Walkable TT roof

Our travel trailer is a 2020 Coachmen spirit model 1943. In talking to the manufacturer they said that our roof does have 3/8 Marine plywood on the roof. But still did not recommend walking on it so what’s the deal you guys have 3/8 and you can walk on them?

Skipg wrote:
My question is when did manufacturers start building TT with non walkable roofs. How am you supposed to do roof maintenance?

Sounds like a very low end TT if the roof can't be walked on.

I'd find another brand.

I know that Arctic Fox / Nash / Fox Mountain and their Sister company, Outdoors RV always have had walk on roofs. They use 3/8" plywood on the roof.

Factory tour at ORV

All the above are built in LaGrande, OR

One of the reasons they started making non walk able roofs was to save weight, as people wanted "lightweight" TTs. If a coach didn't come with a ladder, it's a safe bet the roof isn't walk able, and adding a ladder never seems to work as there isn't any backing to attach one to. If you really feel the need to get up there- use the sheet of plywood method (as previously mentioned) to spread your weight.

Old Days wrote:
You really have to research campers before buying now days. We have a Outdoors RV and the roof has 3/8 inch plywood on it, but I am still very careful when I walk on it.

Like Old Days' Outdoors RV, all Grand Design RVs have 3/8" marine grade on the roof and are walkable. They also all come with ladders. What brand is yours, OP?

Rob

The answer is, long ago is when they stopped making it walkable. Much cheaper and lighter to just have a roof than a walking platform

You can get a 2x3 foot piece of plywood (approx size) and lay on the roof and crawl on all 4s and get p there. Hopefully the wood will spread the load to the roof joist so you do not bend it too much. Being up there will flex the roof and the places the roof is glued or somehow joined to the next roof section may become weakened by all the flexing and cause a leak. A friend's teenage boy would walk on the roof (and he weighted abut 110 lbs) and eventually the roof leaked.

Do as much work as u can from a ladder, and be on the roof as little as possible and spread out the weight as far as possible.

My TT has a walkable roof and is 7.5 feet wide. I can accomplish everything from an extension ladder...thankfully. It isn't safe up there.

Ive walked on the roof of my last 2 TT. If I couldn’t walk on it I would have to question how well made the trailer is!

You really have to research campers before buying now days. We have a Outdoors RV and the roof has 3/8 inch plywood on it, but I am still very careful when I walk on it.

My 2004 trailer has a non-walkable roof. However, I've been walking on it since new. I just make a point of standing on the roof joists. It definitely sags a bit if I miss.