Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

has anyone used reflective osb for the sides/roof of their trailer....may help with the insulation rating...we use it for sheeting roofs (by code) on new construction...was thinking of trying this but am worried about the outside skin...any thoughts

It would not be on my list. Sometimes I think people get to involved with insulating. I want flat straight panels to work with. My experience with OSB is as sheeting. Not flat and not good looking. So you need a good structure to keep it flat. My pick would be 3/4 plywood, cabinet grade. Looks good on both sides and is flat and stable. Still will keep you comfortable in most weather conditions. If you camp year round in extreme temperatures then by all means insulate. But most of us camp in the 40-90 degree weather as an average.

Woodbutcher wrote:My pick would be 3/4 plywood, cabinet grade.

That will be nice quality plywood, but won't it use interior glue? I think exterior glue (WBP) is a must-have, however well the body is coated.

I see now that your previous woody build is maybe the one exception as you have wood trim over all the edges so there is no exposed plywood end grain anywhere? Even with epoxy coating, I would not expect exposed end grain of interior plywood to last long - epoxy only reduces water transmission, it doesn't eliminate it.

will probably use aluminum as the exterior finish...either a rv grade siding or one i can make ...i camp in cold weather as well as hot..(20-95+)..also noticed most use stryofoam insul...why not reg fiberglass

Fiberglass insulation would settle very quickly in a tear bouncing down the road. Also, fiberglass sandwich construction would not add any strength to the structure as the Styrofoam does when glued in a sandwich construction. I used sub 1/8 inch cedar strip. 2 layers 3/4 inch styro and .032 floated aluminum for my walls. The ceiling was the same except for .040 aluminum. Turned out extremely strong as well as quiet and worth the extra work. Also made a very light weight torsion box - don't know if it will be in the ultra light range after I finish installing all the toys I am adding in.

has anyone attempted to use metal studs in their construction