Hi, Everyone
I got some Christmas money this year, so I am ready to start this project before I fritter it away!
I have been watching Andrew's thread on a Baby Canned Ham design, have read Donutboy's Retro-Kamper thread, and have searched for and read other threads about both small and large canned hams. In addition, I camped for years during my childhood in a tent-top trailer my grandfather built in the 1940s, so that has influenced my ideas on how minimalist I can go.
I had a chance to measure the poor old tent trailer this past weekend. It was a frameless trailer (no longer sound), 64 inches wide and 96 inches long, 1/2" ply throughout, with a rear entry and galley drawers that pulled out to the rear. The drawers rolled under the sleeping benches, which were 23-24 inches wide, leaving about 18 inches in the aisle. 32 inch wide wings folded out to the sides. (Mind you, with a family of 5, one kid always slept in the aisle at night, which made for a narrow "bunk".) We had a table to set up over the aisle, but rarely used it, as it was a bit tight (ya think??). But it was useful on rainy days. No porta-potty, no inside galley, no closet but lots of storage under the benches beyond where the galley drawers rolled in.
All that information is to assure you I know what I am getting into when I say "minimalist."
As I said, I have been watching the Baby Ham, and also the Puffin, the Retro-Camper, and have been looking at the plans for the Weekend Trailer from the 1946 PopSci. I'm thinking of squaring off the back end and making it rear entry with the galley drawers I grew up with, puting an awning on the back for cover from rain and sun. The benches inside don't need to be cot-depth, as I plan to have a lengthwise (narrow) dinette converting to a queen bed and one lengthwise bunk overhead. We'll be using the camper for mostly summer/early fall weekends, cool alpine camping, so I'm not particularly worried about insulating and won't need an AC. We'll use a Coleman stove, an icebox in the back of the car, and will usually camp in national and state parks with privies and water, no showers, no electricity. We'll also camp in some unimproved areas in the parks, but will use a 5 gal jug for water, rather than a built-in tank. For those trips we'll take a bucket porta-pot and tent. Lighting will be LEDs and a battery, charging the battery between trips.
So, here is my first question. How wide can I build on the HF 4x8 trailer. Can I go 62-64 inches? And if I can keep the weight around 1000 # can I stay with the 12 inch tires, or do I need to use something bigger?
Okay, that's the plan. I know I'm crazy. Talk me down.
Catherine