Build thread: One-man Sleeper

[eggsalad]

Well, that's the name. It sleeps one, with not much room for anything else. It's also shaped a bit like a coffin. I haven't used my carpentry skills for a long time, so it is what it is.

Here's the starting point. A PWC trailer from CraigsList for $160:




Stripped off the boards, extraneous hardware, and decals, then primed:




Bottom side got cleaned and primed as well:

 

[eggsalad]

These lynch pin thingies had to go:



Whacked off with a cutoff wheel, and primed the bulkhead:

 

[eggsalad]

Couple of sticks of 2x4, ripped down to 3", make up for the dropped crossmembers:



Half-inch BC plywood, cut to size & shape:



Framing for mounting the walls. The gaps are for the bolts that hold the floor to the frame.

 

[eggsalad]

Painted the frame with 2 coats of Rustoleum High-Performance oil-base enamel in Leather Brown:



The bottom of the floor is primed and painted with the same stuff and bolted down (no pic). This is the desert, so it's all the "undercoating" I think I'll need.

 

[eggsalad]

A brief diversion...

The hitch is mounted:



The HF LED taillight kit is installed and wired, along with a license plate mount:



So that the self-aware, soon-to-be camper can pick up its own lumber:

 

[eggsalad]

Couple of side walls go up:



Then the back wall is temp'd into place, so I can nibble away at the bottom corners to tuck inside the frame drop:

 

[eggsalad]

When I saw how my sketched design looked "in the flesh", I hated it. It was essentially a 4 foot cube with a "nose cone". Instead, I decided to go with a full wedge profile.

So I whacked off the tops of the walls:



Cut down the back wall, too, and cut the opening for the door:

 

[eggsalad]

Brief diversion...

This door came off a full-height camper shell at the junkyard. It wasn't pretty, but for $30, I couldn't resist.

Inside is primed:



And painted "Unmellow Yellow":

 

[eggsalad]

Here you can see the forward 3 walls, primed and attached to the floor. Also, the roof framing is starting to go in.

(Yes, I'm aware that I'm building this "inside out", i.e. framing *after* the walls are up. It's the best I can do.)



Framing for the 14" x 14" roof vent. You can also see where I finished framing the door jamb.



Lots of triangles make the roof really beefy:

 

[eggsalad]

First finish coat is on. Starting to look like something:



The door is hung:



And the sub-roof, 3/16" Masonite, is cut and partially installed:



That brings us up to today. More to come. Thank you for reading my build thread,

eggsalad

 

[Ron Dickey]

Welcome,

You may have more room then you think. You can put in shelves over head or by the door. You could raise the floor a little and have room to store some bring alongs. like stove, canopy, table. which way is you head?

Ron

 

[eggsalad]

Welcome,

You may have more room then you think. You can put in shelves over head or by the door. You could raise the floor a little and have room to store some bring alongs. like stove, canopy, table. which way is you head?

Ron

Thanks for the welcome, Ron. Sleeping position will be "head to the rear". That's why the door is offset, so I can "sit up in bed" on a 4" foam mattress, with my back against the rear wall. Eventual plans call for shelving & storage on the driver side wall.

 

[Cantputt]

You are making good progress. There is a certain satisfaction for doing it your way vs following the book. Keep it up.

 

[eggsalad]

You are making good progress. There is a certain satisfaction for doing it your way vs following the book. Keep it up.

Thanks, Cantputt. My skill level and tools force me to do it my own way. I see what others here have done, and I know I could never duplicate those techniques. Heck, even with what little I've done, I've had to learn and figure things out and "wing it" just to get this far!

 

[KCStudly]

I feel the same way, too.

Everything is relative to our own personal experience.

You will be camping very soon!

 

[Toyotamike]

Towing it with a 1st gen xB. Your braver than me. I have an xA and it's way too gutless to even drive with 4 people in it lol.

Trailer looks pretty good though.

 

[CarlLaFong]

Towing it with a 1st gen xB. Your braver than me. I have an xA and it's way too gutless to even drive with 4 people in it lol.

Trailer looks pretty good though.

No kidding
I have an 05 Xbox and I have to be sure I don't have a lot of change in my pocket

 

[eggsalad]

I don't really anticipate any problems towing. I camp alone, and the anticipated finished weight should be <500lb. That keeps me close to the GVWR. I have 5 gears to choose from. I'm not scared.

 

[Junkboy999]

Welcome to the forums.

Keep at it and you'll be camping in no time.


Are you gonna decorate it with the usual Coffin trimming. Side handles rails, chrome corners, and padded silk liner?

Ha hahah just google image “ coffin trailer “ for some morbidly funny ideas

 

[eggsalad]

Welcome to the forums.

Keep at it and you'll be camping in no time.


Are you gonna decorate it with the usual Coffin trimming. Side handles rails, chrome corners, and padded silk liner?

Ha hahah just google image “ coffin trailer “ for some morbidly funny ideas

That would be horribly amusing. I will add that to the list.