Bigfoot (old vs new)

AH_AK wrote:
If you decide to sell it, I would be interested. I would need to figure out how to get it from TX to AK though. Hopefully Canada starts allowing through traffic soon.

I am no expert but I think if it was what you really wanted you could arrange for a specialized carrier to pick it up and drop it off to you. Border might be closed for pleasure but it is still open for commerce.

If you decide to sell it, I would be interested. I would need to figure out how to get it from TX to AK though. Hopefully Canada starts allowing through traffic soon.

On my 2008 I can see where the factory cut/hacksawed the lip out of the bottom of the propane hatch. I assume for fear of propane settling low in the compartment in case of a leak. It always held water. I bought some 3/4" X 3/4" aluminum angle and glued that in. No more water and I'll take my chances with a propane leak.
Another issue I have never understood is the plastic tray the batteries sit in. All four of the bottom corners had a 1/4" hole drilled in them. Any battery acid that puked out ended up draining out of the compartment and down the side of my truck. Duct tape and silicone plugged the holes.
I love it but don't use it much and am considering selling it.

This is excellent information. Thank you so much for your reply and the detailed information on “known offenders”. The way I see it, the benefit of fiberglass is no corner seems. As you point out though, every shell perforation is a potential ingress point for water. That is certainly disappointing that there is not reinforcement at screw mounting locations (on the older models. That is asking for the threads in the shell to get stripped. Need to be very careful not to over torque the screws. It is good to know what I am getting into and what to look for when inspecting used campers. I am in AK and plan to store the camper outside. I am used to clearing snow off vehicles so I am not worried about snow load, but I had planned to make a custom cover to deal with water and UV exposure during storage. Will probably look into building a carport at some point.

My big issue right now is the Canadian border closing. There are some descent deals in BC, but I can’t go get them. Maybe I can convince someone in BC to drive the camper to the border, but I doubt it. Seems like TCs and RVs in general have gotten very popular during the pandemic. Couple this with reduced production and it is a seller’s market. The factory Bigfoot outlet in Anchorage is 12 months out on new builds. I am trying to educate myself as much as possible so that I can recognize a fair deal quickly and move to secure it.

I digress. The wood cabinetry may be the culprit (or one of the culprits) for the weight gain. Bigfoot is known for its superior fit and finish. Personally, I am more worried about the structural integrity / leaking / rot. I am new to the TC world though and I am gathering that leaks and resealing are just part of the ballgame. I am surprised that they don’t glass the cross sections at the perforations an use sealed inserts for the fasteners. I’m sure it comes down to cost. Could they make a lighter camper that leaked less? Sure, but no one would be able to afford it. I hope that Bigfoot engineers are getting feedback from savvy owners like you and addressing the design related leaking issues.

I read that same article about the newer Bigfoots and I was envious to an extent. I believe one change they made that you didn't mention was the switch to real wood for their cabinetry. Not sure how much that would change things but I'm guessing it is slightly heavier. Another thing that stuck out to me was the adaption of CNC for cutting materials. This leads to more accurate joinery and a better finish.

In regards to the fiberglass, although I bought a Bigfoot because of the reputation for being water tight, but that really isn't the case. Yes, the roof is the best aspect of fiberglass as it doesn't deteriorate over time like other solutions. However, older Bigfoots were not without their issues.

The first issue I encountered was the use of non stainless steel screws for everything on the outside of my Bigfoot (2001). Couple that with the first owner living on the coast and the constant thermal changes of cold mornings led to the screws rusting out over time. I went back through and replaced everything with stainless where I could. I emailed Grant at Bigfoot and he said he thought they changed to stainless shortly after mine was built.

The second issue is the screws themselves when it comes to exterior compartments. What they did was just drill holes for the compartment hatches directly into the fiberglass and then screw into that fiberglass. There is no backing to give extra bite for the screw. In most areas there is nothing behind the fiberglass but foam so if you have to service the seal on the compartment, you have to be very careful you don't strip out the 1/8" fiberglass the screw goes into.

Another issue is the Propane hatch. First, the hatch itself is on a flat plane however where it integrates with the fiberglass shell it comes together with two slightly different angles. What that means is that it is a bit of a 3d surface so the hatch won't seal flush on the upper fiberglass shell. Extra sealant is required and be very careful about trying to tighten the screws to pull a tighter seal per my previous issue mentioned. I ended up getting some small metal "U" clips that I put on that gripped on both sides so when I put a screw in, it grabs the metal clip on the backside and gives more bite than the fiberglass alone would.

Dry rot can still be a problem, specifically around the battery compartment, propane hatch and fridge hatch. For the propane hatch, on my camper there is a lip that goes around rim of the hatch except for at the bottom. What I realized is that if it is raining, the water will drip down the hatch door and can fall into the metal frame where it has equal chance to flow either back out and continue down the outside or can flow into the propane compartment and find its way into the corners where it is a square box for with a curved rim giving the opportunity for water to flow between the backside of the fiberglass right on top of the wood where the metal bracket for the jack brackets is located. Had they continued the lip all the way around the hatch compartment, the water would have just rolled out. In my case, I can see the wood has gotten wet and though it doesn't appear to be completely rotted out, is certainly softer than I would like it to be. This same problem by the way can be at the fridge hatch and battery compartment as they also doesn't have a lip on the bottom to keep water from flowing inside the compartment.

Now I haven't seen a new Bigfoot so I don't know if they addressed these issues. I suspect that they did at least make some changes as Grant at Bigfoot seems pretty keen on process improvement. If you buy a new one, look at these items and make sure they aren't a factor or fix them right when you get it home so they won't become an issue. If you are buying a used camper, especially an older one, double check these issues and make sure they aren't a problem.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Bigfoot and would consider it again in a heartbeat if I was in the market for a new non slide camper. Just don't get too caught up in the idea that fiberglass can't have water issues.

Lastly, if you do make the investment, spend some money to figure out how to store it with a roof over it. So many water issues would be solved just by keeping it covered from the elements to begin with, especially when one isn't using it and thus is prone to miss leaks while it is stored.

I can't answer many of the questions, but have owned a 1988 5th wheel, 1996 camper, and 2008 camper. I think the newest does have more wood. I don't know if the fiberglass thickness is any different, the new one isn't all that thick and they are chopper gun layup so you really can't go too thin either. The 1988 and as I remember the 1996 ones had XPS foam while the 2008 has EPS foam ("bead board"). The XPS could be used sort of as a structural core, while the EPS really can't. I doubt the fiberglass can support the shell without reinforcement. On the newer ones they seem to be relying on wood stiffeners glued to the shell, and the interior panelling making of the second skin of the sandwich.