New-ish member from Upstate NY

[SubaruDave]

Hey everyone, my name is Dave and i'm 25 years old. I'm from upstate NY (between Albany and Saratoga).

I've been a member on here for a little while and haven't really introduced myself. My girlfriend and I enjoy camping very much, except the part that it seems to rain EVERY TIME we go, so we decided to look into small campers. We have 2 kids. Her daughter is 5, and my son is 4 who i get every other weekend, so having 3 beds is a must, atleast for now until they're old enough to sleep in a tent by their self. Would be ideal that 1 or 2 of the beds arent permanent because we might not have them every time we go camping.

I drive a 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, which limits me to 2000lbs with brakes and 200lb tongue weight. (Based on the manual) But I've seen people tow much more than that.)

I'm really leaning toward a 6'x12' or 14' Cargo Trailer to convert into a camper because I could make it easy to remove things to be able to use for many other things. (I detail cars when I need extra money and it'll be easier to go to customers rather than have them come to me.) Also because I could furnish it the way I would like and see that best suits us. I know most people would say a pop up is best, which it would be except i can only use it as a camper and not a multi-use trailer like a cargo trailer. Not to mention they're much more expensive and come with things I don't need or want, like a stove or sink (the water would add significant weight that i could use for other necessities).

Any comments or concerns would be greatly appreciated and all would be taken.

Thanks
-Dave

[Oldragbaggers]

Welcome Dave.

I don't think you have to worry about too many people on here telling you a pop-up would be best. A lot of people on this site turned their attention to teardrops and tiny trailers because they were tired of putting up and taking down wet canvas in the first place, regardless of whether it has wheels under it or not.

Sounds like a cargo trailer would be a great option for you. Best of luck with whatever you decide to build!!

[SubaruDave]

Thank you, now I just need to figure out how to stay within the weight i need, while still having what i need to have in it (beds are going to be the biggest issue) I want to be able to use the trailer during the day if theres poor weather so they cant be in the way or take up alot of space when not being used.

I remember camping in a pop up a while back with one of my friends' family and it was horrible when it rained, not to mention having to open it up when we got back so it could dry out.

[mary and bob]

Also consider a fiberglass camper such as a Scamp or similar. We have a teardrop, a popup, and a 13 foot Uhaul fiberglass camper. The Uhaul weighs 1250 lb and we tow it with a Honda CRV. The Scamps weigh around 1000 lb

[hoytedow]

Our bed is very light weight. It is a queen air mattress that only weighs a few pounds, maybe under five. I haven't actually weighed it.

[SubaruDave]

I'm definitely going to be using air mattresses in whatever I get/build because they're light and easy to pack away if i need space for something else.

I was also thinking about making a Foamie, but covered with fiberglass and painted/vinyl wrapped, but how feasible/practical would it be to make it with between 5'6" and 6' interior height, and i'm still unsure about having a safe and easy setup for bunk beds for our 2 small kids. I've already figured out how to wire lights, and even one of my car stereos (with a DVD player in it for the kids on a rainy day)

[hoytedow]

Would your kids be safe with hammocks?

Bear in mind they need a spreader bar to remove strangulation hazard.

[SubaruDave]

I don't think so, they go to sleep on one side of the bed and wake up on the complete opposite side... so they'd need some sort of railing on the side of the (higher) bed

they cant sit still for more than 2 minutes, if that long


I may make a hammock that they can fit in out of paracord and weave nylon straps (webbing) thru it for some added support/safety and hang it in their room and see what happens.

(i've already made a few and ended up selling them to people who liked them)

[hoytedow]

Make sure it is a very tight weave so no body part bigger than a finger can get caught in it. There are many tragic accidents resulting from poor hammock design.

[SubaruDave]

What program/website do you guys use to design your trailers, I have quite a few measurements in my head and I'd like to see what I can come up with that suit my wants and needs.

[hoytedow]

Graph paper, compass straight edge and sharp pencil will carry far. Also look at plans on this forum for insight.

All these plans were drawn without aid of computer: http://www.mikenchell.com/VintagePlans/ ... plans.html

This one looks big enough for the 3 of you. http://www.mikenchell.com/VintagePlans/ ... lscout.pdf

[mcspin50]

Hi Dave,
Welcome to the forum.

For sleeping arrangements for the kids, how about a solution like Jeanette from Utah (jmtk) used in their teardrop. Could be easily adapted to a cargo trailer and an extra rail added to prevent accidental dismounts from bed. (I might make a more secure connection for the upper bunk so there's no chance of it and kid falling on the lower bunk and kid. Also, the bunks could be removed when not needed leaving only the mounting plates on the walls.



Here's a link to her album with lots of great ideas.
Just a thought.
Take care,

[hoytedow]

That's a great idea.

[SubaruDave]

Hi Dave,
Welcome to the forum.

For sleeping arrangements for the kids, how about a solution like Jeanette from Utah (jmtk) used in their teardrop. Could be easily adapted to a cargo trailer and an extra rail added to prevent accidental dismounts from bed. (I might make a more secure connection for the upper bunk so there's no chance of it and kid falling on the lower bunk and kid. Also, the bunks could be removed when not needed leaving only the mounting plates on the walls.

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=24765 http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=24766

Here's a link to her album with lots of great ideas.
Just a thought.
Take care,

I like that idea alot actually, that's very helpful I'm sure the brackets could be modified a little to make the bunks easy to fold away if needed. and I'm sure its much lighter than building, or modifying bunk beds to fit inside whichever route I decide to go.

I'm hoping to get started in the spring if I get a decent amount of money back from the government (taxes).

[SubaruDave]

Did some more thinking today and searching and searching for something to suit my needs, or to see if its even been done... I've seen RVs with slide out sections and I would like to do the same with a cargo trailer. I could try to make it from light materials, like foam or something similar. I can make it weatherproof by covering the entire thing in FRP or another lightweight material.

Since I was thinking about going with a 6x12 or even 6x10, what if I built the slide out section to come out 3 or 4 feet of the rear of the trailer when the doors are open, that will keep me from having to make it weatherproof when closed (because the doors will cover it), also it will allow me to have more windows if I would like. and it would also keep the weight over or close to the trailer axle when in transit, and not add anything to my tongue weight.

The only issue is where can I get the hardware to do so?