Good Sam Club Open Roads Forum: Need guidance on best roof trailers


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landingzone

Western NY

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Posted: 06/07/22 02:33pm

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I will soon be in the market for a used camper for a permanent vacation site. It will likely be 5-10 yrs. old and 30ish ft. long with slides. Are there any makes/models which have seemed to stand above the rest for not leaking? What should I look out for? Is it reasonable to find a trailer of this age that won't need roof repair fairly soon? Thanks.

BurbMan

Indianapolis, IN

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Posted: 06/07/22 03:39pm

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Most all RVs have rubber roofs and are sealed around the edges and the penetration points like vents, etc. How well the trailer was maintained has more of an effect on leak resistance than a particular brand. I would think if you are doing a seasonal site especially in upstate NY you would want to build something like this:

[image]

Lwiddis

Southern California :(

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Posted: 06/07/22 04:12pm

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Roof maintenance is the key. Check those records closely on a used RV and do maintenance at least twice a year.

Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

theoldwizard1

SE MI

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Posted: 06/07/22 04:53pm

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The longest lasting roofing material is aluminum. Still not perfect as there will be seams that are potential leak points.

Any trailer that is 10 years old and not had EXCELLENT care (wash and treat with UV resistant spray) is going to need a new roof (NOT A RECOAT) soon.

A carport type covering is your best solution.

WNYBob

Tonawanda, NY

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Posted: 06/07/22 05:01pm

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We have a TT with a fiberglas roof, made the same way as the walls. It is a 2014 and shows no signs of deterioration.
PS it is a Evergreen Ascend 231RKB, which is regretfully no longer made.

Skibane

San Antonio, TX

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Posted: 06/07/22 08:32pm

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theoldwizard1 wrote:

The longest lasting roofing material is aluminum.

Molded fiberglass is right up there, too.

Most of the GMC motorhomes built in the 1970's still have their original roofs. A lot of them still look brand-new.

[image]

theoldwizard1

SE MI

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Posted: 06/07/22 08:40pm

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Skibane wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:

The longest lasting roofing material is aluminum.

Molded fiberglass is right up there, too.

I forgot about that because there are so few RVs that have that.

TPO, especially commercial grade (thickness) is an excellent choice for an OEM roof.

Camper445

Sticks

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Posted: 06/08/22 03:16am

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For the last 8-10 years the vast majority of travel trailers and 5th wheels have Alpha Systems Superflex roofing, basically a thin PVC, think thin pool Liner. Forest River and Thor use it on most if not all of their brands and it has been on every Grand Design product ever made. That's about 90%+ of the towable market. Alpha systems entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Lippert in 2020, that should tell you its the cheapest material available.

landingzone

Western NY

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Posted: 06/08/22 06:37am

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theoldwizard1 wrote:

Skibane wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:

The longest lasting roofing material is aluminum.

Molded fiberglass is right up there, too.

I forgot about that because there are so few RVs that have that.

TPO, especially commercial grade (thickness) is an excellent choice for an OEM roof.

What is TPO?