New FWC Fleet Shell exterior options fiberglass/silver spur

[makalutoo]

Hey Everyone

I am thinking about ordering a new FWC fleet shell and I am trying to decide on the exterior options. I am sure this has been discussed but I did a search and did not come up with anything I could find.

Silver Spur Option- So is this anything other than grey sheet metal? It seems to me to be a heavy price (500) to pay just for a color change. Is there anything else that FWC does for this besides the metal?

Fiberglass- Are there any benefits to the fiberglass exterior? Does it hold up better against scratches or dents? I have read that it is more difficult to repair if it does it get damaged.

Thanks for the input,
Chris

 

[longhorn1]

We have aluminum and we have heard that the aluminum holds up better than the fiberglass. You probably have to wax the fiberglass on a regular basis. Repairs are easier on the aluminum. FWC has new flat aluminum in colors.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Repeating what JD said, the aluminum is easier to repair and a bit lighter. I agree, that seems like a bunch of green for gray.

Check out All Terrain Campers (ATC) as an alternative to the Fleet. ATC does custom builds as well.

 

[Zirdu]

To me the downside to the fiberglass was that it added considerable weight. When I bought, the only extra with the silver spur exterior was that you got aluminum jack brackets, rather than painted steel, which otherwise would be an upgrade. The real reason I went with the silver spur exterior was because my wife wanted it.

 

[makalutoo]

Thanks for the input. It looks like you get aluminum jack brackets, which are normally 150 dollars. I wonder if the aluminum is just painted and its something I could have done myself later, which would be good then I could pick the color. So many options out there, thanks.

 

[kmcintyre]

Thanks for the input. It looks like you get aluminum jack brackets, which are normally 150 dollars. I wonder if the aluminum is just painted and its something I could have done myself later, which would be good then I could pick the color. So many options out there, thanks.

Do you plan on leaving your jack brackets on? I don't. Who cares if they are AL or not?

 

[rando]

The jack brackets are permanently mounted to the camper, you may be thinking of the jack extensions.

The main reason I didn't go with fiberglass was the extra weight with out much functional improvement. It was fairly significant - 50lb or so on a fleet flatbed. I would have considered flat aluminium if it had been an option when I ordered.

 

[So Cal Adventurer]

Do you offroad a lot in brushy areas or tight trails?

I went with the silver spur exterior on my 2018 Hawk and within 3 trips it looks 10 years old with all the scratches on it.

The silver REALLLLY shows all the small scratches from brush and bush and low trees.

Personally, i dont care, but many people sell their FWCs and upgrade every few years, some will pass by one for sale all scratched up, some believe it adds character.

Just something to think about.

Personally, looking back, if i did it all over again, i would of went with white.

My .02

 

[Wallowa]

Excellent comments..never thought of scratches showing on "silver" material...

Wonder what the weight difference is between steel vs aluminum jack brackets?

Our '16 Hawk has std white, which helps reflect solar, we are happy with that color and the accent strip [same color as our Tundra]..

Ditto on not mounting the jacks to the brackets...not just more weight but the jacks make nice snag and lever points to damage camper out in the boonies...or even parking lots!

Phil

 

[rubberlegs]

Ours is white, but there is a strip of black. On a hot day there was quite a difference in temperature touching the cool white vs. warm black! It's easier to heat (propane heater) than cool (nothing but vents).

 

[Bombsight]

I'll say this; if 50#'s makes so much as a difference in your travels, you might want to reconsider your platform.

That being said, buy what looks best to you because there's not a dimes difference in insulation.

Any damage that requires repair is going to be a p.i.t.a. no matter what.

 

[rando]

50lbs here, 30 lbs there, 80 lbs over there - it all adds up, regardless of your platform.

 

[Wallowa]

I'll say this; if 50#'s makes so much as a difference in your travels, you might want to reconsider your platform.

That being said, buy what looks best to you because there's not a dimes difference in insulation.

Any damage that requires repair is going to be a p.i.t.a. no matter what.

50 lbs is not a deal breaker...but coming from extended backpacking. background.."ounces make pounds" and at least with my Tundra/Hawk at some point I needed to realistically say 'enough is enough' for the sake of the truck's handling and reliability...too easy to add a little here and a little there which will ultimately compromise the off road performance and to a lesser degree on road safety...Got an F350? Load her up!

The new colors are not appealing to me, nor is the shiny 'smooth look' of the exterior..and the cabinets over the side dinette have been replaced with open top bins...not good for retaining contents with rocking and rolling off road..

Rather than cosmetics, more effective insulation would be a smart move for FWC...better to be good than look good.

But just my opinions and I could be wrong..

Phil

 

[geologyjohn]

Have anyone mentioned long term durability of the siding?
In my 40 years as a Geologist working in the western U.S., I have spent a lot of time in very sunny places (e.g. 12 months in the Coso Range at China Lake Naval Weapons Center). One thing that I noticed is that I have encountered fiberglass sheeting on structures in the desert that have decayed to the point of cracking or crumbling when handled. Sort of like a potato chip. And I also noticed that the aluminum skin on the old aircraft that I encountered on the bombing ranges seemed to be unfazed by the long term sun exposure. For that reason, I order an aluminum-sided Silver Spur Hawk when faced with the siding choices.
John

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

When I ordered my Grandby in 2013, FWC recommended aluminum over fiberglass because of the ease and less cost of repairing the campers, plus the weight difference. I suspect ATC hasn’t added fiberglass as an option for the same reason.

 

[Wallowa]

Have anyone mentioned long term durability of the siding?
In my 40 years as a Geologist working in the western U.S., I have spent a lot of time in very sunny places (e.g. 12 months in the Coso Range at China Lake Naval Weapons Center). One thing that I noticed is that I have encountered fiberglass sheeting on structures in the desert that have decayed to the point of cracking or crumbling when handled. Sort of like a potato chip. And I also noticed that the aluminum skin on the old aircraft that I encountered on the bombing ranges seemed to be unfazed by the long term sun exposure. For that reason, I order an aluminum-sided Silver Spur Hawk when faced with the siding choices.
John

Yup...fiberglass and plastics and rubber are seriously degraded by UV over time...even bare aluminum just forms an aluminum oxide skin which resists corrosion.

 

[rubberlegs]

the cabinets over the side dinette have been replaced with open top bins...not good for retaining contents with rocking and rolling off road..

Our Fleet with the open bins seems to work fine, because the vinyl siding folds over them. Nothing has fallen out (yet). In fact, it's a pain to get our TP out of the aft-most bin in that urgent moment. Ya gotta pop the top to get to something that large. Don't ask me how I know... But smaller items can be retrieved with the top down.

 

[makalutoo]

I think I am going to go with the regular aluminum siding. I like the silver spur look, but I don't like the contrast when the roof is up between the siding and the vinyl. Also, as someone mentioned and I hadn't thought of, the silver would show scratches pretty easily. I was excited about the smooth colored aluminum, but someone I talked to said that they thought it would show dents really easily. I hadn't thought about this either but I have a stainless dishwasher that has a small dent on it and it is super apparent. I spoke with a FWC dealer about the fiberglass and he said that over time it will crack since the frame flexes but it does not.

I don't think that there is a real need for aluminum jack brackets, but they would be easy to fab if I decided to go that route. I am actually thinking about building my own jacks out of trailer tongue jacks, since I do not plan to take the camper on and off much.

 

[rubberlegs]

Fiberglass is quite flexible in bending. Check out the 747 variable camber krueger flaps, where the fiberglass is flat when stowed for high speed flight, and bent for takeoff and landing:

. These things bend for 20 years and 40,000 flights, twice a flight with no fatigue problems. However on a camper it may be a shear situation and perhaps the fiberglass, if stiff, could be worse than strips of aluminum. Interesting thought.

 

[Wallowa]

Our Fleet with the open bins seems to work fine, because the vinyl siding folds over them. Nothing has fallen out (yet). In fact, it's a pain to get our TP out of the aft-most bin in that urgent moment. Ya gotta pop the top to get to something that large. Don't ask me how I know... But smaller items can be retrieved with the top down.

Never thought about siding when down covering bins; that should work to retain items....another reason we like the cabinets is the rather large flat area on top...when set up we park our glasses, headlamps, books, etc on top..amazing amount of temporary flat storage area that is in clear view..

TP...right back [could not bring myself to say "rear"] corner next to extinguisher...indeed it needs to be in a "quick draw" location!

Phil