Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

OK, we’re Baaaaack !!! ... with coffee...

Thought for today ... Reading about Rosey’s boat and adhering the “mesh “ she used , brought to mind the idea of “contact surface areaâ€

[linuxmanxxx]

[quote="GPW"]OK, we’re Baaaaack !!! ... with coffee...

Thought for today ... Reading about Rosey’s boat and adhering the “mesh “ she used , brought to mind the idea of “contact surface areaâ€

[GPW]

Well in our less than perfect world , sometimes we make compromises to “affordabilityâ€

[bonnie]

You know, there's so many possibilities out there. I think we could take the next 50 years exploring them. Just look at the wonderful examples of differing construction methods and designs in the build albums.

I, for one, am very attracted to the foam builds for two reasons: insulation and ease. GPW is correct. I can approach the build and know that I have most, if not all of the tools I need to accomplish a useable and unique build.

I think the safety issue has been addressed. Time will tell how big a foamie could go and still be useable. For me the path to that discovery is about as much fun as the end results.

That said, I have a question for you old hands at this stuff. How long does a traditionally built teardrop usually last? Let's say moderate use, not much off road travel, consistent maintenance as the parameters. As much reading as I've done, I havent' seen anyone address that.

Thanks

Bonnie

[GPW]

Bonnie ... just thinking the longevity of most any trailer is how it’s stored ... I currently own 3 camper trailers , an ultralight Jayco 20’ , not light @ 4000lb, requires constant inspection , cleaning and $$$$ maintenance Living outside ... (POS) Nevermore !!!
An all Steel Cargo trailer ... pretty bulletproof really ... small ,Stout and a little heavy ... lives outside as yet unaffected over many years ...
And the Foamie , which has sat outside pretty much since it’s been built , and is yet unaffected by the environment in any way ... (nothing to Rot )
I had built a wooden TD originally , and stored outside , immediately showed signs of plywood splitting on the curved roof and water entry (ants too) , and required an entire repaint after the first year ... It was almost 5 times the price of my Foamie , and lots heavier ... only slightly too big to fit in my garage , where it would have held up much better ... Now had I known then about putting a skin over the plywood (canvas) I think any of those problems would have been eliminated entirely ...

Best keep anything you really like in a Garage ...

[linuxmanxxx]

Yeah I'm with Glen that it really can vary according to how it is made and what it is encased in for how long it will last indeed. The way I built my sandwich core and the aluminum skin I will say outside it will last a good 10 yrs or more no real issues due to the glue I used and the care I took in sealing it all up. The first one my prototype I had issues with the doors I built and can guarantee that they will not last the 10 yrs I stated above and was why I went with a drastic change on number 2.

I think time to live TTL will mostly depend on 2 variants which are the external surface and sealing and the other variant being the doors in how sturdy and sealed they are.

Kids if you have any that should seriously change your build methods because kids are stupid to the ideas of being careful and nondestructive in opening shutting moving around in and things of that nature. What would last 10 yrs for a 40 yr old adult is days for a kid. That should definitely be a build factor all of itself.

[GPW]

Making one Kid -proof might be as difficult as making one Bear -proof ..

[eaglesdare]

whoa, i don't know if we want to try to make them kid proof, you know those kid proof bottles? well kids are the only ones that can open them!

[eaglesdare]

i now realize just how spoiled i am with this year's winter. when i say how mild its been, i mean its been warm. this cold front that just came thru last night is horrible. we have snow on the ground. not much, but its snow, and its windy, and its cold!!!!!!!!!! i think the only one that likes it is simba. i will try to post a pic of him with a snow nose. i had to get a pic of him out there, but its darn cold. brrrrr....

[GPW]

Don’t feel like the only one affected ... Freezing Here too ... No Snow , but COLD !!! BRRRR!!! Time to sit inside and work out all the problems with this new forum format .. the new Blue is hard on the eyes ... old eyes anyway ...

[eaglesdare]

here is simba in the snow

[GPW]

Good time to have that Nice natural Coat !!!

[droid_ca]

yeah it's been really nice here for some reason thanks for taking some of our bad weather

[GPW]

Eagle , great time to do some cold weather Foamie testing .... send somebody out there with a small heater to see how well the insulation works .... bet you won’t have to run the heater for long ... A foamie might be as good as an Igloo in the snow ...

[eaglesdare]

i've camped in it in the cold! it will get nice and toasty, but it will lose the heat pretty fast if you turn the heater off. now if you have better doors and windows open that might help out a lot. but i only have screen mesh for windows, no glass, and i have gaps from my door and walls. so i have natural made ventilation, or is that horrible door making ventilation?