Side Bed Seals

[Carol]

Hi,

We noticed that the side seals, under the fabric on the head and foot of our queen bed have gaps. The one on the door side has large (a couple of inches) gaps at the back corner and the front. Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have an official, standard fix?

The reason we noticed this is that we were making the bed in preparation for a trip and noticed half eaten nuts under the bed at the outside corner - a chipmunk or some critter got in there, but is now gone - probably went back for more acorns. :P

What we did for now is to cut 10-11 inches off the bottom of a full size foam topper (as the slide out opening is approx 48 in) and rolled it tightly and pushed it into the gap from underneath. No wonder it was always so cold at the head of the bed - with only the fabric flap as insulation.

The seals underneath are not torn or damaged - they just don't meet. It is very easy to push up through the fabric flap from underneath, as our critter discovered. The foot (or curb) side is tighter, but still not really secure or well insulated. The fabric flap is stapled down at the corner and part way along the side. The remainder we just tuck under the side trim.

Any thoughts?

Carol

Carol,

Do you have to remove the foam when you travel, or can you close up the unit with it installed? Anything that makes the rear bed alittle warmer during those colder nights would be appreciated.

FJ:

Here is a post from several months ago -- http://www.trailmanorowners.com/yabb...sg1100#msg1100

This Reflectix is really ggod stuff. Not too thick and insulates real well. I had used this under the mattress in a poptop, and never had a cold bed. Getting a good seal on the flaps and being certain that there are no open areas is real important on the TM. If the bed is still cold, you might try this Reflectix.

Ed

I have the problem but I don't have a "standard" fix.

What I do have is what my wife came up with. She made, from cloth, big round tubes filled with quilting filler. These we lay around the bed sides and ends kind of like bumpers on a baby's crib. They not only prevent heat transfer but also serve as day pillows for those rainy days spent mostly inside the camper. For travel they serve a protection for the TV and musical insturments.

[Carol]

Hi!

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I haven't been able to answer questions sooner, but we've been on the road since Sept. 2nd and this is the first time I have had an internet connection since then.

efelker: The reflextix would not solve the problem, as the base for the mattress is fine. It is the edges where the seals are that cause the problem.

Windbreaker: I like the idea of the bumpers. I did roll up an old sleeping bag lengthwise and tie it at 4 places and use that for the end of the bed area. The 'to length' bumpers sounds like a good winter project. I think that I would have to use something waterproof or water resistant (like the nylon sleeping bag for the outside, however, as the pillows that were up against the edge really got wet.

We did notice when camping in the Big Horn mountains this Sept with the temperatures in the low 20's at night that a lot of condensation formed behind our sleeping bag bumper and got the pillows wet every night. We would pull them away from the edges and dry them out during the day.

F. J. and Ellen: We do have to remove the foam when taking the camper down for travel. They did do the trick and we didn't have the air leakage we had before. Condensation inside is another problem, however.

Thanks again for all your help!

Carol

[RockyMtnRay]

Carol...

Glad to see you're back safe and sound. Speaking of your trip...the Polls area has seemingly disappeared (and with it the topic on camping style) so will have to hijack this topic to ask about your impressions of National Park Retreat campground in Estes Park. Did it live up to expectations?

I had a baby crib bumper pad that was in excellent shape that I didn't need now that our grandson is older, so I stuffed it in the cracks around the edge of the bed, inside, in our 2720SL. I hope it keeps the cold air to a minimum. I think we are going to do away with the sheets and blankets and go to sleeping bags. It is VERY hard to make up that bed with sheets!

[Carol]

Ray - We're actually still on the road, but staying in Rio Rancho (across the river from Albuquerque), camping in my sister's side yard. The Balloon Fiesta is in full swing and we're having a mini family reunion here as my mom lives in Albuquerque and I have another sister in Moriarty. One of my brothers and his wife are also here now. We won't get home to Wisconsin until Columbus Day weekend. We'll post a full report of the campgrounds, and trip later. The National Park Retreat campground was nice, but many sites were close together with 2-3 sites on what I would consider 1 site. We had reserved early and got a good site by ourselves. We had full hookups including cable, which was greatly appreciated after 3-4 weeks of fuzzy TV via the antenna. The only problem was a slow sewer line. They said that they had rodded it just before we got there, but it was bad. Their plumber couldn't get there until after we left. We didn't complain until we were there for 5 days, as it kept getting slower.

Sue - Make sure you lift the crib bumpers on cold mornings to wipe them off and dry them out from condensation. Sounds like a good solution, though!

We did find that our trim piece is all but lifted up - all the nails have worked out, so this may have contributed to our critter problem. After we gwet home, we'll repair it. The caulk is still there, but it is not secured.

Carol