Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby aggie79 » Tue Apr 27, 2021 6:17 pm

Great photos! Thank you for posting.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I remembered how awkward it was when my mother passed away and we went to retrieve her possessions.
Tom (& Linda)
For build info on our former Silver Beatle teardrop:
Build Thread

93503
User avatar
aggie79
Super Duper Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 5405
Images: 686
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:42 pm
Location: Watauga, Texas

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:42 am

Thanks for the note! I'm on the verge of some life changes that will free a lot of my time. I may be camping sooner than I thought. :beer:
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby mnjeepguy » Wed Sep 22, 2021 9:44 am

Love this thread!

My original plans for a ground up squaredrop may change this weekend as I have a viewing on a 5x7 enclosed at a great price. This thread gives me hope it can work well. Beautiful work.
mnjeepguy
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2021 2:15 am
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Thu Sep 23, 2021 8:03 pm

Thanks for your comment! Still no camping, but the trailer has been useful for other trailer-related things.
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Fri Jun 10, 2022 3:36 pm

Okay,

The "camping" is coming soon! The trailer sits a lot and is just used for infrequent cargo or storage. But ham radio operator's "Field Day" is coming in two weeks. Field Day is a weekend of communications exercises and contesting. Many opt to operate with emergency power, which I think was an original intent of the weekend. The idea is to test our casualty/emergency communications prowess AND showcase it to the public. My club sets up in a small public park and some operators bring tents or RVs since the operation continues overnight. This seems to be a perfect chance to camp in a relatively easy manner that's close to home and with people I know. I won't be camping in the full sense because the club is providing meals and it's just an overnighter. My tiny conversion is going to just be an overnight bed, albeit a potentially warm one.

With the plan in place, it's time to finally get that rear wall/window sorted. I started with the idea of a fold-down wall with a teardrop door installed. Later, I considered a slide-out section to give me an extra 18 inches of space. Since a slide-out would occupy real estate, either in the trailer or in my garage when not in use, I opted to return to my fold-down wall idea. Here is my frame:

Image

Plywood has been scarce around me; plus, I'd wind up cutting most of it out for the door. So I opted for a lumber frame. I made a small math error near the rounded edges of the door. You'll see some pieces that I glued into place to fill those gaps. The glue is still drying, but will be ready to cut and sand tomorrow. My test-fit has compelled me to move away from the hinged, fold-up wall since I'd need to have wider gaps to allow for free movement of the wall. Instead, I'll make this a removable wall that's fastened from the inside using four simple slide bolt latches. Installation and removal can be very fast and easy; then I can store the wall almost anywhere.

I'll paint the frame black once I have the opening cut to fit, then I'll get the latches sorted, then I'll install the Challenger teardrop door. Finishing this within the next two weeks should be easy enough... SHOULD BE! :lol:

I said it from the very beginning, over four years ago:

Stealth TDI wrote:Progress will be slow since it's not a high priority... or fast since I'm not doing much to the trailer. :lol:


I cannot believe it's been FOUR YEARS already. Life has passed me by! If you're reading this thread for the first time, then I'm glad you haven't waited all of this time for some results. I'll have progress and "in the wild" photos soon.

Take care,

Scott
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby featherliteCT1 » Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:47 pm

stealth TDI,

I am not sure what your fold-down wall is going to look like and how it will operate, but so far I like it!

Looking forward to seeing the final product.
featherliteCT1
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1120
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 6:54 am
Location: Southern Indiana
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Wed Jun 15, 2022 11:59 am

Thanks!

Progress is a bit slow due to weather. It's also surprisingly difficult to cut the door's opening without the saw bending and making crooked cuts! The good news is the door covers my hack-job cuts:

Image

The bad news is I didn't have the foresight to use the inside trim ring as my template instead of the door itself. As a result, the door fits nice and tight in the frame, but the inside trim does not fit at all. With my particular saw, it's easier to make fresh cuts than it is to make small shave-cuts to make my door opening just a hair larger. So, I'm leaving the interior trim out of this build. :NC

I've painted the exterior of the frame, installed the door into the frame, and then filled any gaps with black RTV. The RTV is curing now. I have one hinge hole that I don't like. I'm filling that tonight, then I'll sand and paint the interior side of the frame in the morning. I THINK I'll be ready install the door on Friday.

As for how the swing-down door works, I gave it a small test a few days ago. The door frame was cut to fit the opening tightly. But it takes a bit of pressure to rotate the door into place. That could be a good thing. Worst case is I may need to trim 1/16" from the bottom of the door frame so that it opens and closes a bit easier. On the other hand, I don't need it to open and close easily since it only moves when I deploy or stow. A nice, tight fit is good for minimizing bug intrusion. I think I'll use a tarp "awning" to keep rain off the door, perhaps a little gaffer's tape around the edges to keep rain drops out. We'll see how that goes.

More photos by the weekend...
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Mon Jun 27, 2022 4:57 pm

IT'S DONE!

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Here are some photos from my first night in my "tiny travel trailer."

My load to get to the venue, carrying too much stuff, of course...
Image

Here's the interior after removing excess gear and inflating the mattress...
Image

Oddly enough, the mattress is a PERFECT fit; it even follows the contours of the rounded corners!

I added a tarp in case of light rain...
Image

I have 32-Ah of onboard LiFePo4 battery and can back-feed the lighting circuit to give me a "porch light" for the evening...
Image

The next morning...
Image

Sleep was surprisingly good. I bumped the wall a few times and I found my feet pressing against the door from time to time, but none of it was unbearable. The combination of insulated walls/ceiling and the fan blocked out all outside sound. During the night, it got cool enough to turn the fan to minimum speed. With the fan noise reduction, I could hear sounds such as insects, passing cars, and a morning generator that was 100ft away. However, it all sounded far away and was minimally intrusive. For reference, the road in the background is the way in and out of the park. So, every vehicle passed within 20 feet of me and was barely noticed.

We were in a park that closes at 7pm and reopens at 7am. We had permission to stay overnight while our club was setup for our emergency comms exercise. I awoke at 7:10am which is about an hour later than usual. I'm not sure if the first cars through the gate woke me, perhaps the generator, or if it was just time. I just sort of woke up, heard some faint sounds, and saw soft light above the MaxxFan (I was in the shade). So, I don't think anything external disturbed me. :thumbsup:

Overall, I think this conversion works well. I'm 6 feet tall and may have been more comfortable in a 5x8 conversion. I think anyone under 5'11" would be quite comfortable in a similar 4x6 conversion as long as it has a rounded nose extension (my floor length is 6'2"). Regardless, it worked for me and the lighter trailer tows well behind my small car.

Thanks for watching, if you're still here. :beer:
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby featherliteCT1 » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:01 pm

Nice little trailer. :thumbsup:
featherliteCT1
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1120
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 6:54 am
Location: Southern Indiana
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby jaws_1972 » Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:31 am

Wow, looks great! Envious of these smaller builds.
Jeff (aka Jaws)

My build
Legend 7x16+2V "Lucky" Build
User avatar
jaws_1972
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 57
Images: 101
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:44 am
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:58 pm

Thanks for the comments!

Having the first outing go so well is encouraging for future trips. Some feedback from other sources and thoughts for next time:

1) "You slept with the spare tire? The smell would drive me nuts!" The tire is two years old and does not seem to have an odor. Or perhaps I was too tired to notice. I had a soft plan to remove the tire and slide it under the trailer for the night. However, by the time I came to bed, it was late and I was tired. I just crawled in and passed out.

2) Staying with my rear slide-out plan would have kept my feet off the door while sleeping. But I have to admit that tucking the wall up to the ceiling when not in use is VERY convenient, especially since I cannot forget to "pack the door!" I'll include a clip of how I make the change in an upcoming video. Making the the transition from inside is quite difficult since the trailer is so small. So, I wind up resting the wall on my head and back when moving in and out of the trailer during setup and tear-down. :lol:

3) I mentioned that I bumped the wall a time or two in the night. I sleep mostly on my left side. Perhaps moving the spare tire to outside and then shifting my mattress to the driver's side of the trailer may give me a little more room for slinging my arm around. :thinking:

4) My ceiling is not attached at the rear. Instead, it rests on a 2x3 and is able to flex upward an inch or so. That turned out to be a good fit to shove one end of a black towel to hang as a curtain. I'll look into something a little more permanent. Still, it was good for minimizing outside light intrusion in the morning.

5) Some have suggested mounting a water tank beneath the trailer or a "kitchen" on the door. I'm inclined to think of this trailer as a "hard-sided tent" instead of an RV. So, a portable water dispenser or jugs should more than suffice. As for a "kitchen," I suspect I can just do what tent-campers do. Food was provided by the club last weekend. So, I didn't worry about food. I'd probably just use a little propane burner.

6) I didn't mention it before, but I actually managed to find myself getting cold that evening. It was around 85°F into the evening. I think it was still ~80 when I went to bed at 11pm. Fitted sheets don't seem to work well with air mattresses; so, I just spread a sleeping bag on top of the mattress and then laid on top without covers and then ran the MaxxFan at 50%. It didn't take long to decide to cover with a lightweight fleece blanket. Later, I reduced fan speed to 20%, which was just enough to let-in a little outside sound. Eventually it dropped into the 60s and I turned the fan to 10% and used some of the sleeping bag to cover my legs. I used to sleep very well in cold shipboard berthing areas with a single-sized comforter. I'll probably get one for use on camping trips, maybe a second for topping the mattress.

Speaking of colder evenings, the first posts in this thread addressed the serious concern of suffocation in small trailers. I have addressed that with installed ventilation. But what about when it's cold? Is the fan still needed, even at 10%, to force an air exchange? Or is cracking a window sufficient? I don't think my little window "cracks." It's either open or closed. I can probably put a little piece of wood in the window to hold it at an inch. Even with the window closed, I know there are still places along the corners of the floor where air can escape if I have the fan on low. What do most of you do?

Thanks!
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby aggie79 » Fri Jul 01, 2022 4:55 pm

Great experience! Congratulations. :applause: :applause: :applause:

In our teardrop trailer, during cold nights, we cracked open one of the side windows and open the lid of the vent fan for some minimal cross-ventilation. We did not run the fan. There was sufficient air exchange for the two of us.

Take care,
Tom
Tom (& Linda)
For build info on our former Silver Beatle teardrop:
Build Thread

93503
User avatar
aggie79
Super Duper Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 5405
Images: 686
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:42 pm
Location: Watauga, Texas
Top

Re: Another Tiny Cargo Trailer Sleeper...

Postby Stealth TDI » Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:58 pm

Excellent news! That makes life much easier. :thumbsup:
User avatar
Stealth TDI
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:28 pm
Location: Newport News, VA
Top

Previous

Return to Cargo Trailer Conversions

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests