RV Curtains NZ · RV Curtains
Every way to cover a window in a van.
Curtains, honeycomb blinds, magnetic blinds and drop-down blinds - what each one is for, what to line it with, and the details that decide whether a van looks finished or improvised.
The four coverings
Pick the covering by the window, not by the van.
The same van often wants two of these: a tight blind in the cab, soft curtains in the living space. Nothing here is a compromise on the others - they do different jobs.
Traditional lined curtains
From the shopA draw curtain on a track, made as a set for the windows in your van. This is the covering that softens a van most: full fabric, a proper drop and a lining behind it.
- Blackout, thermal or both
- Sets for a whole van or single windows
- Track, hooks and tiebacks supplied
Honeycomb blinds
Per windowA double-cell pleated fabric cut to each window. It sits close to the glass, folds flat into its own stack by day, and is the tightest control of light and draught you can put on a van window.
- Blackout fabric
- Cordless, folds away flat
- Cut per window, priced per window
Magnetic blinds
PairBlinds that hold to the metal around the window with magnets. They go up in seconds and come off when you want the view, which makes them the natural answer for a cab.
- Nothing to screw into
- Off and on in seconds
- Front cab and door glass
Drop-down timber-fabric blinds
Per windowA timber-look rail with a fabric panel that pulls down. The version to choose where the window should read as part of the cabinetry rather than as plastic.
- Timber-look head rail
- Fabric panel
- Matches kitchen and bench trim
Peel-off curtains
KitCurtains that press onto the glass and stay put, for windows with no room for a track and for vans where a screw is not an option.
- No track needed
- Good for cab and awkward glass
- Take them down and store them flat
Motorhome curtain sets
Full setThe same curtain work sized for a motorhome's larger, squarer windows, where the drop is longer and the pelmet is already in place.
- Cut to habitation windows
- Works with the existing pelmet
- Replacement for faded originals
Fabrics, colours and linings
The fabric is half of it. The lining is the other half.
A curtain that looks right and behaves badly is nearly always a lining problem. Two fabrics side by side can look identical and behave completely differently once a van is parked in the sun or slept in through a winter.
- Fabric weight. Light enough to draw easily around a seat, heavy enough to hang in a fold rather than hang flat.
- Colourways. Grey, beige, brown, charcoal and cream for vans that want to stay quiet; patterned fabric for the ones that do not.
- Blackout lining. Stops the light. The one to choose if the van gets slept in.
- Thermal lining. Adds a layer against the glass, which is where the cold shows up first.
- Both. For a van that is used year round, and for doing the job once.
- Coordination. Send a photo of your upholstery and we will match the trim and the cushions to it rather than guessing.
Tracks, fittings and awkward windows
Where a curtain hangs from decides how it looks.
Tracks and rails
Slim tracks tucked under a pelmet or a door card, and rails for windows where the curtain has to bend around a corner. Curved cab glass, shaped rear quarters and caravan front windows all need the track to follow the panel, not a straight line drawn on the ceiling.
- Runners, hooks and tiebacks supplied with the set
- Curtains that run clear of the sliding door
- Narrow spaces and windows without a standard rail
Windows that fight back
Sliding door glass that moves, windows with a seat built under them, glass that opens outward, and vans where nothing may be screwed into the trim. Each of those has a different answer, and two of them are answered by a blind rather than a curtain.
- Sliding doors and swing doors
- No-drill and peel-off options
- Concealed fixings behind a pelmet
Straight answers
Questions about the range.
Can I buy one window at a time?
Yes. Curtain sets are quoted per window as well as per van, and the honeycomb blinds are made and priced window by window. Tell us which windows you are doing now and which can wait.
What fabrics and colours can I have?
Plain, hard-wearing fabrics in the neutrals most vans want - grey, beige, brown and charcoal - with patterned options for a van that is allowed some colour. Send us a photo of your upholstery and we will suggest what sits with it, including a lining that matches.
Which lining should I choose?
Blackout if the van is slept in and daylight or streetlights wake you. Thermal if the van is used in winter and the windows run with condensation and sit cold. Both, if you are doing the job once and want it finished.
How do I stop the curtains moving while I drive?
Tiebacks on the wall or a hook under the pelmet, and a track with a stop end so the curtain cannot slide. Tell us which windows are beside the cab and we will fit the restraint to suit.
Do you replace just the curtains on an old van?
That is most of what we do. Faded, sun-damaged or original curtains come off, the new ones are cut to the same windows, and the existing track is reused where it is sound.
What if my window is curved or an odd shape?
Trace the shape on paper, photograph the trace next to a tape measure, and send it with the width and drop. Curved cab corners, shaped rear quarters and angled Delica glass are all normal work.
Send your window sizes
Tell us the windows and we will price them.
Name the van, say which windows you are covering and how you want them lined. If you already have sizes, send them; if not, we will send the measuring guide.
Ready to buy, or still choosing?
The shop has every curtain and blind we make, priced.
What we make
Anything from one window to a whole van.
- Curtain sets cut to each window's width and drop, lined blackout, thermal or both.
- Honeycomb blinds cut per window, cordless, folding flat by day.
- Magnetic and peel-off coverings for cab glass and windows with no room for a track.
- Replacements for faded, sun-damaged or original curtains, reusing the track that is already there.
- Shaped work for curved cab corners, angled Delica glass and curved caravan fronts.
- Van conversions and refits where the windows changed when the van did.
How to measure
The measuring guide.
Measure in millimetres where you can, and work window by window. Write the number down next to the window it belongs to - a list of sizes with no windows attached is the one thing that slows a job down.
Width, at the widest point
Measure across the glass, not the frame, and measure at the widest part. A window with a rounded corner is widest in the middle. Add the amount you want the curtain to overlap at each side - enough that no light comes down the edge.
Drop, from where the track goes
Decide where the track or the blind will sit, then measure straight down to where you want the fabric to finish. On a van that is usually the seat base or the top of the upholstery, not the floor.
Photograph every window
Square on, in daylight, with the whole window in frame and whatever is built up to it - pelmets, seats, cupboards, seat belts. That photo is how we spot the window that opens outward or the one with 40 mm of trim around it.
Curved or angled windows
Trace the shape onto paper, hold the tape against the trace and photograph both together. That is usually better than a description of the curve.
Say what the window has to do
Sleeping end, living space or cab; blackout or light; whether you want tiebacks; whether the window opens. All of it changes the making, and none of it is obvious from a size on its own.
What happens next
From your numbers to a curtain that fits.
We check the measurements
If a size looks wrong for the window in the photo, we ask before we cut. This is the step that stops an expensive mistake.
You get the quote and the options
Curtains or blinds, fabric, lining, track and fixings, with the sizes spelled out so you can check them against the van yourself.
We make it
Cut, sewn and finished to your numbers, with the track and hooks that suit the window.
It arrives with fitting notes
Where the track goes, how the curtain should sit and what to do about the window that always gave trouble. Tell us at the quote stage if you would rather it was fitted for you.
Send your window sizes
Send the van, the windows and the sizes.
Every enquiry is answered by a person, and the first reply is a straight answer about what your windows need - not a request to book an appointment.
Straight answers
Measuring and ordering.
What if I get a measurement wrong?
Tell us before you order and we re-cut the plan, not the fabric. Once a curtain is sewn to a size it cannot be made bigger, only smaller, so the checking step matters. Send a photo with the tape visible and we can usually see a mistake before it costs anything.
Can I send one window and come back for the rest?
Yes, and plenty of people do - the sleeping end first, the living space later. The earlier sizes stay on file so the fabrics and the lining match when the second order comes in.
Do you do curtains for a van I am converting myself?
Self-builds are a large part of this work. If the window is not fitted yet, measure the aperture and tell us the thickness of the wall panel, because that decides how far the track has to sit off the wall.
How do I clean them?
Most of what we supply is washable at a low temperature. Take the curtains down, keep the hooks and the tiebacks, and wash the fabric the way the care label says. Honeycomb blinds are cleaned in place with a soft brush or a vacuum on low.