Retro-Kamper (Puffin for Four)

[Donutboy]

Thanks, guys, for the kind words.

Last weekend I tried to take it for the first camping trip. The plan was to visit my wife's parents in Houston, then drive on to Galveston for a few days. We made it to Houston just fine, but while there she injured herself. Nothing serious, but enough that we had to cancel the rest of the trip and head back home.



The Rubicon is not known for its great gas mileage. Normally I would get about 17.5 mpg on this trip. On the way TO Houston, driving 65-70 mph, I got 14.3. On the return trip, I held it to 65 mph, and got 14.8. Not too bad of a penalty.

As I kept staring at it, I decided the camper needed a back bumper. I bought some 4"x4"x6' aluminum, and just bolted it to the angle iron on the back. The RV "stinky slinky" (sewer hose) fits inside with standard RV caps holding it in. The bumper is mainly cosmetic, but offers more protection than what it had, which is nothing.



So, after seven years of on-again off-again construction, I pronounce that version 1.0 of the Retro-Kamper is DONE!

I still may do some window curtains, and I have a few other projects that I may or may-not do (such as the overhead cots). But as many of you who have made the journey have pointed out, you are never truly done. Thanks for all the continued support over the years!

[LDK]

Congratulations!
You did a fine job.

[Woodbutcher]

Beautiful trailer, you did good! Sorry the trip got cut short, but there will be many in the future I'm sure.

[aggie79]

Beautiful trailer, you did good! Sorry the trip got cut short, but there will be many in the future I'm sure.

Well said. I really think you've created a beautiful TTT!

[S. Heisley]

Congratulations on your maiden voyage, even if it was cut short. Now that you've taken it out on a road trip, I envision many more trips to come!
Good job!

[PKCSPT]

I really like it,, cute factor

[lrrowe]

Hi all.

Finally! The bathroom is painted. I've installed the hardware for the toilet but I want to let the paint cure for a week or two before I put the toilet back in.

Next up is the plumbing. I bought a bunch of plumbing parts from Lowes for the drains on the way home this evening, and I already know some of it is wrong. I hope to have that sorted out by the weekend.

Hi Jerry,
I am considering using your shower layout in my project. I believe I followed everything you did, but I do have two questions on your techniques. You mentioned something about a filler for the epoxy. Can you explain what that is and two, did you paint all the walls with a special paint in order to waterproof them, or did you muse some other preparation for the plywood?

Thanks,

[booyah]

Wow, I dont often post but I have to say that this is awesome.

I hope you get a ton of good use out of her

[IamJerryP]

Marvelous work of art.
Have you got a total weight yet??

[Johnysteam]

Nice work there. It reminds me of a high quality fitout that is seen in new expensive trailers. yet its got the character of a tiny traveller

[dogscats]

I plan to copy many of the things you have done. I am going to try to build the Angib's Wander 10' trailer. Using a Modular fiberglass component kit. It's much like your great trailer that you have built. Thank you

[Donutboy]

Hi all. I was asked for some dimensions of the trailer. Here's what I came up with.

Radius of the curve in front: 18"
Radius of the curve in back: 24"

Width of the floor between the side walls: 73 1/2" (6' 1-1/2")
Wall thickness on the left/right 1-1/8" (1/4" plywood outer wall, 3/4" insulation and framing (using 1X2's which are actually 3/4" thick, 1/8" birch on the inside.
This gives a total width of 76" outside wall to outside wall.
The radius on the bottom of the side walls was drawn with a 20 or 30 ft rope tied around a pencil at one end and a tree at the other.

For height, I planned it to fit in the garage. This meant the roof had to be two or three inches lower than the garage door (in the raised position), to allow the roof vent to clear when I pull it in or out. I ended up with 78" from floor to the top of the roof. It has fit into the garage of the three houses I've lived in.

One more height measurement: from the bottom of the frame to the top of the roof is 66"

From the inside. the dropped floor measures 9 1/4" below the floor. You can make it deeper, but sacrifice ground clearance in doing so.
From the outside, the dropped floor is about 6 1/2" or 7" above the ground. By selecting a hitch that lifts the nose up slightly, you can increase the clearance. This measurement is really about ground clearance while towing. I'm careful on inclined driveways, but I've not scraped it (that I know of).

Let me know if you have more questions.

Jerry

[EZ]

Wow Jerry, resurrecting this thread after almost 3 years. How cool!

Thank you for the measurements. I am sure that there are a number of builders out there that are or will be duplicating the Retro-Kamper design. I am hoping to do just that, but will not be trying to replicate the workmanship or quality. Your skills building this camper are a little beyond my level but I will do my best to do justice to the design. I have read this thread many (many) times from beginning to end and wished for some dimensions to go by. A Northern Tool 5 X 8 trailer will be delivered soon and your camper will be the inspiration as I go forward.

Any more questions? Well sure......
- How does it tow, being so wide?
- Anything you wish you had done differently?
- Was the shower usable?
- Did you install the axle on top of the leaf springs?
- How did you construct the lower side skirts? Are they edged with thicker material than the actual side?

Thank you again!

EZ