Stealth Mode

Hello again, reader. 

There are a few more factors delaying my departure for Scotland, which I'll go into in more detail in another post. Meanwhile, I decided to make some window shades/covers so that nobody can see inside the van while I'm sleeping.

You can buy these readymade from places like Halford, but I thought it would be better to make my own so that they are the exact shape and size for my van's windows. I hope this will enable me to have a light on inside the van without any light leaking out and giving away the fact that I'm living in my vehicle.

So I watched a bunch of YouTube tutorial videos and it seems the most popular material is this insulation stuff which comes in rolls. In America it's called Reflectix, but in Britain it has a less exciting name: Thermal Foil Insulation Roll. Seventeen pounds for ten metres from Wickes.

It's basically bubble wrap with a thin layer of foil on both sides, and it's easy to cut with scissors.. Supposedly it'll provide some level of insulation and will help keep heat in. And on hot, sunny days (I think Scotland has hot, sunny days sometimes) it reflects the sunlight away keeping the van cooler inside. 

First step is to use some old newspaper to make templates.

Then cut out the shapes I need. These two are for the side windows.

After some experimentation, I decided to cut the side window pieces into two and tape on some strips of cardboard to give them support. They fit very snuggly in place so no light can leak in or out.

Nobody in here, officer.

The windshield was more problematic. The larger piece of insulation was collapsing and drooping under its own weight, so I decided to cut it into two overlapping halves. It doesn't look so pretty from the inside, but it looks fine from the outside:

And that's it. Job done. 

Also today, my friend Gavin has torn out all the awful conversion work done by the guy who sold me the van and started rebuilding it. This adds a lot more cost and has delayed my departure until next week, but it'll be worth it. More on that in my next post.

Cheers for now. Thanks for reading!

Brian