A load of Newbie questions

[jaeson]

Hello All!

I am a 26 year old Communications Technician from British Columbia, Canada. I have been an avid camper my entire life, but have recently been finding myself dreaming about a new means of traveling throughout B.C., Canada, and quite possibly the entire continent. I have seen some TD's on the road here in B.C., and have decided that instead of simply buying one, building something custom would be ideal. I have a shop filled with tools and lots of experience, creativity, and dedication, and I am finding myself thinking more and more about committing to the project each passing day.

However, I have a number of questions and concerns, and it would appear that this forum is the perfect place to find some answers. I will continue searching around the site, at past posts, etc, in order to answer some of the following questions, however I will list them in hopes that the whole experience might be fast-tracked, as well as providing a 'Newbies Perspective' that other newcomers might be able to relate to.

So here it goes:
1) Living in Canada, my prime concern is of warmth and wet weather (snow). Are there any particular recommendations experienced builders would suggest to protecting myself against cold weather.

2) Having mentioned the first concern, my second question is about the 'default' construction of steel frame/wood housing. Is there any reason lightweight steel could not/should not be used throughout the entire design? Is this structurally inefficient when cruising along the highways at 100kmph (60mph for you Yankees)? Traveling here in B.C. requires a lot of climbing due to the Rocky Mountains, and I will be towing from a car, perhaps in the future from a hybrid vehicle, so lightweight is the second largest concern of mine.

3) Is entirely electrical concerns. I have been doing a bit of reading in the 'Electrical Secrets' thread, and I might very well answer all of my electrical questions there, but nonetheless, here are those concerns:
a) Is a solar panel(s) an efficient source of energy on the road? Do you need to be parked and perfectly aimed in order to be efficiently charging your cells?
b) How many cells (spares) should I consider in my design, for example, if I want to spend a weekend parked, powering some reading lights at night and perhaps a couple hours on a laptop computer?

I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here, and I can see that I have LOTS to learn, but nonetheless am very excited to get started! I think I will need to order a CD of plans in order to get a focused idea of what I want, what I need, and what I don't!

cheers,
jaeson

[PaulC]

Hi Jaeson and welcome to the confusion. Quit with the small stuff and jump straight into building one. After that, you'll know all the answers and Number 2 will be so much better
Have fun
Cheers
Paul

[Mike C.]

Welcome jaeson,

As far as answers to most questions, just check out "sdtripper2's Index"
at the top of every page. He has taken most questions and answered them there.
You might also check out the "Design Library " or the "Hall of Fame".

If all else fails, just post a question in the " General Discussion ".
I think the number and quality of answers might surprise you.

Anyway, I hope you have fun and learn alot.

And when you start your build, post lots of

Enjoy yourself .

[Bill Fernandez]

welcome Jeason have a good time here go ahead and build , Then you will be as crazy as the rest of use.

Bill

[Gerdo]

Welcome to the madness, it's great.

First, I didn't insulate my walls but if I lived up north I would.

2, Most TDs are built on a steel frame and built out of wood but there are some built from steel tubing. Someone in Alaska built one using steel for the spars and bows. I don't know if it weighs more or less than an all wood body.

3. I have a 110 AH Deep Cycle battery that I run some lights, fan, and computer off of. I have been out for a few days at a time without charging and it is still about 90%-95% charge. My car has a power line to recharge as I drive also. You should not have any problem with power for a long weekend with a deep cycle battery. You can always add a solar cell if needed. You could even run wire for the future.

[Miriam C.]

to the playground Jaeson.

Great questions! Above all the forums Sdtripper has a sticky and they help with the search.

Fast track questions work and are usually answered because we know not everyone has the time for an exhaustive search.

I insulated because it helps with sound proofing and I needed light weight. I put the mother of all windows in so it isn't very warm.

You might look into heaters if using in the winter. Just remember to keep some air coming in or sleep forever!

Solar works if you get one big enough for the job. Consider your area and how much real sunlight you get.

When you say "spares" are you talking about batteries? One should get you through the weekend with normal use.

See this chart for an explanation of use.
http://www.batteryfaq.org/ That might get you some useful information.

Enjoy and remember to keep the bubble oil level.

[jaeson]

Excellent! It's only been a day and a number of great suggestions. Much thanks.



I will certainly need to plan for winter conditions, so it looks like a heater will be on the list. Also, I had dreamed of simply having a large ceiling window (for enjoying the stars at night), but now I am thinking it might not be a great idea if I want to conserve heat. I am not on a sparse budget, however I don't want to blow any huge lumps of money on big mistakes like getting the wrong frame to begin with, and then compounding all of the mistakes from there.

So, I am still a little reluctant about getting straight to the building of it, as I'd like to get it right the first time, but I suppose you have to go through the pain of making mistakes and realizations in order to actually learn the best way to make the 'perfect' trailer.

So this helps, I can begin a list of requirements:
-excellent insulation (but not airtight!)
-heater for cold nights
-lightweight is key!
-the deep cycle battery sounds right for me
-I'm thinking a GPS might be something to consider if I am going to be in some remote areas of Northern BC, for example.

It should probably be mentioned that I will also be taking this trailer on some long trips (upwards of a month), I am by no mean claustrophobic, but should I maybe plan for a trailer larger than say 5'x10'? I am a fairly simple person, I really only need food in my belly and camera in hand to enjoy the nice days, and on the bad ones I have no problem staying in bed reading a book.

[Miriam C.]

staying in and reading a book is great and there are side tents for those stand up moments. Mine is bigger but not too tall so standing is not really possible for most. It all depends on your needs and wants.

[Ira]

Hey Jaeson.

5 by 10 is plenty, the largest that a majority of folks here do:

You only SLEEP in the thing.

You sure don't wanna go 6' wide, and if you went a foot or two longer, you're no longer talking about a cute, easy-to-tow tiny trailer. You're talking about a pain in the ass.

As far as the cold factor up where you are, insulation works BOTH ways. It also helps keep me COOL in South Florida. So rigid foam insulation, and for you arctic conditions, do NOT worry now about "building in" a heating system:

If you run a 110V system, and are hooking up to power, you can use a small electric space heater. And you can ALSO use--despite protestations here to the contrary--small propane space heaters made for indoor use, amde extra safe by cracking your ceiling vent and/or windows.

Check this unit out:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... 577_211577

But there will be times when you'll be camping on the "fringe," where it may get a little cold, but no reason to fire up any artificial heat.

So...

You stick 2 layers of 3/4" rigid foam insulation (CHEAP!) on the underside of the trailer frame. Lay your mattress down, and now you're talking superior floor insulation.

Chances are, you'll be using 1 by 2s for your roof spars, and the way you rotate/position those spars, that "2" number translates to 1 1/2"--exactly enough to hold two layers of that same 3/4" rigid foam insulation.

So your warm and toasty above. And you're warm and toasty below.

Walls are a different story, because a lot of us use that same inexpensive 1 by 2 sticks to frame the side walls, except now those sticks are rotated the other way--giving you room for just one layer of 3/4" insulation. (The "1" translates to 3/4".)

This is probably PLENTY to do the job, but there are also tons of northern guys here who used solid walls (no framing), no side wall insulation at all, and they're still nice and comfortable in very cold temperatures.

Just trying to give you the big picture on this, because if you ask one question here, you'll get more than one opinion. And you DEFINITELY want the cold weather guys here to chime in on this.

As an example, we have a BUNCH of folks here who just rely on an electric blanket to heat the entire TD--and it works, if you have the power source.

[Jst83]

You only SLEEP in the thing.

You only sleep in it ?


Hi welcome Jaeson, Yes as every one stated you'll find lots of answers here and meets lots of nice people at the same time.

[Roly Nelson]

Jaeson, looks like you have the necessary answers to get started on your build. First you get the frame, install the floor and your are 1/2 way there. (well almost). Decide on your shape, make a side template out of cardboard and change it to suit your own design. You failed to mention if your trips will be solo, or if you have a main squeeze to travel with. That would help decide on the size.

If you follow Ira's suggestion and "only sleep in the thing", I suppose 4ft x 8ft would be big enough. (Shucks, I"ve built one that is only 6 ft long and 40" wide that I "only sleep in"). It sure is cheaper, lighter and easier to access those off-road campsites. I suggest you build it as light a possible if you plan to haul it with a hybrid in the future.

Can you narrow your location a bit tighter than British Columbia, that is sure a big place? Mountains, beach or forest? You sure have a pretty country up there. Enjoy your build, take pics and post 'em.

Roly..................

[jaeson]

You failed to mention if your trips will be solo, or if you have a main squeeze to travel with. That would help decide on the size.
...
Can you narrow your location a bit tighter than British Columbia, that is sure a big place? Mountains, beach or forest? You sure have a pretty country up there. Enjoy your build, take pics and post 'em.

I have a main squeeze, but she will only be joining me for the short trips. See my plan is to start with BC, photograph the entire province, from Vancouver Island, through the Okanagan, up to Northern BC, back out to the Coast and the Queen Charlotte Islands.

I travel a lot for work, the company I work for installs the security and networking for the Royal Bank of Canada, so I travel to every single RBC branch in British Columbia and wire them up. With my job it is not difficult to get a month or two off at a time, and it is not hard on my budget because when I am working, I am working long hours, long weeks, lots of OT. Unfortunately I don't have the time when on the road to take up my hobby, and usually don't even pull my camera out of it's case the entire trip. Also, my girlfriend will soon be starting her Masters at UBC in Natural Resource and Wildlife Management, and will be very busy with her studies over the summer.

Right now, the plan is to attempt to get my TD built by the spring, and then begin my journey by June 2008. However, in the future summers, I would like to travel up into the Yukon/Alaska.

[mikeschn]

Hi Jaeson,

Welcome to the forum. You got questions? We got answers!!! It looks like the guys are pointing you in the right direction. Have fun! Be sure to check out the Winter Widget here: http://tnttt.com/album_ ... er_id=3794

Mike...

[jaeson]

Alright,

I've been doing my research and I think I know where I will begin with my first build. I have been looking into buying a new vehicle, but I just have too many kilometers to kill on my car, so I will set aside my original 5'x10' plans for the future, I just can't afford that Hybrid Toyota Highlander quite yet!



I am restricted right now in that I drive a 2003 Honda Civic with a limited towing capacity (max.1000lbs). So, I think I will have to restrict myself to a 4'x8' trailer, substitute aluminum for plywood and steel for 2x4's where ever possible. Also, I will be forced to make it an aerodynamic teardrop shape (planning on that anyhow), and keep it low to prevent the winds from sending me off the road. Now I am also thinking I'd like to build a dining tent into the rear hatch. Something that I can unzip, roll out, and zip back up.

With these new realizations, it would appear that I won't be doing any winter camping until I get a new vehicle, and build a second TD. I'm working on some sketches, and I'll post them (likely after the weekend), and then a swarm of suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ira]

substitute aluminum for plywood and steel for 2x4's

You don't have to use any 2 by 4s in a TD at all. Only 1 by 2s. Also, the aluminum goes over the ply or luan that you're using for your walls and roof, so there's not any weight savings there. You can't just use aluminum as a wall--it's a skin. However, I think that some people have used just aluminum for the ROOF, with no luan substrate.

If you buy a good quality ply for your walls and frame with insulation, you can then either stain, varnish or paint your exterior walls with NO added weight at all. I covered mine with thin wood beaded birch paneling, and I doubt those 2 pieces (one on each side) added much weight at all.

I used that same skin for the cabin walls, but all you would need is a thin paneling for the cabin walls and just finish the exterior outsides of the ply.