If you’ve been following along, you know this isn’t our first rodeo. This is our third camper, and the second one where we’ve had to deal with roof sealant maintenance.
And every single time, we have the same conversation:
“Do we really want to spend the money maintaining this thing, or should we just trade it in?”
This time was no different.
But here’s the reality we finally had to accept: if you’re going to own a camper, you’re probably going to have to maintain it. Trading it in doesn’t magically make maintenance disappear—it just means someone else will eventually have to deal with it.
So, we sucked it up again and paid to have our roof resealed. While we were at it, we also had the drum brakes replaced.
Our camper is a 2018 Grand Design Reflection 220RK, so honestly, both were probably overdue.
Our total bill ended up being upwards of $5,000, which is a pretty hard pill to swallow. But after everything we learned through this experience, I wanted to share it because there are a few things I definitely would have done differently.
First: Know Exactly What “Roof Resealing” Means
This was probably our biggest lesson.
On our previous camper, we had the roof completely redone. They tore off the old membrane and installed a new one, along with that lovely (and admittedly ugly) sealant around all of the vents, skylights, and other roof penetrations.
So when we took our current camper to a different company in Knoxville and were quoted around $3,000 for a roof reseal, we assumed we were getting something comparable.
We weren’t.
For reference, each tube of sealant they used was $15, they only spent $300 on materials for this work. The rest was all labor, and to be frank it was all labor we 100% could’ve done on our own.
And that’s on us for not asking enough questions.
When we dropped the camper off, we should have specifically asked:
Are you replacing the membrane, or are you only removing and replacing the sealant around the roof penetrations?
Instead, we made an assumption based on our previous experience.
When we picked it up, we learned that the $3,000 price was strictly for replacing the caulking/sealant around the vents, skylights, etc. It did not include replacing the roof membrane.
Lesson learned: Never assume you and the repair shop mean the same thing when you use the words “roof reseal.”
Get the exact scope of work in writing before you hand over the keys.
And Then My Husband Walked the Roof…
This is where things got interesting.
When we picked the camper up, my husband climbed onto the roof to take a look.
I highly recommend doing this anytime you are buying a camper, too.
Don’t just stand on the ground and admire the exterior. Walk the roof if you’re able to safely do so, or have someone qualified inspect it.
He immediately noticed several issues with our old membrane, including bubbles, tears, and areas where the sealant application wasn’t great.
He took pictures and went back inside to talk to the company.
To their credit, they agreed that there were areas that hadn’t been done correctly and kept the camper for another week to redo and fix the problem areas.
When we picked it up again, there were still a few spots we wanted them to take another look at. We also made sure we were clear on the 90-day warranty they provided.
Now, after our trips, we’re making a point to check the roof again and make sure nothing has split, cracked, or started causing problems.
This is something I wish more people talked about.
You can pay a professional thousands of dollars to do a job, but you still need to understand what they actually did and inspect the finished product.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Don’t be afraid to take pictures.
And don’t be afraid to point something out if it doesn’t look right.
The Roof Isn’t Something You Should Ignore
If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this part of the story, it’s this:
Check your camper roof regularly.
You don’t need to be a roofing expert.
You’re looking for obvious things like:
- Cracks or splits in the sealant
- Areas where sealant is pulling away
- Tears or bubbles in the membrane
- Loose or damaged areas
- Water intrusion
- Anything around vents, skylights, antennas, or other roof penetrations that looks questionable
And if something doesn’t look right, deal with it sooner rather than later.
A small roof issue can turn into a very expensive water damage problem incredibly quickly.
Then There Were the Brakes…
The roof wasn’t our only maintenance project.
We also had our drum brakes replaced, and this one was a MUCH bigger safety issue.
I can’t tell you how many people I know who have campers and either don’t use their electric brakes correctly, don’t use them at all, or simply don’t understand how important they are to safely towing a camper.
And honestly, that scares me.
Your camper is heavy. Really heavy.
You are asking your truck and trailer braking system to safely stop that entire rig, often with other people and your dogs inside.
We had noticed that our brake controller didn’t seem to be helping the way we expected it to. So we decided to have the brakes inspected.
And when they got into the drum brakes…
They basically fell apart.
Suddenly, the lack of braking performance made a whole lot more sense.
Why Drum Brakes Are Tricky
One of the frustrating things about drum brakes is that you can’t simply look at them and immediately know what condition they’re in.
Unlike something like a tire, where you can visibly inspect the tread, drum brakes are tucked away inside the assembly.
They’re also not necessarily something the average camper owner is going to want to disassemble just to check wear.
That’s why having them professionally inspected is so important.
In our case, the inspection uncovered a serious problem that we didn’t know was there.
We had the drum brakes replaced, and now we have much more peace of mind knowing our braking system is in good shape.
The $5,000 Lesson
So, between the roof work and the brakes, our bill ended up being over $5,000.
And I won’t lie…
That hurts.
Especially when you start doing the math and realize how many camping trips that money could have paid for.
And yes, we had the conversation again:
“Would it just make more sense to trade this camper in?”
But at the end of the day, we decided we’d rather spend the money maintaining the camper we already have than assume a newer camper wouldn’t come with its own list of problems.
Our camper is from 2018. It’s been used. It’s traveled. It’s lived its life.
Maintenance is part of owning it.
And while $5,000 is a LOT of money, knowing that our rig has been inspected, our brakes have been replaced, and our roof has been resealed gives us a whole lot more confidence heading into our next adventures.
Don’t Wait Until There’s a Problem
I know maintenance isn’t the fun part of camping.
Nobody gets excited about spending a Saturday inspecting roof sealant or paying thousands of dollars for repairs.
But preventative maintenance is so much better than emergency repairs.
And when it comes to your camper, some maintenance isn’t just about protecting your investment.
It’s about safety.
We’ve all seen the accidents that can happen when something goes wrong with a camper or towing setup, and honestly, they’re terrifying.
There’s no camping trip worth taking a shortcut on safety.
So here’s your reminder from us:
Walk your roof.
Look for cracks, tears, bubbles, separation, and anything that just doesn’t look right.
Know what your braking system should feel like.
If your trailer brakes don’t seem to be working correctly, don’t ignore it. Have them inspected.
And when you pay someone to perform maintenance, ask questions.
Know exactly what they’re doing, what they’re replacing, what they’re not replacing, and what kind of warranty they’re giving you.
We definitely learned a few things the hard way this time around.
But hopefully, by sharing our experience, you can learn them without spending $5,000 yourself.
Because we’d much rather see you spending that money on campground reservations. ❤️
Until next adventure!
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