Why are Truck Campers so poorly made?
So I bought a new hard side truck camper recently. I'm not going to say which. Before that I had a pop-up, so this is my second camper. I looked at a half dozen more campers before my purchase, but...
Forum Discussion
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Interesting original post.
It does point out that RV technology is generally stuck somewhere south of appliance and vehicle technology. I would say the RV world progress is right between the hi-tech automotive world and good ol' fashioned stick houses. Stick houses are basically the same wooden structures they were 100 years ago, save the invention of plywood and other wood composites.
How good should a camper be? Well if it is to be used in severe service, it simply has to be better and cost more. But on pavement, it has to be little better than a permanently-erected tent. Let your wallet be your guide... and watch for the usual scams that were already common in the days of Babylon.
Nowdays severe RV service can also include outer space, so space stations do need the very best construction. They are the ultimate camper, in both price and blueprint, and their evolved design pretty much defines what an interplanetary RV will have to be. There is no practical need for sleek Flash-Gorden-like styling; no wind, no air out there. Crude, but functional, is everything. All they need accomplish is not break down for extended periods. Unfortunately, for all the plans of mice and men, and billions of dollars, space station systems still do fail on occasion. And, I even imagine, a bit of unexpected creaking would be a lot more ominous than in a TC.
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There apparently are some misconceptions out there. One is that aluminum is lighter than wood. In fact, wood, fiberglass, aluminum and steel are all about the same weight when they are correctly fashioned to provide the same strength... with the possible exception of carbon fiber composites.
The idea that aluminum is better for everything has basically become a very successful marketing ploy for the unwary. Since aluminum is commonly used in modern aircraft construction, many RV customers assume it is superior everywhere. In actuality, aircraft first used aluminum over wood because load reliablity, piece to piece, is more consistant when one skimps. Sure, some skilled workers were really good at eyeballing, and hefting, a stick of wood... but not all. RV manufacturers initially experimented with aluminum for the same reason, but soon discovered it's even more remarkable marketing value.
Unfortunately aluminum has a nasty habit of easily fatigue cracking compared to wood or steel. In aircraft this can be controlled since the fatigue is closely related to flex cycles. So a wing is good for X number of hours, less if excess turbulance occurs. Same with aluminum skin... X number of flights where the skin is stretched once per take-off-land/cabin-pressure cycle. I think aluminum is fine for low flex-cycle RV's that remain on pavement.
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I once built an 8' x 12' yard storage shed in the '70's that used nothing but 1/4 inch plywood and a few 1" x 2" and 2" x 2" boards every 4 foot. It was purposely light so that it could be lifted, intact, by 4 men and moved. Materials only cost about $100 at the time, but now would cost about $300. To my amazement, the portable, Gambrel styled building stood, and lasted 30 years through hail and high wind. It was still sturdy enough that a claims agent crawled on top of it during the last year, just to check the roof after hail.
At the end, the shed was finally still difficult to disassemble due to the type of construction. Although it was merely nailed together using 1-1/4" coated sheetrock nails, I had reinforced the end-butted framing joints with countless small pieces of left-over scrap corner-bead metal. Lesson learned; tie joints at right angles with straps for durability. Bet it translates to RV's.
The downside to the home-built shed was the tendency of exterior plywood to crack paint. Ordinarily, painted plywood only lasts about 1 to 2 years before needing recoating due to swelling and contraction. So after several years, I ended up with a layer of rolled mineral roofing on top and lived with less than satisfactory appearance on the sides. However, since then... I have discovered that a simple layer of cotton cloth (old bed-sheets) paint-stuck onto the ply surfaces, with ordinary latex house paint, prevents cracking and extends exterior paint life to about 20 years.
So an extraordinarily water-proof crude box shell on a pick-up needn't cost much. But it won't ever look like much either. I recommend camo paint. At least durability and repair of scrapes would be incredibly easy. It is a modern rendition of the old doped linen aircraft skin and many 1000's of ancient, canvassed boat decks.
Wes
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Interesting original post.
It does point out that RV technology is generally stuck somewhere south of appliance and vehicle technology. I would say the RV world progress is right between the hi-tech automotive world and good ol' fashioned stick houses. Stick houses are basically the same wooden structures they were 100 years ago, save the invention of plywood and other wood composites.
How good should a camper be? Well if it is to be used in severe service, it simply has to be better and cost more. But on pavement, it has to be little better than a permanently-erected tent. Let your wallet be your guide... and watch for the usual scams that were already common in the days of Babylon.
Nowdays severe RV service can also include outer space, so space stations do need the very best construction. They are the ultimate camper, in both price and blueprint, and their evolved design pretty much defines what an interplanetary RV will have to be. There is no practical need for sleek Flash-Gorden-like styling; no wind, no air out there. Crude, but functional, is everything. All they need accomplish is not break down for extended periods. Unfortunately, for all the plans of mice and men, and billions of dollars, space station systems still do fail on occasion. And, I even imagine, a bit of unexpected creaking would be a lot more ominous than in a TC.
==============
There apparently are some misconceptions out there. One is that aluminum is lighter than wood. In fact, wood, fiberglass, aluminum and steel are all about the same weight when they are correctly fashioned to provide the same strength... with the possible exception of carbon fiber composites.
The idea that aluminum is better for everything has basically become a very successful marketing ploy for the unwary. Since aluminum is commonly used in modern aircraft construction, many RV customers assume it is superior everywhere. In actuality, aircraft first used aluminum over wood because load reliablity, piece to piece, is more consistant when one skimps. Sure, some skilled workers were really good at eyeballing, and hefting, a stick of wood... but not all. RV manufacturers initially experimented with aluminum for the same reason, but soon discovered it's even more remarkable marketing value.
Unfortunately aluminum has a nasty habit of easily fatigue cracking compared to wood or steel. In aircraft this can be controlled since the fatigue is closely related to flex cycles. So a wing is good for X number of hours, less if excess turbulance occurs. Same with aluminum skin... X number of flights where the skin is stretched once per take-off-land/cabin-pressure cycle. I think aluminum is fine for low flex-cycle RV's that remain on pavement.
==========
I once built an 8' x 12' yard storage shed in the '70's that used nothing but 1/4 inch plywood and a few 1" x 2" and 2" x 2" boards every 4 foot. It was purposely light so that it could be lifted, intact, by 4 men and moved. Materials only cost about $100 at the time, but now would cost about $300. To my amazement, the portable, Gambrel styled building stood, and lasted 30 years through hail and high wind. It was still sturdy enough that a claims agent crawled on top of it during the last year, just to check the roof after hail.
At the end, the shed was finally still difficult to disassemble due to the type of construction. Although it was merely nailed together using 1-1/4" coated sheetrock nails, I had reinforced the end-butted framing joints with countless small pieces of left-over scrap corner-bead metal. Lesson learned; tie joints at right angles with straps for durability. Bet it translates to RV's.
The downside to the home-built shed was the tendency of exterior plywood to crack paint. Ordinarily, painted plywood only lasts about 1 to 2 years before needing recoating due to swelling and contraction. So after several years, I ended up with a layer of rolled mineral roofing on top and lived with less than satisfactory appearance on the sides. However, since then... I have discovered that a simple layer of cotton cloth (old bed-sheets) paint-stuck onto the ply surfaces, with ordinary latex house paint, prevents cracking and extends exterior paint life to about 20 years.
So an extraordinarily water-proof crude box shell on a pick-up needn't cost much. But it won't ever look like much either. I recommend camo paint. At least durability and repair of scrapes would be incredibly easy. It is a modern rendition of the old doped linen aircraft skin and many 1000's of ancient, canvassed boat decks.
Wes
...
