5x8 CT Bike Hauler and Camper

[davidshourd]

David,
Interesting idea with the shelving on the doors.
With this method, you could also have an interior wall with more shelving. Open the doors, swing them out 90 degrees, and you have a work station with more storage right in front along with the doors. I may experiment with that idea with my design.

Bob

key for me was keeping the system to less then 6". when the motorcycles are in the trailer they had about a foot behind the rear tire to the face of the doors. that allowed about a foot of space in front of them too. enough room to get some gear stashed around them. width wise I am pretty much out of luck to fit both bikes unless its just some upper cabinet systems. what's nice about this set up is the cabinets can just unclip from the back doors and clip onto the wall (once I add the receiving clips) within the trailer. to pretty much allow any variation of set up a person could want. Or just pull them out entirely and store them in the garage.

[davidshourd]

had to pull the trailer out in the "warm" weather yesterday afternoon to test out some of the features. we just cannot wait to get this out! now I just need the snow to melt up in the hills.

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[davidshourd]

fitted up the fold down bed set up. basically the bed is split down the middle, folding up to each side. the small "curved piece" at the front adjacent to the RV door hinges off the panel on the left and collapses flat against that panel when folded up. each panel is hinged at the bottom and clips in the up position via a couple latches. a few cross supports under the plywood keep the whole thing stiff enough to support people. as seen in the second photo, when the bed is all folded up it only eats up the thickness of the plywood into the camper space (3/4" on each side). heading out camping this weekend! first real field test on everything. stay tuned.

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[hankaye]

davidshourd, Howdy;

Looks good, nice concept, one question ...
where do you stash the mattress ?

hank

[davidshourd]

davidshourd, Howdy;

Looks good, nice concept, one question ...
where do you stash the mattress ?

hank

we have a 1" thick foam pad (used under indoor synthetic turf tracks) plus a 2" thick thermarest. both are about 5' wide and 7' long. keep those rolled up and stored with the rest of the bedding in a HUGE duffel bag that is usually the base for the dog bed in the cab of the truck while on the move.

[hankaye]

davidshourd, Howdy;

Ahhhhh, ...

hank

[zroadhouse]

I love this build - its so cool to be reminded of what can be done with a very small amount of space. I think it intrigues me in the same way that cabinet maker's tool chests do -- how did they manage to pack all of that in there?!

[cornfused]

I like this build too. Probably going to grab one of those ARB Awnings at some time for my trailer

[davidshourd]

thank you.

you will not be disappointed in the ARB awning. great product. They hold up very well through snow, rain and sun.

[cornfused]

Out of curiosity, hot tall can the support legs of the ARB awning go?

[davidshourd]

Out of curiosity, hot tall can the support legs of the ARB awning go?

not sure EXACTLY, but probably around 7 to 8 feet. probably not 8' but pretty close too. and its also a function of how long the awning roll is as the legs collapse into that then have a tube inside the tube that slides down to make it adjustable. lock in a the desired height with some sort of "cam" lock inside the tube.

here is a LONG winded video of someone setting one up. give you a better idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LqmL5lhf0A

[davidshourd]

couple pictures from over the weekend. everything performed great. had some high winds and a little rain overnight, but all and all a pretty good quick shake down trip.

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[explorer0863]

Built a couple modular cabinets for the trailer this weekend. started with the idea of a place to put the camp stove and turned into much more. these little cabinets are identical in size and hang on the doors via a extruded aluminum panel clip (with a couple latches that then lock them in place). so these cabinets can site as shown in the pictures, or one can be removed and hang on the side RV style door, or hang on the interior walls within the trailer. in the pictures below I only have the panel clips mounted to the back doors. the intent was for a "kitchen" like space when the doors are open. in the end I think it also created a very cool space when the doors are closed in the interior. I have not designed up the foldable sleeping platform yet but it will certainly take advantage of these cabinets along the back doors. made of poplar and Oak plywood they are 6" deep. 23" wide and 47" tall. I will apply a couple layers of a clear coat verathan or similar here in the next few days.

back awning performed very well during a rain storm with about a 1/2" of hail over the weekend!

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David,
What a great idea! My CT is the same size as yours and I am at the stage now where I am designing the interior. I've been playing with a "million" ideas and looking at different designs here, but yours I really, really like. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to end up with something similar to your idea. I appreciate you sharing the photos and the description.

However, I am not 100% clear on how you mount and dismount them. Could you provide more details or better yet, post additional pictures of your system?

Thanks for sharing your build up. Awesome job!

Tony

[charchri4]

+1^^ This is for sure my favorite build on the site! I have a 5x8 trailer too that I have been wracking my brain for months how to make the best of. David your posts have been a godsend to me and I really appreciate your write up here. WELL DONE!

[UABBCE]

Great use of space