Roofs.. why?

Ya know.. it seems crazy that travel trailers, hybrids, 5th wheels, etc.. would not be built with roofs that don't require anything more than washing. We drive cars and trucks everyday.. and leave them out in the sun, rain, snow.. and more.. and I have never had to re-seal, coat, apply treatment to.. or had any leaks in the roof of my vehicle. Even had cars go through a hail storm and only suffer cosmetic dings.

Most suggestions on rubber roof maintenance say you should clean, treat and re-caulk the roof at least once a year. If its under trees.. maybe two or three times a year. WOW! Do you know of any travel trailer that has a better designed (maintenance free) roof?

I am sure the cost factor is why TT roofs are not "easy care.". But it seems this is an area where RV manfacturers could greatly improve their products.

I don't get the Rubber Roof concept either. The roof on my PUP hasn't leaked, and it's 15 years old. It sits under trees that drop berries and leaves. It moves a lot more than a hardside camper roof. The painted aluminum skin it's made of is clearly pretty good. But Coleman, who made a fine PUP, switched to the ABS roof that seems to cause problems on every unit sooner or later. I know Don has a special brace in his to keep it from sagging. People on the PUP boards that I haunt are always looking for solutions to problems with those.

I'm just glad that Dave is taking such good care of the rubber roof on my someday camper. (I've still not seen any camper of any size that I like better than that HTT)

I posted this on RVnet.. and received some good response. (see the thread HERE)

Without going into details.. I think I understand some of the reasons why the roofs are constructed the way they are.. but I still think there might be a better way.

I posted all of this because I am dealing with a roof leak.. and will need to address the situation. I talked with a repair guy on the phone.. He was helpful and seemed to be honest (who knows for sure?). Anyway.. he is coming out Sunday afternoon to look at my situation. He says he needs to see the inside ceiling before he can really know if I have much damage. In the left rear inside ceiling area.. there are some wrinkles in the ceiling material. Maybe 6 or 8 wrinkles. The entire area measures about 12inchex X 5inches. It has bever been "wet" to the touch.. even after rain.

The guy says the ceiling material is kinda like wallpaper glued to some kind of light weight wood or fibre board product. He says the glue is letting loose in that area. It most likely is loosening because of dampness. Probably a leak. The worst case scenariao is that I have wet insulation and roof supports that might have to be rebuilt and/or replaced in some way. And then of course the leak needs to be located and repaired.

I am hoping its minor.. and he can just remove the ceiling section.. dry out the wood (if there is no major damage).. and replace the inside ceiling.