Wood vs Aluminum/Paper vs. Plastic
There are certain things in life that guarantee a lively discussion and the "no wood, no rot" construction mantra is no exception - at least it is in the boating industry. Seems like there is a simila...
Forum Discussion
Hi and welcome.
You'll probably have to get used to the fact that truck campers aren't built quite as well as yachts. Keeping the weight of the camper down is a big theme, so they may not have that heavy-duty quality construction you were used to on boats - it is just a compromise.
Rot does takes its toll of wooden campers - I certainly know that. One of the problems is that water gets in through seams, spreads and rots large areas you cannot see and are not aware of until you have a big repair job - that soft spot or discoloration in the corner often turns out to be the tip of the iceberg.
Good question about aluminum welds. Saw a few pictures on here of welds with improper penetration cracking / failing. On the plus side, if a weld cracks, it just needs re-welding, where-as the damage due to water tends not to be quite so localized. On the other hand if you have to re-weld any of the structure you need to get access to it and make sure you don't set fire to anything adjacent. I had fun trying to re-weld the aluminum door frame in-situ!
I guess whatever construction material you go for you will eventually need to repair something. If you are good with wood then a wooden truck camper is easy to repair. So I suppose you have to consider the question of when you do need to repair something can you do it yourself or will the construction materials mean you'll have to pay someone else to do it. However, buying a used truck camper you run the risk that water has already leaked in somewhere and you will have to do some repairs sooner rather than later (as I found).
Re. resistance to stress - we've taken our camper over bits of the Sahara desert and if you look at the trip reports you will see many campers get used in pretty extreme conditions.
If a camper does soak up water than any increase in weight is the last of your worries. However, they do soak up 'stuff' (equipment, accessories, etc). It seems that often you need to add 1000# to the dry weight of the camper to get a realistic weight once you've added all the stuff the manufacturer forgot to weigh, extra accessories, fresh water, food, tools, etc.
Another construction technique is the fibreglass clamshell design - very much like a modern yacht.
Good luck with your camper selection.
Steve.
You'll probably have to get used to the fact that truck campers aren't built quite as well as yachts. Keeping the weight of the camper down is a big theme, so they may not have that heavy-duty quality construction you were used to on boats - it is just a compromise.
Rot does takes its toll of wooden campers - I certainly know that. One of the problems is that water gets in through seams, spreads and rots large areas you cannot see and are not aware of until you have a big repair job - that soft spot or discoloration in the corner often turns out to be the tip of the iceberg.
Good question about aluminum welds. Saw a few pictures on here of welds with improper penetration cracking / failing. On the plus side, if a weld cracks, it just needs re-welding, where-as the damage due to water tends not to be quite so localized. On the other hand if you have to re-weld any of the structure you need to get access to it and make sure you don't set fire to anything adjacent. I had fun trying to re-weld the aluminum door frame in-situ!
I guess whatever construction material you go for you will eventually need to repair something. If you are good with wood then a wooden truck camper is easy to repair. So I suppose you have to consider the question of when you do need to repair something can you do it yourself or will the construction materials mean you'll have to pay someone else to do it. However, buying a used truck camper you run the risk that water has already leaked in somewhere and you will have to do some repairs sooner rather than later (as I found).
Re. resistance to stress - we've taken our camper over bits of the Sahara desert and if you look at the trip reports you will see many campers get used in pretty extreme conditions.
If a camper does soak up water than any increase in weight is the last of your worries. However, they do soak up 'stuff' (equipment, accessories, etc). It seems that often you need to add 1000# to the dry weight of the camper to get a realistic weight once you've added all the stuff the manufacturer forgot to weigh, extra accessories, fresh water, food, tools, etc.
Another construction technique is the fibreglass clamshell design - very much like a modern yacht.
Good luck with your camper selection.
Steve.
