About a year ago, we published a post about RV skirting for winter. Since then, we’ve learned about inflatable RV skirting that those who use RV skirting might love.
Today’s post is about an easy, efficient way to skirt an RV with a product known as AirSkirts.
- 1) What Is RV Skirting?
- 2) What Are AirSkirts?
- 3) What Makes AirSkirts Better Than Other Skirting Methods?
- 4) How Do I Know AirSkirts Inflatable RV Skirting Will Fit My RV?
- 5) How Much Storage Space Do AirSkirts Require When Not In Use?
- 6) Do AirSkirts Inflatable RV Skirting Kits Have a Warranty?
- 7) Interested in AirSkirts Inflatable RV Skirting?
- 8) Free RVing Tips, Tricks, Reviews, Giveaways & More
What Is RV Skirting?
RV skirting is essentially an enclosure built all the way around the underside of an RV. Depending on your RV living style, skirting can be really helpful… or an absolute necessity!
The intent behind RV skirting is to help prevent cold and wind from entering the interior from beneath the RV’s undercarriage. It also helps keep heat from escaping from the rig, too.
Simply put, skirting is a cold-weather barrier around the bottom of the RV.
RV skirting can be made from just about anything that will serve the purpose. Skirting options include plywood, canvas, plastic sheeting, foam insulation, and hay bales! Strong vinyl skirts are even custom-designed for a specific RV.
But every skirting method brings some issues. Some are complex or time-consuming to set up and tear down. That means that you can’t easily pack up and leave your stationary position if necessary.
Some options require considerable storage space when not in use. Some are unsightly, or they require drilling holes in the RV. Some choices have all of the above drawbacks.
In the case of hay bales, they can be challenging to obtain and set up, and they tend to attract critters that can seriously damage your rig. (Mice love them.)
There’s not much sense in protecting your RV from wind and cold by essentially putting up a “VACANCY” sign for rodents!
Hay bales are an option for skirting an RV, but they’re bulky to manage, and mice love them!
What Are AirSkirts?
AirSkirts are kits comprised of modular inflatable tubes.
Introduced in 2020, this new RV skirting solution comes from a family-owned and operated startup in Oakdale, Connecticut.
Conceived by a fellow RVer named Jim Phelan, who started full-timing in an Airstream in 2016, the idea for AirSkirts grew out of dissatisfaction with other skirting methods he’d tried.
AirSkirts are made of durable, puncture-resistant 0.9-millimeter military-grade PVC tarpaulin material with heat-welded airtight seams. They’re designed to work with any type of motorhome or travel trailer, including 5th wheels.
The inflatable tubes come in 6 or 8-foot lengths and 22 or 34-inch diameters. That makes them capable of serving as effective insulation regardless of ground clearance. They’re laid out around the perimeter of the rig and inflated to fill the space between the ground and the undercarriage.
An air pump for inflating the tubes comes with the kit. Once inflated, they create a seal to help hold in the warmth and keep out the cold and wind.
Once the pieces of the kit are inflated under and around the rig, the tubes require no maintenance, regardless of how long they’re in place.
AirSkirts is a modular approach to RV skirting that seals the gap between the earth and the rig’s undercarriage.
What Makes AirSkirts Better Than Other Skirting Methods?
There are a number of factors that make AirSkirts an attractive RV skirting option to consider.
Excellent Insulation Value
AirSkirts use trapped air as insulation to help keep your RV warmer and protect your tanks and plumbing from freezing.
Thick military-grade material combines with the air trapped inside the tubes to offer excellent R-values. According to the company, AirSkirts are 75% better at retaining heat than most other common methods.
AirSkirts also protect the underside of your rig from drifting snow and wind (which AirSkirts stand up to really well).
More Effective and Easier to Use
RV skirting options like foam insulation, plywood, hay bales, or other DIY methods are generally both less effective and more difficult to implement.
Building a DIY skirting system also requires a lot of time and materials.
AirSkirts are quickly and easily set up and broken down, unlike many other RV skirting options.
Easier to Store
If you want to leave your stationary position, removing all of the items used to create your RV skirting, and storing everything, can be one heck of a chore.
With AirSkirts, you simply deflate and store in the provided carrying case.
Reinflating at another location requires the same easy setup. Just remove the tubes from the case, lay them in place, and inflate them with the pump.
The included 120-volt air pump can even be powered by a portable solar generator for RVs. The pump not only inflates the tubes, but it also deflates them quickly when it’s time to move the rig.
No Modification to the RV Required
Comparing AirSkirts to snap-on or slide-in skirting, there are some considerable differences.
Snap-on / slide-in skirting doesn’t compare with AirSkirts inflatable skirting for insulation value. Without trapped air inside, reguar skirting has no true R-value and really serves best as a wind barrier.
Also, snap-on /slide-in skirting requires drilling holes in your RV for the snaps or tracks and is considerably harder to install and deploy (especially alone). AirSkirts doesn’t actually require any permanent installation. At all.
One advantage that snap-on or slide-in skirting does have is on 5th wheel installations, where the front section of the rig is too high off the ground for AirSkirts to fill the gap. Traditional skirting also encloses openings around tires more completely, although “tire wedges” are available from AirSkirts to fill in those gaps.
On the left: AirSkirts deployed under a Class A motorhome. On the right: a 5th wheel with custom skirting installed (photo courtesy of MortonsOnTheMove), which required some modifications to the RV. (AirSkirts require no mods.)
How Do I Know AirSkirts Inflatable RV Skirting Will Fit My RV?
AirSkirts modular design will fit any RV.
Ordering a kit is based on the specifications of your rig. You provide the make and model of your RV and a measurement of the ground clearance (the distance from the bottom of your RV to the ground). They’ll take it from there and will know the best kit for your rig.
Alternatively, you can use the AirSkirts Kit Wizard on their website (link below) to learn which kit is right for your particular RV.
How Much Storage Space Do AirSkirts Require When Not In Use?
The storage bag provided by AirSkirts is designed to fit all components of the skirting system with room to spare for any add-ons (such as tire wedges or stair pillows, which are also available on their website).
The AirSkirts storage bag is just under 3’ x 2’ x 2′ and requires anywhere from 3 to 8 cubic feet of storage, depending on the size of your kit.
Weight depends on kit size. The smallest AirSkirts kit weighs about 30 lbs. The largest clocks in around 130 lbs.
130 pounds isn’t what you’d be required to lift with AirSkirts’ largest kit, though. Simply remove one tube at a time from the storage case. (The largest AirSkirts tube weighs only 13 pounds.)
Do AirSkirts Inflatable RV Skirting Kits Have a Warranty?
Yes. AirSkirts offers a full five-year warranty.
Here’s a short video, courtesy of AirSkirts, explaining how they work:
Interested in AirSkirts Inflatable RV Skirting?
If you’re interested in learning more about their products and customer service, check out the AirSkirts website. When you’re ready to buy, use Promo Code RVGEEKS to save $100 on any AirSkirts kit!
By insulating and protecting your RV’s undercarriage, you prevent freezing pipes and save money on energy costs year-round. Using a deceptively straightforward design, AirSkirts tubes are laid...Show More
By insulating and protecting your RV’s undercarriage, you prevent freezing pipes and save money on energy costs year-round. Using a deceptively straightforward design, AirSkirts tubes are laid out around the perimeter of your RV, inflated, and then held in place by air pressure with no drilling or adhesives required. And with heavy-duty PVC tarpaulin and military grade valves, AirSkirts will insulate and protect your RV for years and years.
Now, you can save $100 when you order any AirSkirts kit directly from their website and enter the Promo Code RVGEEKS at checkout.
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Pius Horning
Wednesday 28th of December 2022
I have one question in the air bags and that is how do they seal around the tires and wheels. if that is missed then there is a major air flow loss
Jim Sadey
Monday 6th of February 2023
@Pius Horning, Hi, I can briefly answer your question but to get more information go to: https://www.airskirts.com/. I ordered a set for my 5 th Wheel and I have 3 axles and they sell wheel covers for two axles and they don't yet have covers for 3. But they said they may have them in the future. So I had to buy separately individual covers two tires/one axle. They also have tire wedges for between the tires which will block most of the air flow. This is a small company with great people and a great product that will block air better than anything else on the market. If you need more information contact them they are a small young company and very busy, they make a high quality product and slightly expensive but the best RV skirt out there. I do not work for them and I'm not paid for this message, I just like this product and thought you may appreciate my opinion. God Bless