The Benefits of Putting on a Skirt

Whether it’s a DIY project or they are professionally installed, these barriers for your RV are indispensable when it comes to insulating the underbelly.

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Words by Perry Mack

There are many accessories available to enhance experiences in a fifth wheel or travel trailer, but few can retain their value like RV skirts. Most of the benefits have to do with insulating the underbelly. It reduces the amount of propane or electricity required to heat the interior through colder seasons and to keep it cool and comfortable during hotter days and nights. Even if your trailer is rated as a four-season or all-weather unit, the chances are likely you’ll benefit greatly from skirting.

Benefits

Maintaining the right temperature in the undercarriage of your RV helps prevent your water lines and tanks from freezing, which could result in an expensive repair bill along with the hassle that goes with it. Trapping the air under the RV means you can add additional heat (an electric or diesel heater on low) during extreme cold snaps to keep your tanks and lines from freezing and your RV warmer.

Everyone wants to live or visit with you in your RV. Most are undesirable rodents, and we don’t mean that annoying cousin or sibling. Skirting will help prevent larger rodents (e.g. raccoons) from entering as well as pets. Keeping pets out allows you to set traps and lay down poison as a first line of defence without harming your furry family members.

Another benefit of RV skirts is they provide a cleaner, neater appearance to your RV and surrounding space by hiding that untidy storage space. Since skirting covers the tires as well, it protects them from UV damage. Speaking of cleaner, preventing wind from blowing underneath will also reduce dirt, grime, and salty air from adversely affecting the frame and suspension, reducing your spring maintenance work and maintenance costs.

If you own a fifth wheel, enclosing the space under the front of the unit creates an extra storage space that’s the equivalent of a small shed. Plus, you can never have too much storage space!

Make Skirting a DIY Project

If you enjoy a long-term tenancy at a park, they may require you to install skirting in which case you are forced to decide on the different options. If mobility isn’t a concern, you can look at plywood sheeting and foam insulation, then paint or add siding to achieve a neat appearance.

Avoid cheap alternatives like hay bales. They won’t stop rodents from burrowing in and making a cozy (and potentially destructive) home under your RV, never mind the fact that you’ve just packed a combustible material under your unit - like how you would use grass and kindling to start a campfire.

Other options include using Styrofoam board, recycled old billboards, and tarps (insulated or not). DIY, by definition, means you need to be handy, have the necessary time, tools, and weather to do the job. The quality of the result is very dependent on the money you spend on materials, the time you spend in construction, as well as your skill and patience levels.

If this sounds like you, you could certainly save some money. Keep in mind that some options, like tarps, will need to be replaced annually or biannually. Tarps that we have purchased to cover wood piles or replace a car shelter top fall into this category.

Alternatively, a professionally made skirt may be somewhat more costly but will give you a sleek, classy look that you can be proud of without spending a great deal of valuable time making one. The decision-making process involves considering if you will enjoy doing the project. If the answer is yes, go for it with the understanding that it usually takes more time and money. If it is going to be a chore, let the professionals handle it and just enjoy the results.

If you like to explore in your RV, your skirting should then be flexible, easy to set up and remove, while still being rugged enough to withstand the elements including extreme heat, cold, wind and sand.

Assuming you want to keep your options for exploring open, there are several ways that RV skirting can be attached. The first is a channel method as used by Custom Skirting LLC. A channel is installed surrounding your RV and the skirting slides into the channel. This provides a beneficial airtight seal at the RV, although installing the channel can be challenging and is best done by hiring professionals. Also adding and removing this type of skirting requires more effort than other methods.

Snap attachments and buttons are easier to install than channel skirting but don’t provide the same level of an airtight seal. Snap attachments can require drilling into your RV, which might sound harsh, but it does provide a very secure attachment point. EZSnap provides drill and no-drill snap attachments. We’ve used a similar 3M adhesive system to attach hood protectors to trucks and they withstood buffeting winds at highway speeds up to 140 kph (87 mph) – more than secure enough for your RV skirting.

Suction cups can also be used for no-drill snap attachment points. They are very easy to install and remove and don’t require any drilling. However, easy-on also means easy-off so they are the least secure of all the methods. It’s more likely you’ll have gaps in the skirting and when the temperature drops the cups can shrink and fall off. All of these methods require the skirts to be anchored to the ground using some type of straps, stakes, sandbags, D-rings or PVC pipe and clamps.

The fourth is a unique patented system of RV skirting from AirSkirts. Large, rugged, custom-designed, inflatable tubes are placed under the RV. The air trapped in the tubes provides insulation and the inflation creates a moldable seal between the ground and RV.

Drilling or using snap attachments are not required, the skirts don’t require additional anchoring, and the set-up/removal is quick and simple.

Although some skirting requires you or an authorized dealer to measure your RV, many offer kits to provide a customized fit and the installation becomes a question of a DIY project or having a professional installer do it.

An RV is often a significant investment. By spending some time and effort installing RV skirts, you can extend your RV season and enjoy everything from snowshoeing to family gatherings all year.