Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

The economy being what it is, forces me to think more "Thrifty" about TD construction ...
The "sandwich" wall construction seems to give the best "bang for the buck " and although is a bit more work, is lighter and insulated too ... The solid ply sidewalls are heavy and expensive for the "good stuff" (recommended if you go that way ) ...
Reading through the "Vintage" trailer plans , noticed they used a lot of "lesser" materials for construction .... Masonite , cemented canvas coverings, T&G floors ... thrifty old school stuff..
Further thinking produces the idea of a sandwich wall , made with the cheaper wood products like the dreaded luan or even masonite coated with my cheapo waterproofing mix (weight will be a concern )... with EPS insulation ,the blue and pink stuff is much more $... relatively speaking. Small cross section "framing members" (wood), and perhaps a cheap protective covering over all that ..I keep thinking cheap polyester camo net , which is very tough stuff , and can be attached with most anything and painted .. as the vintage boys did ... It does prevent the wood from splitting , as well proven on many ELBs I've used it on over the years ..never a failure ..

Am I thinking TOO Thrifty ????

PS . I think something like this would be best stored under a shed or in a garage , just to insure longevity and low maintenance ..


UPDATE NOTICE: For Eaglesdare's excellent build thread , please go here .. http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43647

2018… Anybody wanting to Organize it is most welcome to !!!!
WARNING !!! Nobody is being forced to read this thread … Read it if you WANT to … or Not … This is the story of the Foamie trailer Evolution … Some may find it Interesting and informative. Some may not … Your Choice … !!! Don’t blame me if it’s too long, it’s the ONLY thread we had for a very Long time ...

 

[madprinter]

GPW can you share your cheapo waterproofing formula with us? Being trifty and camping is better than being broke and at home on the weekends.

 

[GPW]

MP ... 75% Mineral Spirits (common paint thinner ) and 25% Polyurethane varnish ... It's even OK to use the really cheap stuff ($5.00/gal) , because you want it to PENETRATE deep into the wood !!! Four or 5 really wet coats really seals the wood very well ...pay special attention (more coats ) to all end grain and any voids in the plywood ...
If I had my druthers (what's a druther? ) I'd set up a big tank and soak all the cut out parts in it for a week ... Wood is like little tubes weakly glued together (like a handful of straws , probably same basic material ) Once you can fill the tubes or at least waterproof (plastic coat) them , water has no place to sink in (soak and rot)... as much ...
You know you've put enough on when it won't soak in any more ...

PS, we've used this stuff for many other things too , like for re-painting a water stained sheetrock ceiling ... couple coats , and it's ready to paint without the stain showing through ... Picnic tables , lawn chairs , door trims ... many uses ... CHEAP !!! .. and I don't believe it's that TOXIC either ...

 

[Ageless-TNT]

While playing with test panels for foam core; I used cotton t-shirt material in place of FG cloth. Panels tested out as strong as the FG cloth panel.

 

[GPW]

Ageless, Hmmm ???? wonder what all those old T-shirts and blue jeans would look like on the outside ...? Were you using resin or just glue... ?
The old timers used canvas ... That's cotton huh? Certainly more Thrifty ... Raw canvas from the awning co. in town is pretty inexpensive and thick too ... I use it to oil paint on ... got some 40+ years old , still around ...

 

[Ageless-TNT]

That was using resin. 2 layers of cloth per side

 

[starleen2]

pause for a moment

 

[madprinter]

GPW, I like the way you think

 

[Ageless-TNT]

I recall back in the old days; canoe makers used lacquer and canvas to cover the skins of the crafts.

 

[S. Heisley]

Ageless:
I really like your idea of using T-shirt material in place of fiberglass cloth. I have some old sheets made out of T-shirt material (started getting small holes in 'em) and didn't want to just toss them in the trash. I just might have a good use for them! Thanks for the idea!

 

[doug hodder]

Another option if you can't locate canvas....a painters fabric drop cloth, available at HD. Doug

 

[GPW]

Seems like canvas would "give" slightly for more flexibility .. That might be a good thing on the road .... sure EASY to patch too , if necessary ...
So many old trailers describe canvas covering , most report many many miles on theirs ... so it just HAD to work, right ? ... The idea of a canvas covering directly over Foam sounds surprisingly simple and appealing , not to mention Thrifty ... and Light !!!
So far we've eliminated any ply or Masonite on the walls ... Just a very simple frame just for attachments , foam in between , and canvas on the outside ... T-shirts on the inside ... Dang , and I just re-cycled all my old tie -dyed t-shirts ... Bugger ... Could be "decorative "...

 

[Ageless-TNT]

Well . . .a nice cotton paisley might work just as well

 

[S. Heisley]

Well . . .a nice cotton paisley might work just as well

Cute!

 

[glassice]

You could never have it smooth .If you cut it as you sand it would wick are just compost but the bumps would look cool and sick if you had a AMC Gremlin

 

[rxc463]

Better yet, a Pacer

 

[GPW]

Glassice is right ... it would be difficult to get a very smooth surface finish , but I don't think this is a factor when considering inexpensive camping TD build alternatives ... Camping , not car show ... Tents aren't smooth eh ? Old canvas covered trailers didn't look smooth with all that Aluminum paint ...but they worked ... AFAIK

Paisley covering certainly would be cool .. or most anything really (Plaid , stripes, even the dreaded polka dot) ...
As stated previously , I really like the polyester Camo netting ... Cheap and STRONG , can't tear it by hand ... doesn't rot like cotton ... paintable ...
Something like this , although I got mine much cheaper at the Wal-Mart... http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/ ... =404518309
Many possibilities , depending on your taste ... all seem very practical if long term storage is in a covered area/garage ...
Now about the attachment ...We've always just used a water resistant white glue (thinned with water 50-50) to attach the fabric to our projects , then covered that with either paint or a varnish ... I have several 20+ year old ELBs done that way that look like the day they were finished , well used outdoors,even in the rain and snow , stored inside ... no problems ...

 

[compactcamping]

Hmmm, sealed cotton canvas works fine on canoes, should make a decent trailer covering. There are inkjet printers out there that print on canvas so you could do any design on it you want.

 

[glassice]

I am more of a indoor outdoor carpet kind of person . but if you park in a field you never find it and have to look out for cows

 

[GPW]

Cows ??? !!! That could be BAD ...hahahaha
Ok , so how about something like this ...canvas or T-shirts/etc. over just the 2" foam insulation ... doubled 1" on top for easier bending (Heat gun makes it simple .... blue foam bends at 190F... stays that way . )

Wood framing for doors and windows ... everything glued in ...shell glued to floor , reinforced with fabric doubler strips ...
Seems pretty simple .... some folks might want something a little more substantial , and so could add thin ply skins outside and in , then the canvas ...