Aluminum vs Fiberglass TT

I think more important that the siding material is the roof, no rubber, and no wooden studding. do a search of this forum for horror pictures of wooden framed units that have had leaking problems. a total disaster. only if it is constructed properly should you be worrying about floor plan.

bumpy

If the OP is really concerned about aluminum vs fiberglass, rent one of each for a week or so. Then you will know the difference in noise, vibration and all the other quirks people seem to like or dislike.

My only concerns are dents vs. delaminations.

Fancy artwork and sculpted designs vs. traditional styling is of little concern to me.

Remember, the floor plan is everything, it remains when all else is forgotten. The DW usually calls the shots on that one.

Renting gives you a chance to evaluate a TT before you spend the big bucks.

Durb wrote:
The siding reacted (or rubbed) with the staples underneath and created a bunch of pin holes in the siding.

I've had this happen in a few spots. It's really easy to fix and a none issue. Just like anything, you have to keep up with maintenance, if you ignore it, like your neighbor as it's very easy to spot, you will get holes. If the corrosion continues after you repair it once, pull the siding back and pull the staple.

Or if you do get a small hole, it's an easy fix as well with the right caulking and/or paint to make it blend in without notice. I've seen this done several time on pop up camper roofs.

I had my dealer fix this when I was having the camper pressure leak tested and re-caulked.

I've been going back and forth with this question myself. I tend to be an aesthetics first person but don't want to make the wrong choice on this.

Kyedog wrote:
I am in the market for a new TT. I have gone to RV show and several dealers. I have found a TT that I really like but it is aluminum. My current trailer is fiberglass. I am wondering what the quality difference is between fiberglass vs aluminum. The most obvious is that the aluminum can dent but what else. The pricing on the aluminum trailers are cheaper so logic tells me the quality is inferior to fiberglass. I do not want to make a mistake buying this trailer. I am planing on living in it for half the year and hopefully for the next 10 years. I generally travel 6 to 8 thousand miles a year..

I won't buy a laminated fiberglass skinned trailer. Aluminum sided, stick and tin is all that I feel comfortable buying.

Laminated fiberglass sided campers always seem to delaminate from the glue failing, improper lamination, or from slight leakage. I've seen so many delaminate right on the dealers lot, being new. No way for me.

Plus laminated campers get condensation on the inside of the walls from the aluminum studs conducting the outside cold to the inside. And those aluminum studs are usually hollow (some put wood core into them) and hollow studs don't hold cabinet screws very well without loosening.

I camp at a lot of State Parks and by far, the majority of older campers are stick and tin (aluminum sided with wood framing). Usually only the newer campers are Fiberglass skinned laminated trailers.

BTW, fiberglass trailer are Olivers, Scamps, Casitas, not the Glued together Styrofoam/aluminum stud/Luan laminated campers you reference.

Quality wise, aluminum siding can be repaired very cheaply next to repairing the actual wall of a laminated camper. Also that fiberglass skin chalks badly in the sun and will eventually turn a nasty yellow. Aluminum siding can be painted fairly easy and can be maintained with automotive wax. Also slight leaks may not ruin the walls as they do with the glue in the laminated walls.

If you are a plastic owner do not lower yourself to aluminum the upkeep is not worth the hasle

The Jayco I have been looking at is SLX 265 RLSW and it may be wood framed after looking at their website. It is a 2017 left over for $18000.

Aside from the exterior siding and I don't know if this makes a difference, but most Aluminum trailers I ever look at have wood framing and most if not all fiberglass trailers have aluminum framing. Both wood and metal framed trailers have good and bad points as well.

ret usn wrote:
I have been looking at a new Jayco TT it is aluminum framed and aluminum sides.I have had both and like both. I think it depends on what you like. I have had a fiberglass class a and 5th wheel and 3 aluminum sided TT.

????

Jayco makes an aluminum sided trailer with aluminum framed walls?

What line / model is that?

It sounds like some salesman blowing smoke.

TurnThePage wrote:
I can't prove it, but I think fiberglass walls block sound better. I can hear a gnat fart through my aluminum skinned trailer.

Generally, this would be true. Aluminum has a much higher resonance than fiberglass. A fiberglass sided trailer typically has the whole wall sections, including the insulation, bonded together. An aluminum trailer may have spun fiberglass that has settled within the wall frame, allowing an open space between siding and interior panel. What you have then, is a rigid drum.

Fiberglass delamination is much harder to repair than a failed frame in an aluminum sided trailer, from water intrusion. Wooden frames conduct cold and heat slower than aluminum. There is usually no quality difference between the two construction methods, it is more to the price-point and model designation from the mfg.

Buying a travel trailer based on the siding applied is not the correct goal, IMO. I would be more concerned about the floor's construction and the layout of the particular trailer.