GNAT 5X8 cargo trailer conversion

[txcamper]

I just read through your thread for the first time, thanks for posting. You have bunch of great trailer and camping tech in here!

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

Check out this pretty amazing 8X10 cargo trailer conversion I saw on tinyhousetalk.com:

http://tinyhousetalk.com/80-sq-ft-cargo-trailer-stealth-tiny-house/

[Spotman]

Ray, I saw that on Tiny House today and in the past. What a work of art!

How are your adventures going? I just got out first time this past week end myself.


Bob

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

Bob (Spotman): Thanks for the comment. We have not used the GNAT yet this season (Shame on us)...but we are going to Devil's Fork State Park this coming weekend (24 Jun), then to North Carolina (probably Jordan Lake recreation Area) to visit our relatives and camp with my son, then Myrtle Beach State park (our favorite) in September, and last, Chimney Rock in NC in October to catch the leaves changing colors... I am going to attempt to fix multiple problems with our Travel Trailer this winter, so we can also use it. But, the GNAT is the bomb so we love taking it out...

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

We just returned from a trip to Devils Fork State Park, and I have a post about it which you can read HERE https://goodnuffandtuff.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/devils-fork-state-park/:

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

We have added an outdoor cooking station(not completed but about 95% done) and you can view a quick video of it here. More pics and a post to come...

https://youtu.be/_vmjAUXr91A

[Spotman]

Ray, that is awsome. I know you are not finished yet, but, that is exactly what I want to do to mine. Going to work it out with my nieghbor who has the tools that I could manufacture one. Really KOOL!




Bob

[rebapuck]

Is it permanently mounted?

[hankaye]

Ray, Howdy;

Nicely done! How do you have the Coleman cook unit attached to the lower door?
Do you have weatherstripping to keep out the elements?

hank

[lrrowe]

Very nice Ray. And I especially like your hardware.

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

Yes, the stove is permanently mounted, however the connection to my propane tank is not (yet). I drilled through the bottom of the stove, using the holes for the wire rack on top as guides. Then, I took wood screws, taped to a screwdriver with electric tape and guided them down through the bottom to secure. The stove's throw-away bottle tube is too long right now for the door to close, plus the fact that I have a fuel filter on it with a 12 foot hose to the 20 lb tank, makes it too long for the door to close. I plan on modifying it to close, though.
I have weather-stripping on both the upper and lower door.
The entire "box" is secured to the trailer using 8" "L" brackets, (these are sheet-metal screwed and heavy-duty liquid nailed into the struts and since this is an all-metal trailer it will not come off). bolts and nuts are used to mount the kitchen to the "L" brackets. All pieces are glued/screwed (using liquid nails), and for most, the screw heads were counter-sunk then puttied over and sanded before painting. I left the "face" screws uncovered for now because I have to take it off to finish the inside.
When I mounted it, I shook the entire kitchen, and the entire trailer rocked, without the kitchen moving at all...that's my dummy's test...
I will post pictures in a little while showing parts of it close-up. The struts I got from Amazon.com...and hardware from Lowes.
Oh, and the wife put 3 coats of paint on, then 6 coats of polyurethane, so I don't think I will have a problem with moisture

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

Here is a more detailed post about the cooking area and our first trip with it to Calhoun Falls State Park, SC. Note that it was mostly rural county roads, so it took a beating but didn't budge one cm....

https://goodnuffandtuff.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/outdoor-cooking-area-and-calhoun-falls-state-park-sc-15-17-aug-2015/

[lrrowe]

Ray, I enjoy your blog stories. They are both very informative and interesting. I hope to run across you and the GNAT sometime when I get to traveling around the Carolinas.

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

Thanks...we have quite the adventures...I forgot to post that I also installed a reverse osmosis water filter system into the kitchen sink side...we were taking 7 or 8 gallon jugs of water from the house (don't like flouride), and so installed the same system I have at home into the GNAT...I will post pictures on the install later, but here is what the system looks like from LOWES:



The tank holds a little over a gallon, and automatically fills as you drain it through the second tap shown.

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

We just finished our annual trip to Myrtle Beach State Park SC, and wanted to show you the new features, which included the rebuilt front storage box, the new outdoor cooking area (with permanent mounted propane stove), and the reverse-osmosis filter system. Enjoy....