Hello, also, from Colorado

[RPH]

JIM G,
The table is actuall 10mm Baltic Birch trimmed with some Honduras Mahogany left over from my boat building days. The finish is 4 coats of Varathane (light sand between coats). The brackets are regular folding shelf brackets painted black (from Loews). They seem to lock OK so hopefully the shelf won't collapse under use.
Ron

[beverlyt]

Ron and Pamela,

The weight is very good! I'm really impressed you were able to build so light.

As you mentioned, condensation can be the pits in the older trailers like ours. Bob gets quite a bit of it while hunting in the cold winters. The early Shastas were built with:

Construction: 3" channel steel, floor framing of 2" studding, insulated and covered. Sidewall construction of 1x4s, with 1" fiberglass insulation, walls and ceiling. Outside .032 gauge aluminum skin.

The 1" fiberglass insulation in ours is a pitiful sight to behold. It sounds like all that insulation is a great addition to yours.

Only one question? Do you think it has enough windows when you're inside? I've just wondered, if one feels a bit closed in at the back wall of the sleeping area? Perhaps not.

Once again, it was just a thrill to see the Widget built. My favorite..... love the shape.

What a great trailer!

Bev

[RPH]

Yes Bev the weight seems to add up fast. Kind of like when you're at the check-out counter. We were pretty conscious of this when building. I think, however, if we were to build again we could cut the weight down even more.
The windows, so far, seem to be adequate. We are used to existing in a confined space having lived on a big sailing yacht for twenty years. We used to call it living in a submarine (small port lites and mostly below the water line). However I don't think it would be difficult to add a window on the back end if desired.
Ron

[asianflava]

4) The Toyota is a 2004 RAV-4, 4 cylinder, automatic with a 2.362cc engine. It has a 1500 lb towing capacity.

That's interesting, our Highlander has the same engine but the tow capacity of our model/year is 3500. I noticed that the current year Highlander's tow rating is 3000. They changed the tow rating over the years but not the vehicle.

[Esteban]

Ron, You've built a beautiful and very functional little trailer. I'm especially impressed that it's weight isn't much more than a 5' by 10' TD so it doesn't require a large tow vehicle

Like you, I'm tall. 6'4" for me. So, your trailer has really caught my interest.

Three questions:

1) Now that you've built yours, you say you'd lighten it further. How would you do so?

2) Could your plan be modified to fit a queen sized, 80" long, bed?

3) Your sides and top look like they're painted. How are they holding up to the weather and what kind of sealer/paint did you use?

Thanks and Happy New Year,

Steve

[RPH]

Steve,

Sorry for the delay in responding. We just got back from our first winter trip. Seventy miles from home on snow packed roads towing with our Rav-4. Every thing went fine with the towing. Only problem was getting used to sleeping and finding room for all the gear needed for skiing and winter in general (and our dog trying to find the best place to settle down). We are working that out, fine tuning everything, and plan for much more skiing and winter camping (at 10,000 ft above sea level).

To answer your questions:

1) As you are probably aware, in order to build a light trailer one must think about the weight of every piece of material (and equipment) being installed. We could have used thinner plywood on the outside instead of 3/8" MDO. When we were building boats we were able to get much thinner and stronger (metric size) marine plywood made in Israel or Holland which would be very suitable and lighter. We had to go to Canada to obtain this, however, so this makes it inconvenient for most of us; for the interior maybe use other plywood than Baltic birch. While it is far superior to anything made in this country, it is quite heavy.

2) I would imagine that the plan could be modified to accommodate a queen size bed. This would require increasing the width by up to 6” and the length by 5”. (I believe a queen size bed is 5” longer and 6” wider then a full). Keep in mind, however, that the trailer would be getting quite wide and rear visibility would be more limited. Even with our 79” wide trailer we had to get rear view mirror extensions to see what was going on behind us. Lighting regulations are also different when a trailer exceeds 80” in width. I would suggest that you contact Andrew (ANGIB) for his input on this. He is far more knowledgeable than most of us on such matters.

3) As stated elsewhere the sides were built of MDO plywood. This material was developed for exterior signs and takes paint well. We once took a piece and made a sign from it to identify my boat’s mooring slip. It was placed very near the water and was constantly splashed by seawater (salty). It was there for more than ten years and showed very little wear. The paint we used for the trailer is Rustoleum “professional” (silver label) applied with a roller. This paint although mostly advertised for metal is very suitable for wood and other materials. It applies easily, gives an excellent finish and is extremely durable. It can be sprayed but gives excellent results when applied with a roller. On top we used “Plas-ti-cote” elastomeric roof coating. We purchased this from a local RV supplier. So far with mostly a lot of snow and intense sunlight (high UV’s at 9500’) every thing seems OK.

Hope this helps,
Ron

[Esteban]

Ron, Thanks for your informative reply.

Steve

[Kens]

Boy you have me thinking I really like your camper

[RPH]

KENS,
I like yours too. I'm inspired by the paint job. We have been trying to figure out how to deal with the ends on our trailer. They turned out so plain (and large). If we can paint over the rubber roofing material we may try to carry the side trim around the front and back the way you did. That will have to wait till next summer, though.
Ron

[mikeschn]

Ron,

Your trailer caught my eye. I really like it. AH, no wonder, it's a Widget.

I have the sides for a widget 4 cut out in the garage. I don't see a Widget 7 on Andrews page. Do you have your DXF of your design ready? And what size tires do you have on there?

Mike...

[Arne]

Ron, looks very good... if you tow with a Rav4, does it affect your mileage much?....

I was headed towards another tear, but this pumped/bumped up tear has caught my interest....

do you have a sketch of the interior? I'll review the album again.. ... I'll reread all the notes and look at the pics again.

[Miriam C.]

Ron and Pamela,
That is a stunning camper you have there. You have done a fantastic job with the interior. Just incredible. Almost makes me want to give up my galley.

Really appreciate the pictures.

[madjack]

kinda covers it all...great build...glad I could be of assistance (even unknowingly)...
madjack

[RPH]

ARNE,
So far I have only towed the trailer 70 miles, mostly on snow packed roads (20-35mph). When I was able to get to the dry portion of the highway I was able to do 55mph (my maximum towing speed). I have not refilled my gas tank since then so I really don't know how my mileage was affected. I'm sure its down from my average (28mpg) because it was in third gear more than usual.
I have added a floor plan to my album so viewing that along with the photos should give you an idea of the interior.
I do have a CAD (DXF) file available to anyone interested.
Ron[/img]

[jdarkoregon]

Ron & Pam

BOY, i'm glad I saw this thread, that is a very nice trailer, I'm glad it pulls nice and is exactly what you had wanted. Great Job!

John