...Greetings TnTT from the Capital of Oregon!

[ImDBatty1]

Greetings all! So I haven't a trailer, yet... but I have one in mind that I'll hopefully be building this Summer or next...

I was informed it was more of a Vardo style, than teardrop, and this forum would be a great resource for me by Sawyer and Jon of oregontrailer.net, since my idea is a bit out of the ordinary... If any of you wish to give input/feedback on my project, I'll let you know when I'm ready, currently I just plan to look at what everyone else has done, and see if any of my ideas match up with what some of you have done...

My friends call me Batty, I work many of the Renaissance/Pirate festivals throughout Oregon, Washington, and California... I would like to have my own booth one of these days, and that is where the idea of having my own trailer becomes very appealing... So if you know of any other users on this forum that are of the same, or you are the same, post their username in my thread, or pictures of what they've done, it might speed up my process...

My trailer is going to be 1/3rd of the back end of a "pirate ship", I'll probably mock up some drawings to better explain my idea, but until then, I hope this was enough to get some of you interested in my idea...
^v^

[mikeschn]

Welcome to the forum!

Mike...

[mezmo]

Welcome to the forum ImDBatty1.

Forum member Deryk the Pirate has done a couple of TD sized
Vardos. Here's a link to his last one:
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=44599

If I recall correctly, I believe he did the SCA stuff too.

Another forum member, Rae, aka Rachel the Goatwoman, [SCA also]
has a website about vardos:
http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/camps.htm

So let me get this right - You want to build the "poop cabin" part of a
pirate ship as your TTT ? [I was going to say "poop deck", but the Wicki
explanation said that that was the deck that was the roof of the aft or "poop"
cabin.] It'd probably be more elegant to call it the "Captains Quarters" on
second thought ! Ha !

Have fun planning.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[ImDBatty1]

Welcome to the forum ImDBatty1.
So let me get this right - You want to build the "poop cabin" part of a
pirate ship as your TTT ? [I was going to say "poop deck", but the Wicki
explanation said that that was the deck that was the roof of the aft or "poop"
cabin.] It'd probably be more elegant to call it the "Captains Quarters" on
second thought ! Ha !
Have fun planning.
Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Norm, you nailed it... that's pretty much what I'm after, I found this picture online, it's kinda along the lines of what I'm looking to do, except the back area will open up, and be my storefront...





The top will have to be strong enough for me to stand on, and if I'm able to lay it out the way I'm thinking, I might be able to hide a solar panel I picked up to provide me power enough to run a credit card machine/charge my cell phone... http://www.costco.com/GOAL-ZERO%C2%AE-Portable-Solar-Power-Essentials-Kit.product.100028545.html

something along those lines...

[ImDBatty1]

Here I tried to explain by taking the picture apart...





are you following me?

the trailer tires will be covered by Black Powder/Rum/Wine Barrels cut in half, and slid over them...
^v^

[ImDBatty1]

I finally got done looking at both of the links from Norm/mezmo, and I'm really liking both of the builds... I think I like the way that Rachel did her Gypsy Vardo, because the "top" half of the "ship" doesn't have to be real, and this eliminates the problem of having to store the "flat" pieces in my mock-up...

now that my head is spinning with ideas, I'll be working on it all weekend, trying to figure out what to do, when the start day begins...

^v^

[ImDBatty1]

Since I've nothing but time to think on this project (and my day job duties are slow at this time) I started to search out a source for wood, rather than going to Home Depot or Lowes, I did a Google search for lumber suppliers in my area... I found http://www.orcedar.com/ which just happens to be about two blocks from my work, and 2 miles from my house...

While they may or may not be whom I do business with, I've been reading (a lot) that all points me in the direction of wanting to construct this out of Cedar for it's lightweight and durable properties...
^v^

[Junkboy999]

Plan , Plan and Plan some more. You’ll change it even more when you start building. Best just to have
fun at it. I’m digging the ship idea. Maybe the top deck can be just for look, and fold down on the top
of the camper for traveling.

Oh Welcome Aboard the Forums Matey, Get it? Aboard. Ha I crack myself up sometimes.

[mezmo]

Hi ImDBatty1,

I like unique and original designs, and your proposed one sure
fits both descriptions.

When I was a kid we had a 1960-61 13ft Hi-Lo TT. It was very basic -
only a dinette and gaucho and it cranked up and down ["telescoped"]
using a built in crank/winch and steel cables. Later on I guess they made
the lift system operate hydraulically/electrically - so I understand. They
went out of business after the big economic slump.
http://www.trailerlife.com/camper-trail ... oses-shop/
[There were a couple/few other small companies that tried this design
(telescoping) but Hi-Lo was the largest and longest lived.]

Do a Google Images search for "Hi-Lo camper" or "travel trailer". They were larger,
and consequently more expensive, in later years, but the early ones were smaller and
some of the early ones had rear entrances as well.

Here's a link to a forum for them. You might garner some ideas or learn how to
adapt their lift system. If you found an old derelict one, that wasn't worth restoring,
you might be able to use that as a base. The early ones used ~ 1in welded steel tubes
for wall framing I believe. You could use or "emulate" their structure and just put your
own facades, so-to-speak, on that.
http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/

Here's a couple of possible ways [out of many I'm sure] you could approach your build
if you use a telescoping type set-up.
1- Build a small standy as the base and have the faux top telescope up from/over that.
2- Build the bottom/base as in the Hi-Lo and have the top telescope up to give the
standy interior height like the Hi-Lo. Have the faux upper level fold up from the top
of the telescoping top part before you crank that up.

Oh also, check out the foamy section here. They are trying to make very light weight
TD/TTTs there, so you could find some good ideas/info there. They also have some links
there just about making things in foam and/or products used [esp. coatings] for making
foam 'sculptures' etc. permanent - sounds just what you'd need to use for the faux 'upper
deck' and facades. A lot of the Mardi Gras floats are built this way - their designs/decorations
carved in foam, then coated for permanence and then painted/faux-painted.

Just some info to help you in your planning...

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

P.S. Later, after the initial reply, it occurred to me, that if you do a small standy
and have the upper faux boat level facade telescope up from that, you could actually
make that an upper sleeping section [including an escape window], accessible from
the interior of the Standy by a ladder or mini half-stairway. That way [since you're
building it anyway] it'd be usable space within the upper faux boat facade. Of course,
this would be tall and susceptible to winds, but you could do triangulating supports at
each corner, disguised as nautical lines/ropes etc., to deal with that. There are various
methods you could devise for that, if wanted.

P.P.S. I came across a couple websites with pics of a couple older Hi-Lo s like I was
mentioning so you could see what the early basic ones looked like. A basic design you
could adapt:
Nice pics of a 1961 13ft Hi-Lo. Ours had a gaucho couch where this one has a kitchen.
http://goodoldrvs.ning.com/photo/photo/ ... aubi0jjec1
A website I came across with an older slightly longer one.
http://antiquehilocampers.tripod.com/

[ImDBatty1]

Plan , Plan and Plan some more. You’ll change it even more when you start building. Best just to have
fun at it. I’m digging the ship idea. Maybe the top deck can be just for look, and fold down on the top
of the camper for traveling.
Oh Welcome Aboard the Forums Matey, Get it? Aboard. Ha I crack myself up sometimes.

Ohhh I got it alright... hahah

I plan to plan and change plans when the time comes, right now, the plan is to get my debt to a minimum, but having no insurance, made me put my plans into a holding pattern... I'd rather be working on it, or at least approaching my father's place with a trailer stacked high with cedar and a rough idea of what I'm talking about... I'm going to have to get my laptop fixed, so I can use the software that everyone talks about on here, and my work computer won't let me download it...

I don't know if I'm looking for just looks or functional at this time, I'll probably be building the lower half first, unless I can figure out a hi-low trailer's inner workings, or just find the shell of one that's close enough in proximity to where I live...
^v^

[ImDBatty1]

Hi ImDBatty1,

I like unique and original designs, and your proposed one sure
fits both descriptions.

Well thanx Norm/Mezmo! I really want to make this happen, I just wish I were already independently wealthy so that making this trailer wasn't just an idea, and could make it a reality, but when you're paying 640$ a month, it's what's meant to be at this time...

When I was a kid we had a 1960-61 13ft Hi-Lo TT. It was very basic -
only a dinette and gaucho and it cranked up and down ["telescoped"]
using a built in crank/winch and steel cables. Later on I guess they made
the lift system operate hydraulically/electrically - so I understand. They
went out of business after the big economic slump.
http://www.trailerlife.com/camper-trail ... oses-shop/
[There were a couple/few other small companies that tried this design
(telescoping) but Hi-Lo was the largest and longest lived.]

I'm 36, and I have no idea what a gaucho is, and after wiki'ing the word, I wasn't much more clear, but I do like the sound of what you're saying here, I looked at that first link and noted it's close date is pretty close to when I first started to really put my thoughts on paper, about the trailer I want to build...

Do a Google Images search for "Hi-Lo camper" or "travel trailer". They were larger,
and consequently more expensive, in later years, but the early ones were smaller and
some of the early ones had rear entrances as well.

I did exactly as you recommended, and sure enough, all kinds of images that I wasn't able to describe popped up... knowing what you're looking for really does make ALL the difference, I wish I had a quarter of the knowledge you have gained, but never hope to stop learning and gaining knowledge as I go! Thank you, seriously, that was a big help!

Here's a link to a forum for them. You might garner some ideas or learn how to
adapt their lift system. If you found an old derelict one, that wasn't worth restoring,
you might be able to use that as a base. The early ones used ~ 1in welded steel tubes
for wall framing I believe. You could use or "emulate" their structure and just put your
own facades, so-to-speak, on that.
http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/

I'll probably be signing up for them tonight or tomorrow, I'd do it right now, but I'm giving you respect for the lengthy reply you wrote! I greatly enjoy getting to hear your thoughts on a project completely new to you, yet have been rattling around in my brain for at least a decade, if not more!

Here's a couple of possible ways [out of many I'm sure] you could approach your build
if you use a telescoping type set-up.
1- Build a small standy as the base and have the faux top telescope up from/over that.
2- Build the bottom/base as in the Hi-Lo and have the top telescope up to give the
standy interior height like the Hi-Lo. Have the faux upper level fold up from the top
of the telescoping top part before you crank that up.

whichever I end up going with, I like the idea of giving myself more space in the trailer, rather than less... though if I can keep it on the small side, Oregon doesn't require plates on trailers/teardrops under a certain size... I'll probably be reading all of Oregon's regulations on that, however I may opt to get a license plate for it, since I do a bit of traveling to California and Washington, and I know they have different opinions on plates and regulations for that matter...

Oh also, check out the foamy section here. They are trying to make very light weight
TD/TTTs there, so you could find some good ideas/info there. They also have some links
there just about making things in foam and/or products used [esp. coatings] for making
foam 'sculptures' etc. permanent - sounds just what you'd need to use for the faux 'upper
deck' and facades. A lot of the Mardi Gras floats are built this way - their designs/decorations
carved in foam, then coated for permanence and then painted/faux-painted.
Just some info to help you in your planning...
Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

to be honest, I'm a bit paranoid about using foam, with the rain and the wind that I've seen at some of these events, I'd rather take my chances, and just avoid the use of foam, however I do think they may yield several interesting concepts...

P.S. Later, after the initial reply, it occurred to me, that if you do a small standy
and have the upper faux boat level facade telescope up from that, you could actually
make that an upper sleeping section [including an escape window], accessible from
the interior of the Standy by a ladder or mini half-stairway. That way [since you're
building it anyway] it'd be usable space within the upper faux boat facade. Of course,
this would be tall and susceptible to winds, but you could do triangulating supports at
each corner, disguised as nautical lines/ropes etc., to deal with that. There are various
methods you could devise for that, if wanted.

hmmm... I like the way you think, now to figure out how to achieve said ideas, I may have to contract someone to help me draw up the plans, as I'm very skilled in leather, my father is very skilled in creating but works best from a set of plans, but maybe I can get something put together, and see if I can find someone that's done something similar to my ideas, or at the very least someone that doesn't think my idea is pure insanity...

P.P.S. I came across a couple websites with pics of a couple older Hi-Lo s like I was
mentioning so you could see what the early basic ones looked like. A basic design you
could adapt:
Nice pics of a 1961 13ft Hi-Lo. Ours had a gaucho couch where this one has a kitchen.
http://goodoldrvs.ning.com/photo/photo/ ... aubi0jjec1
A website I came across with an older slightly longer one.
http://antiquehilocampers.tripod.com/[/quote]

I gave both of those websites a good look over, and I cannot seem to still wrap my head around a gaucho, or what it is... I hope I don't sound slow in the head, but I just need a bit of a nudge, and I'm sure it will click...

I wonder if I'll find one of these trailers that you're speaking of, I saw one that was sold recently for 3,000$ which might have been something my credit union would have given me a loan for... but since it's already sold, I'll just have to keep my eyes open a bit more than they are now...
^v^

[mezmo]

Hi ImDBatty1/ v

A "gaucho" is older travel trailer/RV "speak" for a single width bench-like
built-in couch. It can be just a narrow single foam mattress [usually 4-6in thick],
it can be stationary, or it can have one or two back foam cushions that allow it to
slide or fold out into a 'double' bed if desired.

'Hope this explanation clears it up for you.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[ImDBatty1]

Hi ImDBatty1/ v
A "gaucho" is older travel trailer/RV "speak" for a single width bench-like
built-in couch. It can be just a narrow single foam mattress [usually 4-6in thick],
it can be stationary, or it can have one or two back foam cushions that allow it to
slide or fold out into a 'double' bed if desired.
'Hope this explanation clears it up for you.
Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

yep, concept grasped... I found a futon at Costco a few months back it was kinda nice, and if light enough is possibly what I'll end up doing for bedding... I liked that I could store my plastic bins that I keep my leather in, under the futon, when working on my leather projects, I tend to lay down while working on them, especially pieces that I braid the leather, they tend to get very lengthy, so it will be nice to have somewhere to craft when not feeling social or have a creative spurt... and if the one at Costco proves to be heavy and undesirable, I'll just go to the IKEA/assorted mattress stores around town or a futon store, and see what I can find their...
^v^