Wanted: blackout curtains/shades for car camping

Try this

Junction Produce | Luxury Curtain Black

 

They've got a 5% tint

 

Mine are neither black nor luxurious, but also not $169.95. I wandered into the local fabric store and picked up about 2½ yd of an aluminized silver fabric intended for ironing-board covers. I slit that lengthwise down the middle, making two strips long enough and wide enough to hang from the triangle portholes in front to the triangle portholes in back. I hemmed one long edge of each one around some thin plastic strips for stiffness. To put it up, I just shove those stiffened edges in between the headlining and the rubber door frame trim. (A little more stiffening is needed at the ends, to stick out straight over the triangle portholes, beyond where the rubber trim is.)

When I started the project, I was going to be all fancy and cut them in curves to match the roof height, and instead, when I reached the point where they were just hanging down from the roof and covering the windows, I said, "so what if there's extra fabric hanging down front and back, it does what I set out to do," so I went on to another project.

As you can see, it doesn't really darken the cabin in full sun as much as you might want, though it seemed ok at reflecting heat, pretty much like the windshield cover, which is a similar looking fabric. To get darker, I guess you could double it up, or spray it with some kind of pigment, or laminate some kind of foil to it, I don't know.

I need to come up with something better for the rear window. All I was doing was unhooking the cargo cover and hanging the front end higher with some straps to the assist grips. It's not quite long enough though. It did a good enough job blocking visibility for privacy, but still let a lot of light in.

-Chap

 

Just go 5 percent. **** the law a window tint ticket is nothing

 

Reflectix cut to fit the windows then take the pieces to a sign shop and have them put black vinyl on the outside. They are lightweight and roll up for easy storage. From the outside of the car it just looks like dark tint. Also makes great sun shields during the day by flipping them around and swapping which side of the car you put them on with the silver facing to the outside. They have the added benefit of insulation which keeps the ICE from running as much. Probably cost under a hundred to do every window.

 

Vinyl from a sign shop, hey! And I bet they could laminate that to the back side of ironing-board fabric too, as easily as they could to Reflectix. Hmmm....

-Chap

 

Have fun and good luck.

 

I made mine. I used blackout curtains and magnets. I sewed the magnets into pockets of the fabric, but without sewing I imagine any kind of fabric that does not ravel could be cut to fit and the magnets used to hold to the window frame.

 

I take it you all need some of the shades I have.

Toyota Prius Blackout Sun Shades - black_jmyntrn

 

This looks like the perfect product for completely blacking out the windows! Now if they only offered them for the Gen 2 years! I've been searching for a pre-fit option for my 2007. If anyone has a good lead, let me know! =)

 

I feel like I saw them, you might want to reach out to them.

 

Thanks for the note. I ended up getting in touch with them and at this time, they're not making them for the Gen 2s but may in the future. I might decide to make my own if I get more serious about the project in general. Cheers, Dan =)

 

Any update on what you ended up building out?

I'm going to do the same thing in the next couple of weeks - I'm just going to cut cardboard to the shape of each window and then sew on fabric or apply black vinyl from Michaels/JoAnns. I don't think Reflectix provides enough value since we all mostly have our front windshield and windows exposed (and the car has temp control). Cardboard should work.

When the weather allows, I'm going to use some window shade socks.

 

I like the idea for daytime but at night I don't want nobody seeing me up and as a target. I guess I'll do more thinking on this matter...