Off-gassing

[Gilda]

Have you ever considered the "Happier Camper" trailer? It does not have rat fur on the walls. Yes, it costs more than many other fiberglass RVs but it might have health advantages for you. https://happiercamper.com/ It has a modular furniture interior whereby the "pods" can be used indoors or out. When all the interior "pods" are removed you have a nifty hauler. Personally, I love the way it has a huge hatchback opening in the rear from which you can enjoy the outdoors and to which you can add a tent extension.

[Mike_L]

The volatile compounds evaporating from the building materials may condense on the "rat fur" fibers. The rat fur may also have some of these compounds residual from its manufacture. In any event. these substances will evaporate over time and can be dissipated with ventilation, removing the contaminated air within the unit and replacing with with clean outside air. The higher the temperature inside the trailer the faster this process occurs.

[chimpta]

Gilda. Thanks for your great suggestions. I was asking about weight because all we have right now is a Honda CR-V with a 1500 lb towing capacity. I am looking into the possibility of a new vehicle but not ready to move on that just yet.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by chimpta

Gilda. Thanks for your great suggestions. I was asking about weight because all we have right now is a Honda CR-V with a 1500 lb towing capacity.

From HC1 FAQ: The HC1 has a dry weight of 1,100 lbs. If it's fully loaded, you can be closer to 1,500+ lbs. We recommend your vehicle has a towing capacity of at least 2,000 lbs, which is the standard for most cars.

[chimpta]

Glenn Baglo. The 1,500 lbs is from Honda. I know in Europe and maybe Canada they rate it much higher. I see you have a Highlander. That is on the top of my list for my next vehicle purchase. Toyota rates it at 5,000 lbs towing and it is top rated from repairpal.com.

[Mike_L]

Tricky business Mark. Initially, when I selected a tug I doubled the dry weight of my trailer, assuming that would give me sufficient capacity. I was mistaken. The weight scale told me I was maxed out, to much extra "stuff"! I've since gone to a tug with a capacity four times my trailer dry weight. Haven't maxed out yet. Easy to underestimate the weight of all that "extra stuff"!

[Rockytop]

We know all the applicable weight limits and we are pretty close even though we are pretty much minimalists. Then we get to rallies for our trailer brand and see all the luxury and convenience items other bring, and we just know how much they have to be overloaded.

[Gilda]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

The volatile compounds evaporating from the building materials may condense on the "rat fur" fibers. The rat fur may also have some of these compounds residual from its manufacture. In any event. these substances will evaporate over time and can be dissipated with ventilation, removing the contaminated air within the unit and replacing with with clean outside air. The higher the temperature inside the trailer the faster this process occurs.

I do think the rat fur collects oils from cooking and odors from other sources in the trailer. I don't remember reading about anyone actually cleaning and airing out their rat fur. Just sayin'.

[chimpta]

Mike L. You may have the right tug formula although that would be an expensive one for me. I also live in the high Rockies so I would often be pulling up and down mountains at high altitude. Certainly a part of what needs to be taken into consideration.

[Mike_L]

Gilda, All aerosols will condense on available surfaces, depending on a number of factors including the surface area available for condensation. "Rat fur" is composed of a multitude of minute fibers. The total combined surface of these fibers is available for aerosol condensation so this capacity is quite large. Over time most of this condensate will evaporate into the surrounding air, again depending on a number factors. Ventilation will remove this contaminated air. This process repeats and the residual condensate on the rat fur diminishes. Washing, as in using a carpet type steamer will also remove residual aerosols as well as non volatile dust and other substances as may originate from cooking etc. Carpet type materials like rat fur are good thermal and acoustic insulation but can accumulate airborne substances and are more laborious to keep clean.

[TexasMarshall]

Sounds to me like your better off living in a tent!

[Mike_L]

Tents are worse. They also sorb these substances. Over time these substances will dissipate from the tent material however if the tent is put away before this happens they are trapped there. Used tents never smell good, that's why they have to be set up and "aired out" before use.

[stevebaz]

Questions to ask the manufacturers. Epoxy or polyester resin used in the shell?
epoxy is less off gassing and cured much sooner.
insulation spray in or foam panels? spray in much more off gassing
solid wood or engineered panels. engineered panels, plywood,osb, partical board allot of off gassing and some use formaldehyde in the adhesives and is particularly bad to sensitive people.
airstreams made of metal so less voc overall. but still full of engineered wood and plastics.

sorry but RVs are full of issues even down to the drain plumbing and the slovents used to glue them.

Modern homes are much worse than RVs as they are sealed so tight these days. sure no lead in the paint, plumbing, no asbestos but a whole lot of fumes leaching out everywhere but outside.

[Glenn Baglo]

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https://www.vox.com/2014/6/11/579999...e-sex-at-night

[Mike_L]

Steve, I totally agree with what you are saying, well put.
If I may, I would like to offer some perspective to the discussion. Using these newer construction materials means potential for exposure to any gasses/vapors fugitive during their curing processes. Eliminating their use would eliminate the hazard but, at what price? What's the trade off, what are we losing or actually, why are we using these "hazardous" materials to begin with?
I suggest it may not be cost related as a lot of these materials aren't cheap. In many cases it may be related to performance; strength, durability, water/mold resistance, weight etc. If you want a strong, light, waterproof durable unit, these construction materials will yield a better product and they are likely to off gas chemicals that we'd best not inhale. So how do we get the best of both worlds?
The substances of concern here are the gasses and vapors fugitive from the manufacturing processes. Gasses and vapors will tend to be airborne at room temperature so when they leave the construction materials they will be in the air. Changing the air gets rid of the chemicals in it.

The "bake out" process is used by companies that manufacture, store and use these materials. It uses heat to increase the rate of off gassing and ventilation to remove the contaminated air.
If you notice an objectionable odor, park your trailer in full sum with one side oriented towards the sun. Open all vents, windows and the door. The following day, orient the other side towards the sun and repeat. Each day there should be a significant decrease in the odor as these substances bleed out.

[Defenestrator]

Originally Posted by stevebaz

Questions to ask the manufacturers. Epoxy or polyester resin used in the shell?
epoxy is less off gassing and cured much sooner.
insulation spray in or foam panels? spray in much more off gassing
solid wood or engineered panels. engineered panels, plywood,osb, partical board allot of off gassing and some use formaldehyde in the adhesives and is particularly bad to sensitive people.
airstreams made of metal so less voc overall. but still full of engineered wood and plastics.

sorry but RVs are full of issues even down to the drain plumbing and the slovents used to glue them.

Modern homes are much worse than RVs as they are sealed so tight these days. sure no lead in the paint, plumbing, no asbestos but a whole lot of fumes leaching out everywhere but outside.

As far as I know, all the molded fiberglass trailers use polyester resin and not epoxy.

There's also a decent amount of adhesive and sealant used in addition to all that.. I pulled a corner cover down in my Bigfoot (unnecessarily, as it turns out) to install a backup camera and recently glued it back in place. Grant didn't seem to picky about what should be used, just any sort of sealant, so I used the Proflex I had. It seems to have worked pretty well, but it took almost a week to actually cure to the point that it wasn't noticeably off-gassing.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Gilda

I do think the rat fur collects oils from cooking and odors from other sources in the trailer. I don't remember reading about anyone actually cleaning and airing out their rat fur. Just sayin'.

After 16 years of use I see no evidence to support your hypothesis.
Of course we periodically clean and maintain our Scamp interior... sweep the floor, wash the bedding, treat the wood ,etc. Vacuuming the walls is way down any list of priorities since it has never been a problem, other than a couple of spot cleanings which proved amazingly easy.

[Mike_L]

Have you never smelled camp smoke on your clothes? Hang the clothes outside for a day and its gone.