Does Insulation WORK?! Fully Insulating my DIY Canopy Setup with Thermaliner

[@VaughanMunro-js4nr]

Great Video Guys. I have used Foilboard in the past with great results. Made the same mistake you did with closing the doors. I had to retrim around the seals. Got a laugh at Bianca on her back, using her feet to hold the ceiling up.

[@markphillips3341]

The foil also helps throw the light around, where the marine carpet will soak it up.

[@4WheelingInNSW]

Yes true, I noticed my small LED light bars in my canopy seem so my much brighter that I don’t have to turn them up anywhere near as high so battery drain is lessened too - it’s a win win !!

[@aTissa]

Having just insulated my shed/garage with 20mm Foilboard, I, too, was pleasantly surprised at the difference it made. ~20c difference surface temperature from the inside! You will be glad in the long run, taking the time to do it while it's still a blank canvas! 😊 I'm looking forward to the rest of the build. I really love your DIY videos! 👍

[@explorebound]

Woah that's an impressive difference with your shed! Thanks mate, I reckon we'll be glad to have it done when the weather hits 40s and above. 🙂

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

Let's hope MRT don't want this canopy back when they get a new model, that insulation is never coming off 🤣🤣😂😂👍👍

[@explorebound]

Haha yep it’s pretty permanent I reckon - at least I’ll never have to worry about it coming loose on our travels 😂

[@AndrewHacking]

It was great to watch this, thanks for sharing. I have since done some homework on insulation and looked at what a number of van, caravan and bus builders are using which I would like to share. Basically there are three heat transfer mechanisms, these being radiation, conduction and convection. Given the canopy is metal already and radiating out as much as it possibly can, foil insulation doesn't offer much of a benefit this leaves the main heat transfer mechanism being conduction and that's what needs to be controlled and minimised in a metal canopy setup. The material with the greatest R value per inch is closed cell foam such as Polyisocyanurate and XPS eXtruded Polystyrene (not to be confused with the similar sounding Expanded Polystyrene EPS which traps a lot of air and as a result is a less effective insulator, for example foilboard). Those two closed cell foams also provide a very robust vapour barrier and can be hard mounted without a gap, hence why they are used in vans and buses and refrigeration trucks to prevent condensation on the frame and in construction applications such roof and walls and under floor bathroom insulation and load bearing wet areas with tiles mounted on top, and outside building and rendering applications to provide excellent thermal insulation and moisture barrier. Rigid XPS board would likely strengthen and effectively brace the canopy frame in this particular application which may help to lessen the fatigue on welds. XPS also cuts with a utility knife and being very lightweight with the best R value available is what I plan to use on my canopy build. Thanks again for the inspiration on setting up a touring vehicle.

[@4WheelingInNSW]

G’day Daniel, yes I believe it’s worth insulating for sure … I insulated my dog box with a similar product to yours that I bought through my work. It’s commonly used for under colorbond roof’s and in shed walls etc, works brilliantly. Has a very good R rating which is the important spec / factor to look for when sourcing it. I saw a definite drop in my internal temperatures which helps my fridge run so much more efficiently which always helps keep excess battery drain to a minimum 👍 It’s good because it’s thin too unlike that fat board you showed first. I’ve gone one step further and have ( install coming soon ) mounted a good solid big PC style push / pull fan to go on the wall of my canopy which has a thermostat controlled on off set up so I can preset a temperature and once the canopy reaches that temp’, the fan cuts in and pushes excess heat outside through a shielded and covered outlet. What’s that old saying, measure twice, sikaflex once 🤣 Great clip mate, good luck to the rest of the build 👍

[@explorebound]

That's great to hear mate! I'll keep an eye out for your fan mod - love the idea of it being temp controlled too, very clever. 🙂

[@MiniLuv-1984]

When you compare before and after, its pretty final. No amount of insulation can reduce the temperature below ambient (at the time you close the sides), so having temperatures almost at ambient is pretty damn good.

[@explorebound]

Definitely, was stoked with those quick results and looking forward to seeing how it goes when temps are back over 40

[@johnnumbat9782]

Thanks Daniel & Bianca and well done for achieving quite a ‘feet’ - oh dear an uncle joke - anyway I’ve mentioned my ongoing three-year canopy build now in stage 3 - way back at the beginning I also insulated the roof and sides with left over R rated pink bats which fitted perfectly between the 50mm internal skeleton and outer skin - like you gravity was a challenge for the roof so I simply applied adhesive to the marine ply false ceilings and rested the insulation on top (sandwich) - then I simply used thin rubbing matting for the ceiling finish (also double the adhesive) but still marine carpeted the walls - temp did certainly drop - I’ll use your tip for doing the doors 👀👍

[@philipvanderwoerd9609]

I’ve new LSU and this canopy arriving sept. Many thanks, timing is great.

[@explorebound]

Good choice mate congrats!! You'll love that setup 🙂

[@stevedeb5960]

That's a big temp differential, well done 👍👍

[@NAGoodness]

I ran FoilBoard in my MRT canopy behind the composite panel I used as internal walls. Ended removing it and the walls when I added my 12v system (flush mounted into a brushed ally board) and I found the canopy to be cooler without it. My only theory is it allows the heat to escape as well as enter maybe? Having said that, the top, front and rear are shaded bybthe roof top tent and the doors were never insulated so who knows? Owning a black canopy living in the Kimberley is a bad start anyway so who knows 😂

[@kenboyd2130]

I used dynaliner which works well and has a sticky backing.Sometimes used two pieces one on top of the other. I insulated double above my fridge area. Also did a double lot above the headlining of my 2005 Holden one tonner. The a/c is very cold on a 35 degree day.

[@explorebound]

Nice idea with double layering above the fridge! I may have to go back and add some there in mine too now haha. 😅

[@harrisongauci2487]

i recently also fully insulated my black canopy with this blue stuff at Bunnings. it was defiantly more pricey then foil board. do you have any vents on your canopy as thats the only thing i havent done yet to try and reduce the heat.

[@junebingham4213]

good job on the insulation, using a rubber roller would have made it easier when putting it on.

[@4x4Overlanding247]

One more hard life lesson learnt . . . Well perservered mate! Wouldnt be as much fun without a few steps back involved 👍😅

[@explorebound]

Haha that's it, all learnings and hopefully it saves someone else going through the same trouble. 😅

[@TheMonstercookiee]

I think moisture may become a problem in between your foil and canopy reason for gap is so the moisture can dry. The changes in air temp will create condensation hence why when building a house the bricks are not hard up against insulation wrap and the foil on timber is overlapped so moisture can run down without entering framework.

[@KarlEller]

Insulation is Step 1, but you should also do Step 2: ventilation. A couple of canopy vents will go a long way to help keeping the temperature down once you get a few things in there that start generating heat like the fridge, charger, inverter, etc.

[@explorebound]

Ah cool, thanks for the tip. I've often contemplated venting my canopies but always been hesitant with fear of dust getting in - have you experienced this?

[@philipvanderwoerd9609]

Rogue canopies appear to do a good one. 12v and filter.

[@KarlEller]

@@explorebound Rogue Canopies and Dunn & Watson both make canopy air vents with filters, and they can also mount 120mm 12v fans to them if you need a bit more airflow. And there are probably a bunch of other companies copying their designs too.

[@aaronridley1410]

@@explorebound Vents can actually help pressurize the canopy which can keep more dust out

[@Jim-yk9zw]

That stuff is also great to put under a non insulated sleeping matt when camping to make it into a winter one.

[@twodogs2009]

Nice video thanks. I am using the Bastion 1200 x 600 x 30mm XPS Multi Use Foam Board cut and fitted between bracing, from Bunnings on the top and Back. Nothing on the front as this is shaded by the cab and will let the heat out, "in my opinion". Using the same as you on the doors. Happy so far, with nothing to compare it to.

[@explorebound]

Nice one, I like that idea of approaching each section with the product perfect for that particular job 👍

[@JohnMoffatVideo]

I am in the process of purchasing my first MRT canopy and I am still deciding between the white and the black. I prefer the look of the black, but if comes down to cooking all of my equipment I might need to go with the white. Do you think adding the insulation brings the temperature pretty close to a white canopy with no insulation?

[@robbiecryer]

Would've been nice to see ambit temp outside as well, My mate had a full checker plate canopy, I was amazed how cool it was inside, Good on bee for using her feet, in the end so did you, copy cat, lol, would've got sore arms in the end. But good on you guys for sharing your work. Thanks for sharing 👍😎

[@merv190]

I have a rooftop tent on mine as you do , so with that on top I’m wondering if insulation is worth doing considering the insulation the tent is going to give. Love your videos.

[@magicalvortex]

My canopy internal temperature dropped 10 degrees Celsius once I put a roof top tent on. Having insulation is a double edged sword. It takes longer to get hot but once it gets hot it takes longer to cool down.

[@explorebound]

On my quick test run the canopy was quite a bit cooler inside after it was insulated (tested on two separate 30 degree days, before insulation is was close to 40 inside, after insulation it was just shy of 32 degrees). Time will tell how effective it is in temps over 40 but definitely agree the tent helps a lot keeping the roof shielded from the heat! Great point by @magicalvortex too regarding trapping the heat inside!

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

Unless you want the silver roof, spray it with matt black paint, Rustoleum is good as it is self priming, I would test an offcut first just to make sure it sticks ok.

[@explorebound]

So far I don't mind the silver, but will see how we go as time goes on. For the kitchen side not much of the roof will be visible once the fitout goes in. 🙂

[@kenbrand2123]

Having your canopy white or just aluminium would be a start.

[@explorebound]

Yeah my original aluminium canopy performed excellently in the heat, however I didn't really have any "issues" as such with my previous black canopy either, just figured if adding insulation could help the fridge run a bit more effectively then why not.

[@CHill4x4]

Had the same issue with the door not closing when I insulated my canopy doors ahaha -.-

[@TahjmaRahj]

Hey great video do you think this better than the foilboard? Thanks :)

[@explorebound]

Thanks mate! I'd say foilboard would probably be more effective just down to the fact that it's a lot thicker, but that being said I've been pleased with the results of this product 🙂

[@OutbackOutlaw]

Sweet as!

[@ianhirons7762]

The gentleman I bought my Dmax from painted the roof of the canopy with a white heat reflective paint to help reduce the temp inside the canopy I still want to insulate and line the inside.

[@explorebound]

Ah nice one - that's a clever idea! Going from a silver checkerplate canopy a few years back to a black canopy it's amazing the difference the colour/finish makes

[@Accolades70]

Noice ... Hows the Bump Steer FIX issue going with tire wear?

[@darrynblake5594]

Hi mate, I am into a build my self at present and i was wondering with the insulation, fridge etc, do you need ventilation in the canopy etc vents ?

[@explorebound]

Hi mate, I haven't got vents in mine and so far haven't had an issues. 🙂

[@darrynblake5594]

@@explorebound , cool.as. thanks

[@jessicaashby4811]

Hey mate, do you ventilate your canopy at all? If so have you done a video on this. Cheers

[@explorebound]

Hey mate, I haven't as yet, going to see how it goes without but might add one down the track if needed 👍

[@MxODraconis]

Double sided tape, for such a lightweight insulation would have been enough (I did this for my shed roof). Also can get a more heat resistant tape, what will allow a chance to remove in the future if need to repair. Ah, just up to the bit where you had to remove it from the doors.

[@KarlEller]

It's hard finding double sided tape that can withstand repeated heat cycles of 60+°C, which is what those canopy walls will easily get to during summer. I have a black hardlid on my ute and have given up on double sided tape for mounting some light strips and a small junction box, because every summer without fail the tape would give way after a few hot days, and would need to be replaced.

[@explorebound]

Double sided tape would have made my life a LOT easier when it came to fixing the doors. 😂 I went the sikaflex route mainly to ensure that it remained in place long term after repeated high-temps and over a lot of corrugations.

[@MxODraconis]

@@KarlEller that's fair enough, I have it on my shed metal roof for the last 3-4 years holding my insulation on. Which has full sun, but results may vary.

[@MxODraconis]

@@explorebound yes, the corrugation is the biggest factor. There are some heat resistant double sided tape, but this certain is the best 'fixed' solution.

[@CameronMarkDoyle]

no free feet guys, come aaaaaan 😂

[@cyclemoto8744]

Thank you

[@charliewendt710]

A white colored canopy is a better start.

[@johnspeyers1536]

You might find that not carpeting the insulation on the inside of the doors will be of benefit at night time with the throw of the lights reflecting off of it.

[@explorebound]

Yeah that is very true - I've been noticing that!

[@4WheelingInNSW]

@@exploreboundmy canopy is super bright and light inside to the point that I can dim my LED light bar way down and still have plenty of visibility. So much so that my voltmeter won’t even register the amps yet I can still see everything in the canopy just fine - great for conserving power from being wasted unnecessarily 😉👍

[@davidquirk4598]

What Sikaflex did you use. Thanks.

[@explorebound]

Sikeflex 11FC+ 👍

[@northislandguy]

Always great DIY workmanship I reckon few vents and you’ll be sweet as

[@tomskimcdouglegaming806]

Would have been even better had you covered all the gaps and left a void.

[@hardgraftrr6364]

Hi Daniel please could I ask why there is recomended to leave a gap behind solid insulation? wont that condensate behind in the gap possibly? great vid as always look forward to the long term report :0)

[@tomalophicon]

Because air is a poor conductor.

[@hardgraftrr6364]

@@tomalophicon Thanks for the reply mate, do you know if condensation would be a problem in the gap? :0)

[@tomalophicon]

@@hardgraftrr6364 no clue sorry

[@hardgraftrr6364]

@@tomalophicon thanks so much for trying to help, no worries, take care stay safe :0)

[@Chris-74]

What did you do with last canopy ?

[@robertwilson1827]

Maybe a new sponsorship/ 'ambassadorship"?

[@explorebound]

Last canopy has been moved on to a new owner now, sad to see it go but stoked to have the opportunity to start fresh 🙂

[@hsvrodeo1]

For future reference a paint roller is your friend when doing anything like this

[@navmansteve]

Wd40 is good for removing any adhesive

[@zoezoe610]

Contact cleaner gets Sika off.

[@OgglyGoogly]

Could you not just run a shade cloth in a frame shape over the whole vehicle, we did that and you get air passes through over vehicle and you go from 30 to 20 degrees, 40 to 32 and 28 with a semi constant breeze

[@davidlawler6522]

If ya going to have a rooftop then there no point Insulation the rooftop gives you the air gap and protection from sun.

[@thetinnedhomefam7845]

Woman are so funny. Lets use our feet 🤣🤣

[@Shakshuka69]

7 minutes of listening to an Australian say "inchillation" is a war crime

[@gregdogg10]

The test you did was irrelevant. Need to get the average temperature over 24 hours as once the sun goes down the insulated canopy retains the temperature for longer once external temp drops

[@explorebound]

Yeah it wasn't meant to be scientific, more just a quick test because I was excited to see if there was any noticible difference haha. More interested in seeing how effectively it can keep the heat out after a few hours in the sun than retaining heat once the weather cools. 🙂

[@gregdogg10]

@@exploreboundyeh I understand but the 12v items eg fridge motor, inverter running all create heat and being insulated this also creates the issue of hot air being unable to escape. Just remember that people have been running fridges ect inside their Land Cruisers and patrol wagons for years and they are pretty much a glasshouse that gets up to 70+ degrees on a hot day. Definitely doesn’t help being a black canopy but a rooftop tent that creates a barrier and ventilation will be much more effective than insulation imo.

[@Winky_Eye]

If you cared about heat insulation, why go black?

[@explorebound]

I had another black canopy previously and never really had an "issue" as such with heat, certainly got warm but never really a problem. The main reason for insulating this one is to test it out to see how effective this particular stuff is, and if it helps the fridge run a bit more effectively then win-win.

[@4WheelingInNSW]

Looks cool matching the vehicle but more importantly, haven’t you heard that old saying - “once you go black, you don’t go back” 😂😂

[@topdeckdog]

in-SHOE-late or in-SU-late? 🤔 There ain't no H in there - just sayin 😁😉

[@ausguy4385]

Don't use that junk... 20mm foil board. That stuff you used will do f all

[@4WheelingInNSW]

You’d be surprised mate - it’s used under colorbond roof’s in houses and in shed walls and makes a MASSIVE difference - based on its R value rating. Believe me it works, we sell crap loads of it at work and it’s brilliant. My boss had lined half his shed roof with it and you could feel the defined line of heat difference running down the centre line of his shed. He’s just got to finish the other side now 😂 The foil board is not bad but it’s too thick sometimes and adds unnecessary weigh too which is always a crucial factor when fitting out canopies and vehicles. So every kg saved can be better utilized elsewhere. 👍