A darker bedroom - Montana Owners Club

Steve and Brenda · 11-16-2006, 04:38 AM

A suggestion for future Montana designs would be for the ability to darken the bedroom better than what I have now. Nothing worse than getting a summer's sunrise right in the eyes at 5:30AM!! My last TT was so dark I could develop film in there. Part of it was because my lovely wife added heavy curtains and I installed vent shades.

Now I have a shower skylight in my bedroom as well as a vent that needs covering in a humid environment that will be prone to the damages that come with water. The opaque privacy curtain is insufficient as a sunshade. Maybe if the curtain were a darker color it would perform better. Ever see the windows that have the shade build between the panes of glass? This would be a perfect model for the skylight dome to block out the sun's morning light and summer heat.

jrgwdenner · 11-16-2006, 06:33 AM

We like to sleep in a darker room, too, and have made many additions to our bedroom windows to accomplish this, including foam board behind the shades, a cushion from Camping World made to block the overhead vent, and a sunscreen shade cut to cover the shower sunlight. I never could figure out why someone needs a sunlight in the shower.

LonnieB · 11-16-2006, 07:18 AM

I'm usually up long before sunrise, as I like to watch it come up, and go to bed way after dark, so the light doesn't bother me. My DW likes to sleep in, but she always covers her head with a pillow ( she's kinda wierd ), so it doesn't bother her either. I can see how it would be a real pain to some though, as it gets pretty bright in there.

315RLS · 11-16-2006, 08:12 AM

Steve and Brenda,
Ditto for us as well. We're up with the sun so we found a nice thick piece of material the size of the frame and put a piece of velcro in each corner of the frame and the corresponding velcro pieces on the corners of the material so we can just stick it up or take it down when needed.

nailbender · 11-16-2006, 08:33 AM

I am one of those guys that need the skylight in the shower. I am 6'5" and if the skylight wasn't there my head would hit the ceiling. Anytime we look at new RV's I always check the shower to see if there is enough height. Yea I know that is not the reason skylights are there, but all us tall guys appreciate it. Don't have any suggestions on how to darken the bedroom. I am like Lonnie, up early

Steve and Brenda · 11-16-2006, 09:07 AM

Hi guys,

I agree with y'all, getting up with the sun with a cup of coffee watching the deer is a favorite of mine as well but it also seems like it has been an issue as you have found ways to cope with a design shortfall that Keystone should have solved. I've seen older RVs with tell tale glue spots where there was velcro for attaching a shade to the shower skydome, was hoping there'd be a more professional solution in Camping World but alas, no. Looks like time for the fabrication of a skydome tinted cover applied from the outside to reduce moisture problems.

If Montana is the flagship product then it should have all the wonderful bells and whistles that will make it the envy of the RV community.

richfaa · 11-16-2006, 11:13 AM

Nailbender..I think to accommodate tall folks that is exactly why the dome is in the shower otherwise it makes no sense.

Parrothead · 11-16-2006, 11:33 AM

You can buy yardage that is the kind of stuff hotel draperies use to block light. I plan on making some room darkening things when we go to Alaska. We experienced some difficulty in Montana with early morning light this past summer and I used the old "Pillow on my Head" routine. Yeah, Lonnie, I'm weird too.
Happy trails.......................

LonnieB · 11-16-2006, 11:48 AM

Oops.....sorry Sue

Ozzie · 11-16-2006, 12:10 PM

LOL...way to go Lonnie...

I've always been one to wake up early as well. I'm still a working man and even on my days off, up at first light whether I want to or not.
Darkening our bedroom has helped in that regard. Sometimes I will actually sleep till 7. Those early morning hours a very enjoyable for me. I make some coffee and enjoy the quiet of the day before everyone starts moving around.

Mac · 11-16-2006, 12:17 PM

I don't think I could stand in the shower if it weren't for the skylight, I think Rich is right on his comment.

mac

Mrs. CountryGuy · 11-16-2006, 12:32 PM

OH, man, you value what you have not had, I guess.

Our last TT had a shower, that was so dark you could barely see in there. We drooled for years at the thought of a sky light. We LOVE our sky light. I guess if you had our experience, you would understand. Everytime I take a shower and all that natural light comes streaming in, I giggle and smile and say, OHHHHHHHHH YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Same for the trash can with its own little drawer thingy and the trap door to the dirty laundry basket. We just love these modern conveniences!

Each to his own, but we don't ever want another RV without the sky light, a place for the dirty clothes that does not involve lifting them out of the shower every day so we can use the shower and a trash can door that we can slide open and not gouge our tummy cause we gotta lean over to reach the trash container. These 3 little conveniences after 14 plus almost 15 years are like moving from a tent to a popup, or into civilization!

bobgay · 11-16-2006, 01:00 PM

I am also a very early riser, but in Alaska this summer it didn't get dark until after midnight and was light again before 4:00AM. A litle piece of paperboard velcroed under the skylight did the trick. Problem solved.

Bob

Tom Gina 06 · 11-16-2006, 01:34 PM

They do make a sky light cover for the outside that is tinted. My wildcat has one and after the trim on the interior was cracked guess what they sent me the tinted outside. Too bad it is 1000 miles from here think I could find a new home for it. Now that we have the new clear sky light, Gina will not let me change it, she likes looking at the blue sky when taking her shower. Thinking of maybe trying some of that window blocker from CW to make it darker when I do one of those all nighters at work. Looks like the old glue spots are in my Monty's future.

Remember the............

sreigle · 11-16-2006, 02:53 PM

The skylight is double walled. Take out the screws and drop the inner piece. You can cover or paint that with whatever you want, then put it back in place. It wouldn't be too hard to black it out completely. In our prior Montana we used bubble wrap (3 layers in our case) to mute the light and still allow light to come in. In this Montana I'm leaving it original. I like being able to glance out upon arising and seeing whether we have blue skies or cloud cover. Clearly we're not early risers! But this is just our choice. You could easily block it completely without the velcro, etc.

noneck · 11-16-2006, 03:08 PM

Ahhhh, Carol, right on! Love the sky lite and laundry shoot....had to add a cam lock to allow it to stay open for unloading as my stuff keeps from sliding the basket out the side hatch. One minor detail is we sometimes "forget" the dirty clothes...argh, shame, shame...they do get cleaned but we mentally kick oursselves. :<
Chuck

JH Sechelt · 11-16-2006, 05:13 PM

We use the quilted aluminum vent covers on the shower skylight & the vent above the bed. Bought them at Camper World.

Took the Velcro that came with them off and put new industrial Velcro on.(figured that out through this forum). They work alot better then nothing. If you take your time when you put the Velcro on the vent and skylight, it doesn't look too bad, after you take the covers down. We store the covers in the little space between the shower & the vanity sink. We don't mine getting up for the sunrise, but we don't need to see all 365 each year.

J&D

Parrothead · 11-16-2006, 06:29 PM

John and Dawn, what software did you use to do your picture? It is really attractive.
Happy trails......................

JH Sechelt · 11-16-2006, 07:05 PM

Hi Sue,

I use Photoshop Elements 3 & 4. I took a night school class a couple of years ago on Photoshop Elements. A friend & I had bought a couple of SLR digital cameras and thought the course would be on how to use them. It wasn't, It was on using photograph software. At first we were a little disappointed, but the class was taught by a guy out of LA in the movie business. Didn't take long for the course to be come very interesting. There is absolutely nothing you couldn't do with this kind of program, ( with a few lessons). I forget more than I remember about the the programs, but somethings come back. It's a lot of fun manipulating pictures.

J

toolmanroy · 11-17-2006, 04:07 AM

Roy took the shower skylight apart and put in 2 layers of heavy black screen. You can still see out and some light gets in, but it is not like it was before. Roy also made a screw-on cover for the vent above the bed using 2 layers of the same sreen. He used the same screw holes already there. We leave the vent open slightly most of the year. We have the tinted windows too, which keeps the bedroom pretty dark.

You may also like: