Travel trailers are simply home on wheels. They make trips easier, more comfortable, and generally extra enjoyable. They can even save you a whole lot of money that you’d typically spend on hotels and campsites.
However, travel trailers don’t come cheap, so you should understand exactly what life expectancy you’re investing in. After all, you’re putting thousands of dollars into buying a camper, which makes for pretty high expectations.
Luckily, travel trailers don’t usually disappoint when it comes to aging. Today, we’ll be answering the popular question: how long do travel trailers last? We’ll cover all the factors that may affect the average life of a travel trailer, along with tips on how to extend the years of your vehicle.
What’s the Average Life of a Travel Trailer?
To tell you the truth, it’s hard to come up with one definite answer to this question, simply because there are a bunch of factors that contribute to how long a travel trailer can last.
Besides the brand, the construction, and the design of the travel trailer, there are human factors that are unpredictable but can greatly affect the average life of the vehicle. For example, how you use the travel trailer, how often you do maintenance check-ups, and how long you run it.
For the sake of finding out the answer, let’s talk from a general point of view. Say you buy a trailer from a reputable manufacturer (so you know the construction quality is decent enough) and you perform regular maintenance of your vehicle. In such a case, the travel trailer should last about 10 years on average.
10 years is pretty much the time you’d need to get your money’s worth out of the vehicle. However, it’s only an average estimation as most owners keep their travel trailers in good condition for much longer.
In fact, it’s quite common to see people using their travel trailers even after 20 to 25 years from when they first bought it.
As you can expect, it takes extensive maintenance and proper storage to be able to use a travel trailer for so long. Such care also makes your vehicle an excellent investment, so it’s definitely worth the time and effort.
Keep in mind that this applies mainly to new travel trailers because used ones will already have suffered wear and tear. If you’re buying a used trailer, be sure to thoroughly check the vehicle and get all its details from the seller.
How Many Years Does a Travel Trailer Roof Last?
Why specifically talk about the roof of a travel trailer? Well, the roof is the one key factor that defines the life of a travel trailer. The condition of the roof ultimately decides how long the entire unit will last, so you need to pay much attention to its maintenance.
Over time, most roofs will start to leak so you’ll need to repair or replace your vehicle’s roof eventually. This may happen after the initial 10 years have passed or even earlier. It’s kind of inevitable, even with great care the best you can hope for is 15 years without leakage.
What Causes Damage to a Travel Trailer Roof?
The roof of a travel trailer essentially takes most of the beating that the vehicle goes through. From rain, hail, and snow, all the way to UV rays and fallen objects such as trees.
Beyond the natural culprits, there are other man-made threats that could compromise the integrity of your roof. For example, using harsh chemicals to clean, or cleaning the trailer roof too frequently.
It may sound weird, but cleaning is good within a certain limit. Overdoing it can seriously damage the trailer roof, either from scrubbing too vigorously, using chemicals that ruin the roof’s UV protective coating, or both.
Also, it’s possible that inexperienced (and sometimes experienced) drivers scrape the roof on low overhangs, buildings or walls, and even signposts that are too close. Something as harmless as a stop sign could damage the seam between the siding and roof, which makes it more prone to water leaks.
Typically, a travel trailer roof comes with a warranty of 10 to 15 years. With proper care and maintenance, you can definitely keep it in good shape as long as you avoid doing risky things that may end up costing you a full roof replacement.
How to Protect Your Travel Trailer Roof?
As we mentioned above, the roof of a travel trailer is what ultimately determines the lifespan of your travel trailer.
Although there are some wear factors that you can’t avoid, such as weather elements, there are also things you can do to minimize damage to the roof and extend the average life of your travel trailer.
- Provide adequate storage – there’s only so much that you can do to protect your vehicle from the weather while using it. But when not in use, it’s a good idea to keep your travel trailer sheltered from the elements. A storage shed or a barn can be a perfect spot to park your travel trailer, given that it’s large enough to accommodate the vehicle’s size. Another effective option would be a sturdy trailer cover.
- Schedule regular check-ups – we can’t stress enough on the importance of maintenance when it comes to prolonging the service time of a travel trailer. Regular inspections are crucial to keeping your vehicle in good condition, so make sure you do a thorough check every 6 months to discover any issues before it’s too late.
- Be quick to make repairs – once you spot any problem with the roof, you need to fix it immediately to minimize the extent of the damage. If you notice the roof coating or seal starting to wear off, opt for a liquid sealant right away. As for holes in the roof, you’ll want to use a gun to fill them with a self-leveling sealant.
Wrap Up
So to answer the question “how long do travel trailers last?”, it’s 10 years on average, and up to 25 years with really good care. Remember, you’re bound to encounter some mishaps along the way, so regular inspections are a must for early identification and quick intervention.