in many climes and if you live in your RV….well, learn where to travel to avoid the nasty weather. If you’re stuck in one place the foam insulation boards are a pretty cost-effective solution.

    Reply

Leave a Comment