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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.
To read about other RV skirting options, check out my article “RV Skirting Solutions for Every Budget”.
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 ($$$$) Some companies will come to you, and some require you to travel to them. Either way, this option is great quality, but it's also usually the most expensive option. It also usually requires drilling holes along the bottom of your RV to install the snaps or channels for hanging the skirting.
- An inflatable AirSkirt ($$$) An AirSkirt is inflatable skirting made from heavy-duty vinyl that is inflated by an electric pump and is held in place by the pressure, so 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 might be a great option for people who are needing to move frequently instead of staying in one place all winter.
- EZ Snap 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 myself at a cheaper price.
- DIY RV skirting ($) 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 possibly be transported, but not very environmentally friendly and can look tacky (some RV parks won't allow it for that reason). However, we tried this option one year and it cost about $400 for skirting our entire RV. Read this article to create your own foam board skirting.
- Plastic – Cheap, but not as sturdy. Also not very environmentally friendly, and installation presents some challenges.
- Vinyl (What we chose!)- I ended up choosing vinyl skirting because I hoped to be able to re-use it, and because it's the time-tested choice of most professional skirting companies. I purchased billboard tarp vinyl, which is essentially a reused billboard (more details below).
What type of vinyl is good for DIY RV skirting?
Some RV owners use insulated tarps to make RV skirting. At first I was thinking along the same lines, that thicker is better, but then I learned that R-value isn't necessarily the most important factor when it comes to RV skirting, because 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 much heavier, I decided the thinner vinyl would be fine. In the end, I chose to use 11 mil billboard tarp vinyl (these are actual recycled billboards!) after realizing this was the same type of vinyl used by many custom RV skirting companies.
However, it's worth noting that this skirting setup was for insulating against temperatures below freezing but above zero; if you will be RVing in a climate where temperatures stay in the single digits or below zero for extended periods of time, you may want to consider a thicker material, such as insulated tarps or rigid foam board, as discussed later on in this article.
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.
The billboard tarp vinyl company I ordered my vinyl 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 a variety of 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, which would save a LOT of time and what I would recommend in hindsight!
How We Made Our Vinyl RV Skirting
Supply List:
Below are the supplies we used along with what we paid for them at the time.
- Vinyl tarp material, enough to skirt our 38 fifth wheel, including the gooseneck and three of its four slides: $92.27 (We used 11 mil weight billboard tarp vinyl purchased from BillboardTarps.com, but since then I've discovered CoversAndAll.com, which sells really nice vinyl in a variety of colors, so I would compare the two and see which you like best and which one fits your budget.)
- Brass tarp grommets & grommet tool. This set came with 500 grommets, and that 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
- 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 (I already had this)
Total for the project: $213.45
I got a quote from a local guy for around $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) as well as the height from the ground to the top of where the skirting would need to come, and then I ordered tarps that were either already the correct height, or else 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 ended up having 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 leftover from last year's DIY skirting.
(When we put them on I wasn't thinking about how the ones on the sides of the slides would interfere with bringing the slides in. When we need to bring the slides in, we will obviously need to remove those hooks.)
As you can see, we opting for placing the hooks as frequently as possible. Since the hooks are cheap, we wanted to ensure that our skirting would be secure enough to not 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. After putting more thought into it, we don't plan on pulling them off, even if they mean the outside of the RV isn't quite as nice year-round. If you do want to remove your adhesive hooks, an inexpensive heat gun and plastic putty knife should remove them easily. Goo Gone is also great 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 does have 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 of the warm air to escape.
Some people have also made their own vinyl skirting and hung it with adhesive snaps. That many snaps are quickly get pricey (IMO), but that is an option, though not without some problems to anticipate. I am thinking about ordering some adhesive snaps for the area covering our propane tank access doors, though, so we can easily refill our propane tanks.
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 ended up using.
Below is why you don't use duct tape on your RV! I learned the hard way.
We used Gorilla duct tape for some of the tricky spots last year, and to tape foam board to the bottoms of our slides (which made a big difference in the temperature of our slide floors).
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.
Installing the Grommets
Here's what the skirting looks like hung from the hooks with a grommet. We folded the top of the vinyl over about four inches to make it sturdier and make it look neater.
To accomplish this cleaner look, we taped the skirting in place temporarily and marked the places where we needed holes, then we took it down and used a hammer to punch the holes using the small inexpensive tool that came with the grommets we purchased.
Adding the grommets with a hammer took a long time, and that was only doing grommets along the top!
This year, with our adhesive hooks already in place, my husband used the grommet punch to punch holes as we hung it—no marking or measuring required. This method was significantly easier and worth the low cost of the grommet punch.
I wondered if it would be hard for me to use the punch tool since my hands are smaller, but I have no problem using it; it doesn't require more than a normal amount of hand strength.
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. (If your RV is sitting on concrete, I will be providing some ideas later on that other RVers have used as an alternative to 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 just 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 for us since it was fastened at the top and bottom, but 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 kind of tricky. I ended up taking the vinyl across the front underneath them, then adding a second piece to line the area behind the steps, hung from adhesive hooks I stuck to the steel frame.
I actually 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, and this lets a bit of light in. He also likes having this little spot under the stairs as a place to jump in and hide if something scary like the garbage truck shows up.
Skirting Around the Fifth Wheel Gooseneck
The gooseneck of a fifth wheel can be where the most cold air and wind enters an RV and demands the best skirting.
Unfortunately, our skirting didn't do much to prevent wind from entering so this area of the RV (my husband's side of the bed, and our closet) 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, and that made a big difference.
Alternatively, I think lining the closet with Reflectix would have helped, too.
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:
Adding a zipper to access the storage area under the gooseneck
To access the front storage area without having to remove the skirting, I decided to add a zipper (an idea I got from the EZ Snap skirting website). Instead of buying an expensive long zipper, though, I decided to surgically remove 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. I should have trimmed a bit more; I think about two inches on either side of the zipper would have looked better. Just enough to have something 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
Since I originally wrote this article, countless others who have read it have now made their own billboard vinyl skirting and adapted or improved my process to fit their needs. (I just love the ingenuity of RV owners!)
One RV owner named Rob allowed me to share photos of the skirting he made, along with some additional ideas he came up with:
Idea #1: Sandbags Used to Weight the Skirting Down on Concrete
Rob used sandbags he ordered from Amazon and filled with sand from a local supplier to weigh down the skirting since he was on a concrete pad and 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. Personally I was too afraid I would make a mistake and end up with a bunch of holes in the wrong places to try that, 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 by folding in his steps and covering them up and 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 blog post about the process, which you can read here. We also made a video to demonstrate the process as we made the skirting, which you can watch below.
For more winter RV tips, check out my Winter RVing Resource Page:
Ashley Mann lives in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband and their cat, Professor Theodore. She enjoys 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.
We did foam board last year. Going to try the vinyl this year. I was wondering which skirting kept the RV the warmest?
We have never put a thermometer under the RV so I can’t say for sure, but my guess would be the foam board because it sealed off drafts better and was thicker too. If we lived farther north foam board would probably be my choice for a stationary winter, but the main advantage to the vinyl is that it’s easier to transport if necessary.
Hi Ashley,
Last year I used Reflectix insulation near Fort Leavenworth. You know the wind in Kansas is crazy so I had to do some repairs throughout the winter. Overall I was warm and had liquid water.
I’m back in Kansas for the winter but near Fort Riley. I remembered reading your billboard vinyl post last year. I was pleased to see the foam board you used when I looked up the article. I am going to try it. What thickness did you use?
Thank you so much for your advice. It has been quite helpful.
Rhonda
Hi Rhonda, I chose the 1″ thick foam board as it seemed sturdier than the thinner type yet was plenty warm once it was all sealed up.
Just an additional note, boat shrink vinyl is super heavy duty, comes in white, and zippered access doors are available for them, as well as vents. It lasts a very long time when exposed to the elements. I used it to cover a gazebo, lasted for 5 years. Heat shrink tape that’s uv resistant goes well with it. Here’s a link to the boat shrink vinyl on eBay.
This is a great tip! Thank you!
Why wasn’t the vinyl allowed in the park? thinking for future stays I’d like to know what problem they had with it that they didn’t have with foam boards?
The reason they gave us was that it looked tacky. And apparently they don’t think the foam boards look tacky.
Ashley, What kind of results did you get with removing the silver tape being on the outside of the RV? I’ve used it lots of times on one thing or another but never on the outside of my RV. I have a new 5th wheel now and sure don’t wanna mess it up.
I’m headed to Coffeyville, KS soon for work and being from that general area (the Oklahoma panhandle) I know what winters are like in that part of the country. COLD and windy!!
I already have some white duct tape for the foam itself.
Did I see you post that you had actually taped a piece of foam directly under your slides? Like right to the bottom of the slide floor? Great idea!!
Your vlog is great. I’m subscribing 🙂 Kelli
Yes, I taped the foam to the bottom of the slide floor! 🙂 My experience with the tape is that it can be used on fiberglass without damaging it at all, but that if you put it on areas with paint it’s possible to damage the paint when pulling it off, but as long as you pull it off very carefully and slowly you can pull it off with no damage. And it’s definitely less likely to damage paint than any other type of tape or adhesive, which is why I use and recommend it. Still, mistakes can happen even when you’re being careful so if a nick in your paint is something you would be very upset about you probably want to avoid sticking anything to your RV exterior whatsoever.
I appreciate your response Ashley! I got to thinking though… I could make it easier to remove just by taking a blow drier to it or some hot water. Boil some water in the teapot,pour it on slowly and grab it with tweezers. Where there’s a will…😉
Yes, that might help it come off more cleanly. Also, if you can wait until a warm, sunny day to take it off, that would probably accomplish the same thing. If you buy some of the tape and test it in an inconspicuous area you can get a better idea of what it’s like to use. Good luck!
Just saw your page today as I am looking for cheap vinyl. I am in a park that only allows for vinyl fabric skirting and in the past I had used reflectex covered with vinyl stuff that had a sticky back (like the kind used on cars). Love your article and now have a request in for a quote to the billboard company. Just to note, in the past few years I have used very strong mounting tape to adhere my skirting before, and that totally rocks. You just pull it off like you would one of those 3M hooks by pulling end of tape away but parallel to the surface it is stuck to. No residue left and I was able to pull skirting nice and taut. Picture is with half done with vinyl over the reflectex and me roughing out the reflectex on the back half still. 🙂 Cheers
Thank you so much for this tip, and good luck with your vinyl skirting!
I read somewhere about using large lag bolts and large washers screwed into the ground foroutdoor rugs. Wonder if this would work for securing tapping to ground instead of tent stakes. Screw them in with your screw gun.
Thanks so much for this information! I purchased an RV late last year, and this was one of the first projects I did as we were about to get into Utah winter. Actually had a pipe crack from the cold while I was still working on it, but once I put up the finished skirting, everything stayed so warm! Underneath my trailer was 20 degrees warmer than the outdoor temperature. This is so easy and cheap.
You’re welcome! Thanks for coming back and letting me know the idea was helpful to you!
Hi! Ashley, I am down to the part of doing the grommets on vulnerability tarp. How far apart do you hang them. And did you cut tarp, hold up to trailer, mark spot for hook then punch bunk. Sorry needing such precise direction. First time and scared. Thanks
No need to be sorry! We did all of the cutting first, before hanging any of it. Then we laid it all out and went around punching and hanging. We didn’t mark the spots for the hooks; we just went ahead and placed the hook and hung the tarp as we proceeded. That way we were able to make sure the tarp was stretched taut. I believe we placed the grommets about 18″ apart except on slides and other short sections where we placed one on each end and evenly spaced out the ones in between. Hope that helps…feel free to ask more questions if you have them!
Thank you so much. Yes that makes sense. Thank you for all you do. It is much appreciated.
You’re welcome! Good luck!
I am currently trying this using cheaper materials for now and plan on upgrading if things work out. I am using a standard tarp, winters here arent terrible usually. I decided to go with command hooks, most are holding uo well. But the issue i am having is with the tent stakes.. When the wind blows they just pull out of the ground. i am looking at adding more stakes closer together. I am waiting on more grommets.
Also, I was wondering if you could use the zipper idea to kinda join the tarps instead of overlapping or taping..
Hmm, I wonder if your ground is softer than mine was and that’s causing the stakes to pull out? You could try some kind of weight option…sandbags (which you can buy on Amazon) or bricks tied to the grommets perhaps? I also like the idea of joining the skirting by zipping it together if you can find an affordable zipper source and a good way to attach the zippers to the tarps. I would not recommend using the garment bags I used as it could get pricey and also the vinyl wasn’t intended for outdoor use and so deteriorated in the sun.