Hello. I really love looking at the Mellow Mike and Truck Camper Mag websites. Great information, and they both cover things in their own way. This week there was an article in the Mellow Mike site about using wood over aluminum for framing a truck camper. Having had both wood and metal framed truck campers, I know the plus' and minus's of their use. One thing that I would like to see, perhaps as an option if you are ordering a wood framed one, would be the use of clear penetrating epoxy sealer on the wood frames, as they are being built. Having an old wood boat, I have had experience with the basic CPES like GitRot, and with other more commercially brands. They are not like an thick epoxy, but pretty much like water, which soaks/wicks into the wood, especially on exposed ends. Some boat restorers treat the replacement wood, below the waterline, and then treat the wood like any other wood. And some new construction does everything on the hull and ribs with it. I think that if truck camper manufactures had their wood frames treated, the problem with a leak destroying the wood, when you don't see a leak for a while, would be eliminated. Just a thought.

Won't happen. The RV industry for the most part is profit over quality driven. Any additional steps constitute a loss of profit and / or an increase in asking price to compensate for the lost profit and being a competitive marketplace, the chances of that occuring are slim and none.

IMO, the greatest threat to water intrusion on any camper is first off, lack of preventative maintenance, you must perform preventative maintenance on the seals and caulking every year without fail, especially if the unit sits outside all the time.

Secondly, sitting outside in the elements....

I keep my unit inside a building unless I'm using it. Indoor storage promotes longevity and minimizes water intrusion and rot.

I read Mellow Mikes stuff too and I don't agree with his views 100% Good points and not so good points. I tend to take blogs like that with a grain of salt...always.

You are right about profit over quality. But, if there were enough truck camper purchasers who asked, someone might get the idea that it might be a way to add $ to retail, as an option. Demand might, probably won't, but might give some RV company a lightbulb moment for a more attractive feature for wood framing. I look at both TCM and Mello Mike like Ford and Chevy. Both have their strengths, and the more you read in both sites, the more ammo for being able to make your own decisions. Having worked on truck campers for 30+ years, I have seen pretty much all manufacturers improve on sealing the campers with better materials, and view CPES as just another step in the long road of progress in campers and in wood boats. Just because it is not happening now, doesn't mean it can't happen in the future.

During my younger years I spent a great deal of time building wood working projects. The staining and sealing process IMO was a necessary step for both beauty and longevity. This seems like a step in the right direction, however I am sure Rex over at Northstar would offer it as an option if it was as simple as it sounds.

Cost might be an issue but I bet it's more about the possibility of excessive gasses being released. The incompatibility of chemicals may also be a problem. My projects always required several coats to achieve the desired result. I doubt any assembly line has the time to divert the entire wood structure through a AQMD approved spray booth.

For the sake of conversation, here are my two observations. I have seen the you tube videos of workers applying glue to the side wall just prior to the fiberglass walls being fastened. I can only hope that a slotted trowel is used to evenly spread the glue over the entire surface prior to the wall being fastened. Sadly, I get the feeling that this step is not being preformed. The whole process reminds of the steps I engaged in while installing the hard wood floors in my home. Even distribution of the self leveling product as well as the glue was mandatory.

My second suggestion would be to widen the perimeter trim. This would allow a larger amount of the roof and side walls to be covered and pressed down. The larger overlap would help to prevent retraction of the two surfaces resulting in exposed edges where water can and would enter.