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Here’s some tips to help keep your Jayco camper trailer warmer in winter
And no, they’re not just things like wear extra clothes or use more blankets…
…they’re the things that’ve really helped out in our Jayco Swan because of:
- The amount of canvas, and
- Slide out beds.
Here we go:
1. Put yoga mats under your mattress to stop cold coming up through the bottom of your bed
A problem with slide out beds is that there’s not much stopping the cold from coming up from underneath
(this was VERY noticeable the first time we slept in our Jayco Swan)
You could line the base with marine carpet or proper (breathable) insulation…
…but a cheap, simple fix to keep the bed of your Jayco camper trailer warm in winter is putting a couple of thermal mats underneath
(these thermal EVA foam bed rolls from Kmart are the most popular option)
2. Use a mattress topper to make your bed warmer AND more comfortable
This one kills 2 birds with 1 stone:
Not only does the cold come up from underneath the mattress…
…they’re also really uncomfortable
(adding a mattress topper came first by a mile in the list of the 35 Most Popular Jayco Camper Trailer Modifications)
The one that’s most recommended is the Ever Rest Memory Foam Mattress Topper.
We bought one from Spotlight’s store via eBay. And love it.
HINT: The double fits the “Queen” sized bed in our Swan perfectly
3. Use a wireless weather station to know when to keep the door open or closed
When it’s warm during the day it can be nice to leave the door open…
…but it helps if you know the moment the outside temperature drops below the temperature inside your camper
(then it’s time to keep the door closed)
These wireless weather stations have a digital display, plus a Bluetooth sensor you put outside:
(it’ll also let you know if it’s time to open it all up and let the fresh air in too)
We bought ours from Bunnings (cheapest place for that model) but you can also get them here from Amazon
4. Install a diesel heater for when you’re free camping
To be honest:
Installing a diesel heater is the thing that made the single biggest difference to our recent trip to the Flinders Ranges.
They’re inexpensive and cheap to run.
They work REALLY well.
We bought ours here from eBay for around $200
And although the instructions were rubbish, it didn’t end up being that hard in the end
This was our Jayco Swan Diesel Heater Installation [Step-By-Step With Pictures]
5. Use bed end flys to create an extra layer of protection
There’s plenty of reasons to use bed flys
(and they’re not all about keeping your Jayco camper trailer warmer in Winter)
Just a few of them include:
- Stops condensation landing directly on the bed end
- Creates an air gap for extra insulation
- Prevents rain from landing (and pooling) on the canvas
Another big one:
No packing up damp canvas (or bird poo) directly onto your bedding
If you don’t have bed end flys, we’ve got these ones from CampSmart via eBay
But if you already have them but couldn’t be bothered putting them up every time…
…check out the Bed End Fly Modification for Jayco Camper Trailers
(makes it A LOT quicker and easier)
6. Line the floor with some marine carpet
Lino is easier to keep clean… but it’s cold.
Our latest mod was cutting a single piece of marine carpet to fit the floor of our Jayco Swan…
…and it made a MASSIVE difference to the warmth of the floor in our camper.
Now, I’d be lying if I said we kept it clean while camping:
It got covered in dirt and mud pretty quickly.
But, because we went for marine carpet, it brushed up just as easily as the Lino floor
(and because it’s done in a single piece, we can just lift it out an hose it off)
If you plan on doing this, Bunnings had the best price I could find (including online)
7. Use corflute to stop moisture wicking through the canvas onto your bedding
The main reason people usually do this:
If you touch wet canvas, surface tension can wick the water through and make your bedding damp.
A common answer to this is corflute
(the stuff that real estate signs are made from)
Wedging some of this stuff between the canvas and the frame of the bed stops the transfer of moisture
Photo Credit: Shaun Cunningham
Two sheets of this (2.4m x 1.2m) will cost about $12 from Bunnings, and each sheet will make 3 strips of 40cm width
We’ll be doing this for the other benefit:
Even though it doesn’t really insulate, corflute helps with warmth by stopping direct contact on the cold canvas
Summary: Keeping your Jayco camper trailer warmer in winter
These were the things that we found helpful to keep our Jayco Swan warmer in winter.
Comment below if there’s any missed…
…otherwise check out where we got most of these ideas:
I am going to try a few of these this winter in my Jayco Flite. Stupid question: does the silver side go down or up (thermal yoga mats)? Thank you!
Hi, thermal mats are designed to go silver side up 🙂
Hi, for the KMart Thermal EVA foam bed rolls, did you end up buying 5 – 6 rolls and cutting them up to fit the bed spaces perfectly? Thanks so much for sharing all your tips, love reading them!
Hi Angelina, no, I wasn’t that OCD… although now you’ve planted that seed I might go back and do this ha ha
Hi! Can I ask what the depth of your mattress is, and what the total depth of the bed is when you include the mattress topper (and undermattress insulation?). Do you have any issues when closing your camper? Do you leave your quilt on?
Many thanks!
Hi Leah, haven’t measured… but the mattress topper adds 5cm, and the mats probably 5mm. We don’t leave our quilt on the bed when closing up our camper though, we fold that up and put it on the bench seat. We leave the topper on though