RTT bottom.....

[doc holiday]

Ok so i have an idea and was hoping for some input. Im going to be ordering a camping labs RTT and from what i can see the bottom of the unit looks to be treated plywood. First off is that correct? Second i work at a shop where i have aceess to having the bottom sprayed with spray in bedliner material of Line X quality. Does anyone think this would help it last longer or is this a poor idea?

 

[Mike S]

I have used Line-X over plywood for some kennels I built into the cap of my F350. I like the result, as standard styrofoam sheets can be glued to the plywood (with liquid nails or silicone caulk) and then coated to give a very tough insulated surface. The plywood, once coated, seems to retain stability and resist warping.

IMO a reasonable idea if the added weight and tickness does not compromise the tent design or 'foldability'. Line-X is not cheap, but it is superior to other coatings and does not seem to offgas much, if at all.

 

[brentbba]

I did something similar using Duplicolor spray on rubberized undercoating on a boy scout trailer that had nothing but CDX plywood for the floor exposed on the underside of the trailer. That was several years ago and it's holding up just fine.

The bottom of your RTT won't be as subject to the elements as the bottom of that trailer and it sounds like you'll be using something a little better than the Duplicolor stuff I used.

 

[pray4surf]

I don't believe the CampingLab RTT's have plywood bases... IIRC it is a foam core with thin metal (aluminum?) skins....

 

[doc holiday]

Well im not concerned with the cost as i can have it done for nothing. I just thought it would help with the longjevity of it.

 

[doc holiday]

Well with that being said how about coating it anyway?

I don't believe the CampingLab RTT's have plywood bases... IIRC it is a foam core with thin metal (aluminum?) skins....

 

[Street Wolf]

Well with that being said how about coating it anyway?

With that being said, what is the point?

 

[doc holiday]

Just to help it last longer that was the point of this entire post.

QUOTE=Street Wolf;587221]With that being said, what is the point?[/QUOTE]

 

[Ford Prefect]

Just to help it last longer that was the point of this entire post.

Being far from an expert on RTT I have read a lot about them. Nothing I have read gives me the impression that something like this would hurt them in any way. The only concern would, of course, be if you got water between the lineX and the RTT itself. If that happens, of course you can see the major issues that could cause.

Besides, if you are already going to order one, just ask them when you call! The folks over at Camping Lab are REALLY great, and they are more than happy to tell you anything you want to know.

Good luck, take photos, and let us all see them!

 

[cnynrat]

Seems like it would add a fair amount of weight, and I'm not sure the benefit is really there. An RTT is going to be covered most of it's life anyway, and I would guess in any sort of heavy use scenario the tent would "wear out" before the base platform.

We have a slide in camper that needs to be on a platform to raise the cab-over above the roof of our truck. We used a couple pieces of plywood coated with Line-X. It lasted for about 7 years before the Line-X began to peel off the wood. We also had water intrusion under the Line-X for some time before that because the wood was beginning to rot by then. To be fair, the platform lived in the bed of the truck, so it was continuously exposed to the elements.

On the other hand the 11 year old Line-X in the bed of the truck itself is holding up well.

 

[gasman]

i have a serengetti rtt and it has a marine ply base which appears to have a pretty good coat of varnish/sealant on it .. i have not coated mine although i had thought about it.. if you apply another sealer will that also allow it to hold moisture ?.. at the end of last season we had a couple of cold nights and i ran the heater for 1 hour before bed ..the windows were open a few inches, and there is a large vent in the roof, and we still had a lot of condensation, so much so that there was water on the inside floor enough that i had to wipe it up with a towel, and actually the bottom of the matress was pretty damp, between it and the floor. so im thinkin i am not gonna coat mine .. i may re-apply some varnish every other year. but i think that is as far as i will go with it .. just my 2 cents or maybe my girlfriend was breathing too hard.. i dunno.......