The ultimate DIY thermal shell?

My Dad’s wanting a new thermal 2 man, he currently has an older Otter that’s in good shape but isn’t thermal.

Growing up my Gma showed me quite a bit with her quilts, and since she’s been gone for some time there’s a sewing machine and all the gadgets needed to whip up a DIY shell.

Trying to figure out what ideal materials would be needed to add a thermal layer to his setup. So I can price out items and see if the juice is worth the squeeze.

Only been in the thermal Eskimo Hub 1x, and awesome as it is the freezing condensation is a concern. Kind of a pain to bring it into house and unthaw for next round. As well as the windows always frosting then melting, maybe some kind of drip guard? The bottom skirt, seems really foolish to have cloth material on wet/dry ice, snow etc. Maybe some other material that won’t collect water?

Any thoughts? Thanks

I made one for the inside of an Otter Den a few years ago. Used moving blankets from Northern Tool. Layed them on top of the shelter, marked up where to cut and then sewed them together. I then slipped the shell into the inside in between the poles and the outer shell. It insulated better than any of today’s set ups but was a bit bulky when folding up the sled.

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Reflectix is the only way to go
Light and inexpensive thermal insulation
See my ad in the classifieds for the Clam Nanook

Broman I am thinking very much along the lines of yours, only add in some reflective properties to really add warmth. Plus cutting costs of just buying material, something like this..https://www.fabric.com/buy/0328316/insul-bright-22-mylar-poly-batting

Would you recall for me how many blankets you used? Trying to rough guess how many yards of material a guy would need.

bullcans wrote:

Reflectix is the only way to go
Light and inexpensive thermal insulation
See my ad in the classifieds for the Clam Nanook

His current setup has just what you did, to the back and top. He said it definetitly helped, but isn’t a full thermal.

How about this one? It’s 45″ wide.

https://www.fabric.com/buy/0343332/pellon-975-insul-fleece-white?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b

I think I used 3. Total cost under $30.

______________ wrote:

How about this one? It’s 45″ wide.

https://www.fabric.com/buy/0343332/pellon-975-insul-fleece-white?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b

There’s quite a few materials out there when I start looking. Even can buy Thinsulate by the yard. Gonna come down to price, the one I posted is about half the cost of yours. And there are some 2x the cost of yours.

I’m thinking 4yds per side with maybe a couple on top, 20yds to guesstimate. That’s good material ranging from $75-$150. Looking good so far.

Canvas Craft sells their material as well, I called because I was going to do the same thing before I got hooked up with a smoking deal on the otter xt pro. I’m not positive but a 1 x 1 yard piece of fabric was $30 (could be wrong) I know it’s more expensive, and maybe not worth it if you need 10 yards of it, but if you just wanted to do the roof and back, it’d probably be a good option considering it’s high quality material meant for those conditions. Good Luck

Reflection is a great product, does what you are looking to do. It is lightweight, low cost and will not absorb water. Side wall install is a bit tricky but you really don’t need it on the sides. Most heat is lost out the top.

I used Reflectix because I wanted to get rid of condensation. Such a great product increased the warmth of my house and Increased the light reflection inside the house which means I need less lighting.

I am sure a blanket would work fine but also assume it would soak up water and hold ice a long time. Reflectix just sheds water.

With reflect you just lay it between the canvas and pipes cutting slits for the velcro stops. That is it done deal.

If it’s an Otter Lodge, I have a canvas in the classifieds that has the insulated top. If doing it yourself look at the reflectix material, it will not absorb water like the cloth material will.