Don & Christi's 6 x 10 Cargo Conversion

[GPW]

Don , EMT , electrical conduit , available at most hardware stores.. It's inexpensive , comes in many sizes, and strong ... I've made chopper bicycles from it ... It seemed like the simplest idea for a pivoting bunk using the E-track ...

Sorry , I keep going back to what they use on trains ... We've done a LOT of train travel (I don't fly) ... and just got used to their fold up bunk/sofa system... Which is what I appreciate so much about your setup ...

[d30gaijin]

Don , EMT , electrical conduit , available at most hardware stores.. It's inexpensive , comes in many sizes, and strong ... I've made chopper bicycles from it ... It seemed like the simplest idea for a pivoting bunk using the E-track ...

Sorry , I keep going back to what they use on trains ... We've done a LOT of train travel (I don't fly) ... and just got used to their fold up bunk/sofa system... Which is what I appreciate so much about your setup ...

GPW,

I think I'll give my interpretation of your design idea a try this weekend. I can get the conduit and the conduit "U" clamps at Home Depot just down the road from me. If I calculate correctly it should be a very simple conversion to make the upper into a fold down bunk/sofa combo.

I love train travel too, although I have only been on trains a couple of times... once in the Army in Germany when they were trying to figure out where to place me. I traveled all over West Germany from the port at Bremerhaven to Nuremberg (and definitely not in straight line, I was on that train for a week before they finally dumped me in Nuremberg) and then again when we took the AMTRAK from San Francisco to eastern Washington (Pasco, WA.) when we moved to the northwest (the wife doesn't like to fly either). In fact just this past weekend, while on our latest camping trip we talked about train travel after we came upon a freight train hauling a$$ parallel to the road we were on. Christi said, after seeing the train, that we need to take another train trip because we enjoyed our last one so much. Travel by train is definitely an enjoyable and adventurous way to travel. It lets one see parts of the country one would not see traveling by car, and certainly not by airplane.

Don

[Cephus]

Might you have any thoughts on where I can buy some cabinetry, like a simple pre-made overhead double cabinet I can attach to the inside wall of the CT? Thoughts on a fold down table design?

Check your city's recycling program to see if there is a Habitat Restore or similar organizations where people donate stuff removed from homes that are being renovated. You can usually get stuff really cheap. We have a couple locally and have considered going that route too. I have seen over the stove cabinets for as little as $35 depending on condition.
Blessings

[GPW]

Don , trains let you see Americas backyard .. not just the endless concrete of highways ...
U clamps .... Sorry I forgot what they were called (senior moment)

Cephus is right ... Habitat stores have everything ... cheap too... good call !!!

[Camper]

Derrick,

Wow! Your build is really coming along. It looks great!

What kind of vinyl did you use for the roof? Post a pic of it when you get the chance.

Don
Hey Don
Sorry i did not see your reply and question.We have been very busy with our move over off Maple Grove Rd.
The material i used for my roof and sides of my trailer is a recycled material 4x8 sheets i actualy found at Home Depot.It is like a vinyl material that is totaly from recycled material and is only about $19 a sheet.All trim i used i also plastic and or vinyl from Home Depot and or Lowes as i work at Lowes and can use my discount on everything.Lowes did not have that material so i was forced to go to H.D.
With the move i had to stop working for a while on the trailer but hope to be able to finnish the final details soon. Oh also to put the icing on the cake the engine went out in my truck so i don't even have a way th pull the trailer til the new engine gets put in,the engine had internal failure at 169 k miles
Will post a picture as soon as i can .You can see the material at HD it is back where the fiberglass sheets are at the back wall of the store on Milwaukee.
Derrick

[d30gaijin]

Hey Don
Sorry i did not see your reply and question.We have been very busy with our move over off Maple Grove Rd.
The material i used for my roof and sides of my trailer is a recycled material 4x8 sheets i actualy found at Home Depot.It is like a vinyl material that is totaly from recycled material and is only about $19 a sheet.All trim i used i also plastic and or vinyl from Home Depot and or Lowes as i work at Lowes and can use my discount on everything.Lowes did not have that material so i was forced to go to H.D.
With the move i had to stop working for a while on the trailer but hope to be able to finnish the final details soon. Oh also to put the icing on the cake the engine went out in my truck so i don't even have a way th pull the trailer til the new engine gets put in,the engine had internal failure at 169 k miles
Will post a picture as soon as i can .You can see the material at HD it is back where the fiberglass sheets are at the back wall of the store on Milwaukee.
Derrick

Derrick,

Thank you for the info on the vinyl and where to find it. Since my last question for you we decided to go with Laun ply for the roof, it has worked out well so far.

Truly sorry to hear about the engine in your truck going south. I hope you get it fixed soon.

I also hope your move off of Maple Grove went smoothly, which part of town did you move to? We went through a move last year ourselves and know what a pain in the rear that can be. We have owned our house in Boise since 1981, up near the Micron main plant, but spent the last 12 years living on and managing Blacks Creek Public Shooting Range, a 60 acre range. Once we bought our Jayco travel trailer in May of 2009 and tried to get away for some camping we realized it wasn't going to work out (we both worked two full time jobs for the past 12 years, managing the range as well as my day job at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Christi's job at the Boise School District Admin) so we resigned the range job last year and moved back into our house in Boise. It was amazing how much stuff we accumulated over those 12 years and realized that when it came time to move back into our house. We had to rent two storage sheds (hopefully for the time being) in order to get all our stuff off the range. And we're still sorting through it but are glad to be back home and have our life back to the extent we can do what we want when we want, not so when we were managing the range (60 acres can be very demanding, not to mention dealing with the public).

I hope things are working out for you after the move.

Don

[d30gaijin]

A few more things learned from our first two camping trips in our converted CT.

The water heater I installed probably won't be used much but I will leave it in since it is already installed and doesn't take up much space. The shower I planned to install internal to the CT probably won't get installed because it will eat up too much room inside the CT and will also cut back our usable galley area. If I install a shower it will be an external tent type along side the CT. The shower head/faucet I bought will most likely be installed external as one finds on many RV/travel trailers. It will be more handy outside for washing dishes and also be available for the external tent type shower.

We don't need a five gallon propane tank. They're big and heavy and don't store conveniently inside the CT (I can't put it on the tongue because that space is taken up by the tongue box where the battery and other accessories are stored). The only use of propane I need is for our two burner Brunson camp stove and that is easily handled by the smaller 1 lb. camp type propane tanks available most anywhere. The small 2 burner Brunson propane camp stove has proven more than adequate for our cooking needs, along with the microwave.

Some form of bunk, trundle, or foldaway bed is best. Floor space in a CT, especially in a smaller CT like ours, is a premium. Plan ahead to make the best use of that floor space (I found out the hard way on that).

When camping off grid (dry camping) the little 1.25 amp Battery Tender doesn't really cut it for charging the battery. It would be fine if you can stay plugged in all day to hookups to let it do its job. Off grid we need at least a 10amp battery charger to fully charge the battery for an evening of 12v lighting (I can run several nights of lighting on one fully charged battery but prefer to keep the battery as fully charged as permissible under my camping circumstances i.e., who knows when I may have to go for an extended number of nights with no charge) while running the Honda EU2000i generator at limited times during the day or evening (we limited generator run time to when we actually needed it to run the microwave/refrigerator/electric resistance heater). I took along the 10 amp battery charger I keep at home but will now buy a dedicated 10 amp charger specifically for the CT and wire it in with a plug into the 12v battery and plug it into the the CT 110v AC electrical system (I had to keep the tongue box lid open in order to connect the 10 amp charger to the battery posts inside the tongue box and run the 110v cord out to the Honda generator, not convenient when it is raining in that I don't want the tongue box to fill up with rain).

If you are conservative, and only dealing with two people, 5 gallons of water can go a long way. We left with 5 gallons on board and, after three days of camping, came back with 2 1/2 gallons remaining. We did not take along foods that required boiling, such as noodles/pasta/rice (we planned ahead in that respect and prepared most of our food at home before we left). We restricted our water use to drinking, washing faces and hands, brushing teeth, bird baths, some hair rinsing, and washing dishes, to offset the latter we took along paper plates and plastic eating utensils (to cut down on utensil washing) that can be washed once back home or thrown away (we always reuse plastic utensils and throw them away only if they break). Plastic utensils are light weight and reusable. We did take along metal knives, forks, and spoons but used them only when absolutely necessary (mostly the metal knives).

Cargo trailers, at least the smaller 6x10 variety like ours, are pretty efficient if insulated. We have a very small older electric resistance heater with a tiny fan in it. I suspect it is about 1000 Watts at max. It has been more than adequate to heat the inside of our CT to a comfort level (comfort for Christi but too hot for me).

Small cargo trailers are truly convenient. They tow easily behind many vehicles, they are inconspicuous, they offer a far better alternative to tent camping, they take up the same space that most SUV's would take up, they are easy to maneuver and provide excellent shelter and conveniences inside not available other wise in such a compact rig. My original plans were to install a couple of RV type windows but I am now having seconds thoughts about that. With no windows no one can see what is actually inside, and we find we don't need the external view (we have more than adequate evening/nighttime lighting inside and the skylight for daytime light) and we spend our days out and about, not inside the trailer, well maybe other than to come back and make lunch. If it is raining and we're holed up inside, well I really don't care about seeing out side, I can hear what is happening by the drum of rain on the roof.

Just some thoughts based on two of our CT camping experiences.

Don

[GPW]

Don, That's Great !!! Looks like you have your needs all sorted out ... Nothing like a little camping to let you know what you don't need eh ....

I think we all plan out trailers like we were going to Live in them ... then after camping , unload half of it as "not needed" ... making room for the stuff you Do need ...

[d30gaijin]

Don, That's Great !!! Looks like you have your needs all sorted out ... Nothing like a little camping to let you know what you don't need eh ....

I think we all plan out trailers like we were going to Live in them ... then after camping , unload half of it as "not needed" ... making room for the stuff you Do need ...

GPW,

Well we don't really have ALL our needs sorted out but we have come a long way in recognizing those most important to us camping in a CT.

What we have sorted out is that the CT is best suited to camping off grid as opposed to the Jayco TT. In terms of camping on grid the Jayco wins and will remain in our life when it comes to camping with hookups. It can't be beat in that respect. But we are finding that our camping desires are running more to camping off grid in order to really get away from it all, so the CT wins in that respect. In short we need no external support to camp in the CT. We can simply pull over to a road siding and camp right there with little attention to us (looks just like any contractors CT, right?). Not so with the Jayco. It is a travel trailer and looks like a travel with tourists inside, an opportunity for thieves, malcontents, and opportunists. I always go armed but prefer a low profile in that I don't need the hassles as to why I defended myself. The CT seems to help me in that respect.

Don

[GPW]

There is a big advantage to Stealth camping !!!! There are so many contractors running around this town with CTs , one more wouldn't be noticed at all ...

For real Stealth , we could get some magnetic signs for the pickup tow vehicle ... something like "Joe's Hazardous Waste Removal "... with (removable) HAZMAT and Radiation Warning stickers on the CT .... That would keep em' away for sure...

[bobhenry]

There is a big advantage to Stealth camping !!!! There are so many contractors running around this town with CTs , one more wouldn't be noticed at all ...

For real Stealth , we could get some magnetic signs for the pickup tow vehicle ... something like "Joe's Hazardous Waste Removal "... with (removable) HAZMAT and Radiation Warning stickers on the CT .... That would keep em' away for sure...

OH OH OH >>>>> Add those ground effect light under the belly in an erie lime green.

Then if you could just make them pulsate :thinking:

[d30gaijin]

There is a big advantage to Stealth camping !!!! There are so many contractors running around this town with CTs , one more wouldn't be noticed at all ...

For real Stealth , we could get some magnetic signs for the pickup tow vehicle ... something like "Joe's Hazardous Waste Removal "... with (removable) HAZMAT and Radiation Warning stickers on the CT .... That would keep em' away for sure...

GPW,

Interesting you mentioning the signs because we were talking about that exact thing on the way back from our last camping trip i.e., how can we make our CT even less conspicuous... BINGO! Contractor signs on the outside. We were discussing what kind of contractor signs would draw the least attention (don't want some dork trying to break in thinking he'll find thousands of dollars worth of tools inside) but came to no conclusions.

Your thought of HAZMAT signs seems a good one. Who would want to fiddle with potentially hazardous waste stuff? And since I work in that industry a couple of indeterminate HAZMAT signs are easy to come by.

Don

[d30gaijin]

There is a big advantage to Stealth camping !!!! There are so many contractors running around this town with CTs , one more wouldn't be noticed at all ...

For real Stealth , we could get some magnetic signs for the pickup tow vehicle ... something like "Joe's Hazardous Waste Removal "... with (removable) HAZMAT and Radiation Warning stickers on the CT .... That would keep em' away for sure...

OH OH OH >>>>> Add those ground effect light under the belly in an erie lime green.

Then if you could just make them pulsate :thinking:

Bob Henry,

I like that thought, eerie green lights underneath. Good! Very good! Actually outstanding coupled with a "John's Hazardous Waste Removal" sign on both sides of the CT. Oh yea! Very good!

Don

[GPW]

Sometimes it pays to "blend in" ... Urban Camouflage

[vreihen]

We were discussing what kind of contractor signs would draw the least attention (don't want some dork trying to break in thinking he'll find thousands of dollars worth of tools inside) but came to no conclusions.

I would stay away from the hazmat signs, lest you get busted for driving without a CDL and the appropriate endorsements.

If you want to keep people away from your stealth CT camper, here's an idea for some graphics that would keep even the most desperate crack head away:

http://www.poopbutler.com/pooper-scooper-faq.htm

Who in their right mind would break into (or park next to) a trailer full of dog poop?????