Let's Talk About The Longest Lasting Travel Trailers

I feel you there. We have a pretty good time with our non motorized hobbies. I hope to build something that I can wake surf behind at some point. When that time comes my wife will tow the boat and I will tow the camper. We live in the lakes region of the Ozarks so we can be at a lake side campsite in 45 minutes. 2 hours gets us to huge number of lake side campgrounds.Taking two cars is going to be part of our "close to home travel" sometimes.

Right now boats go on the roof.

 

I like to think of my newest Tundra as the Boat!

At least compared to the 1st Gen. and certainly more than I need for my Egg but I am eager to get the Egg Dragging nonetheless!

 

Not the cargo style. This style of camper.

 

I have had over half a dozen campers (4 pop ups that I restored, used and flipped; 2 travel trailers and now a hybrid). I can say from experience that longevity depends on a lot of factors - whether it’s garage kept / kept indoor storage, whether or not there is routine maintenance done, how often it’s used, and probably the most overlooked is how it’s driven or towed.

All of mine have been kept outside in the elements which requires routine extensive maintenance. Rodent proofing, sealing, cleaning off leafs / snow / etc., winterizing, and all of those types of jobs. All are vital to keeping the trailer from getting water damage, leaks, and the like.

We use ours for approximately 4-6 weeks a year. We typically take one longer trip of 10 days to 2 weeks for hundreds of miles…….I try to stay around 65 to 70 miles an hour at all times no matter where we are. The wear and tear and cumulative stress of traveling that far in high speeds and traffic and bumpy roads can reek havoc. Slow and steady with prudence in travel will pay off in the long run in my opinion.

Like I said our current camper is a 2007 jayfeather 24 footer. It looks brand new inside and out. It takes a lot of work to keep it that way but I have seen five year old campers that I wouldn’t trade ours for.

Inherently there are and will be issues with the stick built trailers but all in all if you take care of it, it should last a long time

 

Canadian rules seem to be a bit more stringent than ours. Article below pertains to BC but, I'd guess Ontario is similar.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-new-travel-restrictions-1.5993919

 

Here you go, fiberglass camper and boat all in one. The Tundra doesn't even know it's back there. We love it!

 

That's a nice boat. Wouldn't quite work for me on the northern Alberta lakes and rivers though. I'm eyeballing a 16ft welded aluminum, 10 degree tunnel hull and tiller control. I'm looking at having 2 motors, one jet drive and one prop. Drop which ever one is appropriate to the season or day onto the transom and roll out.

 

I totally agree with you. My neighbor has a forest river about the same age. It goes out a couple times a year and lives under cover the rest of the time. It will last him a very long time.

It's the work to keep these dry that is their ultimate demise. I guess in a way these long lasting camper just represent less work.

 

I can’t leave Ontario, but Ontario is a big province. I can’t cross into Manitoba, Quebec or the Maritime provinces without a 2 week quarantine. But Ontario is a big province. It takes longer to get to Manitoba than Florida.

Please leave this thread about campers, not Covid.

 

Here is a cherry 18 year old camper if anyone needs a cheapie
https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2003-Riverside-TIMBERLAND-30BHS-5016482984

Does anyone have any guess what this would have ran new?

 

Why did I think "cherry" means "mint"?

 

We researched for over a year before making a decision and putting a down payment on an off-road TT, a Black Series HQ15. This thing is built to last. Some of the features are an internal aluminum square frame, exterior aluminum diamond plating, aluminum composite walls, independent control arm suspension, tanks are wrapped in diamond plating, rock sliders, two full size spares, plus more.

The dealer called on Friday to say our TT arrived. Super excited. Can’t wait to pick it up. My hope is that it will some day be the longest lasting travel trailer.

 

That thing is INSANE!

Give me an idea what it takes to get into one please?

 

This thing really is awesome - dry bathroom, two kitchens (indoor & outdoor), two fresh water tanks, four 100ah batteries, solar on the roof. It’s not cheap but it is built to take off-road abuse and should hold up much, much longer than any traditional TT you see today. We’re looking at $54.6k for the unit and that includes freight & prep, temp tags, fees, etc. Don’t want to hijack this thread but if you’re interested in more info let me know. Maybe I’ll start a separate thread (??) or add it to my build thread (??).

 

I am a notoriously late adopter. Can you show us some of the details of the wall/ceiling construction. That looks like it could take a beating. Bean Trailers have some nice sliders like that.

 

Afraid I don’t have any pictures of a wall cross section. Thought I saw a pic of the wall framing on the Inet but can’t find it now.

 

Hopefully you post up a separate thread with the trailer mods cuz we know there will be. That thing is awesome!

 

Oooh yeah.

 

Cool video on Airstream construction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgpPe91DegU

 

Do any of these fiberglass or AS trailers have condensation issues like all the cheap wooden ones? I stayed in a coachmen last winter and I could see if you didn’t have a house size dehumidifier you could have a serious water issue.

 

the key to the condensation issues (at least inside of the actual camper) is to get air flow through it periodically. We have a hybrid so there are condensation issues if you keep it closed up and the A/C on all day……the tent ends can sweat and the inside can become damp.

we make it a point to open the windows and unzip the tent ends even on hot days for a few minutes a few times a day. It’s especially noticeable in the morning as temps drop overnight.

as far as the structure, the biggest mistake people make is not sealing the campers. EVERY one of them requires upkeep and maintenance and at times it can feel pretty intensive. But if you expect / want it to last it is necessary. I reseal our camper (and others I have had) every other year at least depending on how it looks. Having cracked seals allow water to infiltrate the structure and delaminate the fiberglass from the wood. You can reglue it if needed but that’s MUCH harder to do than resealing every so often.

 

If it's raining out and humid and you close it up, you do get some condensation. The fiberglass shell trailers are really air tight. My trailer, a 2020 Escape 19 shown in previous posts has dual pane sliding windows. My previous 2007 Escape 17B had single pane windows and they sweat quite a bit, but if you left 2 of the windows open a bit, it wasn't as bad. My new Escape with the dual pane windows, I'm not really sure about, haven't really had a situation to put it to the test.

Here's an episode of How's It Made

How It's Made - Escape Trailer - YouTube

 

OK but more than this the true molded Fiberglass Trailers are not the same construction as the Laminated Fiberglass Trailers and there is no Lamination to be affected by the moisture in the first place,this is a real distinction too.

I leave the rooftop vent open in mine when iside in all weather and another window cracked too if I can to promote airflow and lessen the condensation as needed and my roof vent has a cover so that it can not rain inside even with the vent open going down the road.
The Walls inside many Fiberglass Molded units are also lined with carpet or marine headliner to keep condensation down and away from you when inside but sure condensation can be an issue still.

 

Condensation is definitely an issue in our AS when we're inside - we're busy breathing out water vapor all night so yes there will be more moisture.
- When possible, open the windows or roof vent
- Otherwise run the AC, this pulls some of the moisture out and drains it through a tube

 

CampInn's Ultra Raindrop 560 is as good as Airstream/Avion/Bolis.

Made in Neceda Wisconsin on a to order basis. It will be passed on to the grandkids. It has all the look of an AS in a smaller design.

TAXA is also well made but don't forget your wallet. NASA engineer made, aluminum and composite wood will last forever. Very modular to fit your needs but its like you're on the ISS...no character, only function.

INTECHS Luna seemed well made. Loved. The rear kitchen and the inside had pseudofireplace heat.

I own a 2017 NuCamp BOONDOCKER XL. its well made and there was some thought to putting it together. I'll keep it until I grab a CAMP INN most likely.

 

https://blog.cheapism.com/dont-buy-these-rv-brands-070621/

 

Nothing there for me?

 

Ditto. Page doesn't exist.

 

Me neither, and I am really interested in that list! I'll have to look for a similar list myself.

 

https://blog.cheapism.com/dont-buy-these-rv-brands/