Windows In, and some History

March 17 2009 by Darrin.

Last night, we installed the five German Seitz windows.  Anna and I discussed it a bit, because there’s an error in my design.  There are two kinds of windows available: top-hinged and sliding.  Each has its advantages, the most critical being that top-hinged can be open in the rain, and sliding can be open while moving.  It’s good to use at least one of each type on every wall, so that in any condition the camper can naturally cross-ventilate.

The design flaw lies in the curb-side bunk window.  It is top-hinged, and the entry door can damage the open window if the door is allowed to open 180 degrees.   Instead of ordering a new window (like pulling teeth from the US distributor), we kept the design and plan to be careful and install a door-travel limiter.  It does allow the perfect combination of window types for ventilation, and we’ll be grateful when camping in the rain.  Here are a few shots of the windows.  Note the integrated fly-screens and sun-shades..

After building five campers, the last two (both designated AATREC-FM204) have used a fully composite upper body, built on a steel floor.  To this point, I have not released photos of the system I use.  However, this is a good time to publish a little peek at how it all goes together.  It’s really pretty simple.  I fabricate the steel floor from square tubing and then have it powdercoated…

The composite walls and roof are made from a composite foam-cored panel licensed from a company in Belgium, Composittrailer.  The upper system is bonded to my steel floor using a proprietary composite pultrusion.  This system yields an incredibly strong three-point torsion-free chassis interface, a low center of gravity, light overall weight, good insulation, and an upper structure virtually immune to corrosion.

Is this stuff strong?  Absolutely!  The company used to have a video showing a drop-test from 10 or fifteen meters.  A container was suspended by a crane and dropped onto one corner on concrete.  Sustaining minimal corner damage, the structure remained completely intact.

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