How We Made $200 Vinyl DIY RV Skirting for Winter
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If you are living in an RV in a cold climate, RV skirting is a MUST. Here is how we did our $200 DIY RV skirting.
RV Skirting Options
There are many options for skirting your RV. After researching the options available for our 5th wheel skirting, we found they pretty much boiled down to these:
- Custom RV skirting. ($$$$) Some companies will come to you, and some require you to travel to them. Either way, this option is great quality, but it’s also the most expensive option. It usually requires drilling holes along the bottom of your RV to install the snaps or channels for hanging the skirting.
- An inflatable AirSkirt. ($$$) An AirSkirt is an inflatable skirting made from heavy-duty vinyl that is inflated by an electric pump and is held in place by pressure. It doesn’t require drilling holes or using any adhesives. It’s designed to be easy to take down, transport, and put back up, so is a great option for people who need to move frequently instead of staying in one place all winter.
- Professional RV skirting. ($$) This self-installed skirting kit is popular with many RVers, but reading about it left me wondering if I could make the same thing for less.
- DIY RV skirting. ($) This can be made from various materials, including:
- Plywood or particle board. Sturdy and warm, but not cheap to pay for all that lumber, and not easy to install, remove, or transport.
- Foam board insulation. Sturdy and warm, easy to install, could be transported, but not very environmentally friendly. However, skirting an entire RV costs about $100—by far the cheapest option. Read this tutorial for how to create your foam board skirting.
- Plastic is cheap but not as sturdy. It is also not very environmentally friendly, and installation presents some challenges.
- Vinyl (What we chose!). I ended up choosing vinyl skirting because I hoped to reuse it and because it’s the time-tested choice of most professional skirting companies. I purchased billboard tarp vinyl, essentially a reused billboard (more details below).
Not sure which one to choose? Read this: RV Skirting Solutions for Every Budget
What type of vinyl is good for DIY RV skirting?
Some RV owners use insulated tarps to make RV skirting. At first, I thought along the same lines—that thicker is better. But then I learned that R-value isn’t necessarily the most important factor in RV skirting. The insulation actually comes more from trapping air underneath the RV than from the thickness of the vinyl.
Since insulated tarps are more expensive and heavier, I decided the thinner vinyl would be fine. Ultimately, I chose to use 11 mil billboard tarp vinyl (these are recycled billboards!). This is the same type of vinyl many custom RV skirting companies use.
However, it’s worth noting that this skirting setup was for insulating against temperatures below freezing but above zero.
Suppose you are RVing in a climate where temperatures stay in the single digits or below zero for extended periods. In that case, you may want to consider a thicker material, such as insulated tarps or rigid foam board, as discussed later in this article.
Read next: How to Stay Warm in a Cold Camper
You may also want to purchase a remote wireless thermometer so that you can accurately monitor the temperature under your RV and wherever your pipes and water lines are located. This will tell you with certainty how well your RV skirting is working and whether you need to supplement with a light or space heater under your RV.
Product currently sold out.
The billboard tarp vinyl company I ordered from offers two color choices: Black or White.
Since making my skirting, I’ve found out about other companies, such as CoversAndAll.com, that sell new vinyl tarps in various colors pre-cut to the exact sizes you need. They will even add grommets, D-rings, or loops along the edges if you want them to. In hindsight, this would save you a LOT of time. I would recommend it.
How We Made Our Vinyl RV Skirting
Supply List:
Below are the supplies we used and what we paid for them.
- Vinyl tarp material, enough to skirt our 38-foot fifth wheel, including the gooseneck and three of its four slides: $92.27. We used 11-millimeter-weight billboard tarp vinyl purchased from BillboardTarps.com.
- Brass tarp grommets and grommet tool. This set came with 500 grommets, which was way more than enough. Last year, we didn’t use a grommet tool, just a cheap tool and dye with a hammer, and the task was much more difficult and time-consuming. This handheld grommet punch made this job one thousand percent faster and easier. Both the grommets and grommet punch cost us $42.48. It was well worth it.
- Steel tent stakes. We ended up needing about 75, which cost around $30.
- Clear adhesive hooks. We used 65 for our 37-foot fifth wheel.
- One garment bag (optional) $10.99
- Duct tape (less than $10)
Total for the project: $213.45

I got a quote from a local guy for $1,600 to create skirting for our fifth wheel. Yikes! If you’ve priced professionally made trailer skirting, you know that $213 is a great deal.
Determining how much vinyl to order
To figure out how much vinyl to buy, I measured the total distance around the RV (including slides and gooseneck) and the height from the ground to the top of where the skirting would need to come. Then, I ordered tarps that were either already the correct height or double the height and could be cut in half lengthwise to the correct height.
There was a lot of math involved, and I recommend drawing out the pieces you need and how you’ll cut them on a piece of paper.
Measure twice and cut once, as they say!
Overview of the RV Skirting Installation Process
Here’s a quick video overview of the process:
Cutting the Billboard Tarp Vinyl
This is what the billboard vinyl looks like all laid out. It literally used to be a billboard. The black side is the back; the other side of this piece had a Cracker Barrel billboard printed on it.

The first thing we did was to cut the vinyl into the sizes we needed. Calculate and measure carefully!
Last year, I made a few mistakes in my calculations, and we had to order more vinyl, which meant paying double in shipping charges. ?
The vinyl cuts easily with scissors. We cut this piece in half lengthwise to make two long pieces of skirting.
Applying the Adhesive Hooks
Below you can see the adhesive hooks on our RV left over from last year’s DIY skirting.
(When we put them on, I didn’t think about how the ones on the sides of the slides would interfere with bringing them in. If we need to bring the slides in, we will need to remove those hooks.)
As you can see, we opted to place the hooks as frequently as possible. Since the hooks are cheap, we wanted to ensure that our skirting would be secure enough not to be blown away in storms and trap as much air as possible under the RV.
These hooks are extremely sturdy. I considered removing mine over the summer and had to use pliers to pull one off. It was so difficult to remove I gave up on the project and kept the hooks up for the next winter.
However, once the hook was removed, there was no damage or residue left behind on the fiberglass part of the RV. If you do want to remove your adhesive hooks, an inexpensive heat gun and plastic putty knife should easily remove them. Goo Gone is also fantastic for any residue left behind!
Alternatives to the Adhesive Hooks
If you’re thinking about doing this project but don’t like the idea of using adhesive hooks, I have seen some people who used heavy-duty Velcro instead. But I don’t really see how that would be any better since it is also adhesive.
Velcro is also more expensive than hooks. It has the advantage of forming a seal all along the top of the skirting, whereas our skirting has small gaps at the top that may allow some warm air to escape.
Some people have also made their vinyl skirting and hung it with adhesive snaps. That many snaps quickly get pricey (IMO), but that is an option, though not without some problems to anticipate.
I am considering ordering some adhesive snaps for the area covering our propane tank access doors, though, so we can easily refill our propane tanks.
Product currently sold out.
Another alternative might be acrylic mounting tape to stick the same hooks to the slides. This tape stays put in cold weather (as I explained in this blog post) yet it is very easy to remove.
I might even suggest trying it for all of the hooks if you’re concerned about the hooks being difficult to remove later, especially since the clear hooks do turn yellow in the sunlight over time.

DON’T Try These Alternatives for Hanging RV Skirting
Last year, we originally tried hanging our skirting with heavy-duty suction cups, but even after following all of the instructions for using them (cleaning the area, applying in temperatures above freezing, etc.), they wouldn’t stay stuck. So, after attempting a few options, I highly recommend the adhesive hooks we used.

Below is why you don’t use duct tape on your RV! I learned the hard way.

Last year, we used Gorilla duct tape for some of the tricky spots, and it left quite a mess.
If I need to use tape on my RV in the future I will use foil HVAC tape as it can withstand any temperature and supposedly comes off cleanly.
Product currently sold out.
Installing the Grommets
Here’s the skirting hung from the hooks with a grommet. We folded the top of the vinyl over about four inches to make it sturdier and neater.

With our hooks already hung, we used the grommet punch to punch holes as we hung it—no marking or measuring required. This method was significantly easier than measuring or marking where to add grommets. And it was worth the low cost of the east-to-use grommet punch!

We also used grommets along the bottom of the vinyl along with the tent stakes to keep the skirting in place. Sometimes this skirting with the tent stakes along the bottom comes unhooked in a few places and has to be rehung after very strong winds, but it does a much better job of staying put than alternatives, like the year we used water jugs to secure the bottom.
If a grommet rips the vinyl or pulls out of its hole, I plan to use black Gorilla duct tape to cover and reinforce the torn places and then redo those grommets. To prevent this from happening, I would suggest that you really make sure your grommets are tight and possibly reinforce the holes with a piece of black duct tape before you punch them.

Fastening the Skirting Along the Bottom
After we got the skirting hung along the top, we went around the bottom punching holes and pounding in tent stakes.

By now you can see how buying pre-cut vinyl with grommets already added would have saved us a lot of time!

Going Around Tricky Areas
We cut and folded the skirting to go around vents and other things we didn’t want to cover.


How We Joined the Seams Between Two Pieces of Vinyl
For the seams between pieces, we overlapped them by several feet.
Last year we tried using Gorilla duct tape to tape the seams together and it did not stay. It ended up coming untaped, blowing around in the wind, and making a sticky, dirty mess.
Overlapping the skirting without actually joining it worked just fine this time because we fastened each piece to the RV and to the ground. If you are concerned about making a tight seal you may want to find a different way to join the seams (see the idea suggested at the end of this article).
I planned the seam in the photo below to be at the spot where our sewer hose connects so that it can be easily unhooked if we need to access that area.

Skirting the Stair Area
Going around the stairs was tricky. I took the vinyl across the front underneath them, then added a second piece to line the area behind the steps, hung from adhesive hooks I stuck to the steel frame.
I decided to use a heavy-duty clear shower curtain (which already had grommets!) weighted down with a few bricks instead of tarp vinyl to line the area behind the steps because our cat loves to play under the RV.
Skirting Around the Fifth Wheel Gooseneck
The gooseneck of a fifth wheel can be where the most cold air and wind enter an RV. It demands the best skirting… And it’s the hardest to skirt.

Unfortunately, our skirting didn’t do much to prevent wind from entering through the walls, so it still got pretty cold even with the skirting. I ended up lining the walls of our closet with a type of foam wall covering for extra insulation.
Related: 6 Ways You Must Prepare Your RV For Winter
If I had it to do over again, rather than try to make my own skirting for the gooseneck area, I would just purchase a fifth wheel skirt like this:
Product currently sold out.
Adding a zipper to access the storage area under the gooseneck
To access the front storage area without having to remove the skirting fully, I decided to add a zipper. Instead of buying a surprisingly expensive long zipper, I surgically removed the zipper from an inexpensive garment bag. This is an extra-long garment bag designed for wedding dresses.

I ended up cutting more off the sides until I had about six inches of plastic on either side of the zipper. Two inches on either side of the zipper would have looked better. You need just enough to stick tape to.

Then I taped the zipper to the back of the skirting using extra wide Gorilla duct tape.

Next, I cut a hole in the front of the skirting over the zipper.

And now I have a zipper opening for my skirting.

Here is our RV with its 5th-wheel skirting, all ready for cold weather!

Ideas from Other RV Owners
RV owner, Rob, allowed me to share photos of his skirting, along with some additional ideas he came up with:
Idea #1: Sandbags Used to Weight the Skirting Down on Concrete
Rob used sandbags from Amazon and filled them with sand from a local supplier to weigh down the skirting. Parked on a concrete pad, he couldn’t use tent stakes.
He says his skirting was able to withstand a wind gust recorded nearby at 52 mph without even budging! (Other RVers use pieces of lumber to weigh down their skirting.)
Idea #2: Snaps Used to Join the Skirting at the Seams
Rob used snaps and a snap tool to attach the skirting pieces to each other. I love this idea!
If you don’t mind screwing into your camper, you could also use screw-in snaps to hang the skirting. I was too afraid I would make a mistake and end up with a bunch of holes in my RV. But Rob’s turned out great!



Idea #3: Skirting Over the Stairs and Adding a Porch
Rob avoided the tricky issue of how to skirt around the steps! He folded in his steps and covered them by building these steps using free pallet wood instead.
I think Rob’s skirting looks really sharp!
Idea for Creating Access to Storage and Mechanical Components
Here’s another idea from an RV owner named Guy Hoffman. He went ahead and covered his storage access doors with skirting but created a flap that opens for access and stays closed with the use of magnets.
If you end up making your own skirting and come up with any more great ideas to share, or if you have any questions for me about our skirting, please leave a comment below! 🙂
Looking for a cheaper option? Consider foam board!
The project was actually easier and cheaper than the vinyl skirting ($106 plus tax for materials) and we like how it ended up looking. I wrote an in-depth tutorial detailing the process, which you can read here. We also made a video to demonstrate the process as we made the skirting:
Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
Oh I can’t thank you enough for the helpful diy. Skirting for our 33 foot tt was going to be well over $600. We ordered the supplies through your links today. We are a Kansas City full-time family as well. There are 6 of us, two dogs, and a turtle. We are so new at this (only 6 months in). You guys were warmth savers.
That’s awesome to hear! It has been COLD this week in KC! Even with skirting and an enclosed underbelly our black tank gate valve froze. We are planning to put a space heater underneath the RV for a few hours today to try to thaw it so we can dump our tank. Looking forward to high temps being back up above freezing soon! Good luck with your skirting; hopefully we get a few days of warmer weather for you to put it up!
I’m wondering if I missed the info on how one attaches snaps to the RV if going that route?
I have not used snaps, but I know of two types of snaps used for this purpose. One type is the kind used by the EZ-Snap RV skirting company (but these can be purchased separately too I believe) and they are plastic and stick to the RV with 3M adhesive. I have heard of these coming unstuck in some places in high winds, but I’m not sure everyone has that problem. The other type of snaps are sold where heavy duty tarps are sold and are made of metal and are screwed into to the RV (or boat, which is what they are often used for).
Hi Ashley,
Once the weather warms up, we are going to do this in preparation for next winter. We have had two weeks of harsh weather and temps down in the teens and my floor has been like ice. My question is: did you use the hooks for which you provided the link or different one. I think Command hooks might be a bit pricey for this undertaking but I want to be sure the ones you recommend will do the job.
Also, I will insulate the underneath part of the slides as you did because this past week I have had to wrap up in a blanket because there does not seem to be a way of getting the chill out of that area.
I love your site and have been implementing your suggestions.
Thank you for all this great information. I’m trying this on our son’s fifth wheel this winter since our last winter use of foam board insulation didn’t work because of the wind blowing it apart. Anyway, I’ve read and re-read the website and might have missed it but what is the distance you put between the hooks on long stretches of the RV? In some pictures (thanks for those) I see you have different spacing but did you have a standard spacing for long stretches of areas? Or could you recommend a spacing? Sorry for all the questions but you all did a great job of trial and error over the years and I’m just trying to learn from your experience. Thanks again for the great information.
Hi Kevin, we didn’t use a standard spacing but just tried to make it come out even on large areas. For example on the side of a slide we would put a hook on each end and one in the middle and then one or two more in between those, but it seems to have come out to about 20″ apart. The most important thing was making sure there was a hook at each point where the skirting would be going around a corner or edge. Also I am not sure what we will do about the side of the slides next time…we are in Texas right now so I don’t know if we’ll be skirting this winter or not, but I don’t want to put the heavy duty hooks back on the sides of the slides only to have to pry them off again next time we pull in our slides. I think what I might try though should the need arise would be to use the same hooks but adhere them with acrylic mounting tape instead of the adhesive that comes on them. The acrylic mounting tape is strong but easier to remove. I might even suggest trying that option for all of the hooks for anyone who is worried about removing the hooks later. Even though I haven’t tried using acrylic mounting tape with the hooks, I have used the tape on the exterior of my RV in winter and know it stays put in cold weather.
This looks like a brilliant alternative to expensive skirting, and I plan to give it a try! Thank you! I’m curious about what you’d mentioned with the foam boards under your slides.. is that something you did behind your skirt? as in does it go from the trailer down to the ground like the skirt does? Or did you tape the entire board directly flush with the bottom of the slide? Does that make sense? My slides are already starting to feel so cold and I’m trying to figure out how to keep them warmer. Thanks!
Glad you found the skirting idea helpful! Hope it works well for you! As for the foam boards, the board was taped to the bottom of the slide, parallel to the bottom of the slide and up against it to provide extra insulation under the floor. It made a huge difference – like 15-20 degrees when I set a thermometer indoors in the back corner of the floor of the slide. Hope that is clear – feel free to ask if you have more questions!
Where did you buy the vinyl? Please reply, thabks!
We purchased from billboardtarps.com.