Foam Outer Finish Material

[GPW]

Thanks !!! Think I'll take a hammer to my truck , see if that holds up...

[eaglesdare]

ok, ok, lets be nice people. i know we are, but we are getting close to the sarcastic line.

lets get back to the discussion of outer materials for foamies. lets not give reason for mike to regret giving us our foamie section,.

[GPW]

Sarcastic? moi??? I'll bet Big Mike's thinking now this foamie' thing was like a Pandoras box.. or a really Big can o' worms...

[Conedodger]

Er, actually the foam does have some strength ,a good bit , we've used it for many years to great acclaim ...

I am sorry GPW, I seemed to offend you and that was not at all what i was trying to do. I was not saying anything other than my findings.

The foam on its own obviously has some strength but IMHO nothing like traditional materials or the strength it has once covered.

For a laugh I just tested standing a piece if plain foam between 2 bricks and it broke with a snap, I can kick a hole in it in a single kick without much problem.

Even though I wanted to give my test bit some more time to dry or cure (Which is it?) i tried one with cloth on between the bricks and it held my weight which broke the plain foam. Its also much harder to kick through, even with steel toe caps boots, however its possible but you have to be real animal to do it, almost bear like......

Once again sorry, i am no expert, in fact never built a foamie and maybe I should just read and take note

All the best

Colin

[GPW]

Colin , No offense taken in any manner ( and I hope none given) ... Our sarcasm is all intended as good natured and in the spirit of Fun , and part of our artistic questioning nature...
The more we think outside the box , the more we learn , but as with most things when we change the parameters , it becomes something anew...

The Beauty of Foamies' is you can build what You want ... be it fiberglass , Kevlar or bedsheets... Much room for interpretation , each having it's limitations and benefits... all to be considered ... We most welcome your conclusions and testing !!! ...The more we learn , the better TDs we can build !!!...

[swampjeep]

Er, actually the foam does have some strength ,a good bit , we've used it for many years to great acclaim ...

I am sorry GPW, I seemed to offend you and that was not at all what i was trying to do. I was not saying anything other than my findings.

The foam on its own obviously has some strength but IMHO nothing like traditional materials or the strength it has once covered.

For a laugh I just tested standing a piece if plain foam between 2 bricks and it broke with a snap, I can kick a hole in it in a single kick without much problem.

Even though I wanted to give my test bit some more time to dry or cure (Which is it?) i tried one with cloth on between the bricks and it held my weight which broke the plain foam. Its also much harder to kick through, even with steel toe caps boots, however its possible but you have to be real animal to do it, almost bear like......

Once again sorry, i am no expert, in fact never built a foamie and maybe I should just read and take note

All the best

Colin

I don't think you testing it the way it's being used, or even how GPW has talked about it, and you haven't even said what thickness you tested.
I would have guessed that a piece of 1" thick foam laid horizontal, spaning 3' would not hold a cinderblock, but if you support that foam with another piece of 1" vertically from ground to the horizontal piece, I think it would hold up just fine, and the 2 pieces are still lighter then the piece of wood used to compare it too, and in a shelf or seat, that vertical piece may help for form seperate compartments for organization.

GPW has talked about usign 2: right from teh start, and also stated that using 4" over 2" increases strength by 3x, not just 2x

There are lots of ways things can be compared, tested, what ever, but what is all comes down to is this, what is your criteria for this being suitable. If you are looking for bear proof, tree proof, or able to withstand an accident on the road, this isnt' going to be for you. On the other hand if you are looking for easy to work with, great insualtion value, keeping water out better then a tent in every way, sleeping off the ground... then it *may* be for you.

[Conedodger]

Thanks GPW,

As i have said before i want to build a camper for the back of my truck, not a tiny trailer.

I am 100% convinced with using foam but the last thing i want to happen is i make one on some mountain track its falls apart due to a cloth malfuction

[swampjeep]

Thanks GPW,

As i have said before i want to build a camper for the back of my truck, not a tiny trailer.

I am 100% convinced with using foam but the last thing i want to happen is i make one on some mountain track its falls apart due to a cloth malfuction

I would think it would be more flexible then wood, no?

you should be testing a structure, even if it's a box, made out of foam, all glued together.

[Conedodger]

Swampjeep:

I think its just being convinced to take a leap of faith.

At the start my build was going to be Epoxy / glassfiber / Foam.

I never thought i would be but i am now convinced on epoxy in structural points and cloth / PVA in others.

[stomperxj]

Great discussion guys

I too am looking into this with great interest for my next trailer. Glad we have some foam guys on here that can give some real world accounts of how this stuff goes together...

[eaglesdare]

Thanks GPW,

As i have said before i want to build a camper for the back of my truck, not a tiny trailer.

I am 100% convinced with using foam but the last thing i want to happen is i make one on some mountain track its falls apart due to a cloth malfuction

the canvas i used i believe would work for what you are wanting. but the major problem i see (because i don't know anybetter) is attaching it to the metal of a truck. attaching it to wood and bolting down on a trailer frame i get.
hmm, since typing that, i might think you could bolt it down to the truck, using a wood floor?

that leap of faith is a hard jump to make sometimes. so do a test. use the 2" foam and 10oz canvas. canvas to foam with straight slopped on and spread t2/3. put canvas down, then diluted t2/3 rolled on top. give that a try. add primer and 2 coats of paint. give that a kick. i kick my side door open all the time. it gets stuck since we were not perfect in the cutting, so i give it a kick everything i want it open. LOL

oh one more point, make sure the whole unit is attached. i really think you must have the overhanging and over lapping of canvas. must keep all sides attached as one unit. i thought about my build and taking it on back roads, which i do not plan to ever do, but if i did, i would think the bumping would cause the foam to perhaps crack off from the floor wood. but in mine some of the foam is attached to wood, the wood is attached to wood floor, some screws/glue and canvas all working together i just don't seeing it falling apart, the canvas would still be holding on. but afterwards it might need some repairing.

[swampjeep]

eagle, If he is talking a conventional "truck camper", they are not built as part of teh truck, just built to go in the bed of a pick-up truck

here is something as an example, shown both in the truck, and off, they would have some type of straps holdign them to the truck normally

[eaglesdare]

oh i see. told you i had no idea about this stuff.

[swampjeep]

Swampjeep:

I think its just being convinced to take a leap of faith.

At the start my build was going to be Epoxy / glassfiber / Foam.

I never thought i would be but i am now convinced on epoxy in structural points and cloth / PVA in others.

as with everything there are pros and cons...

I'm a designer in the auto industry, your test of foam to wood makes me think about the use of alum. vs iron in many structural parts of auto's.
Although Alum. is lighter, is is weaker too, so to design a part out of alum. to replace were steel or iron was used, the part get larger, sometimes to the point is just won't fit the application, and then reverts back to steel/iron.

Much like this there may be places the foam just won't work.

My plan is to try incorpoating walls, shelves, cabnets, seat/storage/bed platform all together to make a stronger structure over all. On something small I don't think it is needed, but my wife doesn't want something smaller then our 8x10 tent, so I have a big challenge ahead of me.

[GPW]

SJ, I think your plan of incorporating all the elements together is the Logical conclusion of the strength to weight argument , each piece well thought out , supporting, in its own way, the total trailer ... Unibody ... sorta' ... Shelves and cabinets , benches , arches, especially foam ones skinned with either fabric or decorative thin paneling would add tremendous overall strength to the shell ... Strategic positioning is the key.. Auntie M . mentioned this a couple days ago , using the inner elements as bracing for the structure...
More Backyard Engineering !!!
Maybe the idea is to do as so many other TD builders have done and build the inner part first , then glue the foam to that, forming a unit ... Then cover the outside ...

...as far as the floor to wall connection , you could always just fiberglass that area and be done with it ... Reinforcing strips ... most of the stresses would be there anyway , so make that your best job ... saves all the worry , there's plenty of areas in a Foamie that we can Overbuilt and still not be Heavy ... Do what You think is right , no worries later down the road ...