S-280 structural questions

Yet another guy with plans to build an S-280 into a camper. I havent picked one up yet but have some questions about how they are built.

What kind of insulation do they have? I know the old school military vans (M109 and such) had the fiber inside their wall that soaked up all kinds of moisture and really didn't insulate much. Do these have the same or a more modern insulation. Would it be worth pulling the interior walls and replacing the insulation with something like this (https://www.insulation4us.com/therm...ft-polyiso-rigid-foam-insulation-board.html)?

Are the interior panels held on by screws or rivets?

I plan to cut windows into the side of he shelter. Should I ensure that the windows will fit between the studs or would it not adversely affect the structure to cut two per side?

I am local to you and have three if you want to check them out. The wall are riveted on both sides with a polyurethane foam core. It's pretty well insulated and would make a good platform for a camper. As for the windows you need to make sure the thickness of the window and the thickness of the wall match so it'll secure right.

Another thing is to go over the whole shelter and paint/seal it, esp the roof. These are common to leak starting at the roof, so get a nice coat of paint on their to protect it from rain and also the sun.

X2 on what Dan said.

They are built extremely well.
All the abuse they received in military life will take a toll.
Mine had several small holes in roof from whatever was stored up there.
Even after sealing everything up it's still drying out weeks later.
Wasn't dripping or moldy, just want to be sure it's all dry.

You can walk on the roof and feel zero flex. Strong!

They are worth the $$

Thank you both. Good to know that walking on the roof wont cause any issues. I plan to mount three solar panels up there, sounds like I wont have a problem while I am up there installing them

I am on the roof of mine all the time. It's pretty sturdy.

Guyfang - Awesome, Thank firefox for me, that will be quite helpful

DanM7890 said:

I am local to you and have three if you want to check them out. The wall are riveted on both sides with a polyurethane foam core. It's pretty well insulated and would make a good platform for a camper. As for the windows you need to make sure the thickness of the window and the thickness of the wall match so it'll secure right.

Another thing is to go over the whole shelter and paint/seal it, esp the roof. These are common to leak starting at the roof, so get a nice coat of paint on their to protect it from rain and also the sun.

Click to expand...

I am in Houston too and just got an S-280 for a camper build. Have you built yours as campers?

Try to do the same thing , camper !
I found some info about the structure

http://www.ramims.com/sites/default/files/2018-05/S-280.jpg