The Windshield Curtain Solution

When my husband Paul and I purchased our current RV, we were not overly impressed with the interior decorator's vision. The colors were actually quite attractive; however the furniture and fabric patterns were not in our taste. We had made several decisions about this particular RV as it had the basics we wanted at just the right price. I didn't worry about the decor; I knew that I could add my own personal touches to make this "our" coach. We were not yet living in the rig as fulltimers, so I had some time to work on my own decorating scheme.

The first addition was the front window drapes. The coach, like most motorhomes, had pleated window drapes that run along a track at the top of the windshield. Fitting together from either side of the coach the drapes vertically attach in the center of the windshield with Velcro. These types of window coverings, especially in the front window, help to maintain privacy and keep out the glare from a hot sun and also help retain heat in chillier weather. They do not, however, let you look out onto the landscape. Our television is above the windshield at the front of the coach, and while sitting in the rig, we couldn’t look out or see anything except the pleated drapes. One of our favorite aspects of Rving is to see the trees, water, wildlife and perhaps some of the campground activity. We do like our privacy however, so to solve the problem of letting in the sun, allow us to have a windshield view, and yet keep folks from watching one of us walking around in our pajama’s, I came up with a great compromise. I purchased an expandable window curtain rod in the necessary length at the local big box store. Paul removed two padded caps at either end of the windshield approximately halfway up from the dashboard. These are the caps that cover the attachment screws; he then proceeded to place closet pole hanging cups using the same predrilled holes and the existing screws. I purchased three sets of café curtains in a neutral cream color, again from the same big box store as I purchased the rod. The curtains, 24” cafés, fit across the windshield perfectly. Due to the shape of the dashboard above the steering wheel, the curtains at that end of the rod hang a bit longer, but they nicely cover this problem and it is not noticeable from the outside.

I now have the ability to open the café curtains and look out and see our natural surroundings. If we are parked south or west, we merely pull the curtains together to block most of the sun’s afternoon heat and glare; yet we still enjoy the sunlight. The height of the curtain rod is perfect also; when the curtains are drawn, no one can see in as we sit watching TV in the evening or eating breakfast in our pajamas in the morning. Works for me!