Bumpyroad
Virginia
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Joined: 12/01/2005
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I would certainly get one with azdel if available, my ascend is.
bumpy
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rbpru
North Central Indiana
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Joined: 12/18/2013
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Aluminum (stick and tin) is an old an well established construction material. Fiberglass and it's variations are by now fairly well established and lend themselves to more dynamic shapes and artwork.
Aluminum is easy to work on, repair or replace. Fiberglass is said to have better dent resistance.
My personal opinion is floor plan is the most important, followed by tongue weight and cost. What it is wrapped in, is not too high on my list.
Other have different priorities.
Twenty six foot 2010 Dutchmen Lite pulled with a 2011 EcoBoost F-150 4x4.
Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.
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RedRocket204
Colorado mountains - Got trail?
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Joined: 05/22/2010
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rbpru wrote:What it is wrapped in, is not too high on my list.
Other have different priorities.
Exactly on other's having different priorities. I live in an area which can have intense hail storms so what it is wrapped in is definitely high on my list of priorities.
I love the looks and idea behind Airstream trailers but loth the look of an Airstream with the golf ball dimple look.
I love me some land yachting
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ScottG
Bothell Wa.
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Joined: 02/25/2005
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Had a couple of RV's with the corrugated aluminum stuff.
Never again.
I would prefer the Azdel but it's not a deal breaker. It is just as likely to delam as filon if it gets wet because the glue will fail. It wont support mold though.
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rexlion
Broken Arrow OK
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Joined: 04/01/2005
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RedRocket204 wrote:rbpru wrote:What it is wrapped in, is not too high on my list.
Other have different priorities.
Exactly on other's having different priorities. I live in an area which can have intense hail storms so what it is wrapped in is definitely high on my list of priorities.
I love the looks and idea behind Airstream trailers but loth the look of an Airstream with the golf ball dimple look. yeah but a dimpled Airstream should fly thru the air better. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
Mike G.
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. --Frederick Douglass
photo: Yosemite Valley view from Taft Point
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Lantley
Ellicott City, Maryland
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Joined: 08/23/2005
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My 5'er has Azdel walls. However caulking with Geocel and regular inspections will be more effective in preventing delamination than Azdel
19'Duramax w/hips,12'Open Range,Titan Disc Brake
BD3,RV safepower,22" Blackstone
Ox Bedsaver,RV760 w/BC20,Glow Steps, Enduraplas25,Pedego
BakFlip,RVLock,5500 Onan LP,Prog.50A surge,Hughes autoformer
Porta Bote 8.0 Nissan,Sailun S637
Correct Trax,Splendide
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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Joined: 09/07/2010
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the bear II wrote:Delamination is not rampant in the RV world. Very few RVs have delamination of the siding when compared to the total number of RVs on the road.
Good preventative maintenance will keep water out. Our current 5th wheel is a 1994 model that we have had since new. It has never been covered and has sat out in the weather 24/7 for 23 years. 2 years ago one small section of the siding showed signs of delamination. It was due to a leak around one window. Because I was taking care of my 90+ year old dad with dementia I had stopped doing routine inspections and maintenance so the 5th wheel and our house suffered a little.
Preventative maintenance is important...
First, 23 years on an RV left in the open is an AMAZING feat ! Many (most?) would have been towed to the junk yard by then.
IMHO, it is a sad state of affairs for the entire RV industry that leaks are as common as they are ! Crowned roofs are a step in the right direction as are true one piece "rubber" roofs. But I have lived in my current house for over 40 years and never had a leak (the roof is about 20 years old and the windows about the same). I do no "careful inspections" or maintenance. Why should this be a requirement to insure longevity of an RV ?
There are thousands of enclosed utility trailer (not including the millions of full size cargo trailer) on the road. I have only been in a few, but I can not say I have seen any with obvious leaks. They use a rounded roof to wall connection. Why is it so impervious to leaks ?
The really issue with leaks is not the walls, but the FLOOR ! If rot sets into the floor you might as well scrap the RV. CampLite is the only trailer I have ever seen advertised that has an ALUMINUM FLOOR ! Combined with no wood (except in cabinet doors) make it impervious to rot, but not leaks.
You do not hear about too many leak issues with eggshell (2 piece fiberglass) either.
* This post was
edited 06/02/17 10:24pm by theoldwizard1 *
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LeoandLil
North Ga. Mountains
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Joined: 10/24/2016
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For me, one of the biggest selling features of my Coachmen Freedom Express was the Azdel wall construction.
Both of the main Azdel advantages are important to me (less chance of delamination and 40% lighter weight without sacrificing build quality).
To me, without Azdel, my trailer would be a significantly lesser product. Even better, the overall quality of the Freedom Express has been terrific.
Safe and Happy Camping to all!
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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westend wrote:One would have to know how any water that leaks inside the layers affects the adhesive bond. Azdel is not going to save your bacon if water leaks inside the bonded wall composite.
Not completely, but if you have a composite "sandwich" wall, Azdel well not swell like luan. Swelling for certain will cause delamination.
While composite walls (aluminum studs, block foam, Azdel interior and exterior sheathing, outer and inner finish "skin") are becoming quite popular, the one place where this type of composite panel is not being widely used is in subfloors. Several manufacturers have tried it and most have gone back to plywood because the floors turn "soft".
My speculation is that the engineers pushed the use of this type of composite panel beyond its capability when a "normal" load (perpendicular to the face) is applied. The initial small amount of flexing cause the adhesive between the Azdel and the foam/aluminum cross members to fail. Once failed, the flex because excessive. They correct, but expensive, solution was a significant increase in the number of aluminum cross member.
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Gulfcoast
On the road
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Joined: 07/17/2005
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I just bought a brand new Coachmen trailer last week, I went with the old-style aluminum... just in case.
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