Truck Camper Magazine Blog

Your FlexArmor Roof Questions Answered

We received a ton of questions after publishing, “FlexArmor Spray-On Roof Installation and Review”.  Here are our answers to the most asked questions, and a few items we wouldn’t have thought of.  Dive bomb LTBTs anyone?

FlexArmor Finished Bathroom Skylight

Celina Binns (and many others): Based on the pictures in the article, it appears that your bathroom skylight ended up completely coated with FlexArmor.  Why did you do that?

With FlexArmor, you have the choice to completely cover your skylights, or have them coated about an inch or two up the sides leaving some light to enter the camper.  If you completely cover the skylights, you are essentially guaranteed to never worry about a broken skylight or skylight leak again.  It’s sealed for good.

It was actually a tough decision for us.  When you live in a small space, light is very important.  This is especially true in a truck camper’s bathroom.  Our decision was made easier by the fact that our dry bath has a window.  Even if we covered the skylight, we would have outside light from the bathroom window.

Long-term durability was the determining factor and we decided to have our skylight covered.  Anything that sets up our camper for long-term reliability is prioritized – even if it means a sacrifice or two.

FlexArmor Finished Camper Wide Front

Finn-Erik: If you didn’t want the light in skylight, why did you not remove the dome and close it up with wood when you had the chance?  I’m guessing you are tall enough to need the extra clearance.

We kept the skylight for two reasons.  One, as you point out, I am 6’3” tall and need the additional height in the shower.  Two, it would have cost more money to rip out the skylight and make the modification.

Finished Camper Wide Rear

Mike Tassinari: What are you going to do if your Fantastic Vent breaks?

This is an excellent question.  It depends what breaks on the Fantastic Vent.  For example, if the top cover breaks, we can replace it without disturbing the FlexArmor coating.

If any of the internal components break, we might be able to fix those items from inside the unit, or what we can access from the roof.  That would be a case by case scenario depending on what the issue(s) are.

Let’s say the Fantastic Vent dies and cannot be repaired.  In that case we will need to return to FlexArmor to cut out the fan, replace it, and get the area around the fan re-coated.  That’s actually not the worst case scenario.

The worst case scenario is the fan breaks, cannot be fixed, and we’re nowhere near a FlexArmor installer – and it’s bloody hot out.  If that happened, we could cut out the FlexArmor around the fan, replace the fan, Dicor seal around the new fan, and then get the FlexArmor done next time we’re near a FlexArmor dealer.

The other component that fits this line of concern would be the King Jack antenna.  The same answer applies and, unlike the fan, we could live and be comfortable without a television.  We might even be more comfortable.

As a side note, no solution or product is perfect.  There are always “what ifs” that we don’t want to think about.  I believe the benefits of FlexArmor outweigh the possibilities of the “what ifs”, but we’ve only had the roof for three-months.

Arn Chamberlin: What if you need to replace your refrigerator’s vent cover, tank’s vent covers or air conditioner?

All of those components are on top of the FlexArmor and could be readily replaced without disturbing the FlexArmor coating.

Jeff Johnston: How is the FlexArmor material similar to Line-X or Rhino Liner?

From my conversations with the owners and inventors of the material and process, FlexArmor is similar to Line-X, but proprietary to FlexArmor.  When we were onsite, there were 50-gallon drums of FlexArmor on hand labeled from their supplier as formulated exclusively for FlexArmor.  As for the specifics, they would not comment about what the chemical differences between the materials were.

They did explain why they can’t just use Line-X or a similar coating.  Evidently, in the early days of developing the FlexArmor material and business, they tried a number of coatings including Line-X.  The problem was that these coatings either did not flex enough, or properly adhere to the variety of materials found on a camper’s roof – TPO, EPDM, various metals and plastics, etc.

As the company founders explained it to us, only FlexArmor flexes and adheres properly, and then only when they follow their precise (and it was precise) installation steps.

Ron Richardson: In the FlexArmor article, you stated that you were full-time truck campers.  When did this happen?  That should be a story in itself.

We sold our house and went full-time two-and-a-half years ago.  I haven’t written about it yet because I don’t want to just repeat what so many other full-time truck campers have said in Truck Camper Magazine.  We have been talking more and more about what we can add to the full-time truck camping conversation, and suspect an article will be forthcoming.

Finn-Erik: How slippery is the roof when it’s wet?  It seems to have some roughness but also looks like it could be a greased up chicken straight outta Momma’s oven.

I have been on the roof when the FlexArmor material is wet and did not find it to be slippery.  That said, I am always very careful when walking on the roof – especially when it’s wet.  I’m not casually walking around up there.

Finn-Erik: Will long term bird turds etch the roof like it happens on paint and gel coat?

The dreaded LTBTs – Long Term Bird Turds.  We haven’t had any yet, but I’ll let you know.

FlexArmor Finished Rear Edge

Finn Erik: Now, Mr. Weight Police, did you calculate the difference in center of gravity from the added weight at the very top of the camper?  And did you remember to add 3/16 of an inch to your camper’s height for clearance?

As Ham famously said in The Sandlot, “You’re killin’ me smalls!”

For the record, I did address the weight added by the FlexArmor roof in the article.  It’s one-half pound per square foot.  In our case, it added approximately 75-pounds to our camper.

At this time, I have not re-calculated the center of gravity, re-weighed our rig, or added to our overall height differences.  We have the luxury of having a dually truck under a non-slide camper with hundreds of pounds of payload capacity to spare.  We’re also 11’6” tall, but I wouldn’t attempt anything under 12-feet.

Click here to read the original review with many more details about the FlexArmor installation.

 

 

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