Questions on the Insulation in Gateway

miboje

Active Member
I downloaded the brochure for the Gateway, but it doesn't offer much info on the insulation/R-values. Does anyone know what the Weatherguard Insulation Package is for the Gateway? And if the slides are insulated at all? In my experience, if it isn't mentioned on the brochure, it's because it usually isn't worth mentioning, but I'd like to be sure before I take it off my list.

Thanks for your help.
 

Eddhuy

Well-known member
I called Heartland with your question, I was interested as well, we pick up our new 3200 RS next Thursday, the slides are insulated the same as the rest of the trailer.
 

miboje

Active Member
Upon a recommendation by moderator Dane, I called and talked to the Gateway brand manager. I;m glad I did, and a thank you to Tim for his time spent with me. I wanted to share what I learned here in case others are interested. The R-value specs are not on the brochure, but they are highly visible after you click on the floor plan you are interested in. They are included in the list of details right under the floor plan image. That was a real Duh! on my part. I was looking in the wrong place. I believe this is the case for all Heartland models.

I spoke with Tim. He is extremely knowledgeable about his brand, of course, but he was also very helpful in assisting me in analyzing my wants and needs at a deeper level than I was up to this point. I did discover that the R-value for the roof, and only the roof, is less than I desired, and considerably (I feel) less than the R-value in the roof of the BC/BH. I expressed to Tim that I was deterred by that and felt more compelled to go with the BC over the Gateway. He pointed out that there is about a $10,000 price difference between Gateway vs. B C, and proceeded to ask me how long it would take to use $10,000 worth of propane/elec. for heating/cooling to make up the price difference. Obviously, he recognized he was speaking to someone who is very analytical, and objectively pointed out something I had not considered. I applaud him for questioning my thinking, because he is right. "Yes, it's going to make a difference, but how much?" is essentially what he pointed out to me. Since we will not be full-timing or camping in extremely cold weather, it's not as critical. And we could certainly stay in the shady mountains during very hot weather.

Tim also pointed out that the Gateway makes standard more things that are only options on the BH/BC. Of course, there are more things like frame size and axles to consider.

I downloaded the brochure for the Gateway, but it doesn't offer much info on the insulation/R-values. Does anyone know what the Weatherguard Insulation Package is for the Gateway? And if the slides are insulated at all? In my experience, if it isn't mentioned on the brochure, it's because it usually isn't worth mentioning, but I'd like to be sure before I take it off my list.

Thanks for your help.
 

miboje

Active Member
Hi! Thanks for posting. I figured others would want to know as well. I just got off the phone with the brand manager about half an hour ago and posted about the conversation. How are you feeling after talking to them?

Did you get to do a walk through of one before you purchased? How did you feel about the overall fit and finish? Is it as beautiful in person as in pictures? Do you mind if I ask you some questions?...lol. We may not be able to look at them until the Hershey RV show, but I want to see all the floor plans now. ;)

I called Heartland with your question, I was interested as well, we pick up our new 3200 RS next Thursday, the slides are insulated the same as the rest of the trailer.
 

Eddhuy

Well-known member
Yes, my wife Evelyn and I did get to walk through one before deciding, it was that walk through that got us to change our minds. Initially we were looking at a BC/BH but the Gateway had everything we were looking for and my wife felt it was better looking on the inside and the bathroom and bedroom was more of what she was looking for than either of the others. The insulation is high enough and some of it is not even counted in the roof area. It comes standard with 2 ducted A/Cs has lots of storage and with the moveable island, allowing a ton of flexibility in the floor plan. The seating is the best we've seen, we may use the Lazy boy recliners in the house now instead of the 5er. We will probably be 1/2 timers instead of full timers but the Gateway really felt comfortable just sitting in it. It felt like home, that is something that is hard to come by and we have been looking for a while. I feel this is only the first of what is to come, it makes perfect sense, IMO Heartland did an outstanding job on this one.
 

miboje

Active Member
Yes, my wife Evelyn and I did get to walk through one before deciding, it was that walk through that got us to change our minds. Initially we were looking at a BC/BH but the Gateway had everything we were looking for and my wife felt it was better looking on the inside and the bathroom and bedroom was more of what she was looking for than either of the others. The insulation is high enough and some of it is not even counted in the roof area. It comes standard with 2 ducted A/Cs has lots of storage and with the moveable island, allowing a ton of flexibility in the floor plan. The seating is the best we've seen, we may use the Lazy boy recliners in the house now instead of the 5er. We will probably be 1/2 timers instead of full timers but the Gateway really felt comfortable just sitting in it. It felt like home, that is something that is hard to come by and we have been looking for a while. I feel this is only the first of what is to come, it makes perfect sense, IMO Heartland did an outstanding job on this one.
Oh, interesting because I was considering the BC too. What was it about the bathroom and bedroom that convinced your wife? I suspect they both had more of a homey feel(?). That's important to us also. We want something that just feels like home because, after all, it will be our home away from home.

Yes, the insulation is certainly not bad by any means, just not as high in the roof as the BC and BH. I guess I've come to realize it won't make that much of a difference, and I'm OK with it. I do hope that they will consider beefing it up just a bit if it wouldn't affect the manufacturing cost much. Otherwise, I feel it really is a lot of bang for the buck. But I haven't seen one yet, just been looking at pics, specs and features. And once we get to see one in person, my fiance will be all over and under it doing his inspection, but so far it looks great. I believe this is the first fiver we've been interested in that doesn't have exposed framing in the belly cargo area. That caught my attention, too.

Yes, what they had in mind when they created the Gateway was perhaps the turning point for the industry, and it's certainly not a bad thing, is it?
 

Eddhuy

Well-known member
The bathroom has some nice storage cabinets but it is the size of the shower that my wife really liked. The shower is in a bathtub with glass sliding doors. The bathtub is nice to have for grandchildren.

Both my wife and I use CPAP machines, they are for sleep apnea. The CPAP machine needs to be close to the bed and requires power. The Gateway has night stands to hold the machines and power on both sides of the bed. Not very many have a night stand large enough to accommodate the CPAP machine.

Having a direct door from the bedroom to the bathroom is nice but in order to accommodate that, there would have to be a smaller shower and fewer cabinets, usually the case, or simply a larger bathroom that takes away from something else. This layout is my wifes favorite.

The movable island gives you the option of putting in say an 8 foot folding table for a larger diner party or for playing games or any number of other options. Lift up the television and there is a hidden safe behind it. The fireplace opens up to disclose a rather large hidden storage area. The sink is off to the side and allows another person to be using the kitchen at the same time as someone working at the stove and even possibly a 3rd person using the island off to the side. The couch has 3 recliners and the theater seating is directly facing the television and fireplace. The list goes on but there was a lot of thought that went into the layout and features of this coach. Not all is noticed on the first look at it but after visiting it a few times we began to realize that the designer was onto something with this one and we became more attached with each visit. Usually it is the other way around, at least for us it was. Instead of seeing shortcomings we just kept seeing possibilities. My wife was just reading this and "it is just simply beautiful and can't be beat for the price". As stated before to us it felt like home and was very comfortable to us. You have to see one, the pictures do not do it justice.
 

miboje

Active Member
Thanks for all your feedback, Jack. I agree that the Gateway looks really homey, and a movable kitchen island does allow for greater flexibility. We have two kids, and I know they will want to bring a friend at times, so additional sleeping arrangement possibilities are a bonus.

After some thought and pondering, the R-23 roof insulation is still a bit of a drawback for me. There is a competitor's fifth wheel in this price/quality range that I am also considering. It's either the competitor or the Gateway. If Heartland would increase roof insulation to at least R-30, I would feel a lot better about it. Maybe that means cost would go up $500 or $1,000, but I'd be willing to pay it. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about that to know if it would really cost that much more to add a layer of foil insulation or increase the foam in the roof by an inch or so. The competitor's roof is an inch thicker and R-30, I believe. However, Gateway's floor and slides are insulated better. It almost seems like 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. Such a quandary I am in.

When it comes down to decision time next spring, I'm going to have to choose one or the other, and I really don't know what to do. Maybe by then, since that will be another production year, just maybe Heartland will have increased roof insulation to at least match what their competition is doing and make the decision easier for me. ;) Until then, I feel so torn. For most people, this is not a big issue.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
the R-23 roof insulation is still a bit of a drawback for me.

I'd hazard a wild guess that the windows are responsible for 10 times the heat transfer than the roof or floor. If you have another $1000, and summer heat is a concern, have the dealer install long awnings over each window and a screen on the back window. If it's winter heat loss that's a concern, spend the money on a fireplace, a couple of good ceramic disc heaters, and 1 or 2 dedicated outlets on dedicated circuit breakers for the heaters to plug into without competing for power with other appliances. Those things will do way more for you than another layer of foil or fiberglass in the roof.
 

Eddhuy

Well-known member
By then the new model years will be out and you can choose from them. I certainly wish you nothing but the best and know that you will enjoy whatever you get. I currently have the Heartland Prowler Titanium edition 5er with much lower insulation values than the Gateway and I live in California where the temps can easily get into the 100s during the summer. Had I decided to keep the Prowler, I would have put in the second A/C but otherwise truly enjoyed camping in it. It has a great floor plan and layout but does lack storage space. I discovered years ago that it is not the vehicle you travel or camp in, it is about the trip and who you are with that makes camping fun. So I know that you will have fun regardless of which trailer you choose.
 

miboje

Active Member
I'd hazard a wild guess that the windows are responsible for 10 times the heat transfer than the roof or floor. If you have another $1000, and summer heat is a concern, have the dealer install long awnings over each window and a screen on the back window. If it's winter heat loss that's a concern, spend the money on a fireplace, a couple of good ceramic disc heaters, and 1 or 2 dedicated outlets on dedicated circuit breakers for the heaters to plug into without competing for power with other appliances. Those things will do way more for you than another layer of foil or fiberglass in the roof.
You do have a point there, Dane. The Gateway brand manager and I discussed windows, in fact. Window awnings and heaters are a great idea. Staying in the shade during hot days will be a must, and staying in the sun on cool days will be a must if the RV doesn't have excellent insulation.

I do have an idea to insulate the windows, which I will do regardless of which RV we get. I can sew, and I've checked out some insulating fabric. I am going to make insulated window coverings with bubble wrap in the center, and a thick layer of insulating fabric on either side of that. I'll sew in small magnets in the corners and sides of the coverings to keep them in place.
 

miboje

Active Member
By then the new model years will be out and you can choose from them. I certainly wish you nothing but the best and know that you will enjoy whatever you get. I currently have the Heartland Prowler Titanium edition 5er with much lower insulation values than the Gateway and I live in California where the temps can easily get into the 100s during the summer. Had I decided to keep the Prowler, I would have put in the second A/C but otherwise truly enjoyed camping in it. It has a great floor plan and layout but does lack storage space. I discovered years ago that it is not the vehicle you travel or camp in, it is about the trip and who you are with that makes camping fun. So I know that you will have fun regardless of which trailer you choose.

Right. Yes, I am sure we will, as long as my teenager isn't in on of her rotten moods. I know the Gateway will serve you and your wife for a long time to come, and sincerely wish the best for you! :D

For us, the RV won't just be for camping. We're working on a plan to be out of debt within five years, and the RV will most likely play a role in that as well as valuable family time away. At some point in the near future, we will sell our home and buy land. We'll need a place to live until we get some permanent housing in place, and I'm not sure how long that could take. Having the RV will provide temporary housing. It's hard to say how long we will need to stay in it. So, this is the primary reason I'm being a bit picky about insulation. Most people have no such plans, and it's just a camper in that case, but many people still need an affordable RV to full time or part time in. We may part time in ours at some point. In any case though, any RV is using energy during extreme temps, and any steps to reduce energy usage are important as we watch demand on our power grid rising.

I know we will have fun and be making many family memories together. I can't wait! We actually started looking at and researching campers two years ago, and had even made a down payment on one in the spring of last year. Friends told us that our truck wasn't powerful enough to handle that RV, despite the dealer telling us we would be within the limits. Friends said yes, it would pull it, but eventually we would do harm to the truck, so we had to back out of the deal, take a big step backwards and buy a more powerful truck to accommodate the type of RV we wanted. We've had two financial setbacks that have slowed down this dream of family time away and family memories, but that may work out to our advantage in the end as the industry takes important steps to reduce energy usage in RVs.

I think that what Gateway is doing with streamlining processes and reducing costs is the way to go. Sometimes circumstances push us in new directions that benefit us anyhow. It may, in fact, change the way the RV industry works and make quality RVs accessible to more people. We may be witnessing the beginning of a paradigm shift in the RV industry that benefits everyone.
 

miboje

Active Member
I had another thought about this. I wonder if it would be possible to special order the Gateway with a layer of astro-foil in the roof. It's been applied in the caps, so I wouldn't image it would be serious stretch to add it to the roof in the production line. I didn't want to buy a brand new RV, but I might be willing in this case. I think I'm going to email Tim and ask. I wrote down his email address, but I can't tell if his last name is part of it or not!...lol. I'll try what I think it is and see if it gets sent back to me.
 
B

bwwalczak

Guest
The Gateway is built with foil insulation in the front and rear end walls, along with the roof. This is the best insulation, next to full laminate roof like Big Country/Landmark.
 

miboje

Active Member
The Gateway is built with foil insulation in the front and rear end walls, along with the roof. This is the best insulation, next to full laminate roof like Big Country/Landmark.

Oh, I see. Thank you for replying. :D So the R-23 roof insulation is as good as it is going to get for the Gateway to keep costs down, I presume.
 

miboje

Active Member
The Gateway is built with foil insulation in the front and rear end walls, along with the roof. This is the best insulation, next to full laminate roof like Big Country/Landmark.
Bryan - I noticed recently on the web site that higher R-values are quoted for the Gateway than when I had originally brought this up. Has Heartland increased thickness of the foam, or is something else the source of the higher quoted values?
 

GWRam

Well-known member
I do have an idea to insulate the windows, which I will do regardless of which RV we get. I can sew, and I've checked out some insulating fabric. I am going to make insulated window coverings with bubble wrap in the center, and a thick layer of insulating fabric on either side of that. I'll sew in small magnets in the corners and sides of the coverings to keep them in place.

We just ordered our Gateway and dual pane insulated windows are available as an option.
 
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danemayer

Well-known member
We just ordered our Gateway and dual pane insulated windows are available as an option.
Hi GWRam,

Congratulations on your Gateway and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. Thanks for joining the discussion.
 

sengli

Well-known member
We had an elkridge we bought new. And then decided to go to a big horn. We tend to like to camp in the early spring, and late fall when its colder out. Honestly if its cold out, you cant tell the difference between the two coaches. None of the fivers with the multiple slides seal air tight by a long shot. Plus as mentioned before the windows are aluminum framed so there goes a ton of heat there. One of the rigs we had ...had dual panes and the current one doesn't have them. Dont notice very much of a difference. We are sometimers. We usually use the coach 6 weeks a year. Turn up the heat and enjoy!
 
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