6 Best Custom Size Roller Shades For Irregular RV Windows Nomads Swear By

You pull into a perfect boondocking spot, but the afternoon sun is blasting through that one weirdly-shaped window right by the dinette. Your flimsy, factory-installed shades do little to block the heat, and their rattling on the drive over nearly drove you mad. Finding window coverings that fit the odd dimensions of RV windows is a universal challenge, but solving it is key to making your rig feel like a comfortable, private home.

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Why Custom Shades are Essential for RV Life

Stock RV windows are rarely standard sizes. They’re often short, wide, or have rounded corners, making off-the-shelf residential blinds a poor fit. This isn’t just an aesthetic problem; gaps around the edges let in light, compromise privacy, and drastically reduce any insulating properties. Custom-sized shades are the only way to get a perfect, edge-to-edge fit that truly seals the window.

Beyond the fit, custom RV shades are built for the road. They use more durable materials and mounting hardware designed to withstand the constant vibration and temperature swings of travel. Many also incorporate features like hold-down brackets or heavy-duty roller mechanisms to prevent them from swinging, banging, or unspooling while you’re driving down a bumpy forest service road.

Ultimately, investing in custom shades is about controlling your environment. Good shades provide a critical thermal barrier, helping keep your rig cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, which saves on propane and battery power. They offer total privacy for changing or sleeping in crowded campgrounds and provide the light control you need to work on a laptop or take a midday nap. It’s one of the most impactful upgrades you can make for day-to-day comfort.

MCD Innovations: The Gold Standard in RV Shades

If you’ve ever been in a high-end Class A motorhome, you’ve likely seen MCD shades. They are the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for many top brands, and for good reason. Their dual-roller systems are the benchmark for quality, combining a daytime solar screen with a nighttime blackout shade in one sleek valance.

The magic of the MCD system is in its versatility. The "day" shade is a solar screen that blocks a significant amount of UV rays and heat while still allowing you to see out, maintaining your view and sense of space. The "night" shade is a true blackout material, providing complete privacy and darkness for sleeping. You simply pull down the one you need, giving you precise control throughout the day.

The main consideration with MCD is cost. They are a premium product, and the price reflects that. However, for full-time nomads who demand reliability and flawless operation, many see it as a "buy once, cry once" investment. The build quality, smooth pull-down action, and perfect custom fit mean you won’t be fighting with or replacing them a few years down the road.

Irvine Slow-Rise Shades for Smooth Operation

Irvine Shade & Door is another top-tier player in the RV space, known for a specific feature that nomads love: the slow-rise mechanism. We’ve all experienced cheap roller shades that fly up with a startling thwack when released. Irvine’s shades retract in a smooth, controlled motion, which adds a touch of quiet refinement to your space.

Like MCD, Irvine offers high-quality day/night roller systems that are custom-built to your window dimensions. They provide an excellent balance of quality, material options, and price, often coming in slightly more affordably than their main competitor. Their blackout fabrics are effective, and the solar screens do a great job of cutting daytime glare and heat.

Choosing Irvine often comes down to that slow-rise feature. It’s a small detail, but in a tiny living space, these little quality-of-life improvements make a huge difference. If the violent snap of a traditional roller shade is one of your pet peeves, Irvine is the brand to look at. They deliver premium performance without necessarily being the most expensive option on the market.

RecPro Day/Night Shades: Versatile Light Control

RecPro is a massive name in the RV aftermarket world, and their shades are a go-to for DIY renovators and those looking for a solid, budget-friendly upgrade. Instead of a dual-roller system, they are best known for their pleated day/night shades. This design combines two different fabrics into a single unit.

The typical RecPro setup features a translucent white pleated shade on top for daytime privacy and a heavier, blackout pleated shade on the bottom. You can lower the top one to let in soft, diffused light, or raise the bottom one for complete darkness. It’s a simple, effective, and very space-efficient system for controlling light and privacy.

The tradeoff here is in the design itself. Pleated shades have small horizontal surfaces that can collect dust more easily than a flat roller shade. They also have visible strings for operation, which some people dislike aesthetically. However, their affordability, ease of installation, and huge range of available custom sizes make them an incredibly popular and practical choice for the majority of RVers.

SelectBlinds Blackout Shades for Total Privacy

Sometimes the best RV solution comes from the residential world. SelectBlinds.com has become a secret weapon for nomads because they offer extensive custom sizing on high-quality shades at a fraction of the price of RV-specific brands. Their blackout cellular shades, in particular, are a fantastic option for rig life.

The key benefit of cellular shades is insulation. The honeycomb-shaped air pockets trap air, creating a surprisingly effective thermal barrier. This is a huge advantage in an RV, helping to buffer against both extreme heat and cold. When you order them custom-sized for a snug fit, they can dramatically improve your rig’s ability to maintain a comfortable temperature.

The crucial thing to remember is that these aren’t purpose-built for travel. You must secure them before you hit the road. A simple solution is adding small Velcro tabs to the bottom of the shade and the wall, or installing small hold-down brackets. It’s a tiny bit of DIY work, but the payoff is a highly insulating, perfectly-fitting blackout shade for a very reasonable price.

Blinds.com Solar Shades for UV & Heat Protection

Similar to SelectBlinds, Blinds.com is another residential giant offering the custom sizing and competitive pricing that RVers need. Their specialty for this application is their massive selection of solar shades. These are the perfect solution for rigs that spend a lot of time in hot, sunny climates like the desert Southwest.

Solar shades are defined by their "openness factor," typically ranging from 1% to 14%. A lower number means a tighter weave, which blocks more heat and UV light but also reduces visibility. A 3% or 5% openness shade is a great middle ground, cutting the sun’s intensity significantly while still letting you enjoy the view. This is a level of granular control you can’t get with most standard RV shades.

Keep in mind, solar shades are for daytime use. They work on the principle of "lightest side is private," so during the day you can see out but people can’t see in. At night, when you have lights on inside, that reverses. Many nomads pair these custom solar shades with a simple set of blackout curtains on a track for nighttime privacy, creating a flexible and highly effective two-part system.

United Shade Auto-Stop for Easy Adjustments

United Shade is a long-standing name in the industry and another major OEM supplier you’ll find in many new RVs. Their standout feature is often a user-friendly mechanism they call "Auto-Stop" or "Smart-Stop." It eliminates the common frustrations associated with traditional spring-loaded roller shades.

With an Auto-Stop shade, there’s no need to find that "sweet spot" to make it catch. You simply pull the shade down to your desired height and it stays there. A gentle tug is all it takes to release it, and it retracts smoothly. This simple, reliable operation is a game-changer if you’ve ever battled a shade that refuses to stay down or won’t retract properly.

This brand is a fantastic choice for anyone who values simplicity and ease of use above all else. They offer the full range of day/night and blackout options in custom sizes, but it’s the frustration-free mechanism that wins people over. In a small space where you interact with every component daily, removing a point of friction like a finicky window shade is a real win.

Measuring and Installing Your Custom RV Shades

The most important step in this process happens before you even place an order. Measure three times, order once. RV window frames are notoriously imperfect, so never assume they are perfectly square.

Use a quality steel tape measure for accuracy. For an inside mount, measure the width at the top, middle, and bottom of the window frame and use the smallest of the three numbers. Do the same for the height, measuring the left, middle, and right sides and again using the smallest measurement. This ensures the shade will operate freely without binding. For an outside mount, measure the area you want to cover and add at least 1.5-2 inches on each side for light-blocking overlap.

When it comes to installation, the process is usually straightforward, but you need to know what you’re screwing into. RV walls are thin. Whenever possible, try to locate the aluminum or wood framing around the window to mount your brackets for a secure hold. If you can’t hit a frame, use appropriate hollow-wall anchors—not just the screws that came in the box—to ensure your new shades stay put on rough roads.

Choosing the right custom shades transforms your RV from a vehicle into a home by giving you control over light, temperature, and privacy. Whether you opt for a premium RV-specific brand or a clever residential solution, getting the fit and function right will pay dividends in comfort every single day you’re on the road. It’s an upgrade you’ll never regret.