With all the posts on rotted campers, soft floors, broken welds, leaks, jammed slides etc. and generally poor construction maybe there is some hope for the industry??
This is really good news. Ever Green RV's also use a technology devoid of wood (in the structure - cabinets are wood) that looks promising too.
Looks like they will cost more but I'm willing to pay a bit more for better construction.
Sad really, if they could just keep them from leaking then we wouldn't have to worry about any of this.
Scott, Grace and Wesly
2003 Dodge 3500 4x4, 6 speed Cummins (lightly bombed),
2004 Forest River 25RKS many, many mods.
H0NDA eu2000i
It may cost more to have a camper built this way but worth every penny. Have a camper last for years and have better resell value. I really don't think I would sell it though if I could ever get my hands on one. Now I just have to convince the wife that we need to sell the fifth wheel lol.
Yes, but does it have a proven track record. Years ago when I was in the fence construction business, composite fencing came out and it was suppose to be better than sliced bread. Alot of the companies ended up going out of business quickly once they realized that the stuff was not holding up like it was bragged up to be. The poor fence/deck installer was left holding the bag. Obviously alot of the material was later perfected, but I am always leary to jump into this new stuff before its time tested.
2009 Chevy Silverado 3500 dually D/A, Supersprings, Stable Loads, Bilstein Shocks, Hellwig Sway Bar, Front Timbrens.
2010 Arctic Fox 1140 DB, 220 watts solar, custom 4 in 1 "U" shaped dinette/couch, 59 interior and exterior mods to date and still adding
kerry4951 wrote: Yes, but does it have a proven track record. Years ago when I was in the fence construction business, composite fencing came out and it was suppose to be better than sliced bread. Alot of the companies ended up going out of business quickly once they realized that the stuff was not holding up like it was bragged up to be. The poor fence/deck installer was left holding the bag. Obviously alot of the material was later perfected, but I am always leary to jump into this new stuff before its time tested.
Eight year structural warranty. I'm pretty sure the good guys at Hallmark would stand behind it.
The problem is most people don't know and/or don't care how the camper is constructed. All they know is they want to pay the lowest price.
If they can't SEE why they're paying more for a camper, they will pass it by in favor of a less expensive model.
2002 Chevy 3500 DRW 8.1L/Allison
2000 Palomino B1500
...and the reason why I need a DRW to haul a Palomino:
2004 United 7x14 tandem axle enclosed toy trailer
2011 PJ 8x20 7-ton deckover equipment trailer
mkirsch wrote: The problem is most people don't know and/or don't care how the camper is constructed. All they know is they want to pay the lowest price.
I think they do care but they don't know anything about the technology. That's part of the reason all the manufacturer's have ditched wood and gone to aluminum, not because it's better but because someone convinced customers that it is and so people, completely ignorant of the facts, demand it.
As for composites, it's gonna be expensive and on the manufacturer's side there are other problems. For one thing, we know the hazards of sawdust well but how is prolonged exposure to Coosa dust going to affect workers? There are many people who set out to construct a composite, homebuilt aircraft only to develop serious allergies along the way and have to give it up because that type of construction involves some serious amounts of rather nasty dust.
Coosa may be different, I don't know but Hallmark is at least giving it a shot, I'll give them that.
1994 Lance 990 on 1997 F350 PSD Dually "Rhino Haunches"
kerry4951 wrote: Yes, but does it have a proven track record. Years ago when I was in the fence construction business, composite fencing came out and it was suppose to be better than sliced bread. Alot of the companies ended up going out of business quickly once they realized that the stuff was not holding up like it was bragged up to be. The poor fence/deck installer was left holding the bag. Obviously alot of the material was later perfected, but I am always leary to jump into this new stuff before its time tested.
Eight year structural warranty. I'm pretty sure the good guys at Hallmark would stand behind it.
The composite fencing/deck material that I refer to, depending on the manufacturer, gave anywhere from 20 years to a lifetime warranty. Looks great on paper.
I always like innovation and really hope that this either works or leads to something that does work to replace wood. My concern is as stated by someone else that it is not time / use proven and will have to be bounced around a lot before it really can be said to be as good as metal / wood.
My biggest concern is with off gassing. I have been exposed to a lot of off gassing in my working years from products that I was told were safe. I am now fighting to stay alive from a lung disease from this "safe" off gassing. To be in such a small space with so much of the product worries me.
2002 GMC 2500HD 4x4 4 Door
1992 Northern Lite 9'- 6" Camper
Homemade Cargo Trailer for hauling supplies
Advanced Elements Kayaks
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All materials have pluses and minuses.
