Aluminum vs Fiberglass

[Rickho]

Sometimes the feedback can leave you more undecided because there’s no shortage of opinion. But it’s honest opinion based on real life scenario not the word of folks that need to make this months commission quota. The moral of the story is to investigate your purchase thoroughly, especially a used TT. Pay particular attention to maintenance and you’ll have many years of good service. It’s an investment just like anything else.
After you’ve made your purchase, these are forums are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to finding a reputable repair facility or as a diy for repairing electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and general care.
It’s fun and enjoyable and you’ll meet a lot of really nice people along the way. Best of luck

[AA4TG]

I'm sorry, but the picture comparison is not going to help the OP. It is very easy to see by looking at the TV, that the crash involving the Dutchman was a more violent crash. Also, to use pictures as anecdotal evidence, you need to consider speed, driver reaction and the difference between construction methods. Using these pictures is like saying that I should have kept my delaminated Coachman class C insteadof the aluminum skinned Tiffin class A. Apples to apples please. The OP wan already confused, and we don't help by confusing the issue even more. The OP would really be helped if he and the DW could take a couple of factory tours or talk to current owners and find out what they liked or disliked and if they would have made the purchase again knowing what they know now. The knowledge on this forum is boundless, but is at times, very confusing because of personal preference. To the OP, good luck with your decision, it can be nerve wracking at times.

[Nut4speed]

Originally Posted by AA4TG

I'm sorry, but the picture comparison is not going to help the OP. It is very easy to see by looking at the TV, that the crash involving the Dutchman was a more violent crash. Also, to use pictures as anecdotal evidence, you need to consider speed, driver reaction and the difference between construction methods. Using these pictures is like saying that I should have kept my delaminated Coachman class C insteadof the aluminum skinned Tiffin class A. Apples to apples please. The OP wan already confused, and we don't help by confusing the issue even more. The OP would really be helped if he and the DW could take a couple of factory tours or talk to current owners and find out what they liked or disliked and if they would have made the purchase again knowing what they know now. The knowledge on this forum is boundless, but is at times, very confusing because of personal preference. To the OP, good luck with your decision, it can be nerve wracking at times.

These are just one example. Feel free to do a Google image search RV rollover. I did. Vast majority of hard sided trailers are relatively intact. Vast majority of aluminum sided trailers are in pieces.

[Rickho]

There’s no doubt that fiberglass is far more rigid. But you need to weight the good and bad. I didn’t buy my aluminum skinned TT with the thought of survivability in a roll over. At the end of the day in a roll over both units are totaled. I bought it based on how i felt it would stand up to my harsher weather in the northeast. Delam potential in constant wetter climate was my concern. My thinking was that I can peel back aluminum skin and replace internal damage, caulk, and resecure. But once water damages infiltrates fiberglass I now have double the work and double the cost. It really comes down to preference and what you feel will serve you better. Had I lived in the southern part of the US then fiberglass would have been my top choice.

[69Stang]

I've had two aluminum trailers and one fiberglass trailer. I really preferred the fiberglass because it was a lot easier to maintain. I would wax the TT twice a year and the aluminum is a huge pain to wax with all the ridges. I preferred the look of fiberglass over the aluminum as well.

[Hey Vern]

Many years ago all RV's were made with wood and aluminum siding. The aluminum was a better grade and thicker than today. That is all you would see, aluminum. Then smooth sided fiberglass was introduced to the RV market. It looked nice, easy to clean and wax, stronger than the wood framed RV's. The learning curve on new Technology fiberglass was tough for the builders. You had to have the right laminating procedures to make the walls strong and many manufactures did not have that. Delam was a big problem then. Once the process was improved for fiberglass, the delam issues slowed down a lot. Of course water leaks will ruin anything. Today the fiberglass is a lot better product. The aluminum RV's today use a thinner and lightweight skin. Look at the aluminum RV's today in hot weather. You will see ripples from the aluminum expanding in the sun and heat. That opens up seams for water intrusion. Not good. The expansion of fiberglass is not even close to aluminum. No open seams. Of course maintaining roof and caulking is still very important, aluminum or fiberglass. Just like Boats were built out of wood long ago, then fiberglass became the norm. Same thing. Fiberglass has the smooth surface and gives the owner better fuel mileage as well. Aluminum has more wind surface area with the uneven surface that will hurt fuel mileage. Pros and cons on both products, but overall fiberglass wins hands down. Most fiberglass RV's will hold better value and resale for more than an aluminum sided RV. Hope this helps.
Good luck with your choice.

[Cumminsfan]

It seems that the delam issue has disappeared for the most part like the frame failures of Lippert. Time and technology have caught up with the MFG'ing process. I almost never see delam on any newer (5-8 years old) trailers.
There's really no upside to an aluminum TT. Less R value, dents easily, noisy, less mpg, wood framing, outdated looks, etc.

[RPr]

It is not a matter of which is better, it is which you prefer.

Aluminum is the classic "stick and tin". It is well established, easy to repair, often lighter and is not going away any time soon.

Fiberglass or its many variants is newer, however it is still several decades old. Fiberglass is popular because it lends itself to more unique shapes and offers large surfaces for graphics and other artworks.

Aluminum dents, fiberglass debonds, choose your poison there. If I lived where severe hail storms were common, I would choose fiberglass. If I lived were intense sunshine was liable to debond my panels I would choose aluminum.

I live in IN where neither is much of a problem. In my world, floor plan trumps all else, followed closely by towability and cost. What the TT is wrapped in makes little difference.

I wash/wax my TT twice a year, whether it needs it or not. Others are more concerned about such things and make much to-do about obscure issues to numerous to mention.

Neither material is vastly superior and neither is going away any time soon.

Safe travels.

[Desert Flyer]

The OP isn’t in the Southwest, but here I worry over the constant intense sun which takes its toll on fiberglass. If not well kept, it deteriorates quickly and the fibers start shedding. Whereas aluminum just keeps on going.

[bobbin]

Originally Posted by Desert Flyer

The OP isn’t in the Southwest, but here I worry over the constant intense sun which takes its toll on fiberglass. If not well kept, it deteriorates quickly and the fibers start shedding. Whereas aluminum just keeps on going.

fact; quality comes at a price.
1/ true, any laminated panel can delaminate if conditions are right. it all depends upon the materials and methods. - ie quality.
2/ solid FB should not fray under atmospheric conditions. fray means the resin used was vastly inferior. again, quality.
3/ FB can be coated with a variety of materials. standard gel-coat is pretty, but not the best for extreme conditions. I applied a ceramic coating to my FB shell TT, and it was fantastic: a 20mil coating created an R factor of 200, so I was cool and warm under all conditions. very easy to apply and durable, but very costly. I then applied epoxy paint to give a colour scheme and trim: anti-UV, toughness, etc.
4/ built properly, a FB shell TT will not fray or deteriorate, and will withstand punishment far far better than Al or Laminate, and will be impervious to water. the shell's frame must be adequately reinforced at doors and other stress points, lest cracking occur. again, quality.

[RPr]

All of us have seen crappy aluminum and crappy fiberglass hulks sitting in a campground from time to time. Neither is typical of either product.

I have seen some marvelous panoramas on the surface of some really large fiberglass 5vers. Impressive but not my cup of tea and certainly not a reason I would buy one. Pretty though.

From the advice given so far the OP can see that everyone has their preferences and reasons for buying what they want. Just one of the many choices RVers face.

[Gigattime]

When it comes to maintaining the exterior, fiberglass is much easier to wash/wax and even to reseal seams/corners.

We've had both types and prefer fiberglass. As for weight, our aluminum trailer was lighter than it's fiberglass brother when we purchased that one new. We liked the weight savings at the time.

[AaronColo]

One thing I found out was that fiberglass with wood stud construction does not provide lighting protection for the occupants. Fiberglass with aluminum studs will but many RVs are not built with metal studs. Aluminum exterior with wood studs will still provide protection.

[Jay D.]

3 years ago we were at a large dealer looking at new T/T's, when I just happen to look at an aluminum sided T/T. my eye caught something strange, small pin holes along the molding were the front cap joined the side. it looked like corrosion or electrolysis, not a good thing for a rv that might have been a year old or could have been a last year model. still something to think about.
Jay D.