The general discussion of hard side campers and off road capabilities has been going on in a few threads recently. I think it is important when collecting different people's tales of survivability that we take into consideration the general region where folks are located. I imagine in SoCal, Arizona, Baja and such where it rarely rains it's a different deal than up in the PNW.
Shaking and twisting a box where the corner seams are sealed with a bead of adhesive and roof and window penetration's are sealed with butyl tape can quickly loosen things up. In a dry area these compromised seals may go un-noticed for years.
Up here in the PNW it is so rainy that a simple compromised seam or seal anywhere will result in a serious water leak. Capillary action is a MF'r. If unchecked even for a short period of time it will result in panels delaminating and or rotting. Water one time on interior lauan style paneling can cause bubbling and distortion. A little water freezing in the wrong place will really tear things apart. Even something as simple as the butyl seal on a maker light can allow a significant amount of water in.
I've seen several campers like Arctic Fox and others live very short lives due to poor construction and water damage. Both my Bigfoot and Northern Lite which were fiberglass monocoque construction required repair from water and freezing damage.
Shaking and twisting a box where the corner seams are sealed with a bead of adhesive and roof and window penetration's are sealed with butyl tape can quickly loosen things up. In a dry area these compromised seals may go un-noticed for years.
Up here in the PNW it is so rainy that a simple compromised seam or seal anywhere will result in a serious water leak. Capillary action is a MF'r. If unchecked even for a short period of time it will result in panels delaminating and or rotting. Water one time on interior lauan style paneling can cause bubbling and distortion. A little water freezing in the wrong place will really tear things apart. Even something as simple as the butyl seal on a maker light can allow a significant amount of water in.
I've seen several campers like Arctic Fox and others live very short lives due to poor construction and water damage. Both my Bigfoot and Northern Lite which were fiberglass monocoque construction required repair from water and freezing damage.
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