Long time listener, first time caller.
My plan is to make a collapsible covered wagon style camper. Something that looks like this:
(Borrowed from this youtube video: Covered Wagon
I've been wanting to build a camper on a harbor freight trailer for a while, but no designs really caught my eye until I found this one.
Big reasons why this design sounds great to me are:
- I'm 6'6" and would like to be able to A) fit at least a full size bed in the camper, and B) be able to stand up in it, if possible.
- My towing vehicle is a 4cyl Ford Ranger, so the towing capacity is equal to the max weight of a harbor freight trailer; 2,000 lbs.
- I'm also in SoCal for the next year, which means driving on a lot of big hills to get to the good campsites, so I'd rather not be anywhere near the 2,000 lbs.
The covered wagon solves these efficiently by not having to worry about the weight of the top half, and by allowing me to build wider than the tires due to the low center of gravity/low total weight.
It's also a nice bonus that the profile will be pretty small, making interstate driving much easier.
These are my first very crude MS Paint designs:
-I originally thought I'd make the walls 4ft total, but have since decided to knock that down to 3ft. The camper will still be 7ft high at the peak.
-We have an old couch that the cats tore up, so we're going to use the cushions for the camper.
-The canvas will be held up long-ways (not like the youtube video) using EMT in closet rod brackets.
-The front and back caps will fold down and lay flat against the walls during transport, just like the youtube video.
-The bed frame will be 2 27"x76" sheets of plywood. The top one will fold out on a hinge. This way we can inflate an air mattress at night to throw up there, but have counter space during the day. I have no idea how much I'll actually be in the camper during the day, but I'd like to be able to have a dry place to hang out during the cold/rain.
We got started this weekend with the floor, using r-6 foam insulation. The small garage gets messy in a hurry.
I was initially planning on making everything out of 1x2's, but now I'm not so sure if that'll be strong enough. Might have to throw some 2x4's in there.
My experience in this stuff is limited to mostly easy wood working projects growing up, and stuff like Adirondack chairs for my home now. Even just starting with the floor has made me rethink some of my plans, and I can tell it'll all be a great learning experience. I'm happy to hear everyone's thoughts/advice.