First Foamie Bugout Design

[fr3dcat]

Start with a harbor freight trailer and build a 5‘ x 8‘ platform which was larger than the 4‘ x 8‘ trailer that extra foot makes it better for two people to sleep. I use 2 inch pink foam from Menards. There’s two types there’s a type that has a scribe cut line-don’t use that or there’s a type that has no cut lines. I used a hot knife to make a dovetail type joint and I used great stuff, expanding foam as my Adhesive. It was finished with poor man’s fiberglass in about eight coats of latex paint I got that was cheap at the Habitat for Humanity store.

 

[Paintsalot]

Interesting dovetail joinery

 

[Pmullen503]

Interesting dovetail joinery

Technically that's a finger joint, dove tails are slanted to lock and align the pieces. Still, a good way to help align the pieces during assembly.

 

[fr3dcat]

Technically that's a finger joint, dove tails are slanted to lock and align the pieces. Still, a good way to help align the pieces during assembly.

That’s good to know I knew it wasn’t really a dovetail, but I didn’t know that was what you called it. I did think about doing a dovetail, but I figured I’d screw it up. The expanding foam is great for sloppy joints. It’s strong and it tightens it right up.

For us first time builders anyway

 

[Pmullen503]

I think you could build a couple jigs and use a hot wire to get pretty accurate dovetails (or finger joints for that matter.)

The strength is in the canvas covering so the joints don't have to be perfect.