I bought a salvage camper that had gone through a low overhead (oops!) and sheared the top off. I got some glass and a cool set of appliances that I wish I had for this build, though I guess if I can see camper appliances as "cool" I've been around here too long.
If memory serves, it was 10' long along the floor with a 2' nose on the front. It was the width of the frame, so about 6'. 4' of the bed length was in a fold down panel on the front with canvas made from drop cloths with dot fasteners and snaps along the edges. The other 2' of bed was converted from the settee along the front wall. Steel cables and eyebolts held the weight of the bed itself and stopped the canvas from sagging, with the strut from the original popup running down to the tongue.
I used OSB out of cost but regretted it almost right away because of how much weight it added.
It had the rear door from the camper as well as the appliances. And yeah, those are a pair of 8D batteries under the settee - later cut down to one and even that was overkill for a weekend of camping....but I had them so why not. Those T-hinges were replaced by a piano hinge that was too light for the job, which is why the one on my current Benroy build is 3" wide and made from .060 stainless
This space started out as an alcove for a portapotti but became a counter with an upper cabinet. I later put in an outside door and used it for chocks, firewood and a rake that I modified to fit a telescoping painter's handle. Originally I had a 10lb gas bottle on a shelf on the outside wall there but moved it into that space as well. The idea of a propane bottle sticking out past the back bumper seemed like an accident waiting to happen
I don't think I have any more build pix but there are a few camping pictures - I'll post them here whenever I run across them.
I used it for two seasons of camping before stripping it down and using as a utility trailer for a move - I don't think I'd build that way again, even with lighter 1/4" ply. I hadn't done much steel stud framing (still haven't) so it might have been my build but every time you moved around inside or when the wind blew, it would squeak - not loudly but enough to be annoying. Otherwise it was pretty comfortable: I used 2X2 (1 5/8") studs with batt insulation and about 6 1/2' headroom. It towed like a bigger trailer - probably because the popup frame had the wheels inboard of the wall, which is where the weight was concentrated. Combined with how tall it was, it would rock back and forth quite a bit, especially in a side gust. Shocks probably would have damped out most of that but I never got that far. It weighed quite a bit but I camped with my wife then so camping with all the creature comforts that make camping bearable for a non camper meant I camped "heavy" anyway. Those days are gone - I don't drag her out camping and she doesn't drag me out shopping.
It took 20 years but it's a good compromise.
