Would you ever go to a "Stick Built Camper"

[trainman]

Originally Posted by dblcola

Trainman you should watch this video before making the jump.

Are they building travel trailers or mobile homes. Seven hours to build one, it takes 3-4 weeks to build a Casita, wonder where the difference is

trainman

[Jack L]

While I prefer molded fiberglass for many reasons, I could have just as many fun adventures with a stick built.

[Jon in AZ]

Seven hours to assemble one. Many components are pre-fabricated in separate workspaces. Lots more people working at one time.

It might be more instructive to look at total man-hours that go into each trailer.

Both conventional and molded trailers can suffer from defects related to hurry-up assembly.

[rbryan]

The video also has links below it for Lance trailers. I'm not a fan of stickies but there's no comparison in quality between the Jayco and the Lance. No way I'd consider a trailer like a Jayco whose superstructure is just studs nailed together. Trailers move. Besides, a box covered with corrugated metal siding is (let me be kind here) rather unattractive.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by DebCost

An Airstream hardly qualifies as a "stick built" camper.

Stick built means a framed structure with a skin and that is exactly what an Airstream trailer is. The framing can be wood, aluminum or steel. The skin can be steel, aluminum, wood or composites.



some of the molded fiberglass trailers are somewhat of hybrids in that some of them do have some wood framing adhered to the inside of the shell.


As to would I buy a stick built trailer? Yes, if the framing was aluminum and the skin was either aluminum or a good quality of composite and there was a good quality adhesive such as VHB tape used between the skin and the frame and it was insulated then I would have no hesitation about such a trailer.

[BatDude]

We have loved our 16 Scamp and now that the time has come to upsize a bit we are moving to an Escape 19.


All the research and looking around suggest this was the only way to go with our TV.



Yep loads of "stickies" out there. Many lightly used for a huge $$$ amount off but at the cost of a huge weight gain.


A FG is worth the wait for the weight in my humble opinion.


Bat Dude

[FRED SMAILES]

Yes, we bought a stickie last year.
we use our boler for going south mostly when we say in rv parks.
We really like BC Provincial parks but most of the ones around here don't have showers or decent bathrooms so we started looking for a trailer that did.
We ended up with a little 5th wheel that has everything we wanted for 2 grand and can be pulled by a halfton.
happy with it and don't have 10 grand tied up in it, and who knows maybe one day I'll sell the boler and spend more time exploring around here.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Tom 72

Sure. Let's say the Dr. tells me I have six months to live, and I want to enjoy it. Who wants to wait while it is built? Who cares about resale? I suppose I'd finance it too.

In my mind that's a better argument for ordering a molded trailer today, before you get that diagnosis. If you can't afford the molded trailer of your dreams, then yes, buy what you can find and afford.

Once the bad news comes, you'll be staying close to home- doctors, hospitals, and insurance- for access to care, pain management, emotional support of family and friends.

Travel while you can!

[thrifty bill]

2008 Mallard Stickie Fail:

Great video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dQkQFJvuVw

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

In my mind that's a better argument for ordering a molded trailer today, before you get that diagnosis. If you can't afford the molded trailer of your dreams, then yes, buy what you can find and afford.

Once the bad news comes, you'll be staying close to home- doctors, hospitals, and insurance- for access to care, pain management, emotional support of family and friends.

Travel while you can!

A number of hospitals and places such as cancer care centers have RV parking for patients who need to be there for a while for treatment. Children's hospital in Seattle has such an area where they family can live in an RV while their child gets treatment. Some hospitals and clinics in Arizona also have this kind of parking. While not every facility does it is more common that you might realize as people often have to travel distances to medical facilities to get care that is not available to them in their local area. It is a lot less stressful emotionally and of course financially too for the patients and their families.

[BatDude]

Hmmm?

[steve dunham]

I hope someday that a fiberglass trailer manufacturer will build a trailer longer than 19 feet that is reasonably priced and of acceptable quality . Right now it is more of an either or proposition and in one case it’s none of the above . Kind of Sad

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by k corbin

A number of hospitals and places such as cancer care centers have RV parking for patients who need to be there for a while for treatment. Children's hospital in Seattle has such an area where they family can live in an RV while their child gets treatment. Some hospitals and clinics in Arizona also have this kind of parking. While not every facility does it is more common that you might realize as people often have to travel distances to medical facilities to get care that is not available to them in their local area. It is a lot less stressful emotionally and of course financially too for the patients and their families.

True. Certainly if you already have an RV, it could be of some help in accessing care, more for care-givers than the patient. We live 4 hours from a major urban area so I do understand the challenges- both our kids were premature and hospitalized in the city for the first month of their lives. Phoenix, unfortunately, is really too hot to live out of an RV at least half the year.

However, I was responding to a suggestion that, having received a terminal illness diagnosis, one might rush out and buy a stick-built trailer in order to spend one's last months traveling. I have recently lost three family members and a friend to cancer, all discovered at stage 4 with life expectancies at diagnosis around 6 months. All became too sick to travel within the first month or two. All required regular visits to their oncologist and other specialists, keeping them "close to home," meaning within the same state at least, since many insurance plans only cover emergency care outside the state-based provider network.

The image of "going out in a blaze of glory" traveling the continent struck me as unrealistic.

[Rzrbrn]

I like to think I have no or minimal bias when it comes to the construction method of a travel trailer. Nothing wrong with wood frame and aluminum skin.

It all depends on the care with which it is put together and quality, methods and materials used.

And maybe just as important, if not more, is continued maintenance by the owner.

I checked out the Taylor Coach. They don't put much effort into their web site. Interesting that you can get a trailer with width options from 6'6" to 7'3". Exactly what I would like in a travel trailer.

But no floor plans on the website.

We actually prefer the white of the Casita. Did not like the interior wood/darkness of the Escape or the Taylor. But it might be acceptable with the Taylor after seeing one, which does not appear to be possible. No dealerships and apparently no owner inspection program like Casita has, or at least not mentioned on the website.

Taylor links do not work.

No Taylor owner's forum, other than a link to a Facebook page. I don't use Facebook so it's not available to me and the link did not work anyway.

Now if I could find a comparable trailer made in the US, It might be a real consideration.

I have been looking at Lances. Also I go to Lance forum. First really big issue, most have slide outs. New models have a window in the front which has resulted in many complaints of leaking. They had a problem with frames bending. I don't recall reading that any were recalled by the factory. The issue was corrected when identified by the owners, and has been corrected for current product. Most recently Lance has a problem with the front sloping part of the roof where it curves to become the nose of the trailer, becoming delaminated. Company went from luan substrate to PVC substrate back to luan, but have not issued a recall. They do correct the issue when identified by the owner.

So just when I start thinking Lance might be a possibility new issues seem to pop up and I turn back to Casita and Airstream.

At least AS is made of good solid heavy duty materials. Look at the door hinges for instance or the window and door frames. Now if they would just use an aluminum sheet thick enough to withstand a typical midwestern hailstorm...

And improve on their QA and maybe use precision robots. Hand made by skilled craftsmen is one thing, but workers that have minimal skill is another. For instance, look where the metal interior wall joins with the exterior wall...looks like someone used tin snips to make the fit. Or where the door frame meets the walls at the inside bottom. Or how the vinyl flooring curls up along some of the edges. Or the lackadaisical way caulking is applied around the windows...Someone mentioned that AS does not use glue in the wood cabinet joints. And the plywood in the floor is not marine grade and will delaminate when wet. Wetness due to condensation as much as leak

I thought about making my own TT using the covered utility trailer as a basis and someone previously suggested. But wife is smarter then I am and said no way. She has first hand experience with my handiwork.

Sorry about this long winded rant, sometimes my frustration just comes out...writing on the forum becomes a bit of a catharsis.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I hope someday that a fiberglass trailer manufacturer will build a trailer longer than 19 feet that is reasonably priced and of acceptable quality . Right now it is more of an either or proposition and in one case it’s none of the above . Kind of Sad

Very doubtful as long as manufacturers remain sold out with multiple month or even a year’s worth of backlog orders in hand.

It takes a lot of guts and money to create new models and it invites quality problems.

Sitting back and making the same models year after year is a mistake IMHO. At some point a new competitor comes into the market with a better product. Their sales come out of the existing brands sales. So best to be in continual improvement mode: better features, innovative floor plans, reasonable cost.

Escape is pretty unique in redesigning their products with the expense of new molds, dropping models, adding others. It would be wonderful if one of the other established brands joined into this process as Escapes are certainly not for everyone!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Sitting back and making the same models year after year is a mistake IMHO. At some point a new competitor comes into the market with a better product. Their sales come out of the existing brands sales...

I suppose you mean Scamp and Casita. I don't see it, though. Sales at Scamp and Casita have not suffered as a result of Escape's entry into the market. Many Escape owners started out in a Scamp or Casita and traded up. There will always be room for entry-level trailers, and the slow pace of change is what helps them maintain entry-level prices.

If someone else can figure out how to produce a better small 13'-16' molded trailer at Scamp or Casita prices, I'm all for it!

[steve dunham]

What frustrates me is the high price point accompanied by entry level quality in some brands . Oliver has the quality and it’s priced accordingly but when all is said and done it’s still a Casita with 6 ft added

[Fred762]

Wife & I talked this over at length. WE have a 2018 Casita Independence Dlx 17'. We like it fine but would have probably dropped a few more bux for a 21 footer IF Casita made one. [Be nice to have 6" more width and a dinette full-time.] Liked the Oliver Legacy 21 footer but it was waay waay waay above my price range.

[NASA42]

Folks.....

I really care for my Casita (as I did for my 1st one). But in life, my 77 years have told me to never say "never". However, I do know how to say "EXTREMELY UNLIKELY".

Frank

[Steve Outlaw]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

What frustrates me is the high price point accompanied by entry level quality in some brands . Oliver has the quality and it’s priced accordingly but when all is said and done it’s still a Casita with 6 ft added

Actually, a Casita with six extra feet is an Escape. An Oliver Elite II is an Oliver Elite I with six feet added.