Blinds and Shades for RVs and Campers

Blindster specializes in custom home window treatments, and some of these can be a good fit for RVs, trailers, and other motor homes. While not all styles of window blinds are compatible with RVs, here are the ones we typically recommend:

Cellular Shades: these shades provide great insulation against both heat and cold,are lightweight, customizable with different lifting systems, and come in both light filtering and blackout versions. Pro tip: a day/night cellular shade gives you both options in one shade!

Roller Shades: although they aren't insulating, roller shades do help reduce heat gain by blocking direct sunlight, while providing privacy with light filtering fabric, or complete light blocking with blackout fabric.

Solar Shades: this roller-type shade features screen-style fabric that blocks UV rays and helps reduce heat gain. Solar shades provide daytime privacy while still allowing you to see outside – however they don't provide nighttime privacy.

Aluminum Blinds: our 1" size aluminum blinds provide versatile light control since you can rotate the slats open or closed, or raise the blind completely for a clear view. They are durable and easy to clean, making them popular for windows in the kitchen and over the sink.

Depending on what type of window shades you're considering, and how you use your RV, you'll want to consider anchoring the bottom of your shades to the wall. This helps prevent the shades from swaying and from bumping the wall when your RV or camper is in motion. Look for blinds and shades from Blindster that have available door brackets – these are usually used for French doors to keep the bottom of the blind affixed to the door but they can work for RV applications as well. A few things to note:

• You'll likely need to supply your own screws that are appropriate for the material of your RV walls – our door brackets (aka hold down brackets) will come with small wood screws that may not be suitable.
• If you do use hold down brackets, you'll probably want to get either an aluminum blind, or a top-down/bottom up cellular or pleated shade since you won't be able to raise the shade from the bottom with our style of hold downs. Once the brackets are connected to the bottom of the shade, it typically can't be raised (this will likely differ from the style of shades that originally came with your RV). While you could maneuver the shade out of the hold downs, this could affect the stability of the hold down screws and eventually dislodge the screws from the wall. Magnetic hold downs are a great alternative, and some of our roller and solar shades have this option, or you could add DIY magnets to any shades.
• Many of our roller and solar shades have a lightweight seamed bottom edge that won't bang into or rub against the wall of your RV like other shades might, so you could install these and not use any hold downs (allowing you to raise or lower the shade when needed). Just check the pictures of each product to see how the bottom rail is constructed.

Putting new or replacement blinds and shades into your RV or trailer can present unique challenges that aren't normally encountered with blinds and shades in your home. Here are a few things to watch for when choosing replacement shades for your RV:

• Since space in an RV is at a premium, there may be issues with available mounting space for installing and hanging window shades. Space for installation brackets above the RV window may be limited or even non-existent based on where the window glass meets other elements of the wall. This may limit which types of blinds you're able to install in certain windows.

• While some blinds have brackets that mount on the very ends of the blind, some use brackets that connect to the top of the blind (inset from either end). Be sure to take stock not only of what space is available for installation brackets around your window, but also the type of brackets used for the blind or shade you're considering purchasing.

  You'll likely be mounting to the wall of your RV which will be considered an "outside mount" for our products, since it won't be recessed into a framed window opening (like in your house). If you don't have any space directly above your window glass for installation brackets, you'll have to select a shade that uses brackets that attach to the ends of the shade, or order the shade several inches wider on each side to accommodate brackets that connect from the top of the blind.

• Fabric valances are a common decorative feature in many RVs and trailers, but these can further limit the space available for installing new or replacement shades. This is not only due to the valances covering wall space above and to the sides of the window but also limiting the depth for a window shade to fit into. Be sure to check the flush mount depth listed on our products to confirm if the shade you're considering will fit under or within any valances you may have in your RV.
• Be sure to consider whether you'll want hold down brackets (aka "door brackets") for your blinds to help limit their movement when traveling, and how that will impact how the blinds will operate. Hold downs may prevent the blind from damaging the wall (or the blind itself) but will prevent you from raising the blind as you normally would otherwise. If hold downs are required, consider a top-down/bottom up style cellular or pleated shade which will instead lower from the top down, or an aluminum blind which has rotatable slats.