Metal vs. fiberglass siding

[rrharley]

What are some of the pros and cons of metal vs. fiberglass trailer siding? I think I like the glass. I've had metal and it dents and tears quite easily. Thx.

[rrharley]

What are some of the pros and cons of metal vs. fiberglass trailer siding? I think I like the glass. I've had metal and it dents and tears quite easily. Thx.

[afrank1971]

That would be my only comment as well. My first trailer was metal, it dented easy and was more difficult to keep looking new. The next 5th wheel was fiberglass and I would never go back to a metal sided RV. The fiberglass looks better, is easier to keep looking new, and resists dents and the like. The pro I've heard to metal is that it doesn't weigh as much.

[K-Star]

to me appearence and ease of cleaning are to two major pros. If you can get Gelcoat, even better.

[LindaH]

I guess it depends on what kind of metal you're talking about.

We had a Lazy Daze Class C which has an exterior made of smooth (note, not the "wavy" aluminum siding), sectional replaceable aircraft aluminum panels (which can be individually replaced if damaged). The aluminum panels are then painted with aircraft type two-part polyurethane enamel, which is very easy to keep looking nice for years.

[FatDog]

the gel weighs a lot more, i forget the exact weight of it from the last time i bought a 5'r (with metal siding) but 800 pounds (??)

with seemingly just about everyone trying to rationalize being overweight with their rig, i chose the lighter,
the gel looks better

[RustyJC]

We've had the textured metal siding as well as gelcoat-coated fiberglass. The gelcoat fiberglass wins hands-down in terms of appearance, dent resistance and reduced maintenance to keep it looking good.

Rusty

[blacktie.shooter]

When I was looking at pre-owned aluminum-sided Safari coaches, I saw mostly nice looking rigs, almost no appearance problems. And, as you know, weight is critical in motorhomes. I ended up with glass, and have to work to stay within my GVW and GCVW. I realize glass may not be the whole problem, but it has to contribute to it.

[Ray,IN]

On the other side of the coin, aluminum dents look bad but don't leak. Metal panels are replaceable; dents in fiberglass look bad, are difficult to repair, and often leak. Wavy fiberglass panels look worse than dented metal in my opinion. Replacing a fiberglass panel is either quite difficult or near impossible.
That said, we like our present fiberglass sided 5er; last one was aluminum, incl roof.

[JAH]

I have had both. I have had two fiberglass sided, one MH one 5th which delaminated. Aluminum doesn't delaminate.