Still Loving My Conversion

[astrotrailer]

I bought a 5x8 in 2009 to enable me to do astronomy camping trips. The goal was to have enough room to carry all the gear, a place to sleep after the sun comes up since I don't go to bed until past 4AM and have solar power to allow me to do astronomy imaging at off the grid locations where I don't have to put up with other campers light pollution. I haven't made any changes in a few years but everything is still working great. The solar power, batteries, furnace, lighting all still work great. My wife and I go camping in colder weather and it gets used about 15-20 nights a year. My only upkeep is putting distilled water in the batteries every couple of months, tightening the occasional loose item and replacing the tires and repacking the axels after 5 years. The insulation and furnace really add to the functionality of the setup. The solar power and battery capacity works well enough for camping in January when solar gain is not as great. The size of the trailer is very easy for my 2113 Highlander to haul around. I like being able to use my standard size mirrors to see behind the trailer on both sides. The gas milage is pretty good so I don't mind taking the occasional trip down to Death Valley in the cooler months.

Haven't been on the site for a few years, but stopped by yesterday to check something out and glad to see the site is still active. Making my own setup was a cost effective way to get a minimalist rig that meet my needs without breaking the bank. Thanks everyone for the great ideas. Just view some of my old build articles if you want to see any of my ideas regarding the solar, furnace or insulation.

[Rainier70]

Glad you dropped in. It's great to hear a success story. Your floor insulation and heater install were two things that I looked carefully at and remember from your build.

I'm not completely finished with mine, but what I do have works great. I am especially appreciating the insulation that I put under the floor and my heater. (Different kind than your furnace) I got my walls and ceiling done and camped quite a few times, but the floor was really a cold spot. Insulating it made an even bigger difference than I thought it would. Thanks for posting your build. I know it helped me with mine.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

I saw 100 different links to hiking - but zero to the trailer ?

Could you post a more direct link

Thanks

[PKCSPT]

I look at the older builds and often wonder where are they now and are they still in use. Thank you for the update,

[astrotrailer]

Sorry, here are a couple of links and a picture for those not wanted to search for posting under my username.

The inside layout is to allow us to bring as much astronomy gear as possible which stays outside once we get to the destination. The ramp door facilities rolling in heavy equipment such as a 110 pound 20 inch Dobsonian telescope. We put up a popup sun shelter in the warmer months for shade outside. We cook, eat and socialize outside under the popup shelter. The trailer is a place for sleeping, using the laptop inside at the desk out of the sunshine when image processing in the daytime and a warming room on cold nights of astronomy. The use of plastic crates with lids helps with the packing and keeps things dry when stored outside if the weather changes to rainy. Fortunately when don't do astronomy where is rains or is cloudy very often.

I moved the spare tire to the back of the ramp door to make room for my propane bottle when I added the furnace. I use the propane in the daytime to feed a outdoor grill and two burner stove that sits on a table next to the trailer. I reconnect the furnace connection after dinner if it is going to be cold overnight. We use a 3 inch roll up memory foam topper on top of a 4 inch fold up mattress that goes on the padded carpet floor. All items go up on shelves when its time to put out the bed. There are storage shelves to hold the bedding during the daytime. Sleeping setup is cozy but works well for my wife and I and is much better for sleeping in under full summer sun after going to bed at 4AM.

I take pictures of astronomical objects when camping. I set up my telescope imaging mounts and cameras about 20 feet from the trailer. I found the voltage drop over the original 14 gauge wire was a bit too much. I built a 4 gauge 25 foot wire assembly that goes directly off of fuse protect power pole connector inside my battery box. I have a breakout 12 volt distribution system at the other end of the cable for my mount, cameras laptop and other 12 volt items used for astronomy. My power is now very reliable for my astronomy needs.

We don't have any plumbing other than propane in the trailer. This is so we either camp at astronomy events that have facilities available or are camping on BLM land in very rural Nevada where a shovel meets the need. As backpackers we are used to cat holes. We make use of the 240 watts of solar power in the daytime to recharge the 220 amp-hour batteries, run a sine wave inverter to power the blender or vacuum cleaner, power laptops, recharge tablets, phones, Engel Freezer, personal evaporate cooler and other stuff. I have a DC-DC smart charger for recharging smaller stand-alone 3, 7, 12 or 35 amp-hour batteries used for astronomy stuff that isn't part of my imaging setup.



Original Build
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=33571

Adding Furnace
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=33848

[Rainier70]

I don't think I saw before how you mounted your propane tank. Very nice solution.