My wife and I are starting to look at possibly. We have always had the fiberglass campers but I got to thinking is the aluminum a little easier to work on and what are the benefits? We have only looked at Fiberglas campers as we preferred that look. As I was thinking about it is it possible if you had a leak in the wall or something in the wall will be aluminum back to work on it? I know I can Google it but I would like to hear from members on here. Give me the positives and negatives of both please.

The biggest reason I prefer the flat fiberglass vs aluminum it the ease of washing and waxing.

My KZ is aluminum and just passed its 1 year birthday. I've washed it a few times with a soft scrub brush, rinsed frequently to de-grit and "rv cleaner". I haven't waxed it yet.The paint seems to be adhered to the aluminum very well, I have found no defects.I don't know about fiberglass, I assume they're not painted at all, instead relying on a pigmented gel-coat?

Aluminum=harder to wash and wax. Easier to dent and look ugly.Smooth siding=Easier to wash and wax, less prone to dings and dents.

It's a personal preference with regard to looks. People have already mentioned the washing and waxing... Definitely seems easier with a smooth-sided, fiberglass trailer... Less surface area and nooks and crannies.One thing I have heard that aluminum is easier to fix if damaged... Just pull out the damaged panel(s) and slide new ones in... Probably not quite that easy, but thats the way it was described to me. Fiberglass repair is a little more involved and probably specialized.When I was looking for my last trailer, I did consider aluminum for a bit but found that the models I was looking at we're heavier than the fiberglass equivalent in the double over double floor plan. Might not be true across the board, but was true forthe models I considered.Again, personal preference. There is a lot of discussion on these boards about the draining of aluminum (often times wood) vs the aluminum framing that is typical in fiberglass-clad trailers... Definitely camps that prefer one over the other and they all offer compelling arguments for their preference.I would just suggest you decide on a floor plan and start looking at models, comparing weight and features. If you really prefer the look of one over the other, then it's probably wise to go with that, all other things being reasonably equal. If you don't, you may always wish you went with the other... ;)Good luck.

They both have advantages/disadvantages as noted above. We've owned both and prefer the fiberglass because we like the more modern look and it's much easier to clean. Fiberglass can be more difficult to repair and can delaminate if you get a leak or they use poor quality siding. With aluminum, individual panels can be replaced.

Aluminum versus Fiberglass | Good Sam Community

TundraTire
Explorer
Mar 07, 2014
I've been doing some pre-purchase research, and this thread is very informative.

Is the Jayco Jay Flight 234MBH an example of aluminum, and the Jayco Whitehawk 23MBH the fibreglass version of the exact same floor plan?

If that's the only difference, the $4K price difference seems like a lot.
JBarca
Nomad II
Mar 03, 2014
Jayco254 wrote:
Jayco removed the TPO and replaced it with EPDM when they replaced my roof. I believe that is what all the Jayco campers made after sometime in 2007 or 2008 are getting from the factory.

I looked at the 2014's catalog. They still use TPO on the Jayflight's

They call it "One-piece, sidewall-wrapped DiFlex II material"

And Dicor shows it here: Dicor DiFlex

It appears there is no fleece backing on it though. They may have learned the wicking was not a good thing.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Mar 03, 2014
parkersdad wrote:
We ordered a Jayco Jayflight 29QBS 2015 model. We did get it in Fiberglass. Thanks for the help.

Good choice, I've owned both and like the fiberglass better. Easier to clean IMO and a more modern look.
Jayco254
Explorer
Mar 03, 2014
Jayco removed the TPO and replaced it with EPDM when they replaced my roof. I believe that is what all the Jayco campers made after sometime in 2007 or 2008 are getting from the factory. If you get a small leak EDPM don't wick water like the TPO did.
djsamuel
Nomad
Mar 03, 2014
Farmerkev wrote:
I'm assuming he means one with a fiberglass roof.
I'm not sure if there are any still made with aluminum roofs.

Camplites (LivinLite) are aluminum skinned, aluminum frame with aluminum roof. No wood.
JBarca
Nomad II
Mar 03, 2014
Farmerkev wrote:
I'm assuming he means one with a fiberglass roof.
I'm not sure if there are any still made with aluminum roofs.

H'mm, good thought so I did some digging.

I "think" Wrenchbender has a Big Foot camper. 2 piece molded shell, and a very good quality camper from what I have heard. So yes the comment he made is correct. Just he left that very important detail out of his comment what he may possibly have.

http://bigfootrv.com/index.html

parkersdad bought a Jayco, which uses TPO which is where the roof maintenance is a must or else. And that goes for any camper roof that is not a molded TT camper, Big Foot, Scamp, Casitia etc.
Farmerkev
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
I'm assuming he means one with a fiberglass roof.
I'm not sure if there are any still made with aluminum roofs.
Jayco254
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
I could be wrong but don't both f/g and alum. use the same type of rubber roofs?
JBarca
Nomad II
Mar 02, 2014
Hi Wrench,

Just asking, not trying to be a wise guy, just trying to get clarification so your note does not get taken out of context.

Can you expand on your "zero" roof maintenance statement just because you went with fiberglass walls? That message taken incorrectly, can have very large negative consequences from lack of proper roof maintenance.

wrenchbender wrote:
After 2 Aluminum I will never go back to it, Fiberglass for me is the way to go.No black streaks zero roof maintenance.
wrenchbender
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
After 2 Aluminum I will never go back to it, Fiberglass for me is the way to go.No black streaks zero roof maintenance.

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