This post was heavily inspired by Noah Noah's Post on the Tune Owners group on Facebook.
I was very skeptical that these panels were going to make the camper hold heat any better. I was willing to spend the money in hopes this would help reflect heat in the summer and make the camper darker. All three panels together weigh 5 lbs and are not noticeable when manipulating the roof.
You will see that I did not include the Reflective Insulation that Noah had in his build. I did this because I chose to use foam panels that already had a reflective backing. I was hoping this would make the build a bit cheaper with little to no performance loss.
| Quantity | Item | Description | Cost | HomeDepot | Menards | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Roll | Outdoor Carpet | 8' X 12' | $55.869 (Total) | Shop Now | Shop Now | Shop Now |
| 3 Cans | Spray Adhesive | Hi-Strength 90 | $15.66 (Each) | Shop Now | Shop Now | Shop Now |
| 3 Sheets | Foam Insulation | 4' x 8' | $20.86 (Each) | Shop Now | Shop Now | |
| 30 Feet | Velcro | High Strength | $21.97 (Each) | Shop Now | Shop Now | Shop Now |
Only minimal tools are needed for this build:
| Tool | Notes | In Store | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Square | Any type of large straight edge will work | HomeDepot | Shop Now |
| Speed Square | Small square for making notches | HomeDepot | Shop Now |
| Hot Knife | Makes cutting way faster and cleaner | Harbor Freight | Shop Now |
| Multi-Tool | A good option if you already have one. The hot knife is better! | HomeDepot | Shop Now |
| Scissors | Sharp ones! | HomeDepot | Shop Now |
Borrow as much as you can! This is a quick project and probably not worth buying any tools unless you have another project in mind. The Hot Knife was definitely the best way to get a straight cut on the foam. If I were only going to buy one tool, it would be that one!
The front and back alcoves in the Tune M1 ceiling measure approximately 70 1/4" x 35 3/4" and the middle alcove is 70 1/4" x 36 3/5". I made some extra cuts to alleviate some of the pressure on the locking mechanism and to make room for the roof port wiring. You can see more exact measurements below that include the fan section.
You will need one 4x8 sheet of plastic for each indent. If you have a longer truck this may vary!
At this point, I cut and test-fitted all of the panels. I tried both a hot knife and a rotary tool, and both worked well to make the cuts. A box cutter would take longer but work just the same!
Originally done in Noah's post, but I opted to save some time and money and not do this step. I bought foam panels with a reflective backing in hopes it would keep some of the heat out! (add pics)
When buying the carpet, make sure that it does not have a backing material. This will make the panels much heavier and the adhesive won't work as well!
Unroll the carpet and stick the panels to it! Once everything was bonded together, I cut the carpet to fit! I found that laying everything on the foam offcuts and using scissors worked the best!
Install both sides of the Velcro on the backs of the panels. I did three strips per panel. With the Velcro stuck together, peel the adhesive backing off of the top side of the exposed Velcro. That will stick the Velcro in the perfect place during the first install!
Just push and hold so the Velcro adhesive has time to bond. The Velcro makes them easily removable in the future!
The panels only add minimal performance increases over the stock roof in cold weather conditions. You can read more here: Tune Cold Weather Performance The camper was noticeably darker after installing the panels. A plus if that's what you're into!
The only other thing to note is that there was an adhesive smell for a few days coming from the panels. I would recommend letting them air out before spending the weekend in the camper!