Want to buy new blinds & shades for your RV campervan but unsure whether to cut them to the window sill or keep them hanging a few inches below the sill? Your concern is genuine, for the wrong length will have long-term repercussions. Conversely, the right length or height will provide the best fit, look, function, and convenience. This post explores the pros and cons of keeping the RV blinds longer than the window, and how to get accurate length when ordering new blinds or shades.
The shortest answer to ‘Can RV blinds & shades be longer than a window?” is “It depends”. The “yes” or “no” depends on ground facts related to your spatial parameters, functional needs, and aesthetic preferences.
For example, “if you see light seeping around the bottom edge or you want to make your small window look bigger, adding the fabric a few inches extra – say 3, 4 or 5” – will be a wiser and more practical decision”, says Bessie K. Bowman, a window treatment consultant at Rvblinds.com with over 15 years of exposure to the camper industry.
She adds, “But if your RV window is too wide and the supporting hardware (headrail, springlift mechanism, cordless control) is too fragile to support that extra 3, 4 to 5” of fabric, keep the blinds to the exact window length.”
Pros & Cons of Cutting RV Blinds Longer than the Window
Pros
- Better light coverage & privacy – Fabric of an RV window shade or slats of a blind extending beyond the edges will prevent light (from sun or traffic) bleeding in through the edges between the blind and the window frame.
- Energy efficiency – Better insulate your RV against hot and cold weather (According to the US Department of Energy, when fitted well, insulating blinds and shades can prevent summer heat gain through RV windows by up to 60% and reduce winter heat loss by up to 40%.
- Complete privacy protection – With gaps at edges blocked with extra fabric, people on the outside won’t be able to peep or peek in.
- Road dust, smoke & noise protection – Keep the elements, such as pollens, dust, and other pollutants away from your pleasant journeying experience.
- Modern look – Give a modern look to large RV windows.
- Decorative RV wall covering – hide damaged window sill or the RV wall around it.
- Covering panoramic RV windows – have a luxury “Class A” motorhome with panoramic or oversized windows.
- Multiple vertically arranged windows – want to buy a single blind or shade to cover 2 standard size (32” to 48”) windows arranged vertically, i.e., one fixed on the top of another.
- Odd-shaped RV windows – want to cover the entire irregular shaped (for example, rectangular bottom with a triangular top) RV windows.
- Damage protection – More effectively shield RV windows against scratches, UV wear, and stone nicks.
Expert Tip for Buying
“When you decide to add extra fabric to the bottom of your RV blind, do add an equal amount of fabric to the top and each side to prevent light seepage along all the edges,” recommends Bessie. For example, if you add 4.5 inches to the bottom, the same amount of the fabric will go to the top, increasing the total length by 9 inches. Likewise, add extra 9 inches to the measured camper window width when ordering a new blind or shade.
Cons
- Spatial concerns – If you are travelling with a large family in your small or standard mobile home, space management should be an issue. And extra-long shades and blinds will further aggravate that issue.
- Prone to damage – Fabric hanging below the RV window sill will be accessible to kids who may try to hang on the fabric, causing damage to the fabric or pulling the headrail down.
- Child safety concerns – If your blinds are corded, the cords will also go down along with the extra length, posing a direct strangulation hazard for kids.
- Operational difficulty – Being heavier than standard blinds, they are hard to raise and lower, requiring more energy and putting stress on the lift mechanism. (As a solution to operational difficulty, we recommend motorized blinds and shades.)
- Costlier – additional length may add $20 to $30 to the cost, which may not be manageable within your allocated RV renovation budget.
- Space consuming – require more installation space than short, edge-to-edge width blinds
- May not be drive-friendly – may not stay in place when driving at high speeds
Expert Advice for Child Safety & Legal Compliance
When purchasing new extra-long blinds for your RV, always go with a cordless, CPSC-approved lift option. New US Federal regulations prohibit the sale of the most corded custom window coverings for homes and motorhomes due to severe risks of strangulation, injury, and even death to the children.
What is the Maximum Length of RV Blinds and Shades
- Sierra RV 2 inch Faux Wood Blinds – minimum length: 24” (60.96cm), maximum length: 74” (187.96cm)
- Onyx RV Blackout Shades – minimum length: 24” (60.96cm), maximum length 84” (213.36cm)
- Alpine Collection Soft Roman Blinds – minimum length: 16” (40.64cm), maximum length for roman blinds: 120” (304.8cm)
- Topaz Double Cellular RV Shades – minimum length: 24” (60.96cm), maximum length 84” (213.36cm)
- Diamond 1 Inch Cordless RV Mini Blinds – minimum length: 24” (60.96cm), maximum length 72” (182.88cm)
- Sapphire Zebra RV Roller Shades Light Filtering – minimum length: 12” (30.48cm, 304.8mm), maximum length 94” (238.76cm, 2387.6mm)
- Platinum Top Down Bottom Up RV Shades – minimum length: 24” (60.96cm), maximum length 84” (213.36cm)
Practical Advice
When looking for the longest blinds for your RV windows, make sure to choose high quality, durable fabrics so that they can withstand their own weight and resist warping, cracking due to excessive sun and cold exposure during long travels in extreme weather.
What is the Ideal Length of RV Blinds and Shades?
The ideal length of exact-fit RV blinds is the distance from to bottom of the frame (for an inside mount) plus additional 10cm (100mm) to each side, making them both wider and longer by 20cm (7.8”) in total. This extra coverage will reduce or minimize the chance of sound, smoke or sun leaking through around the edges.
How to measure RV windows for blinds?
6 Tools You’ll Need
- A tape measure (especially steel measuring tape to ensure accuracy of measurements)
- A lead pencil and a piece of blank paper (to record values)
- A clip board (for holding paper when recording RV window measurements)
- Calculator (to take the average of multiple values)
- A level tool (to take accurate width measurements, for a tape measure tilted above or below 180-degree will lead to greater than actual values)
- Step ladder (if your RV window is hard to reach)
Precaution
Remove the old blinds, as they may interfere with the measurement process, especially leading to greater than the actual values.
Pre-Measurement Expert Tips
- Before you start measuring the length or height of your RV window, check for and remove obstacles like RV window handles and trims.
- Take multiple measurements (at least 3) for both width and height and take the average of the recorded values. If the values are in fraction – say 24.9” – round them off to the nearest whole number (in this case 25”).
- Do measure the depth of the RV window, if you plan to mount the new blinds or shades inside the window recess.
4 Easy Steps to Measure RV Windows
- Step 1: Start measuring length on the left side, with tape aligned parallel to the vertical edge of the wall.
- Step 2: Move the tape horizontally to the middle of the opening to take the second value for length. When recording values, make sure the tape is perfectly levelled at 90-degree, no more, nor less.
- Step 3: Take the 3rd value for the length on the right side, along the left vertical edge of the window wall or opening.
- Step 4: Take 3 values for the width, while moving from bottom to top, i.e., bottom, middle, and top.
Post-Measurement Expert Tips
- Never forget to make appropriate deductions in the fabric or ask the manufacturer of the RV blinds to do the same to ensure smooth, frictionless up/down sliding of the fabric panel or slats.
- Note down markings on the tape that lie just inside the edges of the window opening
- For inside mount RV blinds and shades, order the shortest of the 3 values for width and the longest one for the length.
- For outside mounts, take the average of the three values and add an extra 3 to 4 inches to each, i.e., 6 to 8 inches for each of the width and height dimensions.
How to Measure Maximum Length of RV Blinds & Shades for an Outside Mount
- Step 1: Measure the window opening at its longest/tallest point, i.e., bottom wall edge to the top one (not the window frame).
- Step 2: Take measurements at three points (left, middle, and right) and record the largest value.
- Step 3: Same sized fabric as the window opening will cause light bleeding and privacy leakage along the edges. So, add extra fabric (preferably 3 to 4 inches) to each side.
How to Measure Maximum Length of RV Window Treatments for an Inside Mount
- Step 1: Thoroughly dust and clean the window, removing any layer of dirt on the frame.
- Step 2: Measure the RV window opening length (height) at its narrowest part, i.e., inside the window frame (excluding the frame hardware).
- Step 3: Measure at three points (left, middle, and right) and highlight the largest value.
Note
Usually, no deduction in fabric is needed along the length or height. Make deductions only in width.
Frequently Asked Questions
What If You’ve Already Purchased Shorter Blinds or Shades for Your RV?
No worries! Here’s a DIY solution to save your investment!
- Step 1: As the manufacturer of RV blinds to send the required length of extra fabric.
- Step 2: Join the complementary fabric to the bottom (and sides, if needed) using sewing machine, glue, fabric tapes, or safety pins.
- Step 3: Test the operation by rolling up the entire fabric as a single window covering.
Is it okay to have blinds that are too long?
If your RV blinds are unnecessarily too long and are not trimmed down to the right length, they’ll look messy, put extra strain on the operating hardware and cause difficulty in lifting or rolling them up. However, you should leave enough length to tie the strings in a knot. As an authority in the field, our trained and experienced RV blinds installation professionals, like Bessie, recommend 3 to 4 inches of slack, trimming the rest off using a pair of scissors.
Does length matter when buying blinds?
Absolutely! When buying new blinds for your travel trailer, the length matters for both the inside and outside mounts. For the inside mount, measure the length, width, and depth to ensure the headrail and the slats fit inside the frame. For exterior mounts, the right length (original + a few inches extra) offers better performance.
Note
- Always order made to measure long blinds or shades for RV windows. And ask the manufacturer to make the deductions for you (which are typically around ½ in or 1.27cm) to ensure better coverage and smoother operation.
- If you are going to cut the fabric yourself after the purchase, we recommend 1 to 1.25cm deduction in both the width and the height.
Are blinds supposed to touch the window sill?
Not necessarily. The RV blinds should touch the window sill only if they are accommodated inside the recess. If they’re hung over or outside the recess, we recommend 7.5cm (≅3 in) to 10cm (≅4 in) lower than the window sill. Also, we recommend adding this extra margin of 7.5cm to 10cm to the remaining three sides (left, right, and top) as well, to reduce the issue of light, heat, and traffic noise leakage around the borders of the blinds.
Need More Help?
We are ready to further assist and provide information about the accurate length, height, width, or thickness of blinds and shades for RV camper windows. Contact our experts for consultation using 24/7 Live Chat or call (800) 490-5720 or email support@rvblinds.com today!