Which of these two is the best RV structure? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

brooklynrvr · RV-Dreams Community Member

Which of these two is the best RV structure?

Technomadia · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think it would come down to what your goals are of building such a trailer?

- Cherie

brooklynrvr · RV-Dreams Community Member

Not exactly sure what you mean by "goals", but I would I question why we don't see more aluminum style trailers on the road as they appear more durable.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

we dont see aluminum style trailers as much because of weight and cost factors...

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Personally, I don't care for the fiberglass bonded units. We met a couple that bought one of the cargo trailers and constructed their own inside which was extremely nice since they had nice woodworking skills and everything was full size versus some of the weird sizes in factory builds. On the aluminum walled unit, have you seen the Camplite? It is quite popular and might be easy to create on your own. They also make toy haulers with "house" amenities included in those. They use aluminum and a composite on the inside, no OSB or other "glued together scrap" so are lightweight and a little pricey but becoming very popular. Units that are bonded do not muffle the sound as well as those with fiberglass blanket insulation. If you don't have something bonded, you won't have to deal with delamination which I consider a plus. We just drove through an RV park today looking at the conditions of the trailers and that can be enlightening.

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Both have pros and cons, aluminum dents easily but would be easier to work with . As far as climate this has less to do with the skin than it does the primary wall framing and insulation. I think you will be lighter in aluminum skin....welcome to the forum...

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Personally I would not build an RV eventhough I have the skill set and tools.

There are numerous considerations when designing and building an RV:
Load must be balanced,
Reduced weight but strong enough to survive travel on rough roads,
Where to place fresh water tanks, holding tanks, batteries, propane tanks...etc.

Are just some of the more important considerations.

Instead I would shop for a good used RV that fits my needs or comes close to what I need. Minor changes can be made to make the RV a better fit for your needs. With a new or used RV all of the design consideration have already been taken care of.

That being said, I have had both fiberglas and aluminum skinned RVs and like the fiberglas better for upkeep and durability. Climate and sound has more to do with the quality of the insulation used under the skin.

brooklynrvr · RV-Dreams Community Member

I am planning on having my trailer professionally built. It’s about a 35% premium over a comparable retail unit. The good news is that you do save some money by not paying for the things you don’t really need or want and there certainly is value in having a decor that is more personal and functional. I can see why someone would choose the smooth fiberglass exterior for a trailer over the old style slatted aluminum exteriors, but I’m not really comparing them. I would agree that the aluminum cargo type exterior doesn’t look the most appealing, they lack the a more aerodynamic shape and they sit lower to the ground and have smaller wheels. (Will small wheels impact me?) I see that most emergency command center trailers and utility type trailers such as a mobile field offices are made with the aluminum cargo type structures. Are they choosing this because it might be cheaper to make.... or are they choosing it because it’s more durable?

Great forum!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you hope to do boondocking, the lower ground clearance may be a factor in areas where the roads aren't kept smooth. Mobile command centers tend to still be used in "developed" areas instead of being in the boonies as most of us would know. I work for a law enforcement agency and I can guarantee that the mobile command center our agency has is not one to be used in undeveloped areas. Also, with most mobile command centers, I suspect that they are more concerned with placement of needed equipment and communications gear instead of the running gear and other amenities that most RV'ers would find of concern.

Terry

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

The biggest advantage to the fiberglass comes in a hail storm. On the Camplite, they replace the entire panel and put it right over the one that gets damaged. Every place we have been has had hail.

Hina · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you like aluminum, you could go the old Airstream route, get a decent shell, gut it, and remodel it.

brooklynrvr · RV-Dreams Community Member

Hina, I like the Airstreams as they are the standard of quality. However, the one mistake I think Airstream made is that the curvature in their structure (like in the shape of an airplane) not only reduces available living and storage space it makes it feel cramped when inside. I think that’s why you don’t see a whole lot other manufacturers duplicating that concept even though it’s probably the ultimate in aerodynamics.

Bear, it took me 2 weeks to assemble my gas grill from Sears so I certainly am going to leave the technical construction to someone that is skilled in doing it. The problem with altering an existing retail trailer is that undoing something to redo it will cost more than starting from scratch.

Snowgypsy, thanks for the Camplite info. That was very interesting. I think having something like an aluminum roof would last almost forever even with occasional hail.

I have read the advice here that the “climate control” is determined by the insulation and not necessarily the skin. I would think fiberglass would defuse heat better than aluminum (which is like a big tin foil like wrap). I think there be a big advantage in framing with the aluminum as it’s kind of hard to run cable through a pre- compressed fiberglass wall.

Well done all.

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I know this probably still won't fit the bill for you but a couple of times a year, I usually see one of these for sale, the "Squarestream". www.airstreamcentral.com/articles/30/1/Squarestream---A-Unique-Airstream/Page1.html I have seen one from the outside once in a campground some years back.