Hello Marie:

I went to the Pilgrim website and did a once-over of their travel trailers.  I notice that their largest unit is 31' and, personally, would find that floorplan somewhat cramped for a full timing lifestyle.  I don't know if any of the other Dreamers have ever experienced this unit so let's see if there are any more posts.

On the subject of toxic compounds in the trailers, I'd like to hear more on your research, what symptoms a full-timer should watch for, and what complications might arise.  Then, as other Dreamers post their experiences, we might discern a trend and help us in selecting units or how to make adjustments to those we alredy own to make them "healthy."

I believe the problems with toxic outgassing are symptomatic of the cheaper RV's and are not experienced with the more expensive brands made for full timing. I would suggest you identify some brands that you are interested in and contact the technical department of the manufacturers directly for information on the material used on their units.

I would not ask the dealers, as they cannot be either trusted, nor believed. There are literally tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people living full time in RV's and if this were a common problem, the discussion boards would be on fire with complaints, and that is not so.

Good luck,

Thanks to all! 

Yes, the custom built 5th would probably be the solution. May be the units we visited had been sprayed with formaldehyde as they do with new cars.

I found a blog on ROTI with full-timers and vacationers, a long list of them, detailing their symptoms and their health problems due to chemical exposure in their RV's and trailers.

To answer the questions about what to look for in terms of material & symtoms as well:

The material to watch for are essentially formaldehyde in the plywood, the glues and the fabric, the carpet, the V.O.C. in practically everything plastic, especially from China, the finish, fire-retardant products and the linoleum. So the best would be nothing imported from China, natural fabrics, natural wood, bamboo is a good idea, they also now have accacia tree wood now on the market, quiclky renewable and grown in America. It is cheaper than carpet and looks terrific.

Regarding the symptoms to watch for, I would say headaches, burning eyes, runny nose, joint pain, insomnia, brain fogginess, chest tightness, palpitations, nervous disorders, anxiety, panic attacks, uncontrollable short temper ( formaldehyde & VOC attack directly the nervous system, the lungs and also the liver) skin rash, respiratory problems, diarrhea. Those are the most common ones.

These symptoms may not appear severe at first, but it is good to keep in mind that they are just the apparent signs that something inside is going wrong. And the chemical toxicity is cumulative, until it becomes carcinogenic. Some people are not bothered by the off-gassing, or may not be aware of it, but it does not mean that their body is not getting slowly poisoned. They may never have headaches or burning eyes, but one day they discover they have cancer.

So, not to scare anyone here, but recent medical research points out that we have been too negligent for too long when it comes to protect ourselves from chemical exposure, and that too many people pay the price with ugly diseases or some kind of dysfunctionality

I am not practicing anymore but I did work with hundreds of patients both in Europe & the US who have been exposed to chemicals that destroyed their health, not occupational only, sometimes just after moving in a new home, and it is very sad to see that.  So I hope this little note can help.

Good Health to all.

Marie:

Your list of medical conditions to watch for is welcomed and thanks for highlighting this situation.  Since I intend to make my unit weather tight, that also means that gases won't be able to escape.  (A problem similar to radon in well-built houses in the South).  Now that you've made us "aware," I'll do more research into my future home-on-wheels.

Gonnabee as soon as the condo sells.  Anybody want to buy a summer home in Northeast Ohio?  It's really nice!  Low maintenance landscaping, high ceilings and low floors!  Come on d-o-w-w-w-n.  (Er, no, that might be "up".  Why do we go down South and up North?  Hm-m-m.)

I know this is an old thread, but I hope that this will help anyone looking for an eco-friendly rig in the future. In 2009, we bought a new Evergreen Ever-Lite 31BHS. My husband drove from Alabama to Kentucky to get one with the layout we wanted. We had looked at lots of other trailers, but I got headaches from being in them. I am very sensitive, so I did notice a little bit of something in the trailer, but we ran a small air purifier when we were in it, and I had no problems. I loved the trailer, but we traded it a couple of months ago for a motor home. Our new motor home is a Seneca, and it doesn't bother me either, but it had several things go wrong with it and I wish we had never bought it. I want my Evergreen back! For those wanting something larger, Evergreen now makes fifth-wheels, which is what we should have bought.