Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Was looking for ideas for my van & saw a video on a van outfitted with lightweight cabinets. It immediately made me wonder if it was going to be foam & sure enough it is. Instead of canvas they used fiberglass screen. She even mentioned using Gripper.



There was a follow up video showing the actual construction. He's using fairly thin foam so . Oh, and he mentions "foamies" so maybe he's a TNTTT member?



Just curious if anyone has tried this.

Thanks KZ, that says a LOT !!!

GPW, this morning I noticed that someone else has posted the vids to the 4wd van section of ExpeditionPortal. Aren't you a former van man? Looks like your idea has come full circle.

Doing some searching I found the paper technique they mentioned for the covering. I think I may have to try this for my counter tops. I was wondering how I was going to do them . I think this would look good and work good and be light. I like the way you can make different textures using different sizes of paper and stains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqtgaAihuLk&t=506s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvR2pfSdrmw&t=140s

KZ, Yes, Vanner from years in the past ... I didn’t run with the clubs, etc. But did the mural/art on many vans ( my job) Used mine for incidental camping with the wife ... ( she didn’t like tents, refused to camp in my old BSA Pup tent ... ) Alltogether we built 8 vans for personal use , but i’d get one finished , and someone would want to buy it ... The one I ended up the longest was Plain Vanilla ... no decoration, no fancy interior , just a utility vehicle ...
GH, first time we saw the paper thing , was on one of Eagle's friends trailers ( some time ago) , did floor walls , looked Great !!! Simple enough for anybody to do ...

That nice lady on here has a I believe paper bag floor in her trailer. I am sure she could offer us some advice on finishing techniques.

Sharon used that technique on her 'My Away' pop top camper.

My plan is to use that papier-mâché method with heavy duty rosin paper as they structural interior side of my whole foamie. I know it looks good as my sister did her whole upstairs floor like this.


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I always assumed that rosin paper had some sort of liquid resistant additive or coating to help guard against spills, etc., since it is frequently used as a temporary protective coating during construction. So it might not be the best thing for your planned application. Though I have to admit that my experience using it on my build leaves me to believe that it is not very liquid repellent, perhaps more research would be advised.

Just saying.

Just another product to be “Tested” !!!

Hello

I'm the one that built the van in the video, and it was my wife that gave the tour with Jed. I actually have a 2nd van build that he toured that also is built out from foam, I think he's releasing that tour in about a week. Tomorrow he is supposed to release the paper bag covering tutorial video.

I did get a lot of my inspiration from the foamie community here. The first van build I did, I used the canvas and wood glue technique that most here seem to use. I eventually made test panels using foam with canvas, Dacron, aluminum screen, fiberglass screen and 1/8" wood. I meant to also test countertop laminate, but never got around to it. From the tests that I did, fiberglass screen was just so easy to work with that I stuck with it, even though it's not quite as rigid as some of the others. Aluminum screen is insanely strong, but the aluminum screen separates from the paint easy making it pretty hard to work with.

I'm currently working on some test panels using Monstaliner roll-on bed liner over foam (comes in many colors!). Early results are very promising!

I have a build log up for my first foam van conversion here : http://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/Thr ... -build-log
(this is not the one in the video linked above, but this video tour is coming soon too)


Thank you all for the inspiration! By building on your knowledge and adapting it to my needs, I've now done two full van RV conversions that actually weigh less than the donor conversion vans they started out as!

Curiously enough , we found in the old van conversions , We had to be careful how much we added, because with an exotic interior with all the goodies , it was easy to exceed the GVW of the van ...

Here's an idea, I didn't use foam in my cabinets but had I, I might look at some of the wallpapers that come with no paste on them. Some are pretty stiff and some are pretty durable and need no painting on top.

Hey Don, that’s a Great idea as it comes in any pattern you want , even some easy to clean vinyl kitchen and bathroom wallpaper ... Would look perfect on the cabinets we’re thinking of ... Thanks !!!

And here’s yet another drawing of a cabinet idea , Strong , but light ... It would also be possible to scribe the sides to the cabin wall ,gluing those directly , eliminating the need for a back , and tying it in with the basic camper body ... done in the right places , it could be extremely strong ...

I did use wallpaper in my build on the interior. I tried at first using wallpaper glue over foam but it didn't go so well. I wound up priming with Gripper and it was fine. BTW i purchased at Lowes 14.00 for a double roll. From what i understand they are clearing out their wallpaper so it might be even cheaper now.