Whether you’re looking for a new travel trailer or trying to upgrade/repair your own, the construction matters. That’s where a premium product like Azdel comes into play.
Azdel is an excellent choice for your travel trailer, and it offers a ton of advantages. But what exactly is Azdel, and is it right for your travel trailer? We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about this revolutionary product before diving into a few trailers that come straight from the factory with Azdel installed!
What Is Azdel Construction?
Azdel is a composite panel that you can use instead of wood. Adzel can be used on interior and exterior sidewalls, ceilings, and roofs. The two main materials in Azdel are polypropylene and fiberglass, and this composite has many advantages over a traditional wood panel.
Azdel is owned by Azdel Onboard. It burst onto the scene in 2006. Since then, it has become one of the most widely used materials to extend an RVs’ life and functionality while reducing the overall weight. Even better, it’s all made in the USA!
Is Azdel Safe?
Absolutely! Azdel is formaldehyde-free and never forms mold or mildew. It’s not something that you likely think of with wood panels, but as the wood breaks down, it releases airborne particles and pollutants that you can breathe in.
That means that Azdel isn’t just more durable and efficient, it’s actually safer to use than traditional materials too!
Does Azdel Delaminate?
Unlike wood and other materials that delaminate over time when they get exposed to the elements, Azdel boards do not delaminate. It doesn’t matter if it’s below freezing every night and extremely humid throughout the day. Delamination simply isn’t a concern with Azdel composite boards.
Not only does this better protect you from the elements and ensure you don’t have to spend a ton of money on costly repairs, but it also guarantees you won’t be breathing in toxic fumes as the wood breaks down.
Should I Buy a Camper With Delamination?
No! When it comes to serious problems with a camper, delamination is at the top of the list. If a trailer you’re looking at has delamination, either turn the other way or plan to replace all of the delaminating components.
Furthermore, plan for potential damages behind the delamination too. In short, if you’re buying a camper with delamination, you better be getting one heck of a deal because the first thing you’re going to have to do is spend a ton of money on repairs.
Even worse, the longer you put off the repairs, the more damage is going to occur. But that’s not the worst of it. The biggest concerns with delamination are the things you don’t see.
Delamination causes the wood and adhesives to start breaking down, which releases harmful chemicals into the air.
So, if you’re getting a camper with delamination, you have to have a ton of money stored up for emergency repairs.
The fact that you need to make these expensive repairs immediately is why it’s safer just to leave a camper with delamination alone and find one in better condition.
Advantages of Azdel Composite Panels
When it comes to Azdel composite panels, there are tons of advantages. For starters, it can better handle extreme temperature changes. It doesn’t matter if it’s well below freezing at night and full of humidity throughout the day. Unlike wood that can start to fall apart and mold under these conditions, Azdel composite panels remain unaffected.
Not only do you not have to worry about mold or delamination, but formaldehyde and mildew problems are a thing of the past when you use Azdel composite panels. They’re water-resistant, which makes them an excellent choice for both indoor and outdoor applications.
As another performance perk, you get better sound absorption and twice the insulation of wood. This gives you a quieter ride and lowers your energy costs for both heating and cooling.
Not only do you get all these performance benefits, but you get it while utilizing a product that weighs half as much as wood. So, you’re getting a better-performing product while significantly dropping the overall weight of your trailer.
Finally, while it has tons of performance benefits, it’s also ultra-durable. Azdel composite panels will last longer than regular wood panels, meaning you’re getting an upgrade in every possible sense of the word.
- No delamination
- Water-resistant
- Free of formaldehyde, mold, and mildew
- Half the weight of wood
- Handles changing temperature and humidity better than wood
- Better sound absorption
- Twice the insulation that wood provides
What Travel Trailers Use Azdel?
If you’re looking at an older travel trailer, you won’t find Azdel anywhere, but when Azdel burst onto the scene in 2006, RV companies took notice. They found a product they could use to revolutionize their products and easily market to new customers.
That’s why there’s no shortage of travel trailers that use Azdel. Below we’ve highlighted some of the industry’s biggest names that use Azdel on their travel trailers, but this list is in no way all-inclusive.
Furthermore, just because they use Azdel in one area of the travel trailer doesn’t mean that it’s the only construction material used throughout the entire trailer. For instance, in the Jayco travel trailers, the Azdel composite is only used behind the diamond-plated front plate.
The rest of the travel trailer utilizes a different composite material.
- Adrenaline
- Apex RV
- BT Cruiser
- Camp
- Coachmen in their Brookstone and Chaparral models
- Conquest Class C
- East to West RV
- Forest River in their Flagstaff, Forester, Solera, Sunseeker, R-Pod, and Rockwood models
- Gulfstream
- Heartland RV
- Jayco (only behind the front plate) in their the Hummingbird, White Hawk, and Joy Feather models
- Koala
- Lance Campers
- Nexus RV
- No Boundaries
- nuCamp
- Prime Time
- Renegade RV
- Surveyor
- Vintage Cruiser
- Vista Cruiser
- Winnebago
- Work and Play RV
Best Travel Trailers that Use Azdel
While you could go through all the trailers listed above and find the one that you like the best, we did the hard work for you by narrowing down the best four choices out there. All four of these trailers utilize an Azdel construction and have tons of premium features throughout.
The good thing about travel trailers that use an Azdel construction is that they are lighter than most of the competition, and they don’t have to sacrifice any features or performance to get there. No matter which trailer you go with, you’ll be getting a great choice!
1. nuCamp Avia Travel Trailer
If you’re looking for a lightweight travel trailer that thought of everything, the Avia Travel by nuCamp is an outstanding choice. For starters, they used Azdel composite boards for all of the sidewall construction, which makes the entire trailer extraordinarily durable and lightweight.
From there, it has two separate televisions – one in the master bedroom and one in the kitchen you can easily view from the living area. For all of your larger gear, it has spacious passthrough storage. Moreover, you get a full-functioning kitchen with a 3-way refrigerator and a backup camera for extra safety while traveling.
The only drawback is the single floor plan, but it’s a great choice and worth a look.
Pros
- Azdel construction in the sidewalls
- Full functioning kitchen
- Two televisions built into the interior
- Back up camera for extra safety
- Exterior passthrough storage for larger gear
- Separate main bedroom with privacy doors
- Larger 43-gallon freshwater tank
- 3-way refrigerator
Cons
- Only one travel trailer floor plan available
2. Forest River R-Pod
The Forest River R-Pod makes tons of lists as the top lightweight travel trailer – and with good reason. It accomplishes its lightweight design with an Azdel sidewall construction and offers ten different floor plans for you to choose from. The lightest option only weighs 2,714 pounds!
Despite the R-Pods light weight, it comes with a full-sized kitchen complete with a 6-cubic foot refrigerator. If you’re really looking to head off the grid, it comes with all the necessary prep work for solar panels – just know that this will add to the overall weight of the trailer.
Finally, while we wish that the freshwater tank was a little larger than 30 gallons, this helps keep the overall weight down when it’s fully-loaded up with all your gear.
Pros
- Ten different floor plans to choose from
- Azdel sidewall construction
- Solar prep if you want to head off the grid
- Full-sized kitchen with 6-cubic foot refrigerator
- Options as light as 2,714 pounds (UVW)
Cons
- Smaller 30-gallon freshwater tank
3. Grand Surveyor
If you’re looking for the travel trailer with the most Azdel construction, it’s probably the Grand Surveyor. That’s because it comes with Azdel construction in both the sidewalls and the flooring.
While it uses a lightweight construction throughout, the lightest Grand Surveyor still weighs 5,543 pounds. That’s because it’s jam packed full of features including a full-size 10-cubic foot refrigerator.
While there are eight different floor plans for you to choose from, every one comes with a private master bedroom. That means you’ll never have to sacrifice your privacy or comfort when selecting a Grand Surveyor floor plan.
Even better, some of these floorplans have both an exterior and interior kitchen. These travel trailers are jam packed with features, and for what you’re getting, they’re still a lighter weight.
The Grand Surveyor does come with a 40-gallon freshwater tank, too, so you’ll need to make fewer stops between locations.
Pros
- Eight different floor plans to choose from
- Larger 40-gallon freshwater tank
- Azdel walls and floors throughout
- 10-cubic foot residential refrigerator
- Every floor plan has a private master bedroom
- Options with both an interior and exterior kitchen
Cons
- Lightest option is still 5,543 pounds (UVW)
4. Coachmen Apex UltraLite
While the Coachmen Apex UltraLite has UltraLite in its name, don’t let that fool you too much. The lightest option still weighs 6,500 pounds, but that’s not bad for all the features they offer. However, they probably could’ve shed a little more weight if they’d used a little extra Azdel construction throughout.
As it is, they only used the composite material for the construction of the rear wall. It’s better than nothing, but we’d prefer a little more throughout.
They do offer 17 different floor plans to choose from, so as long as you have a truck that can pull these trailers, you’re bound to find an option that you like. They all have a full kitchen setup, a backup camera for additional safety, and they have floor plans with either a shower or a bath.
They have floor plans with multiple beds and options with additional exterior storage racks for larger equipment. No matter what you’re looking for, the Coachmen Apex UltraLite probably has a floor plan to accommodate.
One of the biggest perks of these travel trailers is their larger 50-gallon freshwater tanks. This gives you tons of time between stops before you run out of water. It also allows you to take your travel trailer a little further off the beaten path before you need to head back for supplies.
Pros
- 17 different floor plans to choose from
- Options with extra sleeping arrangements or exterior equipment storage
- Large 50-gallon freshwater tank
- Full kitchen setup
- Back up camera for additional safety
- Options with both showers or baths
Cons
- Only uses Azdel in the construction of the rear wall
- Lightest travel trailer still weighs 6,500 pounds (UVW)
Summary
If you’re considering a new upgrade or a new travel trailer, consider one with Azdel. It comes with a litany of advantages over wood. Not only will you get better performance, but you’ll get a longer-lasting trailer too!
Hopefully, this guide answered all your questions about Azdel and narrowed down your next choice for a travel trailer!
