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Travel Trailers aka I can’t afford land/cottage thread because I am the poors

I know everyone puts holes in the roof (Vents) they are just a place for water to co come in. look at any of the early 1950s stuff they knew this and put the vent windows in on the sides at ceiling height with a eyebrow over the top to move the water away. My 5th wheel even has a moon roof over the bed, luckley so far no signs of leaks, but the previuose owner told me the roo has been resealed in the last two years, and of course in NM rains are few and far between
 
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Projectjunkie said:
I think there's some stuff missing here, and assumptions being made


You're not going to live in this full time with your family, are you?


I'm taking this as you want to go camping a few times a year and eventually buy a summer cabin vacation home?
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You are correct, I do not intend to live out of this full time. I am thinking if we committed to buying I would drag the trailer to the site while we build but yeah I’m tong 1-2 weeks
Max living in it at a time.

I need to read the other two pages, I wasn’t expected this many replies
 
[memphis] said:
I

You are correct, I do not intend to live out of this full time. I am thinking if we committed to buying I would drag the trailer to the site while we build but yeah I’m tong 1-2 weeks
Max living in it at a time.

I need to read the other two pages, I wasn’t expected this many replies
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A guy at work told me years ago, don't build a vacation cabin yourself. Every time you "get days off" or "go on vacation" you wind up working on your fucking cabin.

Ymmv
 
ToughBowtieTruck said:
They're pressured to work quickly.
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crispins said:
I couldn't imagine working at that pace everyday, mistakes cannot help but to be made operating like that
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That reminds me of working at discount tire in the 90's.

"hey you are slow, go to the bathroom."

In the bathroom find 2 lines of coke drawn out on the toilet lid. :eek:
 
You can't bag on Forest River as a whole as they are a conglomerate of multiple brands. I have a Flagstaff Mini Lite that was built in early 2020 (model year 2021) just before the Covid issues. It has about 29k miles on it across 27 states and trips up to 4 weeks of continuous use.

Would I trust to live in it full time on the move? Probably not. Would I trust it to live in full time parked and rarely moved, sure.
 
This is an interesting thread...... GF took in a couple of loosers and is allowing them to camp out on the horse ranch (tents are out of sight). The women is a fucking mental case because of head trauma and is "supported" by her looser son. She is in her mid 60's and is a damm hard worker if given a simple task. She would be great at cleaning up construction sites or maybe a helper of sorts. She is damm good with our horses; that would be enough for her to earn her keep.
GF is considering giving her a small travel trailer and giving her son the GTFO boot.
Never thought that I would be hosting homeless people. :eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
billdacat said:
This is an interesting thread...... GF took in a couple of loosers and is allowing them to camp out on the horse ranch (tents are out of sight). The women is a fucking mental case because of head trauma and is "supported" by her looser son. She is in her mid 60's and is a damm hard worker if given a simple task. She would be great at cleaning up construction sites or maybe a helper of sorts. She is damm good with our horses; that would be enough for her to earn her keep.
GF is considering giving her a small travel trailer and giving her son the GTFO boot.
Never thought that I would be hosting homeless people. :eek::eek::eek::eek:
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Dibs on your stuff when the son goes full retard after eviction. :flipoff2:
 
Sceep said:
That reminds me of working at discount tire in the 90's.

"hey you are slow, go to the bathroom."

In the bathroom find 2 lines of coke drawn out on the toilet lid. :eek:
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At Tower Records we called that Handtruck Fuel. Would do a cash payout from the till on inventory nights.
 
Projectjunkie said:
That is fucking hilarious:laughing:

Like who's fucking idea was it to show this? That's like your tinder date filming herself caking on makeup and Spanx, or Oscar Mayer making hotdogs:lmao:

Like a goddamn parody:laughing:
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Lovingly assembled with the greatest attention to detail and crafstmanship....

I wonder how much ended up on the cutting room floor because 'we can't show that!'.
 
Tin Roof said:
Dibs on your stuff when the son goes full retard after eviction. :flipoff2:
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GF or I will call 811 if the son goes into retard mode. :smokin::smokin::smokin::smokin:\ :eek:
I wouldn't be supprised if she hasn't booted him already today. She doesn't take any shit....
 
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Projectjunkie said:
A guy at work told me years ago, don't build a vacation cabin yourself. Every time you "get days off" or "go on vacation" you wind up working on your fucking cabin.

Ymmv
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We have a family cabin that is like this so I understand the workload. I have a feeling this family cabin won’t be around for the long haul so I am trying to be proactive about building something for my kids to fight over 😂
 
Squamch said:
We have a 19' zinger. I rebuilt the back 5' of floor when we bought it, the front 5' the next spring, and it's been good since. My wife and I, our 7 year old, and our 2 year old spent most weekends april-june in it, and are gonna be back in it starting last weekend until October. I like my family, so it works fine for us.
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You bought a trailer that rotted out in under 5 years? Fuck that noise…
 
[memphis] said:
You bought a trailer that rotted out in under 5 years? Fuck that noise…
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No, I bought it cheap with a hole in the floor in the back. So I fixed that, then discovered that the previous owner had been draining probably 80% of the water out of the tank and lines out of the trailer every fall. The other 20% he drained out of the tank and lines, but not out of the trailer. That rotted the floor up front.

Then this spring I turned the water pump on and found that the toilet valve had had water left in it and split.
Other issues I've had have been;
The main propane line work hardened and cracked once after 150km or so of logging roads.
Leaf spring broke on a run to that same spot.
Wood panel behind the stove came loose on another long logging road run and had to be set back in place.
On/off switch for the fridge wore out and gave me FITS until I spent $35 and replaced the panel:laughing::homer:
 
How about a wall tent? I went from a 2019 Forest River xlr toy hauler to a canvas wall tent on a platform and liked it more. I mean, no a/c, but i had solar lights, an charger for phone, you could probably do a pv system or propane for a fridge, coleman stove. Little wood stove, was alright. Site selection is more important for sure.

You could sell it to the kids as going "camping". Everyday were camping, yay! I bet with everything its still cheaper than an rv by alot, and can be packed up and put in a truck bed.

My project back home is a 93 bluebird schoolbus to setting for long term off grid camping. Thats built a lot better than the toy hauler.
 
I've got a "rebuilt" 2004 Coachman that I bought with a bad roof, I tore off all the siding and roof and replaced, the cheap 1/4" laminate with 1/2" marine ply then put the siding back on and a new roof from Amazon, new tires and all LED lights inside, We've put lots of miles on it but I understand its still an old camper. There's always a repair list when we get home.

I'm rebuilding a 66 Airstream now, I like the structure better, but there isn't a straight line in the damn thing. I got an almost free wilderness fifthwheel for parts for the airstream.

AND I just hauled home a Truck bed popup because I wasn't being masochistic enough just working the airstream. Probably going to have to skin it the same way I did the Coachman.

My wife is proud of the 4 campers we have in the back yard among other projects.
 
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Arickvan said:
i've been looking at the forest river work n plays on the used market, they seem like they might be built nice

anyone have any experience with those?
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They are the lowest quality on the market. They seriously don’t get worse. I lived on the road racing with an hundred other racing families and that was the one you don’t get because they are soooo poorly built.
 
non-OP said:
You can't bag on Forest River as a whole as they are a conglomerate of multiple brands. I have a Flagstaff Mini Lite that was built in early 2020 (model year 2021) just before the Covid issues. It has about 29k miles on it across 27 states and trips up to 4 weeks of continuous use.

Would I trust to live in it full time on the move? Probably not. Would I trust it to live in full time parked and rarely moved, sure.
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This, Flagstaff and Rockwood are owned by Forest River but they are there own deal. Mine is a 2021 Flagstaff Micro Lite that is far better than others we looked at, no qc issues so far.

Here is a rant about it from a rv guy on Youtube.
 
From best to worst
1. Full aluminum body and roof
2. Fiberglass roof and aluminum sides
3.full fiberglass
4. Plywood sides and roof
Unfortunately almost everything these days is plywood box. Intentionally built for planned obsolescence. I personally lost a trailer and a fifth wheel to water damage. Last one happened in one good rain storm and was a total junkyard loss. Just drug it to the yard and they were dumb enough to take it.
Plywood ones also had mouse and spider problems. I swore I would never do that again and built a aluminum bus.
20210719_171551.jpg
 
pinchegringo said:
From best to worst
1. Full aluminum body and roof
2. Fiberglass roof and aluminum sides
3.full fiberglass
4. Plywood sides and roof
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I love the fact that my 1980 Minnie Winnie 20RG is all-aluminum. Only possible leaks are where accessories pop through the roof (Antenna, A/C, bathroom vent, plumbing vents, fridge vent) and the seams have to be caulked every few years (stored indoors). I'll be running my solar through the fridge vent opening to prevent another potential leak point.

Its just too damned small for more than 2 people longer than an overnight stay.
 
pinchegringo said:
From best to worst
1. Full aluminum body and roof
2. Fiberglass roof and aluminum sides
3.full fiberglass
4. Plywood sides and roof
Unfortunately almost everything these days is plywood box. Intentionally built for planned obsolescence. I personally lost a trailer and a fifth wheel to water damage. Last one happened in one good rain storm and was a total junkyard loss. Just drug it to the yard and they were dumb enough to take it.
Plywood ones also had mouse and spider problems. I swore I would never do that again and built an aluminum bus.
20210719_171551.jpg
Click to expand...
You built the body from scratch?
 
pinchegringo said:
From best to worst
1. Full aluminum body and roof
2. Fiberglass roof and aluminum sides
3.full fiberglass
4. Plywood sides and roof
Unfortunately almost everything these days is plywood box. Intentionally built for planned obsolescence. I personally lost a trailer and a fifth wheel to water damage. Last one happened in one good rain storm and was a total junkyard loss. Just drug it to the yard and they were dumb enough to take it.
Plywood ones also had mouse and spider problems. I swore I would never do that again and built a aluminum bus.
20210719_171551.jpg
Click to expand...
Funny, I can't seem to find your build thread on that. :flipoff2:

Cool bus, can you show some more pics (inside and out) ?
 
Most models now are laminated walls and a plywood roof with a rubber membrane glued to it. You can also find "stick and tin" which is wood walls with aluminum siding over it.
Some models also have laminated floors now which are nice, but impossible to fix on your own.

My camper has laminated walls with a wood floor and roof. Ive had it since 2017 and not had any major issues with it, but Im pretty careful about resealing it every year.
 
Arps said:
You should be able to get a smoking deal right now. Most RV shops are only working 3 days a week right now and model change is next month, so dealers are looking to dump 24's to make room for 25's. A couple of manufacturers also just went to a longer warranty to help ease consumer worries.


Also, research your dealer. They can make or break your experience.
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Are they cheapest in Indiana since their built there? Any place you recommend buying? Been thinking about moving into a camper lately.
 
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