Wood frame campers...?? How do they hold up?

[MarcusBrody]

I built a camper out of SIP panels no framing at all except on the corners​ and door frame. Works great lighter and stronger than a wood frame and aluminum. R 20 walls, R32 floor and Roof

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Did you buy premade panels or did you make your own? If you bought them, where did you get from? If you made them, what materials did you use (esp. which xps foam did you use)?

Thanks a lot. I'm trying to figure out if a build like this is in the cards for me in the next few years.

 

[Skookumchuck]

I own a manufacturing plant that produces SIPs. We make up to 8x24 panels so it is easy to cut out the sides in one piece. Almost indistructable

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[Mr4btTahoe]

Let me ask this...

instead of skinning with 1/4" plywood... could one use FRP panels instead (lighter weight)? Didn't know if strength would be an issue.

I'll more then likely go with plywood.. but wasn't sure if FRP would be an option

 

[IdaSHO]

I considered it early on, but ultimately went with ply.

The reason? Primarily for puncture resistance.

FRP isnt terribly resistant to punctures, and over time it gets even more brittle.

 

[Victorian]

Quote " FRP isnt terribly resistant to punctures, and over time it gets even more brittle."
Saying that is like saying apples are always sweet...
There are many different grades and thicknesses of FRP, some of them are UV protected, some are not. It all comes down what the manufacturer picks for the specific product. For example: we use a 1.5mm high gloss UV protected Skin for most of our camper bodies. Under normal usage that's plenty strong enough to even resist impacts from branches. But then again, if you really try, you can destroy anything...
If someone wants the ultimate camper with lifting roof and 30' length, we are going with a special 2mm re-enforced laminate. If that's not enough, there a laminates available that are carbon fiber re-enforced.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

I considered it early on, but ultimately went with ply.

The reason? Primarily for puncture resistance.

FRP isnt terribly resistant to punctures, and over time it gets even more brittle.

That's what I was thinking... What I could get my hands on would be basic big box store stuff.. so nothing special as mentioned by Victorian. Plywood would more then likely be the best option in my case then.. but I'm open minded until I start buying.

 

[IdaSHO]

What town are you in?

I could check my listings for retailers that you might be able to purchase better plywood thru.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother playing with plywood unless it is a good marine grade. A BS-1088 or BS-6566

Even baltic birch ply these days has been hit-miss. Im still using baltic birch for interior stuff, mainly structural as it has a high number of plys and is stupid strong, but not for exterior.

 

[southpier]

not to give you (Mr4) double work, but you might consider laminating the available FRP over a 3 or 4 mill okoume or meranti siding. if you use plywood, it will need some type of covering to keep it dry (paint, sealer, bituminous tar - just kidding with the tar..) so it's not exactly for naught to cover it with sheetgoods. probably some type of v-notched troweled cement in the field and hard (aluminum extruded shapes?) for the edges and openings.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

What town are you in?

I could check my listings for retailers that you might be able to purchase better plywood thru.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother playing with plywood unless it is a good marine grade. A BS-1088 or BS-6566

Even baltic birch ply these days has been hit-miss. Im still using baltic birch for interior stuff, mainly structural as it has a high number of plys and is stupid strong, but not for exterior.

I'm in southern Indiana just outside of Evansville. We have several decent lumber yards in the area but I'm always open to suggestion.

not to give you (Mr4) double work, but you might consider laminating the available FRP over a 3 or 4 mill okoume or meranti siding. if you use plywood, it will need some type of covering to keep it dry (paint, sealer, bituminous tar - just kidding with the tar..) so it's not exactly for naught to cover it with sheetgoods. probably some type of v-notched troweled cement in the field and hard (aluminum extruded shapes?) for the edges and openings.

Could for sure. The options seem pretty open.. just need to find something that will fit the budget.

 

[Silverado08]

Hey guys..

Been pouring over quite a few builds trying to get ideas for an upcoming project. I was almost certain I was going to build a steel frame but I see quite a few built out of all wood and skinned in epoxy or aluminum...

My question is... how do these hold up on the road? I cant wrap my head around how something shaped like a brick taking quite a bit of wind and such.. built solely out of would... could hold up.

I would think going the route of wood would be substantially lighter... but I want to be certain that if I go that route, it'll still be solid 15+ years from now.

Are there any specific tricks to framing with wood?

Thanks for the input.

My truck camper is quite solid after about 6 years travels..mind you its build solidly from 3/4 plywood on the bottom and half inch on sides and top,,
Plus there are no seams anywhere its just one solid shell kinda like a boat..Im in the process of gluing aluminum sheeting over roof and sides to not need any serious maintanance for a long time
For pics ,Go to page 33 at
Show off your truck shell tread

 

[kerry]

I'd consider something like Coosa composite sheets/boards before plywood if I was building myself, having seen what happened to the plywood in my Northstar roof after 23 years.

 

[IdaSHO]

To be fair, you are referring to a mass produced camper that uses a skin over ply, correct?

When working with plywood (or any wood) I try to avoid "skins" like aluminum all together.

Running such a skin, especially on a roof, crates dramatic expansion/contraction issues. The metal expands and contracts as MUCH different rates than that of the ply, so no matter how well you think it is glued/bonded, there will be movement and eventually delamination. Same goes for products like FRP, but on a smaller scale.

Once you have ANY space between the ply and the skin, you have a potential for moisture and/or dry-rot issues. Even slight moisture in that space (again, more pronounced on roofs) will literally super-heat in the sun, and COOK that plywood/wood, resulting in a type of dry-rot.




This is why I stand behind coatings.

Using the right coating, everything will expand and contract at the same rates.
The coating will be the "candy shell" on your wood camper, never allowing moisture intrusion.

Epoxy saturated ply, paint, and I use GacoRoof for the final (overkill) roof coat. Its a 100% silicone liquid applied coating that NEVER degrades and is approved for ponding water.

That said, Ill always advise using nothing but the best materials for the exterior ply. Marine grade, and marine grade only. Glass the entire thing if you want, or just the joints. Saturate it with epoxy, sand, smooth, and paint. if you just glass the joints, you will see the joints a bit. Glass the entire thing and you can hide them all. Its just a lot more epoxy and labor.

I glassed just the joints on ours, more or less as an experiment. While it is holding up very well with no signs of failure, the alkyd paint does "chalk" as it ages in the sun, and it is a bit brittle. We have smacked the camper into a few trees/limbs, and it cracks the paint.

Im looking at monstalining the entire thing. The coating is super tough, has great elastomeric properties so it will move with the wood, and the texture will help hide some of the paint/fiberglass imperfections that I opted to not get perfect.

 

[The Artisan]

Im looking at monstalining the entire thing. The coating is super tough, has great elastomeric properties so it will most with the wood, and the texture will help hide some of the paint/fiberglass imperfections that I opted to not get perfect.

Kenny I used frp composite panels, but this is why I am coating mine with 1/16" Polyurea..
Kevin

 

[telsbree]

konakid do you have a link to a build or pics? I might be going down this path in the next few weeks. I haven't quite decided on how to do joints yet... was thinking laying my own fiberglass down would be best

DOH just saw your signature

 

[IdaSHO]

Kenny I used frp composite panels, but this is why I am coating mine with 1/16" Polyurea..
Kevin

Cool

Mind if I ask how you are applying the Polyurea?

It is super cool stuff.