After almost 3 years now , living Outside, our #1 Foamie trailer , covered with a light linen canvas is still in fine shape and still Dry as toast inside ... It could use a paint job , only because we used Cheap (Wal Mart) paint
... the only time “Thrifty" has bitten me on the arse
...
Use Good paint !!!!!! The FS has the very Heavy 18oz. canvas, and has dried/cured Very Solid ... (built like a tank ... er, submarine ..)
Doesn’t look bad either ... JMHO
Any repairs on either of these (should it be needed) can be easily accomplished “on the road” ... with a small carry along repair kit consisting of... a can of great stuff, some scrap canvas, scissors , brush , glue and paint ... And the requisite Foamie tool ... the serrated kitchen/steak knife !
A Foamie is a Foamie ... designed, built for specific intent! ( "a horse of a different color” ) ... Anything added to the idea of a basic Foamie , is just more an attempt at an “RV” , and offers less of the practical benefits of the basic structure... in terms of Thriftiness and Practicality (the original intent) ... All this has been hashed out over several years now ... many opinions expressed , many "tests” ... Well proven !!!
Just thinking “hard tent” rather than "mobile home"...
JMHO... Fiberglass is a Super outer skin for a Foamie , but expensive, and you’d better know what you’re doing ... and if so , you’ll know how to repair it too... Done right it can be very Pretty !!!
And then , there’s boat builders who have used fiberglass cloth with TB2... which seems more home builder friendly ... and apparently works well too ... the cloth is the strength , the resin or glue (whatever) just holds it in place... much the same as with canvas , or any other material ...