Advice to the Newbies

[GuyInSoCal]

For the people out there that are just starting the design process of their build.. make it as simple as you can. Plan every square inch of your build. I planned a 33 day build. I started 01 June 2025 and wanted to be done for the 4th of July. 191 days later I am just starting to finish, because I made it a harder than needed to be process (Build Pix are here in my profile).

Don't do what I did.. Remember, you dont need name brand stuff. This will help keep your cost down. You dont need a fancy oversized bathroom. You don't need a kitchen to cook gourmet meals.. and one bed will suffice.

Automatic steps.. powered stabilizing jacks, oversize solar array, large fresh water tanks.... the list goes on and on. You dont need all of that stuff. No one cares if you have it (lol) unless you are building it to sell.... then, some.. most.. probably still dont care.

I am just over $30,000 - plus the cost of the trailer so say, just over $42,000 (+) in to this. You can build one for a fraction of that and still have it nice and something that you can be proud of.

I am glad I did not build myself into the poor house... so keep that in mind. Only build what you can afford to spend. Maybe it will take longer.. it's ok. It's not a race. Trophies are not handed out.

Remember to just have fun. Sure, moments of fear, regret and thoughts of, "What the **** did I get myself into?" will be there.. trust me...

This forum is a great place for help and guidance. There are a lot of great knowledgeable people on here. Don't be afraid to ask for help.. even for the stupid stuff.

Vernon

 

[Pmullen503]

Good advice about "mission creep" when building your first trailer. Until you actually use it a few times, you don't know what is really necessary and what would be "nice to have".

I build my first foamie for under $800 on an old HF trailer I already had. That was 10 years ago and it's pretty spartan but completely usable and I've enjoyed it for many years.

 

[DrewsBrews]

I think alot of folks get caught up with two things: "I might need X in case I do Y" or "I want it because it's cool"

I mean, that is what is nice about building something yourself... You get to do what you want. But how much time and money do you lose by building a trailer with all the bells and whistles that you "might need at some point"? How much of that stuff will break and need to be maintained just for that couple of times it is ever used?

I say take a hard look at what you expect to use the trailer for 90% of the time. And try to think if it is realy worth investing all that time money and effort for the other 10%. Not that you won't be able to do that stuff. It just might take some extra planning and bringing a few extra portable items to makeup for what is not built into the trailer.

If you will only occasionally boondock.. Most of the time being spent at powered sites. Maybe leave a battery out of the build and look into portable battery bank options that you can bring when not around hookups. Or maybe you can get by with battery operated lights and things for the weekend.

I never quite understood having a full galley indoors. IMO part of the fun of camping is outdoor cooking. I do understand it can be necessary in inclimate weather. But maybe could think of an indoor cooking space as more "for emergencies" and plan a minimalist cooking or multi purpose space instead.

The biggest offender (to me) is lifted suspension and offroad tires. I would guarantee 99% of those trailers I see in my area (SW Ohio) never go over anything worse than gravel with some potholes or lumpy grass. If you aren't going to do any true offroading or bury the tires up to the axle in mud then it just isn't necessary. Maybe bring some planks to roll up onto so the tires don't sink if parking on grass that one time per year.

 

[GuyInSoCal]

I think alot of folks get caught up with two things: "I might need X in case I do Y" or "I want it because it's cool"

I mean, that is what is nice about building something yourself... You get to do what you want. But how much time and money do you lose by building a trailer with all the bells and whistles that you "might need at some point"? How much of that stuff will break and need to be maintained just for that couple of times it is ever used?

I say take a hard look at what you expect to use the trailer for 90% of the time. And try to think if it is realy worth investing all that time money and effort for the other 10%. Not that you won't be able to do that stuff. It just might take some extra planning and bringing a few extra portable items to makeup for what is not built into the trailer.

If you will only occasionally boondock.. Most of the time being spent at powered sites. Maybe leave a battery out of the build and look into portable battery bank options that you can bring when not around hookups. Or maybe you can get by with battery operated lights and things for the weekend.

I never quite understood having a full galley indoors. IMO part of the fun of camping is outdoor cooking. I do understand it can be necessary in inclimate weather. But maybe could think of an indoor cooking space as more "for emergencies" and plan a minimalist cooking or multi purpose space instead.

The biggest offender (to me) is lifted suspension and offroad tires. I would guarantee 99% of those trailers I see in my area (SW Ohio) never go over anything worse than gravel with some potholes or lumpy grass. If you aren't going to do any true offroading or bury the tires up to the axle in mud then it just isn't necessary. Maybe bring some planks to roll up onto so the tires don't sink if parking on grass that one time per year.

I put a full galley in my build. It's more of a convenience thing.. the overkill was the built-in air fryer, convection oven, bake, microwave thingy that does a 7 different things that I will probably never use. Not to mention the full size refrigerator/freezer combo.

When Lisa and I started the planning process, she wanted the best of the best to go into it. As much as we could fit and still have room to exist in it. That extended to the outside with a 16x8 Awning and power stabilizer jacks.

Sure, we have a ton of things on here that, "maybe" will get used.. every so often.. buts it's nice to already have it all in case we ever need it.

We didn't build a camper, we built a, "Glamper" lol