Cool gizmo - but pricy

[mwatters]

Have a hankerin' to build your own baby hybrid trailer? Or just want a teardrop-sized trailer that sleeps a big darn family?

Spotted this looking for parts:

https://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/catalo ... ct_id=3097

Can't use it myself - plus it's WAY too expensive for me - but it could be incorporated into the side of a teardrop without too much struggle. Could even put in TWO if you're willing to put the entrance door in the rear of the trailer.

mkw

[mikeschn]

Wow, you could build a Winter Warrior that sleeps 6!!!

Mike...

[Arne]

I was surprised to see quite a few 20-24 foot trailers in Canada with those front and back to increase interior space for sleeping. I don't know what it looked like inside. They folded down and stuck out about 3 feet and cushions inside were used to turn them into the foot of a bed (according to a camping neighbor up there)..

These are 4 feet, so may be bigger....

[Chris C]

Those are great. I've seen several truck camper shells with similar arrangements. Something like that would be easy to incorporate into your tear, and the tent portion could be made by any awning/tent maker in your area. Total cost would be WAY below the price shown on the link you gave. Just my opinion though.

[february1966]

I've drawn one in an alternative design on my build.... certainly eliminates the second door.

It is basically pop-up bunk mounted to a door versus the sliding platform. I might just try to fabricate it myself instead of purchasing one.

Of course A/C and heating become much less efficient.

[Laredo]

hmm. hollow-core door for the bed/door. Piano hinge along the bottom, locking latch along the top. six triangular/trapezoidal pieces of insulated 3/8'' plywood, painted on the outside; pins thru hinge/latches.

I think you could do a solid/folding one...

[february1966]

Actually Laredo, I wasn't sure I could adequately seal a solid sided / folding one.

but I figured if I could just downscale their design i.e. canvas for roof, sides and ends... then used aluminum piping to hold up / shape canvas ... then if I desided not to use it on a particuar trip then it should stow without intruding to far into the cabin.

[Laredo]

i was thinking about HVAC efficiency and leakproofing myself.

that whole shebang ought to fold up into about twice the thickness of the hollow-core door. if you used 3/4'' ply for the floor it'd be skinnier still.

Try this out: build a 1/2-size model in cardboard (what you want is a refrigerator box, swiped from the alley behind the Maytag store ) and use 1/2'' pvc pipe and a blue poly tarp for your 'canvas'.

Then build it with cardboard sides/roof to get an idea about comparative weights, compressibility of the (closed) not-in-use dimensions, etc. Should cost less than $10 and give you a lot better idea of the practicability of the thing.

what've you got to lose, other than a few hours?

[jimqpublic]

Aliner had a non-folding trailer experiment a few years ago that incorporated rigid fold outs. They had a roof section that was 1/4 of a tube. Quite roomy when folded out but of course they took up a lot of room when folded in.