Arroga wrote: I see alot of regrets on building the doors. I don't see any that are happy with building their own
Not sure you have looked very hard. There are lots of folks that built their own doors and are happy with them. Maybe since they are happy with them I guess they don't complain about them so you don't hear about them.
I am perfectly happy building my own doors. Originally I was going to buy them them but after much research and testing a cardboard template of my cabin I decided to use Steve Fredericks method of building and sealing my doors.
Reasons:
1. I wanted a wider door than you can buy (My doors are 30" wide x 36" tall)
2. I wanted a window that would open for fresh air and can be left open when raining. (The premade doors I was looking at had sliding windows that opened on the lower portion. The mattress and sleeping bag would partially block the opening reducing the effect. Rain would blow in on sliders. My crank out windows open up for a good cross breeze. The are always open and never leak when it rains)
3. I wanted my doors to match my exterior and interior (Outside same paint color as body, interior same wood stain, classic door handles with locks)
4. I didn't want to roll next to a cold alum door at night. (My wood doors are warmer on a chilly night than cold aluminum)
5. I wanted a quiet soft closing door (My wood doors with foam core makes little to no sound when opening and closing, less tinny feel, I have no metal trim on my doors which saves weight)
6. Wanted a more classic look
7. I didn't want any alum trim on my doors (My doors are all wood, epoxy and paint)
My doors have a seal and the only time they leak a little bit is at the car wash when I use the power sprayer in the seams (same thing happens to my car sometimes).
With Steve Fredericks sandwich method of construction it prevents the warpage and his door seals keep the rain and dust out very well. Just a few weeks ago I went camping and it was raining/spitting snow and and I had to go down several miles of dirt/gravel road to a camping site (all the others were closed). I had about an inch of silt/mud on the front of the teardrop and tongue box, it was all over the fenders, door hinges and handle and splashed up on the door. I used my water jug to rinse some of it off on the door handle and hinge and when I opened the doors none of the mud etc. had gotten inside. The hinge was gritty but I was able to clean it out when I got home with some spray lubricant.
I do not think one method (premade vs make you own) is better that the other. I think you have to decide how confident you are in your skills, how much time you have, and what method you are using to make the door/seals will determine on how successful you will be.
Dan