Hallmark makes an all-composite truck camper

haven

Expedition Leader
Hallmark is a Colorado-based manufacturer of truck campers. They recently began experimenting with a camper constructed of composite materials. Using no wood or metal, they have built versions of their truck campers with a material called Coosa, a composite that can be worked just like wood (routed, stapled, nailed, painted). The result is a camper that weighs only 50 lb less than Hallmark's design with framing, floor, roof and cabinetry made from wood.

So if there's no weight advantage, why buy a camper built from more expensive composites? The camper will be impervious to moisture, and insects are not interested in eating the bones of the camper. These features could give the the composite camper an advantage in areas with high humidity (like western Washington state and southeast Alaska) or wood-eating insect populations (many places in USA, the Central American tropics, east Africa, etc)

To me, the most interesting aspect of this story is that composite materials by themselves don't save weight. You have to adopt different construction techniques to gain full advantage of the strength to weight ratio of composites.

Hallmark will present the new campers at Overland Expo in May. Definitely worth checking out.

Here's an article in Truck Camper Magazine with more details
http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/...the-world’s-first-all-composite-truck-camper/
 

pods8

Explorer
To me, the most interesting aspect of this story is that composite materials by themselves don't save weight. You have to adopt different construction techniques to gain full advantage of the strength to weight ratio of composites.

The main way you're going to save weight on composites is design the structure as a whole and don't go overkill on the skin thickness (lots of surface area there). Its not a miracle cure but I think there is probably decent room for improvement over 50# on a whole camper.
 

Entropy

Observer
Not really surprised the weight savings aren't that great - they've only replaced the framing with coosa. From the pictures it doesn't look like a lot of material.

It would be interesting to see how much weight savings would come from a design using structural foam panels instead.
 

ersatzknarf

lost, but making time
I am somewhat confused by the "world's first all composite camper" statement. I don't think that is quite right...
 

tacr2man

Adventurer
Ersatznarf have to agree I think theres a lot of Europeans and Aussies that would be disputing that to say the least !!
 

ersatzknarf

lost, but making time
Hi Tacr2man,
Thanks - that sort of statement always makes me wonder.
I thought that the Europeans and Aussies, too, have been doing this sort of thing for quite some time.
It seems we could learn something from that...
Also, I am wondering if the Coosa they are using is just stapled and not bonded with adhesives ?
Wouldn't it be more durable if it were bonded ?
It's good that they were able to remove the wood, but it's a big cost penalty for not much other benefit, it seems ?
 

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