Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[Mary C]

Welcome to the foamie section. and congratulations on reading the Thrifty Thread The whole thing, really is an accomplishment and there is a lot to have learned I am looking forward to seeing your build thread.

Congratulations!!!!



Mary C.

[GPW]

Hey guys ... and ladies !!! Check this out .... A cheap track saw jig which would be great for cutting foam ... and even angles in foam ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtlxOQrXhEo

[OP827]

Hey guys ... and ladies !!! Check this out .... A cheap track saw jig which would be great for cutting foam ... and even angles in foam ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtlxOQrXhEo

Yes, it works great. Other I've also seen were using a thinner 1/4 mdf instead of 3/4 plywood for the board. That makes the track lighter and even more Thrifty.

[mnfrosty]

Newbie here. Finished the "Thrifty Alternatives" thread (still no major award??) and am about a third of the way through the Foam Stream thread. Learning a LOT. Don't know if I will be building anytime soon... the bride needs to be convinced. Retired about a year ago and would like to camp locally and travel in a TTT. Like GPW my background is art so I am cooking up lots of designs as I gather more info. If you notice my avatar, it is an old shot of a camping trailer that my Dad, Grandfather and Uncles built back in 1959. It sat pretty high with the first axle they put in... a year later they found one out of a piece of farm equipment that lowered it a little... it was still pretty tall, take a look at it behind that full size '59 Ford! The trailer had 2 bunks with the uppers being canvas slings that would roll up out of the way when we sat at the table. Camped with 2 adults and 4 kids (2 little ones on the floor). Great memories! I about fell out of my chair in the Foam Stream thread when I saw GPW's proposed color combination... our trailer was painted the same 2 colors! One was the color of our house and one was the color of my Grandparent's house... THRIFTY!!! My Grandfather could make something out of nothing. Thanks for lighting the creative fires!

[KCStudly]

Welcome! It is quite a feat to get thru the big thread. Now more than ever it is a rite of passage.

Taking your time and deciding what to do, build, buy or just join in the fun until you do decide is not a bad plan at all. There is a huge amount of information and lessons learned in the build threads (be it here in the foamie section or the other styles), in the construction techniques forum and most of the other topics here, too. All are worth hunkering down for a read to absorb all that you can. Better to know what you are getting into.

Don't be afraid to ask questions and share any design thoughts you may have. We can usually refer to an example of how someone worked through to a successful outcome on any given design or problem solution; and in most cases, offer advice on how to steer clear of common mistakes.

[Mary C]

Congratulations !!!

[GPW]

Frosty, now you know everything we know !!!

ps. my wife thought I was nuts too ... and after all these years , she’s still unconvinced ...

[GPW]

I’d just like to take the time to mention an most un-congenial trend developing (IMHO) .... That is , The tendency to add lots of wood (and other stuff) to Foamie builds , and then complain about the weight ... If one has been paying attention and notes the tremendous strength of a skinned foam panel , they will immediately recognize the need for wood only in very specific places on a Foamie (if at all) ... If you feel the foam structure needs more strength , maybe re-visit the design, before adding HEAVY Wooden walls , crossbeams,timbers , braces, etc. etc. ... Those that want the usual commercial trailer Company plywood paneling interior and all the cabinets , built ins , and amenities of their former 10,000# RV trailer , towed by a Prius , then they’re in the WRONG Section ...

Foamies are built primarily for their LIGHTNESS... lest we forget, we’re "different” ... A Foamie’... The “Thinking Man’s (or Ladies’) trailer !!! “ ... It’s not some adult playhouse to decorate like Better Trailers and Gardening .... it’s a CAMPING trailer for "We the People” eh ??? First and foremost ...

To each his own ... Sorry for the mini-rant , but being Sunday , I’m compelled to tell the truth... as we see it. If we stray in our Foaminess' , it will all, in time, be relegated back to Foam as a merely Insulation...

[Wobbly Wheels]

It’s not some adult playhouse to decorate like Better Trailers and Gardening .... it’s a CAMPING trailer

I dunno, I think it's whatever the builder wants it to be, otherwise this would be a pretty dull place. "Camping" also covers a pretty broad spectrum - your own designs have been more with an eye to evac & camping in friends' driveways than what I think most of us would describe as 'camping'.
Which is fine...and that's the whole point.

Personally, I like seeing how people take the existing and now proven techniques and adapting them like KC's epic hybrid trailer or Charlie Powell's foamie aero folder. If we stick to foam-only here, this is going to be a pretty quiet place pretty quickly.

I agree with you that the biggest advantage of a foamie is its light weight...but it's also easily shaped, insulating, inexpensive, moisture/rot resistant, and makes a great substrate for a cloth skin. If someone wants to use those other traits to greater advantage than its light weight, I DO want to hear about it. If they aren't confident enough in the materials or in their skills, I would rather see them use something a little more familiar in order to create something they will actually get out and use instead of being afraid that it's not strong enough. They can always go lighter on the next one - I know I will be !
I don't think we should be talking about kicking others out of the sandbox for playing a different game with the same toys

No one is forgetting your enormous contribution to this method of building, but there are no absolutes here. The great thing about this is people getting what they want with the materials they can afford and the skills/tooling they already have. If that means using wood for the structural stuff, I'm good with that.

I'm not trying to be argumentative; I think it's a sign of success that 'foaminess' is now being incorporated alongside more 'traditional' build methods. I also get that sometimes we just need to blow off some steam

[Fred Trout]

Two things I have qualms about is foam doors maintaining contact with a seal (warping) and the ability of foam to hold fastenings and stressed areas like doorknobs, hinges, etc. ALL of the 2" foam I have purchased had greater or lesser warping in both directions but especially in the 48" dimension - this does not result in any confidence that a door made mostly of foam will seal to the gaskets all the way around.

I have even decided to use the drywall screw system I tested in the canvassed foam walls to hold up wood shelves/cabinets support blocks, rather than embedding wood in the walls.

BUT ... I used wood for my bulkhead when foam would have worked fine because 1/2" OSB did the job of 2" foam and space is very tight in the galley. There are sometimes other considerations involved, GPW.

[cpowell243]

Question as I move forward with my BEULA build - I have a 12X15 Reaves drop cloth from Menard's but the packing does not list a weight. I bought this thinking I could use a single sheet from nose to rear and down to the floor. Work? Anyone use this product? HF a better option?
Th

[Fred Trout]

Does it look and feel like cotton canvas ? If it is, then should work like a champ. Only thing you should check is if it has fabric water-proofing and sewed seams; if seams, you must decide if you want to put it on with the seams or trim them out. If you leave the seams, my advice is not to put it through the wash since the cloth all puckers along the seams as it shrinks and no way you can get those out. [Some people use it with the seams and it comes out looking ok but I did not like the look.] If it has fabric treatment, you can tell by dripping some water on it to see if it gets wet. No wet, no glue/paint penetration.

If treated you will need to wash that out, and catch 22 with the seams

You can also go ahead and try the cotton sheets on some part not too important or a scrap -- if you like it, then it's fine.

[KCStudly]

I think you will have a hard time dealing with the gathered material that would result from trying to conform.

The reason that you can fold a small flap of material over the edge, such as when doing a side and folding a flap over the top, or when doing the top and folding flaps over the sides, is that the fibers only have to compress or stretch a small amount in order to accommodate any would be puckering or stretching. That same little bit would be multiplied greatly if trying to fold the whole side down.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Question as I move forward with my BEULA build - I have a 12X15 Reaves drop cloth from Menard's but the packing does not list a weight.

Cloth weight is by the yard. If you weigh the whole piece on an accurate kitchen scale and divide the ounces by 20 sq yds (12'X15'), you'll get the cloth weight.

[Fred Trout]

Ah, good point, KC. Did not understand the idea of using the one piece for the whole shooting match. Might work if it is a perfect cube if you work like a demon.

I kinda like being able to have distinct start and end points so I can get a section all done at a time and not have to work non-stop for more than 8 hours. Putting on canvas takes a long time for me and you would end up with dried out edges (nasty) if you stop. One side 4x8 took me about a full day including trimming, folding edges and final smoothing but I was being careful & slow.