Sometimes it’s the things you don’t see that will hurt you. It’s important to know whats lurking under your trailer as well as whats happening above floor level.

Here is a perfect example. While looking under my trailer, I noticed that the flooring between the frame and the outside of the trailer is covered with a vinyl wrap. This wrap was peeling off of the flooring the entire length of the trailer. It apeared to me that this was the only barrier between the elements and my floor.

So the first thing I did was to contact the manufacturer of my travel trailer. My objective was mearly to find out what the construction technique was. The Travel Trailer is out of warranty at this point, but I need to know how to go about fixing the issue correctly.

One small section that is unraveling

The email conversation with the manufacturing Representative was less than satisfying. This was the response after viewing my pictures ” That material is separate from the floor.  It is a plastic designed to help keep the elements and things away from the bottom of the floor.  That should be something you could re-cover that area with and it should be OK I would think.“

Of course I knew that already. The questions I had asked were:

  1. How is the flooring constructed?
  2. Is there a barrier under this wrap?
  3. Is the flooring undercoated?
  4. What specifically is the wrap?

I received no answers to those questions. The fact that the Representative offered only “you can recover it with something and it should be ok I think” is a very lame response and not very helpful. I could get that advice from anyone! One thing I do not need is a rotting floor on a two year old travel trailer!

So next I called a travel trailer body shop and was told the material is called Scrim Tape. I then looked for it online and found it at www.rvupgradestore.com. This is the products description: ” Surface Shields Scrim Shield Repair Tape is an underbelly repair tape (replaces dark duct tape). It is made of the same bottom board material with a strong adhesive. The perfect all purpose mending tape used for repairs and cuts, and is very durable while creating a permanent waterproof seal”.

I ordered one roll and have begun making repairs underneath the trailer. Here is a picture of one section that I have repaired:

Better than new!

This tape is very sticky and does a very nice job. I have no doubts that this is the correcet repair. It is best to peel the backing as you proceed to roll it onto the flooring. Getting in the area above the tires was the worst part of the job as there is not a lot of room to work in. One thing that can make the job easier is to lay on a mechanics creeper so you can roll around under the trailer while making the repair.

So what is the moral of the story? It’s this: There’s a lot going on with your travel trailer that you may not be aware of. “Out of sight” is many times “out of mind” so make sure you spend time looking under, as well as over your trailer to make sure a serious problem is not lurking just around the corner.

Happy Roads!