campster 12

[Greg Barrick]

Morning All,
Just a quick dumb question as I am building a modified Campster 12. Does or has anyone built or used or have a campster 12 style TD. And if so, how is it for you? Towable? Too large? Too small? Just right? Thing you would have changed. Things you like or dislike. Just wondering. I haven't seen much on the forum about campster 12's. Just wondering.

[grant whipp]

Hi, Greg!

Seems like everyone that I've heard about has greatly modified the basic Campster12 design to suite their own particular needs, and the only one that has been built more-or-less to the plans was the original pseudo-prototype, pictures of which are on Andrew's site. That one came in a little heavier than I would have liked, due mainly to the overkill chassis, but the builder has not had any problems pulling it with his older 4-cylinder Toyota pickup, and it handles just fine.

You may have noticed that even when I started to build one for Kay & myself, it evolved into the TugDrop ... ... which, unfortunately, has had to go to the back burner for an extended period of time.

Good luck on your's ... ...! I haven't looked, yet, but do you have a build thread going, here?

CHEERS!

[Fyddler]

I just started a build, started out as a 3 person standy, but have since switched to the campster 12 profile but a bit taller because I really liked the shape. I'm really hoping to keep it under 2000#, but havn't sat down and done the math yet.

[Greg Barrick]

Good morning, Grant & Fyddler. Thank you for your response and Happy Easter. Grant, I am taking pictures, but havn't posted anything yet. I plan on posting a build thread when I get more done. Being on the Michigan/Indiana state line this winter has put me WAY behind in my build. Hope to have it "Campable" by Mothersday wknd. This will be sandwich wall built and very basic. I just love the campster 12 shape. Being retired, this camper will be built with alot of scrounge, used stuff, minimalistic to save weight and keep it simple. (Like my old cubby was) But fun. I'm using an old 6'-4"x12' pop-up camper frame. (The old 4x8 was a little snug for the wife & I) Mama wanted more room to have a place to sit inside if weather was really nasty, not forced to just lay down. So I dropped the front half floor about 4" giving a 5'x6' area,
4'-10" tall to set bag chairs in and will probably will put a bench seat accross the front for storage. The back half will (hopefully) have a shortened wooden futon crosswise for bed and seat to save room. (I'm 5-7, wife claims she's 5-2) Of course, a galley in the rear.
The galley will have a 3 burner propane stove and a little storage, only. I have water tanks, pumps, hot water heaters, showers, fridge etc. But that's alot of work, weight, maintainence and cleaning and winterizing. I'm happy with a cooler, plastic wash tub etc. I always carry a couple of 6 gallon water jugs. Of course, it'll be wired for 12V and 110. I have 1 or 2 roof vents to install. Lot's of window, too.
I don't have the patience or talent many people on this sight have to produce something as beautiful as I often see. I make it waterproof, comfortable and enjoyable. We used to pull our cubby all over and often to race events etc. Gave us a place to get out of the sun, grab a short nap, grill up a steak, refresh and go back to the event. People sure were jeleous in the parking lots (grass fields) sitting in the sun, burning hotdogs or burgers on a tiny campfire.
Hope to have it "campable" Mothers Day weekend. A bunch of our friends all go up and camp in central Michigan. One of our freinds has a few acres of woods up there. They all have 5th wheels, large campers and motorhomes. I pull up in my TD, unhook and pushit where I want. Takes me maybe 2 minutes to be all up and ready.

[jandmz]

It looks like something I could use with some mods. Since it is just DW and I, I'd eliminate the upper bunk and make the lower bunk a bench.

With the travel trailer, we've gotten spoiled by the onboard "facilities". I would move the closet to the off door side and install a Thetford C4 cassette toilet (if I could find one) under the bench with a hatch in the door side wall for access to the toilet tank.

With that I think it would make us a nice little weekender.

[Fyddler]

I'm turning the bunk area into a counter and storage. I have been messing around with the design in sketchup to define the curves and basic layout but I'm pretty much winging the inside. Waiting on my welding uncle to get over a cold so I can finish my trailer and then I will be spending most nights in the garage working on it. It's a quick budget build and I plan on camping by late June if it means duck taping a blue tarp over it and tossing in an air matters.