Fiberglass Molded Trailers and Outgassing?

We are in our second Casita, both were bought used. Zero problems with odors, outgassing. Our longest trip has been a ramble from Phoenix to Key West and back.

Resin/gelcoat has been used in boatbuilding for years. Yes, the uncured resin is quite nasty (calls for respirator/filters) but most of the odor goes away as it sets up. Any lingering odor does fade with time. Wherever it's covered in gelcoat you're really not going to smell the resin at all, though there may be a faint chemical smell from the gelcoat when new, which will also fade away.

Where you will notice an odor is any areas where the fiberglass layup isn't covered by gelcoat - the inside of the camper skin is probably not covered in gelcoat but I imagine there's insulation and an inner skin, so not much odor gets through. It probably won't be any worse than a new car. Maybe some odor lingers inside a cabinet that's not insulated from the outer skin, especially on a hot day, but that's it. I wouldn't expect a TT cabinet to be built that way, though boats often are.

FWIW, I have a fiberglass sailboat and I only notice a fiberglass odor if I'm back in the "unfinished" bilge area under the cockpit or pulling something out of an unfinished (on the inside) locker. Even then it's not the odor that gets me, it's the prickly glass fibers that get under my skin because they just painted back there instead of laying in gelcoat or epoxy. Itchy itchy!

Generally there is less stuff to outgass in the molded trailers than in the stick built trailers. The molded fiberglass is inert when cured. The foam seat cushions might be about the only thing left to outgass.

If the Eggcamper is too small, you might have a look at escapetrailers.com (in British Columbia); they have a 19' and a new 21', as well as a 5th wheel. I know of a used 19' for sale in Wisconsin, if it hasn't sold yet. Also maybe the Scamp 5th wheel (actually a gooseneck) would work for space.

I would go to the factory and see what would work for you. You could purchase it of a fall and park it inside a garage and open it up over winter to let it outgas.

Thanks! A couple of concerns I had were(1) With Scamp, they layer on a thick coat of "resin" and then put the marine carpet over it and I'm thinking as the sun bears down that it would "cook" and (2) Another concern would be what sort of cleaners you would need to use to keep it shiny on the inside, the ones with the double fiberglass shell. I like the double fiberglass but Eggcamper is too small and Oliver, sort of pricey for the moment. We have 3 adults, one that 6'2" so maybe we just need an old outgassed bus! It is frustrating process. This will be RV number 9 over 30 years. Thanks again.

ScottG wrote:
When I've laid up fiberglass it quit smelling pretty quick - almost as fast as it cures.
I would think that if you don't notice any smell when your looking at one then it's probably done.

X2 per the fiberglass itself...very little outgassing/VOS's once the glass is cured.

BUT

Not every molded fiberglass trailer is ALL fiberglass. Some have interior fixtures made mostly of the same material as the shell, and would become non-reactive just as quickly.

Others are sort of half-n-half, with fiberglass shells but conventionally finished interiors. In those, glues and solvents used for such things as interior wood cabinetry, carpets, wallcoverings etc. can be important sources of outgassing.

But no worse than the average stick-built trailer, of course.

When I've laid up fiberglass it quit smelling pretty quick - almost as fast as it cures.
I would think that if you don't notice any smell when your looking at one then it's probably done.