5x10 plans (futon-style sofa/bed & forward galley)

[HikerGuy]

Hi there! I'm new to the forum and have really enjoyed reading about everyone's builds, experiences, and advice. I've created plans for a 5x10 conversion, but it may be quite sometime before moving forward. So, I thought I would share what I came up with so far. If this ever comes to fruition, I will post a build thread. Thanks for looking!

-Troy


Design Background/Guidelines:

- Primarily boondock on National Forest and BLM land or stay at primitive campgrounds (no hookups).
- Trips are usually 2 to 3 days.
- Tow vehicle is a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe V6 AWD, 3,500 lb. towing capacity, 300 lb. tongue capacity.
- Frequently travel narrow roads, therefore 5 ft. trailer width for easier tracking behind tow vehicle.
- Trailer is for sleeping (getting off the ground!) and escaping inclement weather (rare). Most time is spent outside in camp.
- Unless weather is bad, cooking is almost always done outside in camp (fire and/or outdoor kitchen setup).
- Propane furnace for heated sleeping convenience (happy wife).
- Propane cooktop for simple morning breakfast prep when morning temps are cold (happy wife).
- Dry trailer setup (no fresh, grey, or black water tanks). Simpler and keeps weight down.
- Small sink basin for rinsing dishes, brushing teeth, dumping drinks (drain to 5 gal. bucket outside or under counter).
- 3 1/2 gallon bucket potty with luggable loo seat hidden under bench seat for nighttime needs (happy wife).
- Space(s) for two medium-sized dogs to hang out.
- Bed converts to sofa. When in sofa configuration, there is a "dog loft" behind the top of the sofa.
- 4" memory foam mattress topper over sofa/bed frame (not shown in drawings).
- Cooler or ARB fridge is on slide out shelf.
- 6 ft. inside height.
- Maintain area for hauling cargo if/when needed (non-camping uses). This eliminates the popular rear galley design.
- Double barn rear doors for ease of loading cargo (no need for ramp).
- Basic 12V electrical system, est. usage 100Ah per trip (two 12v 100Ah AGM batteries in parallel to start with).
- No 110V. Never hookup and will not use generator (quiet camping is good camping).
- No solar at first, charge batteries at home after trips. Probably add solar down the road for meeting and/or extending capacity needs.
- Roof vent with fan and maybe a skylight (not shown in drawings).
- RV door (max. 30" width) and two RV windows (~15x30).
- Main concern with front galley design is tongue weight. This should be alleviated by carrying the ARB fridge in the tow vehicle and locating batteries in rear along with all camping equipment/cargo.
- The design is based on the dimensions of a Wells Cargo 5x10 V-Front Service Wagon.
- Will enjoy using the trailer, but probably doing this mainly for the fun of the build!!

Screencaps from the SketchUp designs to follow.

5x10_cutout_sofa_configuration.skp

Sofa configuration

(548.87 KiB) Downloaded 565 times

5x10_cutout_bed_configuration.skp

Bed configuration

(528.86 KiB) Downloaded 285 times

5x10_cutout_sofa_configuration.skp

Sofa configuration

(548.87 KiB) Downloaded 565 times

[HikerGuy]

SketchUp screencaps:

01_5x10_cutout_sofa_configuration_iso_top.gif (157.6 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

02_5x10_cutout_sofa_configuration_front.gif (73.1 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

03_5x10_sofa_configuration_top.gif (100.44 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

[HikerGuy]

SketchUp screencaps:

04_5x10_cutout_bed_configuration_iso.gif (107.76 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

05_5x10_bed_configuration_iso_top.gif (83.61 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

06_5x10_cutout_sofabed_removed_iso.gif (111.59 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

[hankaye]

HikerGuy, Howdy;

Also a big welcome to the forum....
It appears that you have thought this out as well as you can,
for the present. I'm still in the 'which one to buy stage' and
truly appericate the design graphics that you posted the old
picture saves a 1,000 words thing and it answers many questions
without the need for asking them as well.

hank

[rideondirt]

Hi Hikerguy!


Thanks for sharing your sketchups! I'm still in Hank's position of "which one to buy" and love getting ideas from everyone here on the forum. Keep us posted on your build!

[pappaw]

Very nice design.

Like your bed, we went with bunks in ours, but found I built them too short and the wife didn't like the climb, so I'm rebuilding mine to have the bed close to yours.

Good luck with your project.

[HikerGuy]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

hankeye and rideondirt: After outlining my needs/assumptions/guidelines, I used the ol' masking tape on the floor layout to pin down the trailer size. I recommend that step, it really helps with visualizing the different trailer dimensions. After that, I did some pencil drawings on graph paper. Not satisfied with those, I completed the SketchUp layouts. My first go at SketchUp was a disaster. Frustrated, I deleted the program. Couple weeks later, I came back to it and it is really easy once you get the hang of it. Highly recommend trying it out. Not sure when(or if) I will get to pick out an actual brand of trailer, SO many choices. Good luck with whatever you choose!

pappaw: I really enjoyed your build thread, not many folks doing 5x10s on here. Seeing your photos helped a lot with my decision making. I will check back to see how your bed mod turns out. Thanks!

It might be a while before I have a trailer build to post, but I did post my most recent project, a "mini-build" in the Camping Secrets forum:
Mini build - portable 12V power pack

[crumvoc]

excellent design work. I may steal some ideas, if you don't mind.....

[HikerGuy]

excellent design work. I may steal some ideas, if you don't mind.....

Thanks, and please, steal away! Not sure if it will ever become a reality, so if someone takes something away from it, that'd be great.

-Troy