[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ new member, finging the right camper for our needs

[jashyd]

Hello, I am a new member here. I am changing from a 5th. wheel camper to a truck camper . I have a 2004 dodge 1 ton dually diesel long bed. My problem is I don't know what size camper will be right for our needs. we may have as many as 4 adults some times but mostly just 2 or 3 . I do want a dry bath ,A/c furnace ,most all common items . I am wanting a used one . I was told that a Lance is the best but that to me is hear say . We camp 2 to 3 weeks a year and some weekends . I need advice from all you good folks . Thank You.

[SidecarFlip]

Lance continually flip flops between wood and aluminum and has for years. I think it depends on the cost of materials more than anything else.

Myself, I prefer wood framing for a couple reasons.
1. Aluminum transfers heat and cold, wood don't. Because the walls of a TC are thing to begine with, any between the wall insulation is minimal to begin with so the aluminum further reduced the insulation efficiency.

2. Aluminum breaks (at the welds), wood flexes. In an off road scenario, you are flexing the camper. Aluminum will break, the wood will give. Very important to me.

3. Welding of the joints themselves. One of the TC owners on RVNet has a Lance with a slide and the lower aluminum extrusion broke at the weld joint and he had to tear the entire side apart to get to it and when he did, the joint was cold welded (looked like bird poop). Aluminum welding takes some skill (even with pulsed MIG and cannot be rushed. In typical RV fashion, Lance did the hurry up and get it done job and the weld failed.

Wood framing, on the other hand flexes and gives and joints don't break. What destoys a wood frame is rot and rot comes about because the owner don't maintain the seals. A weather tight wood framed camper will last indefinitely so long as it's maintained.

Having said that, not maintaining an aluminum framed camper will also cause water intrusion, soaked insulation between the outer and inner walls, mold groth and eventual failure of the aluminum frame because, aluminum also corrodes away.

Northstar (Wiilett Company) only builds wood framed campers. They started out with aluminum frames and years back switched to wood and have stayed with wood since. Northstar will tell you that wood flexes and aluminum don't and they build for off road use. Been building them for 30 years now, I suspect they know.

Myself, I prefer wood, you may not, but don't state that Lance only builds aluminum framed campers because that is not correct. They may at the present time be building aluminum frames, but in past years have built wood framed units. I know, I had one.

[Chief 2]

Lance continually flip flops between wood and aluminum and has for years.  I think it depends on the cost of materials more than anything else.

Myself, I prefer wood framing for a couple reasons.
1.  Aluminum transfers heat and cold, wood don't.  Because the walls of a TC are thing to begine with, any between the wall insulation is minimal to begin with so the aluminum further reduced the insulation efficiency.

2.  Aluminum breaks (at the welds), wood flexes.  In an off road scenario, you are flexing the camper.  Aluminum will break, the wood will give.  Very important to me.

3.  Welding of the joints themselves.  One of the TC owners on RVNet has a Lance with a slide and the lower aluminum extrusion broke at the weld joint and he had to tear the entire side apart to get to it and when he did, the joint was cold welded (looked like bird poop).  Aluminum welding takes some skill (even with pulsed MIG and cannot be rushed.  In typical RV fashion, Lance did the hurry up and get it done job and the weld failed.

Wood framing, on the other hand flexes and gives and joints don't break.  What destoys a wood frame is rot and rot comes about because the owner don't maintain the seals.  A weather tight wood framed camper will last indefinitely so long as it's maintained.

Having said that, not maintaining an aluminum framed camper will also cause water intrusion, soaked insulation between the outer and inner walls, mold groth and eventual failure of the aluminum frame because, aluminum also corrodes away.

Northstar (Wiilett Company) only builds wood framed campers.  They started out with aluminum frames and years back switched to wood and have stayed with wood since.  Northstar will tell you that wood flexes and aluminum don't and they build for off road use.  Been building them for 30 years now, I suspect they know.

Myself, I prefer wood, you may not, but don't state that Lance only builds aluminum framed campers because that is not correct.  They may at the present time be building aluminum frames, but in past years have built wood framed units.  I know, I had one.

As I originally stated Lance switched over from building with wood framing back in 2005. Since then they have used aluminum.