FALCON'S Aventuremobile conversion thread.

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FALCON

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INTRO, BACKGROUND, MOTIVATION


Hello! I’m just getting started on converting a van to:
  • Live in
  • Travel around the U.S.
  • Use as a base for adventures (hiking, swimming, bicycling, exploring, photography, etc.)

I’ve recently bought a van to convert. But before I get to that, this first post is to provide some background information on myself and my line of thinking I’ve followed to get to this point. WARNING - this post is very long and doesn’t have anything about the van or conversion - that will come in future posts. I’m trying to improve my writing skills, so every once in a while I may go on a writing spree like I am with this post.


BACKGROUND

Sex - Male
Age - Low 30s
From - Midwestern U.S.
Schooling - Engineering
Career - Manufacturing - management/coaching
Myers briggs type - INTJ
Religion - Living in accordance with nature (in other words: Nature and philosophy)

I’ve always thought quite independently. I don’t automatically adhere to commonly held assumptions, but rather make intentional decisions based on my own priorities, insights/opinions, and calculations. I’ve also been quite frugal - and have gotten more and more so over the last five years. I can be quite creative as well. These things, in combination, are allowing me to make huge changes to my life. This is one of the first big changes.

TIMELINE

Here are a few selected stories - each has some amount of relevance here

Age 10 - - POSSUM BLUDGEONING
When I was a kid, I spent about a week at the house of a best friend. Him and I were hanging out one day and his mom came over and said she needed his help. She took us to the front of her house and explained that there was a squirrel inside the gutter downspout again. She laid out the plan for Adam: he would hold a plastic bag (a few grocery bags inside each other) over the end of the downspout, she would rattle it to flush out the squirrel, the squirrel would run out and into the bag, and Adam would use the bag to swing the squirrel into their sidewalk and kill it. (I think she was tired of this squirrel(s) getting in there numerous times and that’s why she wanted to kill it).

They got in position. She rattled the downspout. The squirrel ran into the bag. Adam started swinging it into the ground. She yelled out at him “Harder!! you have to kill it. Swing it harder!!”. Adam swung harder, and with a few solid hits in the ground, the squirrel was dispatched. I thought to myself - this was a very good method - minimal tools required, no mess, no blood and guts - and you can just throw the bag in the trash afterwords.

A few months later, I’m back home with my family, and someone discovers a sick looking possum in the bottom of one of our trash cans. We were city folks - not used to dealing with things like this. We go out to look at it. I tell me family “Ok guys, I’ve got this covered”. I ask my brother to go get a couple thick trash bags, and my sister to go get our aluminum baseball bat. My mom and dad sort of look at each other, maybe a bit surprised but probably also happy that I was going to handle this.

My siblings come back with the supplies and I put the trash bag over the top of the can (but in the opposite direction, so the bag is pointing out the top of the can instead of down into it). I have my brother help me turn over and lift up the trash can so the possum is at the bottom of the bag. I twist the bag a few times to trap the possum, and the bag is sitting on the ground, possum inside. Then I grabbed the bat and clobbered the possum a bunch of times. I remembered Adam’s mom yelling out “harder!” so I was hitting it as hard as I could, probably grunting while I swung. Each time, the bat hitting the possum with a thud or whack. I hit it from different angles to try to make sure I hit the skull.

Years later, my mom remembered this vividly. She could tell I enjoyed it. She saw that I was clearly different in some way, and, she worried, maybe a little crazy or violent. In reality, I was just creative. I enjoyed learning new things or principles and knowing how to apply those concepts in real situations. This was wonderful practice, being a similar situation but, because of the possum location and it’s size, requiring some modifications to the method. It was also a sign that I can get a lot of enjoyment from handling something normally considered a problem - especially if there is room for thought, creativity, and application of things I’m learning.


Age 23 - - BICYCLE TOURING DREAMS
Fresh out of college and working in a factory, I was getting my first taste of what working for the rest of my life would be like. I started bicycling as a form of cardio for fitness and fat loss back when I was 19, and I gradually got more and more into bicycling over the next ten years. At age 23, I bought a few books about bicycling. One of those books would help me to set a course for my life. It was a book about a couple that went bicycle touring around the whole world. It was called Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage. Inspired by the book, I started learning about bicycle touring and other forms of adventure travel. I formed a dream in my head about saving my money for a while and quitting my job to tour for a year or more. I knew that I could live well below my means. I’d studied engineering at university and now I had a good job making about $50k per year - much more than I needed. I had $18k of college loans to pay off, and another $18k for a new car I’d just bought.

I bought a touring bike and the gear I’d need, and went on a short trip in Colorado. My dad lived in Denver at the time, so I drove out to his house and left from there. I spent 3 days riding up into the mountains and to Estes park the long and scenic way. I left not knowing where I’d stop to camp or even what type of place I would do it in. Fee campgrounds? people’s land? parks? I didn’t even know what dispersed camping was at the time. I figured things out along the way and it worked out wonderfully.

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I sold this bike a few years later. It’s the one bike I regret selling.


Age 23-27 - - LIVING NORMALLY
After the bike tour, I went back home and sort of forgot about the bike touring adventure idea. I started spending all the money I made (other than some 401k addition).  I had a few years of living what was basically a “normal” life - one common for young americans. I was doing some travel with friends, a lot of bicycling, weightlifting, lots of going out drinking and chasing women, and working a lot. I had frugal habits, some of which were just carryovers from university time. Things like riding my bike to the bars and carrying a flash and/or a big mixed drink in a bike water bottle. My frugalness was not about spending less money in total - it was about spending efficiently - about getting the most out of the money I had available to spend.



Age 24 - - QUESTION FROM A WISE COWORKER
I was at work one day, minding my own business, getting mail or making copies of something. A co-worker came in and we spoke for a few minutes. He asked me about how I liked my job/career so far and I explained that I’m enjoying it. He asked me a very direct question - “So - is this really what you want to spend the rest of your life doing? Working in a factory making widgets*?” Of course, standing right there, I didn’t have time to fully process the question, and also I wasn’t going to tell him about the previous thoughts I had of quitting to bicycle tour. I said “yeah, as far as work goes, I like doing this and I could do it for the rest of my career”.

[*]

His questioning didn’t really strike me at the time, but my brain was wise enough to file that conversation - his question, his tone - everything about it - in the back of my head. I would come back to that question a number of times over the next ten years. It eventually evolved into a reminder of what I believe a person is meant to do in life - certainly not to work all day inside a factory making widgets. As my expected duration of this career became shorter and shorter, when I used that line: “for the rest of my career”, it began to mean something very different for me than what other people heard.


Age 27 - - FITNESS AND BIKE RACING
In my late 20’s, I moved to an area of the country that has a lot of bicycle racing. I had been thinking about racing before, but there weren’t many races where I lived. So I started racing. I got very interested in the sport and spent three years on it. I did quite well - I had a lot of fun, won many races, and helped my team mates do well. In the third year of racing, I started to feel that I had my fill of this - I had learned 80-90% of what I was ever going to learn about bike racing and training - and I had gotten a taste of how much fun I could ever have with it. I also started to get into personal finance - and I was spending a LOT of money on bicycles, gear, and racing. ($10k per year for a few years straight).

I still have a love for bicycling - and this will be relevant when I get into the conversion - I will want the capability to bring a bicycle and riding gear with me. I won’t need it all the time, but I do want the ability to bring it along for some parts of my travels.

There are some other phases I went through with hobbies - things that I focused on pretty intently and became proficient or good at - things like photography, strength training, dancing, certain video games, and more. I tend to go through phases with hobbies - with interest over a few years, and then sort of shelving further development but still making use of the skills I learned when beneficial.


Age 29 - - ENTRY IN PERSONAL FINANCE
I had cycled through a number of hobbies in my 20’s (bicycling, photography, chasing women, dancing, strength training, nutrition, certain video games, etc). I’d focus intently one one to three at at time - and learn a lot about them. After a while, once I got to a certain level of proficiency and experience, I might stop trying to learn more and sort of shelf the hobby - and just use it when there was a need or when it would benefit me. Eventually, I moved on to personal finance.

Since graduating college, I had been what most people call “responsible” with money. I lived in apartments that I could easily afford. I bought a new economy car that I could easily pay for and that has lasted me ten years and could last ten more. I had just one or two credit cards, with balances not really exceeding $5,000 total. I was paying off my college loans and saving 10% or so in my 401k. Other than that, I was spending all my income.

I knew that there wasn’t much point to spending all my money, and that living below my means could provide me with wonderful options down the road. I started learning about personal finance. I read the common starter books like The Richest Man in Babylon and Dave Ramsey’s books. Those were ok… but they were giving common advice that common people wanted - to save 10% or so and retire at 60+ years old with your same income. I wanted to do better. What I liked about Dave Ramsey was his focus on what he calls “Gazelle intensity” to get out of debt - spending very little money. But he focused on certain things - like food - and typically ignored other things - like housing. And then, when people were out of debt, he basically recommended they save a small portion of they money and spend all the rest. This didn’t make sense to me. It sounded like a nutritionalist advising  people to go on crash diets.

I searched for books and blogs that were more creative than - and I found them. The main one being Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Fisker ( Blog here ….. Book here) This guy has a thinking style very similar to mine - he’s basically a smarter version of me - so his writing style is very appealing to me.  I only recommend reading this book if you are near INTJ (on myers briggs), or if you are very open minded and want information on aggressive spending reduction and life efficiency. Another book that had a strong impact on me was How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. (PDF version here . I recommend this book to everyone except those with strong left political beliefs and who are easily offended. Browne was a Libertarian. The book is not about politics, but it bleeds in.

I reduced my spending by leaps and bounds. I went from spending $50k per year or more to much less. My lowest year of spending so far was $12k in one year. I made changes that were efficiency improvements - not sacrifices. I started enjoying my life much more. I loved the increased feeling of control. My other interests are fun to do while I’m actually doing them - but finance is different - it also carries a benefit in the future - control over how I spend my time - control over what I do with the rest of my life.


Age 29 - - EXPOSURE TO EFFECTIVE MINIMALISM
I found Glenn Morrissette's blog, tosimplify.net. I was interested in his blog not because it was about living in a van, but because it was a good example of minimalism that is actually functional. There are other minimalism blogs - about people who live in a big empty house and who, for example, have an empty kitchen and go out to eat all the time instead of cooking for themselves. But in Glenn’s case, his minimalism serves a purpose. He is getting full benefit from it - and that is very interesting to me.

Over the years, his blog planted a seed in my mind - the possibility of van dwelling myself. As I approach quitting my job, I have a list of lifestyles and life phases. One of those is living in van and touring the US.


Age 32 - DRAFTING LIFE MANIFESTOS
About a year ago, I read a discussion on another forum about one’s purpose in life - or about having a legacy. I sat down to draft some ideas and plans for my future. I wrote manifestos for two major life phases which I expect to take up the next 10-30 years. I’ve also started one about my overall life purpose - this one is much more difficult for me to suss out, and is currently very vague.

They are:
1 - Nomadic phase. Vandwelling and living in Central or South America and/or Southeast Asia. I will post my current version of this manifesto below
2 - Settled down. Buy or build a small home or cabin. Dive into hobbies like gardening/permaculture, construction, hunting/fishing, etc.
3* - Overall life purpose.



MANIFESTO - EXPLORATION AND (RE)ACCLIMATION

PERIOD GOALS

  • Explore and learn about the United States (including our history)
  • Study and enjoy “nature”
  • Find good locations to settle down later in my life
  • Meet people with similar outlooks and interests
  • See how little space and few things I need to live well
[*]

VAN (home)

  • Big enough to be comfortable enough to feel like an option for permanent living. (this may require buying a high top van in the future or adding a  high top to mine)
  • Able to go/stay in a wide variety of places. (1 - Get to many remote locations. 2 - Blend in while in cities. 3 - Not restricted from going to certain areas by van size or type (I don’t mean parking garages here, I mean parks/forests or parts of cities)
  • Reliable - not needing frequent repairs
  • Relatively fuel-efficient, if possible
  • Equipped to allow living remotely for at least one week
  • Space for carrying hobby equipment
  • Not so expensive that it causes me stress
  • Clean and organized inside - so that when things are in their place, I feel calm and without urges to clean or reorganize
[*]


BELONGINGS

  • Low amount. High usefulness/quality
  • Things that serve multiple functions
  • Not so expensive that loss wold devastate me
[*]


HOBBIES
(some are current, some are things I want to get into at some point)

  • Exploration
  • Sightseeing
  • Learning the history of areas
  • Learn about nature - plants, animals, earth, weather, survival
  • Photography (landscape, nature, wildlife, travel)
  • Fitness - running, strength, injury resistance, health
  • Hiking
  • Swimming / Snorkeling? / Surfing?
  • Bicycling
  • Animal watching/tracking
  • Fishing?
  • Hunting?
  • Pens and writing
  • Graphic design (on computer)
  • Drinking good tea
  • Writing/Blogging?
  • Reading
[*]

REMINDERS FOR MYSELF

  • Stay in good shape - don’t let muscles atrophy
  • Eat mostly healthy - find ways to make this work and to make it easy
  • Spend a lot of time with friends and family (because I may not want to travel while I’m settled down later on)
[*]



CURRENT VANDWELLING PLAN

Current plan is:

  • Build van up over this summer and fall
  • Go on short trips and also live in the van in my city - to test out whether I’d like to live in my van while I still work. **
  • Sell my house
  • Live in van while I continue to work
  • Quit my job (hoping to do this in spring 2,016), and start full time van adventuring.

[*]


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ok - that’s it. Next post: The van
 
Fascinating to see how well you've thought this out for your own mindset and goals. And that you KNOW your life goals. Bravo.
 

THE VAN

Make - Dodge
Model - Ram Wagon 2500
Engine - 5.7L (360ci) V8
Miles - 106k
Condition - Looks good! Little rust, runs great so far, appears well-maintained.
Purchase price - $3,200


The interior is in very good shape. This van was owned by someone who had some kind of a boat company. It looks like thy probably used the van for towing boats to lakes, transportation of themselves, and little else. There is very very little wear on the inside.


PICTURES - OUTSIDE


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PICTURES - INSIDE


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(I didn’t take any pictures yet of the engine/drivetrain)



DRIVETRAIN & EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS


REAR DIFFERENTIAL - It is either open, or the parts to make it function as a limited slip are worn and not working. In slick conditions, the traction is very poor. This is also partly due to having no weight in the back right now, and the tires are fairly worn. But I will want to address this before I start trying to go to remote locations.

Currently, I have two options in mind:
1 - Buy a lunchbox locker and install it. A Lunchbox Locker is a set of parts that I’d install inside this differential. It changes the differential so that when power is being applied from the driveshaft, the rear axle is locked and both wheels will turn at the same rate. Benefits are that it works well in low-traction situations. The drawback is that if you apply power while turning, the inside wheel will be slipping on the ground. I’ve heard there are also some noises and maybe some impact at certain times when the locker is engaging or disengaging.
2 - Find a compatible LSD in a junkyard and install it


PAINT WEAR
The paint is chipped in some areas, with rust starting to form. Most of this is on the sill that runs along the sides and back of the roof. I’ve already started repairing these areas. I’m using spray cans. I’ll post some before and after pictures soon.


TIRES
I’ll be replacing the tires with some that will work better in low traction environments. Haven’t started research on what tires to buy. I can do this later on when I’m nearly finished with completion - or even after I’ve lived in the van for a bit. I think I’d like to put on larger tires to life the van. I’m guessing that I will need to remove the running board (is that what it’s called?), as that and the sort of mud flap at the front may be in the way — that front thing that looks like the mud flap is what the front of the running boards are attached to.
 
I love the way you've thought things through, about what you want your life to look like. I'm almost 20 years older and I feel like I'm just starting to take control of my life. And I don't have some of the options due to choice I made earlier in life, that I didn't even realize were choices at the time.
That van will make a great start.
 
Fellow INTJ'r here. Actually, quite a bit in common, same books, same blogs and forums read. A lot of the same thought processes. Wish I had gotten to your same frame of mind at your age. Wishing you the best of luck!!!
 
Leave the running boards. They make a huge difference when entering or leaving the van in bad weather. As for tires, Goodyear Wranglers. Get the most heavy duty ones you can afford from WalMart. WM because they are everywhere, and do not question the purchased warranty. (Tire insurance)

That is not a 4WD, so no need to put huge tires on it. Stick close to factory specs.
 
Thanks for the replies and encouragement!

@Gotsmart
1 - When you mention the Walmart tire warranty - are you saying to get it? Or not to?
2 - I've been intentionally not using the running boards to see if I'll miss them. I'll keep doing this and decide how I feel about it after a while.
 
I came out to Arizona for work last week, and I'm staying around for four days of camping and hiking out of the SUV Rental that I have. This is the third time I've done this within the last year, and it gives me a nice taste of what living in the van will be like. The 4 Runner I got has an AC inverter, so I get to use my computer for van conversion research.

I've been doing some insulation research and I'm getting closer to having an opinion about what I should do. Here are some of my notes so far, and some questions a the end..


WALLS AND CEILING:

REFLECTIX METHOD (R-Value 7.2, or higher?)
  • Layer of 1/2” Polyiso  (against the sheet metal)
  • Layer of Reflectix (double sided, or single side with shiny side facing the van interior)
  • Layer of plastic bubble wrap
  • Thin plywood wall

STRAIGHT POLYISO: (R-Value 6)
  • Two 1/2” Layers of Polyiso
  • Thin plywood wall

IN THE SUPPORT RIBS:
  • Fill them with fiberglass insulation
(How to get it in there all the way? Then, how to cover up the holes?)

It appears that using just Polyiso would be simpler and less expensive. I believe that the Reflectix method would help me to get the insulation to function better in a certain direction. In the installation order shown (Reflectix facing inside) it would be more effective in keeping the van warm inside when it is cold outside. I’m less concerned about keeping the van cool inside when it is hot outside.


QUESTIONS:

1 - Will bubble wrap function properly as an air space?
Clearly there is air inside the bubble wrap. I guess what I’m wondering is:
  • Would radiant heat be fully absorbed by the layer of plastic on the outside of the bubble wrap (that touches the Reflectix foil), and thus create a conductive transfer into the Reflectix? (This would make the Reflective layer ineffective).
  • Or would radiant heat go through the bubble wrap plastic? (This would make the the Reflectix work well)

I suppose that either way - even if the bubble wrap won’t work as an air space - I could just use some kind of spacer between the Reflectix and the Plywood wall - like thin wood furring board (which may be a good idea anyways??)


2 - Is it worth the extra complication to make this Reflectix and air barrier system? Will the effective R-Value (in the direction I prefer - keeping the inside warmer) - be substantially higher with the Air/Reflectix/Polyiso system?


3 - Will installing the bubble wrap/Reflectix/Polyiso system be a lot more difficult than just two layers of 1/2” Polyiso?


(I get the feeling that, on this forum at least, there is little consensus about insulation techniques. So - I’m asking these questions from a technical standpoint - not whether you think it’s worth it to do this, or how much insulation is right, or anything else. I’m just wondering about the effective R-Values of the different options and how much harder one system is to install than the other)
 
I'm just at the bubble wrap/reflectix stage with my van and it's actually not a big deal.

The original plan was: van wall/bubble wrap/reflectix/1/2" polyiso/finished wall.

I bought the roll of 48" wide double sided reflectix and the van is maybe 49" from floor to horizontal rib at the roof.

Each panel was cut to fit between the ribs and then I attached bubble wrap to the reflectix with spray glue (3M Super 77). The bubble wrap I could get only came in 12" width so some patching in was necessary.

You just have to make sure you're putting the bubble wrap on the correct side of the panel...don't ask me how I know this... :rolleyes:

The combination was then placed between the ribs and taped in place with metal tape. It's meant to withstand the heat from heating pipes. Don't use duct tape, it won't hold up over time.

I figured there was no sense in trying to deal with inside the ribs. By doing all the walls between them, I've placed heat barrier in 90% of the van...call it good at that point. It's probably more than most S&B homes have in terms of  percentage coverage.

I can't get 1/2" or 1" polyiso here so I'm making my finished wall panels so that they will come out without removing cabinetry. I won't worry about the ones that are behind built ins. That way I can R&R them and put in polyiso while I'm stateside if I feel it's necessary.

Having spent almost 30 hours cleaning up the mess made by the PO stuffing pink fiberglass insulation in every nook and cranny in the van, my advice is DON'T!!

That stuff attracts moisture - although in my case it was a good thing, I found a water leak that wouldn't have been found except for wet fiberglass... :dodgy:

If you do put in the pink stuff, you have to pull it off the bat by the handful and then stuff it in the holes, working it down and up in the cavity until you have it full. The problem with this is that to get it where it should be, you have to stuff more in than you need. The minute you get the cavity stuffed full, you've defeated the whole point because now you have it tightly packed and it's lost it's insulation value.

I'm more concerned about keeping the van cool on hot days than keeping it warm on cold days since I plan to follow the sun... :D Although I'm willing to test having an air gap between the inside of the reflectix and the wall paneling to see how it works at keeping heat in when I'm using a heater. We'll find out this winter.
 
FALCON said:
Thanks for the replies and encouragement!  

@Gotsmart
1 - When you mention the Walmart tire warranty - are you saying to get it? Or not to?
2 - I've been intentionally not using the running boards to see if I'll miss them. I'll keep doing this and decide how I feel about it after a while.

Get the warranty.  Just one balance and rotation pays for it, and if you get a road hazard, bonus.  
 
I agree with Almost There as far as stuffing the cavities. One thing I would do though is add a wood furring strip to the ribs and attach the plywood walls to it. It would give you the all important air space, and at the same time create a thermal break for the conductive heat loss. I don't have much problem with that on my cargo trailer, as the framing is z metal. But I've overnight end in my truck topper on occasion. It's insulated with 1" poly ISO between the ribs, just like the trailer, but the ribs are hollow tube. On a cold morning you can see frost along every rib on top of the plywood.
 
masterplumber said:
I agree with Almost There as far as stuffing the cavities. One thing I would do though is add a wood furring strip to the ribs and attach the plywood walls to it. It would give you the all important air space, and at the same time create a thermal break for the conductive heat loss. I don't have much problem with that on my cargo trailer, as the framing is z metal. But I've overnight end in my truck topper on occasion. It's insulated with 1" poly ISO between the ribs, just like the trailer, but the ribs are hollow tube. On a cold morning you can see frost along every rib on top of the plywood.

Oops, sorry, I take furring strips for granted...my bad!
 
I don't think the Reflectix is worth the cost or space it uses. Much better idea to just replace it with more polyiso. Polyiso is much better stuff to retain heat.
Bob
 
Ok - so no fiberglass in the ribs.

I'm leaning towards just using Polyiso for most sections. In some parts, I may still use bubble wrap and Reflextic because I think it will be much easier to install in the tight little parts with a lot of curves.

@ALMOSTHERE (or others) -- What kind of bubble wrap should I use? Is there good stuff that I can buy somewhere locally? (I live in a large city, with all the common stores)

Here's what I'm planning on using to install the insulation. If there's any reason not to use these, let me know.
- 3M Super 77 Multi Purpose spray adhesive
- Nashua Foil Tape, HVAC Multi Purpose
 
-------------------------------------------
PROGRESS - BEDLINER PREP
-------------------------------------------




I cleaned and sanded the paint in the front and in the - what are they called - footwells?

BEFORE:
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CLEANED:
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SANDED:
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I did a lot of it by hand. It was a lot of work. About 2/3 of the way through, I used a drill and a sanding attachment. That worked much better.
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I love this drill - got it for $5 from craigslist - and they brought it to me. Yeah, it’s old. Yeah, it’s heavy. Yeah, it works great.


I’ll have to remove this - whatever it’s called - that holds the end of the carpet down.
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I might remove that and apply the bedeliner a bit past it - so I for sure have the bedliner going back far enough (to or past where the front of the floor in the back will go)
 
FALCON said:
Ok - so no fiberglass in the ribs.

I'm leaning towards just using Polyiso for most sections. In some parts, I may still use bubble wrap and Reflextic because I think it will be much easier to install in the tight little parts with a lot of curves.

@ALMOSTHERE (or others) -- What kind of bubble wrap should I use? Is there good stuff that I can buy somewhere locally? (I live in a large city, with all the common stores)

Here's what I'm planning on using to install the insulation. If there's any reason not to use these, let me know.
- 3M Super 77 Multi Purpose spray adhesive
- Nashua Foil Tape, HVAC Multi Purpose
 Re the bubble wrap - get the 5/16" variety. It gives you the biggest air gap of the 3 grades of bubble wrap. Office Depot or Staples will have it in stock or can order the quantity you need. It does come perforated or unperforated, really doesn't matter which because you'll be cutting it to fit anyways.

Both the foil tape and the glue are what I used and they worked fine.

It is important though to realize that the two things - reflectix and polyiso, serve different purposes. It's not an either or situation. Using one in one spot and another in somewhere else is defeating the purpose of each of them.

Reflectix is a radiant heat barrier that will, given proper installation with an air gap (bubble wrap in this case), reduce the heat entering the van from the radiant heat of the sun. That's why we cut window size inserts and use them on the closed windows on a hot day. While it does have some R factor, the insulation properties depend entirely on where and how it's used. The packaging showed R factors that ranged from 1.1 to way up in the teens depending on the application.

You might want to read this site before you go ahead:

http://www.reflectixinc.com/basepage.asp?Page=All+About+Reflectix%AE&PageIndex=382

Polyiso is an insulation material that replaces products like pink fiberglass. How much you add has a direct bearing on how much insulative value it has. It is not a radiant heat barrier, it's insulation...two very different products. How much you use will have a bearing on how warm your van stays when you're heating it in colder weather.

I primarily want to keep the van cool in warm weather so I went for as complete a radiant heat barrier as I can do. Since I plan to follow the sun and will move if the weather forecast warrants it, I'm not concerned about keeping the heat from a heater inside the van although the double sided reflectix will provide me with some reflective heat because there will be an air gap between it and the finished interior of the van.

Your intended use may be very different from mine.
 
Oh and this is the rubber mat that was in there. It's not in bad shape. I don't like the insulation that was under it though.

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I think that as much as anything, I started this because I was tired of doing a lot of research and wanted to spend some time actually doing something

I didn't know the airbag box/lines and whatever else would be under and in front of the driver's seat - so I'll need to cover those up. I'll probably cut off the driver's side of this rubber mat and use it. If it's reasonably easy to do so, I'll remove the insulation first.
 
If you're removing the front rubber mat on the passenger side, what are you planning on putting in it's place?

That underlay is a sound deadener as well as preventing heat from both the road/parking lot when parked and from the drive train.

I agree that they tend to soak up moisture if the rubber is damaged but unless it's wet or you can find something to replace it, you probably want it in there.

I left the front rubber mat in place after I vacuumed it thoroughly and then scrubbed it with a household scrub brush. It actually came out looking not too bad. I'll be looking for a set of floor mats for the front to go over top of the rubber. I want something that I can take out and hose down at the car wash.

The rear floor mat underlay was soaking wet when it was removed and the mat had seen better days. I'm putting down plywood and vinyl laminate flooring because that's the living quarters and I want an easy care floor.
 
Almost There said:
It is important though to realize that the two things - reflectix and polyiso, serve different purposes. It's not an either or situation. Using one in one spot and another in somewhere else is defeating the purpose of each of them.

I understand the rest of your post, and I've read about Reflectix, and I understand the different forms of heat transfer fairly well. I don't get why you say they serve different purposes. They are both for slowing the movement of heat. The only difference I can understand* is that Reflectix can be used to prevent heat transfer more in one direction than in the other.

* - for our discussion, where we're talking about insulation that is between two solid exterior walls - the outside wall of the van and the interior wall that we add.
 
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