Silver screen or not

"If you plan to tour in the winter then get one."

it depends where you tour in winter....we certainly dont need one in the places we visit....and even in 'warm places' in warmer times, our insulated blind does a good job of keeping the heat out.

we also do a few short stays in the uk at this time of year but, for our van and for such a short time, an external screen is not really worth the effort.

it really depends on your touring pattern/locations and the type of van you have.

We find it no effort to place them on the screen, in fact l would go as far to say takes the same amount of time as pulling the blinds round, only disadvantage you need to go outside, also you can't use the cab doors 

I'm with you Heethers. Also  don't have to drawback the curtains tidy and tieback, that always took longer as I'm particular that they are balanced and look tidy 😉. 

We always closed  the air inlet from the engine too. We didn't have a longline one.

In an emergency the cab doors can be used with no real delay as the velcro pulls apart if you shove hard and only takes a second to undo anyway, no longer than opening the door. If that were the case even I wouldn't worry about tidiness 😉 and I think lifting the floor length curtain, in our case, whilst trying not to panic would be worse.

Another Yes, to exterior Screens, especially in the Winter. Hate getting interior condensation. Had both Taylormade and Silverscreens over the years, both good quality. If wet they get put in the shower whilst travelling, Get ones with the dropdown front panel to keep the cab nice and light. One of our 'must haves' for motorhoming. We manage with Remis blinds for most of the Summer.

floor length curtains and tie backs?....we might have these at home but certainly not in the MH..

no pull together blinds either, just a sliding (top down or bottom up) insulated screen in its own running track.

if i felt cold I would get some external screens but, as DD says, we dont.

we dont have a 'normal' cab, its part of the coachbuilding, so no Fiat door or floor draughts. we also have a heated double floor and heating in the cab area so dont feel cold.

as i said, as well as where you tour in winter, the type of van you tour in also makes a difference.

a PVC might well be far colder at the cab end than our van.

several weeks on an Alpine aire while skiing might well justify a change of heart but on the mild/warm/hot Costas its not woth the hassle or the (substantial for our van) investment.

If I was getting a motorhome for the first time I'd try the van without too many extras to see how things were. Some cabs are colder than others for starters so I'd try before buying a silver screen. I noticed it's about 50/50 on sites with users and non users and the users tend to leave their screens up. I would find that prospect a bit gloomy unless I had a rear lounge or whatever. We like looking out of the front of the van so a bit of condensation doesn't bother us. 

We certainly find ours an advantage in the colder weather. Back in October I did take it off, as it was dry and rain was forecast overnight before leaving. Wished I hadn't, as it took me longer dealing with the condensation than it would the wet screen.  In France in September it generally wasn't necessary for condensation but helped in keeping the van cool, if there wasn't sufficient shade. If only stopping for the night we tended to use the Internal blinds, although packing the silver screen away doesn't take that long. If wet a shake and quick wipe and stow in the garage. Ours does have the fold down section, although so far we haven't used it. Our van has enough roof lites to prevent it being over gloomy.

If you are going to travel all-year-round in all weathers then you should get external screens. In hot sunny climates (30C plus)  they will stop the greenhouse effect, and in cold climates (skiing in the Alps at -20C) they will keep the heat in and avoid condensation.

Same campsite, different time of the year!