Need advice on what I should look for in TC
I hike and tent camp monthly with a buddy. But last fall my wife decided she wanted to give it a try. Well temps in the low 30s told me that she was more of an inside camper rather than roughing it....
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By the time water is evident in the camper it has done a lot of damage. I would try to avoid anything with any sign of a leak or you will have a lot of work on your hands.
...listen to Steve very closely. I'll say it again: if there is any sign of leaking whatsoever when you buy a unit (new or used), the camper may be near a write-off already (requiring enormous quantities of time to make it road-worthy and safe to camp in: ie. needing rebuilding from perhaps the ground-up = do you have the several hundred hours to throw into THAT ?).
If a camper has no evident signs of leaking, and you inadvertently discover leaking, you are still in grave trouble.
The only 2 campers on the North American market (I'm aware of at all) that have NO wood in the superstructure whatsoever (roof, walls, cabover AND tub), I have learned about, are: late-model Lance campers, and LivinLite. That's it. Don't let a camper with fiberglass on the exterior (or, clam-shell design) fool you into thinking it is bullet-proof (rot wise).
If you can find a used LivinLite (I've seen a few in the used market), you're in the gravy. Late-model used fully aluminum/Azdel Lance units are a bit more difficult to find. If you need to sell a rot-resistant double-used (twice used) camper, you'll have a MUCH greater chance of getting most of your money back out of the venture.
Good luck to you,
S-
