Plan B - Quick 7x12 conversion for hunting/camping

[Dano-Mich]

So I've been researching the purchase of a new 7x16 or 7x18 aluminum frame trailer to convert into an awesome toy hauler for hunting trips and camping. Due to some unexpected vehicle expenses, that has been put on hold - but then this used 7x12 R&R trailer came up on Craigslist for a bargain price. It doesn't have any windows, doesn't have a ramp door, is only 6'6" inside, and doesn't meet a lot of the things I was looking for - but I still couldn't pass it up. This might end up being a "practice" trailer or I might end up liking it so I decided to put some money into restoring it and making it ready for winter camping. I've got just over a month before my late season Wyoming elk hunt, plenty of time!!

So, not sure how well I'll do at taking pictures since I'm basically working on it after dark now. Its hunting season which even further limits my time, but I've tore into it already, no turning back. Due to a mangled fender and what appears to be very uneven wear on the tires, I decided to replace it all. Two new fenders, new Dexter torsion axle with added brakes, new tires/rims. Need windows, wife won't camp in it without (15x30 and 22x30). Gonna pick up these items all from R&R next week, but will need to wait until early December to pick up the axle.

Sleep - The requirements are to be able to sleep 3 adults for hunting trips or 2 adults and 2 teens for camping. Going with etrack on the walls with a split queen across the back and a 30x80 bunk above. Another 30x80 bunk will run along the driver's side. If my wife isn't along, I can leave 1/2 of the queen off to gain more living space.

Plumbing - Since we most often boondock and our first trip is in wintertime, our plumbing will be sparse. We'll use a portable camp table/sink combo that will fit under the one bunk. An indoor toilet is a must. I picked up a Thetford cassette toilet off eBay earlier that will work perfect with some RV antifreeze to flush. Will use a 7 gallon AquaTainer with a spigot on the camp table/sink combo which has a drain to a bucket or other container.

Heat/Propane - no room for propane on the tongue or anywhere else. Need propane for a cook stove, Buddy Heater, and fridge. Thinking about a sealed compartment under the fridge vented to the outside that will hold two 20# tanks. Will bring a small electric heater for backup (with generator). To help with heating and also for summer camping, we're adding insulation right away. 1" foil backed insulation in the walls and ceiling with taped off seams. Will add 1/2" plywood strips perpendicular to the ceiling cross members so I can add another 1/2" insulation. Would like to do more but at 6'5" I can't give up much headroom. Same with the walls, its already going to be a tight fit as its about 79" across and I'm planning on a queen bed (might have to trim an inch off the foam mattress).

Power - I have a portable solar panel that will be incorporated next summer if I keep the trailer. However, for this first trip we will bring along a generator to keep the battery topped off. I'll add a Progressive Dynamics power center so I can have a couple regular outlets up front, but other than that everything will be 12 volt. Will have a few LED lights, Fantastic Vent for airflow, and USB charging outlets.

UPS is gonna be busy bringing all the Amazon Warehouse deals to my house over the next month! Already have quite few things on the way. The vent was smashed up so fixing that and fixing a couple leaks in the roof is the first order of business. So far I've just removed all the wood on the walls and ceiling and replaced the door lock. Here are some pics after I got it home. Yes, I stopped and picked up the insulation on the way since I had the trailer connected.







I welcome your comments and questions along the way. Wish I had more time, but will make the best of it!

[Iconfabul8]

Looking forward to your build! Have fun.

[bc toys]

Welcome nice trailer you have there a month you can do that I just gutted mine and rebuilt it back with solar in a week it is a 6x10 v nose
will never try that again but I wanted the solar in for this camping trip will post pics when we get back from trip
well keep us posted on your progress and take time to take pics as you go I got busy and didn't get many pics of mine

[Rainier70]

You have a challenge ahead, but I think you can get it campable in that time frame. I'd just focus on leaks, insulation, and wiring so you can get the walls back up. Beds, chairs, etc can all be portable camp equipment for now. Have fun!

[Dano-Mich]

Just got back yesterday from our trip to Wyoming which was also the trailer's maiden voyage post conversion. Here's a couple pics to pass the time while I go back and upload more of the "in progress" pics of what I did.

First morning after a night in a rest area in Iowa...


Combining snowshoeing and hunting in the mountains of Wyoming...


This is what it was all about!

[flboy]

Looking forward to more pics. Congrats on the hunt. The pic is blury on my end and I cannot see the head. Is that an Elk?

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[Dano-Mich]

Yes, cow elk. My son was able to harvest it. Then we had to get it off the mountain, luckily only about 1.5 miles and mostly downhill.

[flboy]

Good stuff! I've not been big game hunting for a few years. Nothing like that rush when the right game presents itself in range.

How many lbs. of edible meat do you end up with after processing and elk like that? Should last a while?

I have never shot an elk, but I have eaten elk and enjoy it. Only white tail where I hunt.


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[Dano-Mich]

Didn't weigh it all, but I will probably go back and weigh the packages I have in the freezer which includes backstraps, steaks, and roasts. The rest I took in was 79# to be made into snak sticks, jerky, and ground elk burger. I normally grind and package my own venison, but this was too much to do right now with everything going on.

[McDave]

Nice one! That's gonna be some good eating, for sure. In fact you just helped me decide on supper. A couple of nice elk steaks with some roasted potatoes and green chilies. May be some fried ice cream too, if she talks real nice to me.
Check out this one. Taken last year with a bow. Not far from the Wyoming border in Montana.


Looking forward to your build pics.

McDave

[Dano-Mich]

Would have been nice to get a trailer back to ours instead of packing it off the mountain! That bull is...huge! Maybe next year we'll try for a bull but with school and sports, its hard to get out there - that's why we went over Christmas break.

So, after picking up the trailer in November I immediately started to assess the repairs needed prior to working on converting it. The fender obviously took some damage and that tire was wearing thin on the inside. The axle itself looked like it might have been bent so I made the decision to get a new axle. I contacted R&R and ordered the following:

• new Dexter torsion axle (exact replacement) but added brakes
• two new fenders
• 30x22 window
• 30x15 window
• two radial tires on steel rims (aluminum rims will have to wait)

The roof was leaking at the front where it had been hit and also along the back wall. Fortunately this was an aluminum trailer and the only damage was rotted or stained wood on the inside instead of completely rusted out studs. I pulled the screws out of the last 3 1/2 feet of the roof and carefully lifted it up to remove the damaged wood and replace with a new piece. This wood simply helps to support the thin metal roof. I used plenty of putty tape and dicor to seal the roof back up. I also straightened out the ding on the front as best as I could for now and re-sealed with dicor. Before shot:


Next up was the vent that was smashed and covered with tape. Replaced with a 12v Fantastic Vent and shroud. The shroud is off to the right in the pic and is mandatory in my book. I can leave the vent open all the time and not worry about the rain or snow coming in. You can see how easily the roof cleans up, but hey, its November and I don't have time to clean the whole roof now, lol.


My son goes to college not far from R&R so I picked up my supplies when I picked him up for Thanksgiving break. I then took the trailer to a local welder to add bracing for the windows and other openings while I went on a weekend hunting trip. Yes, its now Dec 4th and my trailer doesn't have wheels, fenders, an axle, or anything on the inside. No sweat, I don't leave until Dec. 22.


Here's an inside pic of the bracing added for the 30x22 window next to the door. I didn't want to cut the holes in the trailer ahead of time and leave the trailer exposed for a week or two until I could get the windows in. This worked out well and is also how I saw this being done at the factory where they were retrofitting a trailer like mine with windows. I had him use 1x2 square aluminum. In total, I had him add bracing for 5 cutouts (2 windows, 2 fridge vents, and a cargo door in the v-nose). I don't need a fridge for this trip but now's the time to add the bracing and do the cutouts while the inside walls are off.


More to come later.

[Dano-Mich]

Next up was insulation. I started with the ceiling first and added 1" of insulation between the roof supports. Since my trailer is only 6'6" I couldn't add much additional insulation but definitely wanted a second layer. I ended up using 1/2" plywood cut into 2" strips to run the length of the roof and put 1/2" insulation between that. Sorry, couldn't find the picture I took of the second layer.


On to the walls - pretty straightforward. 1" insulation between studs. Somewhere along the line I put the front cargo door in as well. This isn't the perfect size I needed but will work. I'm adding an indoor area for propane tanks since there's no room on the tongue. I can just squeeze a propane tank through this door. This area was sealed off from the interior and I specifically used a door with ventilation. I drilled several 1" holes in the floor for the propane to escape and covered underneath with metal screen and hardware cloth.



Most of the wood was in decent enough shape so I reused all but the back 4x8 sheets on each side. I replaced one ceiling panel in the back where it has some rot/mold. This is a hunting trailer so doesn't need perfect finishes. I still have the option to go back and replace more at a later time. Some panels are only temporarily in place until I get the windows and vents in. I pushed 1" insulation into the cove area during this time as well. Dec. 13th now, no sweating yet (ok, maybe a little).



Time to cut into my trailer some more. Over the next few days I added the fridge vents (low/high) and two windows. These went in fairly easily but I'm sure I made it harder than it needed to be. Shorter window mounted high on driver's side so I can have a bunk on that side. Larger window mounted same height on passenger side to be able to see out (we're tall, no need for low windows). Oh yeah, during this time I also installed the axle, fenders, and tires.



Back to the inside for some beds! Wanted to be able to remove almost everything from trailer to use for hauling other things as necessary. Also wanted to be able to use trailer as a toy hauler with an ATV inside, so bunks must be high enough to allow 4 wheeler underneath. This worked ok, but 7' height would give more room for the kids on the top bunks. Here you can see the top e-track installed with a double bunk (queen size). This would only be for travel mode. In all, added 4 "bunks" that are each 30x80. They are interchangeable so I can configure them several different ways. Single queen, two queens, two bunks, across back, queen on bottom with single bunk on top, or single queen and two separate bunks up top. One runs along the driver's side.


Here's a bad picture of the single bunk up top and two bunks below making a queen bed.


Then I added 5/8" OSB.


Jumping ahead, you can see the configuration for this hunt. I slept on the queen and my two kids had the bunks up top. The driver's side bed is supported by e-track on the back bunk and e-track on the wall that will be used for the fridge later. I only needed a bunk on the bottom for me, but the queen gives us an area to sit and hang out. Also, my older son has been using the queen memory foam mattress and I didn't want to cut it in half yet. He'll get it back after the trip


I'll fill in more details later. At this point I have a rolling trailer with beds so getting close. Crunch time for installing electrical and finishing a bunch of details - no problem as I have 4 days left. I do work full-time, but fortunately can slip out at lunch and put a little time into it and also work in the evenings on it.

[Dano-Mich]

So, I think I might have skipped the detail where I built the propane tank enclosure. Looking at this picture you can just see it on the left side of the v-nose. It has two 20# propane tanks and the regulator is mounted against one of the walls. From the regulator I have 3/8" black pipe that has two tees coming off. One is for the future fridge and the other is for the buddy heater. Both have independent shutoff valves. A "too long" 10" nipple pokes through one wall to supply propane to the interior buddy heater. Will need to replace with a shorter one later. I insulated these walls and caulked the inside to prevent propane from entering the cabin. As I mentioned earlier, I drilled several 1" holes through the floor to vent propane to the outside in case of a leak. There's plenty of room in there to store the chocks, stabilizer jack handle, 30amp power cord, and 4 way lug wrench.


This enclosure was built with a half wall behind where the cassette toilet was mounted and a full wall which will enclose the fridge. Since I didn't put the fridge in yet, this created an empty cabinet to hang hunting clothes and store the heaters. The toilet mounts to the the half wall and storage was above. In the pic you can also see the battery box enclosure which has a single deep cycle battery for now and also the 7-way junction box. On either side of the v-nose just above the diamond plate I have my electrical 30amp inlet and the battery vent. The battery itself is inside a plastic battery box.

During the last couple days I installed the Progressive Dynamics PD4135 power center up high in the v-nose. The only AC outlet is just in front of the toilet. Below the power center I installed some DC USB charging outlets, cigarette lighter outlet, and a switched voltmeter to monitor the battery. I re-installed 3 of the interior lights replacing the old bulbs with LED bulbs. These aren't the best but worked just fine. Put one in the bathroom and the other two mid-ship on either side. Mounted a panel of 3 switches just inside the door to control the main lights, bathroom light, and the rear reverse light that is mounted up high. Figured I could turn it on as needed and not have it tied to the reverse of the tow vehicle. I also put some USB charging outlets up high on one side to be accessible from the "bedroom" area. All the lights and these outlets were installed on the cove panels instead of directly to the walls to allow for more room to mount and not to clutter up the walls.

Some of the other final tasks involved cutting moving blankets for the window curtains. Just added grommets and used cup hooks to hang. Made two big blankets for the back wall and hung those, but didn't get the insulation wall put in that I wanted. We had no need for the barn doors on this trip so it stayed locked and shut. Hung the shower curtain on some conduit and put in a camp cleaning table/sink combo for cooking. the table fits nicely below the driver's side bunk. In an earlier pic you can see the ottoman next to the door that we used for storage and for putting on our boots.

For heat we used a Buddy Heater in the evenings and mornings. While we were sleeping I ran the generator with electric heat (oil radiator on low). We did camp two nights in a rest area so we didn't run the generator those nights. Kept the Buddy Heater running all night on low. I left the lower refrigerator vent open which provided plenty of incoming fresh air and vented the Fantastic Fan up top. Most nights the kids complained it was too hot - even when we woke up to -12 one morning.

So, what problems did we encounter? As we pulled out to leave first thing in the morning, the running lights didn't come on. Brakes and signals worked, but no running lights. I tore off some cove panels and tried to find out where I shorted out a wire but couldn't find anything. Went ahead and left, stopped at a Walmart before dark that night and spent some more time figuring it out. Tried to re-route a direct line to just the back lights - no luck. Then found out I had no power coming from the tow vehicle - must be a blown fuse. I assumed I messed up the wiring on the trailer but turned out to be the truck. Ended up splicing my switched reverse lights and tied the switch directly into the running light circuit so we could run it off the trailer battery. We just used the switch to turn the running lights on and off as needed!

Other than the electrical issue, everything else worked out great. We had a blast and made some lifetime memories. I need to get some more pictures from my wife and I'll post those soon. I'll be doing more work on the trailer this Spring so will try to take some more pics then as well. Ask any questions - I'll try to answer as best I can.

[Dano-Mich]

Other tidbits:

My wife had some foam interlocking pads - she put these in the main area of the cabin - not under the queen bed but most of the rest of the floor was covered. We put a throw rug in the middle and a mat by the door. This was VERY helpful to not have cold feet.

Somewhere early on I installed stabilizer jacks on all four corners. With a single axle trailer this helps minimize the rocking.

I specifically made the bunks 30x80 so I could buy two queen memory foam mattresses and cut them in half. Not super easy to cut, but worked fine. Mattress was 80" and bunks turned out to be just under 80" but worked perfect.

Will install old propane 2-way fridge before we use the trailer this summer. These fridges work great on propane unless its REALLY hot. I can do some mods to help in those cases, but for the most part you just light the fridge the night before and turn off when you get back home. Most of our camping is boondocking or camping in parks without electricity. In the pics you can see I didn't vent out the roof - the cross members interfered with placement of a roof vent and I didn't want to mess with that.

I have a portable solar panel that can keep the battery topped off via the 7-way trailer plug. No need on this last trip as I used the generator every night and that charged the battery back up via the power center.

All the wiring is pretty much accessible behind the cove panels. These are easy on/off but will probably make them even more accessible. Still need to put up some interior strips to cover the plywood gaps. Instead of using the old stuff I picked up 1/4" lathe strips which are 2" wide - just about perfect. Will probably paint the ceiling and might put interior paneling up.

[McDave]

Wow! That was a bunch of work in a hurry! You obviously have skills and gave this a lot of forethought and planning. Very well done. If your only failure was the park light circuit from the TV, that is a great success.
Congratulations on your build and a successful hunt. You worked hard for it and deserve it.

McDave