LOST JEEPS :: View topic - M116A3 off-road camper build

You have the right idea. A small unit like yours wont take much to heat or cool. Insulation and reflective material are your friends. The idea is to limit the amount of times your heating and cooling system has to cycle off and on and the runtime for each cycle. Our 4 season trailer is insulated with residential rigid foam, batten insulation, and reflective foil insulation. We also have thermal pane windows.

Must be one heavy trailer...

Foil backed foam insulation is the best in any situation. Being that the seams are properly sealed. Bat insulation is way to heavy to use in any trailer or rv.

Also, bat insulation is pretty inneficiant compared to foam insulation. :2cents:

The exterior will be covered in 0.04 inch thick aluminum sheeting (5x8 so I don't have to splice it except on the roof).

I'm thinking the next step is to polyurethane waterproof the plywood shell, before the aluminum goes on.

I also have to make the doors and install the windows. Once it is secure and watertight, I'll move on to building the interior.

Hi PA!

Yes, I have my eye on some RV putty / butyl tape for the windows and for the roof vent fan. Also going to use it under the roof's aluminum corner moldings. Good to know about Pecora... that is new to me.

Any ideas for a good paint-on/roll-on polyurethane waterproof sealer? The whole plywood body needs to be shellacked! The aluminum will be the primary defense against moisture, but if the plywood has a waterproof seal on it, then there would be a second line of defense.

Plywood does not expand and contract like solid wood, so that is working for you. I would just make sure that you use Dicor sealant around the windows and all the other seams. Depending on how much you use the trailer and how it is stored, it is recommended that you examine the seals each year and reapply the Dicor if you start to see cracks. If stored outside during the winter months (uncovered), there is a possibility that water will collect on the seals. As the water freezes, it will cause expansion of the sealant. This is why annual inspections are important. Once you open a tube of Dicor, it is recommended that you use the entire tube. The product doesn't stay good for very long once open. There's no such thing as applying too much Dicor, so liberal is okay.

Author:	dieselenthusiast [ Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
You have the right idea. A small unit like yours wont take much to heat or cool. Insulation and reflective material are your friends. The idea is to limit the amount of times your heating and cooling system has to cycle off and on and the runtime for each cycle. Our 4 season trailer is insulated with residential rigid foam, batten insulation, and reflective foil insulation. We also have thermal pane windows.

Author:	PALiftedKK [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 12:37 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
dieselenthusiast wrote: You have the right idea. A small unit like yours wont take much to heat or cool. Insulation and reflective material are your friends. The idea is to limit the amount of times your heating and cooling system has to cycle off and on and the runtime for each cycle. Our 4 season trailer is insulated with residential rigid foam, batten insulation, and reflective foil insulation. We also have thermal pane windows. Must be one heavy trailer... Foil backed foam insulation is the best in any situation. Being that the seams are properly sealed. Bat insulation is way to heavy to use in any trailer or rv. Also, bat insulation is pretty inneficiant compared to foam insulation.

Author:	dieselenthusiast [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 7:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
PALiftedKK wrote: Must be one heavy trailer... Foil backed foam insulation is the best in any situation. Being that the seams are properly sealed. Bat insulation is way to heavy to use in any trailer or rv. Also, bat insulation is pretty inneficiant compared to foam insulation. Actually, it's a very lightweight trailer considering it has the strongest chassis in the industry. It's also known as one of the best insulated 4 season campers in the industry. The ceiling alone has 5" inches of insulation. Here are the specs: Dry Axle Weight (approx. Lbs.): 4128 Dry Hitch Weight (approx. Lbs.): 550 Net Carrying Capacity: 2822 Gross Dry Weight - Lbs.: 4678 Gross Vehicle Weight (GVWR) - Lbs.: 7500 Exterior Length (approx. w / hitch): 23'10" Exterior Height (approx.): 10'3" Exterior Width (approx.): 8'6" ROOF TRUSS SYSTEM Heavy Gauge One Piece Roof Membrane 3/8" Plywood Sheathing (Bonded to Trusses) R-15 Reflective 'Arctic' Foil Insulation R-18 Dual Layer Fiberglass Insulation Bow Style Roof Trusses (Bonded to Ceiling) Interior Lamination Grade Lauan Plywood HIGH DENSITY ONE PIECE LAMINATED WALLS Designer Interior Decor Finish Paneling Heavy Gauge Fully Welded Aluminum Superstructure Solid Wood Fill - Full Thread Depth Anchor Blocking Virgin 2 lb Rigid Dense Block Foam Insulation Steel Inlaid Bonderizer Anchor Strips Lamination Grade Lauan Plywood Exterior Wall Layer Second Lauan Layer Corona Treated High Durability Fiberglass Outer Layer ULTIMATE DURABILITY FLOOR STRUCTURE Residential Quality Plush Commercial Carpeting Commercial Grade Linoleum with 20 mil Surface 5/8" T&G Plywood Decking (not chipboard) R-7 Residential Grade Fiberglass Insulation Reinforced Woven Highway Moisture Barrier

Author:	lfhoward [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Today's progress: the windshield wall frame. I set the front windows in their frames to see how they look. :thumbsup: These fixed front windows are a different design than the rectangular windows that open at the top (which I am using on the sides of the trailer). Does anyone have any experience installing trailer windows? I am not very clear how these windows attach and seal to the body, as there are no screw holes.

Author:	lfhoward [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Here are the side windows for comparison.

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Author:	lfhoward [ Wed Aug 26, 2015 9:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
As promised, here are pics! The plywood has gone up fast, and what you see here is about 2 afternoons worth of work. I took the pictures as the sun was setting, so they are a little dark, but you get the idea! A little closer in: One of the front utility cabinets (passenger's side): The weatherproof outlets for the "kitchen" on the passenger's side: A look inside thru the back door: You can see the compressor for the nail gun, plugged into the trailer's AC outlets. Super handy to be able to instantly tack the walls on after painting glue on the frame. The electrical cabinet on the driver's side (also note the shore power inlet near the fender): I have my battery charger/converter running the lights. Batteries aren't installed yet. Speaking of lights! The porch light is very handy also. Here's what it looks like when off:

Author:	dieselenthusiast [ Wed Aug 26, 2015 10:35 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
The craftsmanship looks good. What do you plan to wrap the exterior with?

Author:	lfhoward [ Wed Aug 26, 2015 10:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Thanks! The exterior will be covered in 0.04 inch thick aluminum sheeting (5x8 so I don't have to splice it except on the roof). I have aluminum edge moldings for the roof corners and the door openings. At this point I'm still shopping for aluminum sheets. I found some good prices online but the cost of shipping makes it a non-starter. I'm hoping to find a place locally that can supply the sheet metal. I'd like to get aluminum that is pre-painted white, although a plain silver aluminum exterior would look good too.

Author:	dieselenthusiast [ Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:47 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
lfhoward wrote: The exterior will be covered in 0.04 inch thick aluminum sheeting (5x8 so I don't have to splice it except on the roof). That will also help with structural integrity. I've read that block insulation and one piece exterior coverings will help reinforce the structure. Does your trailer flex at all?

Author:	lfhoward [ Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:58 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Hardly any flex at all, because it is so overbuilt by the military. However, I think it would probably flex a little bit over bumps at 65 mph or off-road.

Author:	lfhoward [ Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Yes, moisture is the enemy. I'm on tnttt.com, the teardrop trailer forum, learning as much as I can about best practices to assemble the trailer and skin it to be waterproof. I've made a few mistakes (using silicone sealer, for example), but nothing that can't be fixed or accounted for at this point, but all in all it's turning out nicely. Today I installed the back wall (no door yet) and one side wall's worth of interior insulation. There is just one major exterior panel left, which is the front slanted "windshield." I'm working on finding trim rings for those two radius corner windows so that they can be installed tightly and permanently. Those windows don't open, so that will help keep water out better than an opening window-- no seams to keep closed.

Author:	lfhoward [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:57 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
I got the last piece of exterior plywood installed today: the windshield! Here it is with the two radius corner windows sitting in place. And a close up: In addition, I went over all of the gaps with PL Premium today. I made sure to squirt it in to the gaps carefully enough to seal the end grain of the plywood pieces. I'm thinking the next step is to polyurethane waterproof the plywood shell, before the aluminum goes on. I also have to make the doors and install the windows. Once it is secure and watertight, I'll move on to building the interior.

Author:	PALiftedKK [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
lfhoward wrote: I'm thinking the next step is to polyurethane waterproof the plywood shell, before the aluminum goes on. I also have to make the doors and install the windows. Once it is secure and watertight, I'll move on to building the interior. its pretty pricey, but have you looked at rubber butyl tape for around the windows? also pecora is pretty awesome stuff! its rubber butyl in a tube. the tape and "caulking" is ever so slightly better then the tape. EDIT: I completely forgot about Tremco..... their the Porsche of the industry. http://www.tremcosealants.com/products/tremco-butyl-sealant.aspx

Author:	lfhoward [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Hi PA! Yes, I have my eye on some RV putty / butyl tape for the windows and for the roof vent fan. Also going to use it under the roof's aluminum corner moldings. Good to know about Pecora... that is new to me. Any ideas for a good paint-on/roll-on polyurethane waterproof sealer? The whole plywood body needs to be shellacked! The aluminum will be the primary defense against moisture, but if the plywood has a waterproof seal on it, then there would be a second line of defense.

Author:	PALiftedKK [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
disreguard my PM. ExoAir 120 http://www.tremcosealants.com/products/exoair-120.aspx call Rafael at 8564958089, I personally never met him, he must be the new guy there. tell him exactly what your doing. most reps will help you out and refer you to their competitors. which is not odd at all. if your able to get your hands on this... your golden!

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Author:	PALiftedKK [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
lfhoward wrote: Hi PA! Yes, I have my eye on some RV putty / butyl tape for the windows and for the roof vent fan. Also going to use it under the roof's aluminum corner moldings. Good to know about Pecora... that is new to me. Any ideas for a good paint-on/roll-on polyurethane waterproof sealer? The whole plywood body needs to be shellacked! The aluminum will be the primary defense against moisture, but if the plywood has a waterproof seal on it, then there would be a second line of defense. please ogh god stay away from putty.... tremco or pecoras rubber butyl is perfect. let me look into the sealant for the plywood. when I specified buildings I didn't really specify plywood based sealers mainly because no commercial building I specified had a board of plywood on it. ill post it back up on here as a reply or EDIT:.

Author:	dieselenthusiast [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
Plywood does not expand and contract like solid wood, so that is working for you. I would just make sure that you use Dicor sealant around the windows and all the other seams. Depending on how much you use the trailer and how it is stored, it is recommended that you examine the seals each year and reapply the Dicor if you start to see cracks. If stored outside during the winter months (uncovered), there is a possibility that water will collect on the seals. As the water freezes, it will cause expansion of the sealant. This is why annual inspections are important. Once you open a tube of Dicor, it is recommended that you use the entire tube. The product doesn't stay good for very long once open. There's no such thing as applying too much Dicor, so liberal is okay.

Author:	PALiftedKK [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Teardrop camper
dieselenthusiast wrote: Plywood does not expand and contract like solid wood, so that is working for you. I would just make sure that you use Dicor sealant around the windows and all the other seams. Depending on how much you use the trailer and how it is stored, it is recommended that you examine the seals each year and reapply the Dicor if you start to see cracks. If stored outside during the winter months (uncovered), there is a possibility that water will collect on the seals. As the water freezes, it will cause expansion of the sealant. This is why annual inspections are important. Once you open a tube of Dicor, it is recommended that you use the entire tube. The product doesn't stay good for very long once open. There's no such thing as applying too much Dicor, so liberal is okay. dicor is "ok" to use. I looked that up and lauren would be perfectly fine using that sealant, but tremco usually on their sealants have a 15 year warranty. your basically garneted 15 years of no issue with tremco. I am not well versed with dicor product warranty but id assume it would be under 10 years. the warranty basically is what you look at alongside with ASTMs and permeability. EDIT: What is the warranty of my roof? Dicor offers a 12 year warranty for the sheeting only. The warranty covers only premature deterioration to the point of failure due to weathering only. It does not cover the original installation or the (glue, lap Sealant, Butyl tape) to install the roof. It is a pro-rated warranty. The first 5 years would include parts and labor. Years 6-12 are pro-rated for material replacement only, no labor. This warranty is offered only to the original purchaser. its basically a 5 year warranty.