Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

Moderator: eaglesdare

Postby eaglesdare » Mon May 23, 2011 3:09 pm

yes one of the guys tears has a cooler that sits on a slider/drawer thing. and the cooler is heavy, so it would work for my a/c unit.
also instead of cutting any holes in my bulkhead, i could enclose the top part of my hatch area leaving enough room for the hose for blow in the cool air. a couple of drip holes in the drawer, should work? i would think.

could even continue to use that old tent that i already cut up and just use that nylon to cover that space. a little glue, or a staple here and there and whal lah....
could even use more of the mesh from it also.
yup lots of possibilities in these little things. use what you have on hand.


about those portable a/c units, i have heard they leak from the unit that sits inside. one of the reason i have not gotten one yet. don't plan on it either. too expensive for me.

just check every time you go to the store that sells a/c's and ask if any units have been returned, that they want to get rid of cheap. of course make sure it works and find out why it was returned. mine was a great deal.

and gpw, your door looks great! although everytime i look at your colors i just can't get rid of that chocolate milk image. :lol:
Louella
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Postby Ratkity » Mon May 23, 2011 3:11 pm

I think it's all about how you designed your TD and what is best for your particular setup.

I do want to say that the 2nd night at Drench Creek (where Eagle and I were on her first run) was much warmer, yet still had 100% humidity. I ran the fantastic fan that night while running the small heater to try and dry out the TD and I was the only one inside. The dogs weren't there that trip because I knew how much rain was going to be incoming. :rainy:

My TD is smaller than Eagle's. She has much more head space. I think a top vent with fan would be great to move air in her TD, but a box fan in one door to pull air through the other door would work for her since her mattress is low inside the TD. Velcro some mosquito netting around the fan and in the other door.. voila! wonderful air flow. :fan:

While I was in NC at a bicycle ride last Aug, I laid down in the TD with all the windows open and the fantastic fan on high (had electric) and I was very cool inside the TD (not in full sun).

This July, we are going white water rafting and I'll give a report how hot or cool things are at night while at the campsite.

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Postby GPW » Mon May 23, 2011 5:05 pm

92F here right now .... Thinking more about the AC ... Gonna' need it ... :thinking:
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Postby GPW » Mon May 23, 2011 5:40 pm

My Fancy Door catch ... I Had it ... seems to work fine .... for now ... Image
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Postby eaglesdare » Mon May 23, 2011 6:24 pm

:applause: looks great. but no locks?
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Postby mikeschn » Mon May 23, 2011 6:58 pm

eaglesdare wrote::applause: looks great. but no locks?


I don't think GPW is stashing his silver in there. (He sold it 2 weeks ago just before it tanked!)

Just kidding.

My thoughts, GPW needs to find a way to lock it.

Mike...
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Postby GPW » Mon May 23, 2011 7:17 pm

This was just a "temporary " solution , till I can get to the Hdwe. store ... Have to go into town for that ... Actually leave the House ... :o Thinking of a padlock and clasp like everybody else ... Simple !! This was to keep the door from blowing open and shut in the breeze... aggravating ... no damage .. quick and dirty fix .. :oops:
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Postby 68galaxie » Mon May 23, 2011 9:33 pm

I have not done any tests with TBII and canvas or any other material but, :thinking: For those of you that have do you think Burlap (very cheap) would work since all the "fabric" does is hold the foam panels together and the glue /paint make it waterproof ?

P.S. in my Scotty I have an AC that is behind an access door on rack mount sliders that slides in and out. I will have picts tomorrow.
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Postby Wolffarmer » Mon May 23, 2011 10:28 pm

Burlap worked for Marilyn

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:R

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Postby GPW » Tue May 24, 2011 6:04 am

Burlap would work , but whose going to eat all those potatoes??? :o
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Postby Anita Rae » Tue May 24, 2011 7:17 am

Ratkity! TY for the links to the A/C info. Those will come in handy!
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Postby Ratkity » Tue May 24, 2011 7:41 am

Just FYI, Eagle's internet is down. Some big fire up the road has all the cables out of the ground. She and family are fine, just internet-less.

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Postby GPW » Tue May 24, 2011 7:47 am

Well isn't that a Bummer !!! Just a minor inconvenience compared to other things going on in the TD world ... :roll:
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Postby GPW » Tue May 24, 2011 9:34 am

Still on a quest to find better adhesion with glue and foam .... I dug out this old tool that makes tiny perforations in the surface ... easily punctures many small holes in the foam ... Perfect for testing this concept before we purchase a standard perforating tool ... Just trying to make it Better !!! :thinking:

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Postby Wobbly Wheels » Tue May 24, 2011 2:19 pm

GPW, is that a stitch spacer for working leather ?

I was thinking that some 36G floor paper glued to a paint roller sleeve might be just enough to stipple the surface...and it's cheap !
Not sure if it would bend that tight though...maybe glued to some 3" PVC instead....hmmm....
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