Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[alchemist77]

Beautiful explanation.

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[Mary C]

thanks GPW for that clip, I know now that my heavy stuff will have to be moved to the front. I will now work to cleaning up the stuff and making carry bags to put the dutchovens in.

Mary C

[GPW]

Moving the dutchoven(s) forward should help ... but if you plan on that much cooking , then it might be good ( Just an idea !) to make a tandem trailer with separate “Chuck Wagon” ... 48” X48” X 18-24 H “ tethered to the rear of the camper on a small trailer of it’s own ... Then you could bring EVERYTHING , and spend some time cooking and baking .. ( I did this for Katrina Evac , 5 weeks in Hell’s Kitchen ) If you’re going to cook for a lot of people, it’s good if you have all your tools and pots and pans ( and my own spices and wooden spoons) ... Most people don’t cook a lot and don’t have much to work with ...

just imagine for a moment a 4X4 ft. top work space , with the pullout stove ,spice and tableware drawers ,cooler, sink , water tank , etc. etc. Everything modular and built into this one box ( woodworkers delight ) mounted on a small HF trailer ... "Kitchen on wheels" ... small enough to pull under a carport or patio and cook ,big enough to cook for a crowd.. ( small crowd eh ? )...

[Mary C]

This is Mary, who do you think I am? i will be lucky to make some cases for the pots. I cook in them some on camping trips close to home. I will just move things around.

Mary C.

[Lotsahorses]

Hello old friends-after reading 50 pages forwards and the last 15 backwards I feel like I know you guys.

I need a little clarification before I leap into a big project. I have a vintage 1949 GMC one ton flatbed truck that I would like to build a foam camper for. You probably guessed it. It will be 8 feet wide and roughly 7.5 feet high and 12 feet long with a cabover section. I would also like to have a clerestory with windows in the main part of the camper like some of the gypsy vardo wagons had. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on making it handle the stresses of wind on the outer walls and the cabover portion.

I would like to stay with foam as much as possible for light weight so the original six cylinder can handle the weight in the mountains on my intended trips. I also want the light weight so that I can safely unload it to use the truck for other things.

I've already started the practice phase by building a cat condo for my three stray kittens using 2" blue styrofoam for the floor and sides and 1" blue foam for the roof panels. I wanted to work with both sizes.
In addition to your thoughts about the design issues I've already encountered some snags on the cat condo. #1 How are you cutting your foam- With saws, knife or sharpened taping knife?
I know saws work well but make a giant mess, a sharpened taping knife was so-so but a cutting knife with the snap off blades fully extended gave me the cleanest and flattest cuts so far.
#2 What is your current favorite adhesive for gluing up the sides? I've been using PL premium but the initial tack is not that great making assembly more of a challenge. Is GG better other than the foaming mess?
#3 How do you currently brace your projects while the adhesive sets. I've used 3 1/2" drywall screws for the 2# foam but its not great due to pull out- but it works for a small project like the cat condo. Toothpicks work for the 1" reasonably well especially if angled so they resist pull out. For a large project like the truck camper, I'm going to need more than tape or screws- I'm trying to figure out a way to clamp things that isn't to unwieldy. I've already wondered about the bamboo skewer idea where you could chuck it into a drill and sink them in deep.
The canvasing seems straight forward but I haven't gotten to that stage yet. And I have full confidence in the canvas covering giving strength to the project-I would probably do the interior in canvas as well for that reason.
I'm considering a floor sandwich of 1/4 luan, 1" foam and 3/4" advantek for the floor and covering the floor of that sandwich fully in canvas/glue on the bottom and lap the canvas into the sides of the trailer to help with overall strength due to the wind forces I will encounter. If I do a clerestory I'm thinking it has to be a wood structure attached to a wood edge glued into the foam roof due to wind forces. Again it would need to be canvassed to the roof foam for strength. I'm thinking 2 inch foam for walls and roof. The roof will curve up to the clerestory and probably have wood spars and I won't be surprised if you feel a wood bulkhead is needed for stiffening.
I know that's a lot of questions for a first post but I'm jazzed....

[ghcoe]

There is a camper build here http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=6 ... lit=camper. No floor and the cab over was not intended to be slept on. Still might be some good info in there for you.

1. I use a hot wire to cut most of my foam. Steak knife comes in handy sometimes. Band saw works fantastic for what can be done on it.

2. I have used GS, GG, Gripper, Dap Caulk and now Gorilla Construction Adhesive. I guess it really depends on the required outcome on what I might use. The Gorilla Construction Adhesive is a bit pricy, but I got to admit it works pretty darn good.

3. I used packing tape a lot for my clamping preference. Standard clamps work well too if they will fit your clamping needs.

You might read through my build thread listed in the signature. You just need to start working and over come the hurdles as they come at you. My build is working on 3 years, but most of it was just thinking on how to overcome the next hurdle. I am quite happy with the build though. More than I ever thought I would be when I started. Good luck and start a build thread so we can help you with your hurdles. There is a lot of experience here for you.

[Lotsahorses]

George, I've read quite a few of your posts and look forward to reading your build. Thanks

[Lotsahorses]

George, I read the link you sent me and that was helpful-I have a second project that is a slide in camper for my 1958 GMC pick up
I got to page seven of your build thread and what a wealth of information. We newbies owe a great debt to you pioneers. Your technique for square cuts is a big step forward. Ditto clamping two sides together to cut simultaneously. The jigs for keeping walls parallel and plumb is smart and gives confidence when working with wet adhesive that wants to expand. I'm intimidated by the hot wire jig but will think on that. I hate to admit it but my biggest problem is patience- I just want to go. Soon.
I want to go out there and wander and see as much as I can and leave behind the detailed planning and journals that were such a part of my working life. That is really going to be a struggle for me. Getting my truck mechanically redone has been a long grind and I haven't got it finished yet so that I can drive it or hear it run. Part of me says "tent" and then the other part of me says I hate tents especially when wet and dirty. Building the camper is a lot like doing old trucks. Do you fix them for the sheer enjoyment of working on them or do you fix them to drive them. I'm in the latter category. I'm hoping the simplicity of lightweight foam construction will keep me moving forward. Cheers.

[KCStudly]

I would worry more about the frontal area of a big tall wide camper sticking up/out above your truck cab. That will put more of a hurting on the load your engine has to pull than the dead weight of most campers.

Perhaps a tilt or pop top with either canvas or folding hard sides would be worth looking into. It does add complication, but for an expedition type vehicle where lots of road miles are expected, it might be a better choice.

When you say "celestory" do you mean trolley top?

[Lotsahorses]

KC, the wind on the cabover and sides are exactly what I'm worried about. The top of the cab has three cab marker lights and a spotlight which I want to keep but again this creates an even wider gap over the cab. I'm using the largest 6 cylinder engine GMC made at that time and it has tremendous torque but is slow to accelerate. I'm making a rear end change also that will allow highway speeds if desired but I'm a pokey driver at this age and only speed up so as not to impede traffic. My favorite places are in the NW particularly along the Great Divide. A lot of two lane slower roads out there with low traffic. I'll probably boondock most of the time and don't want to pull a trailer on rough roads with ruts, sand and mud.
Yes the clerestory is a trolley top type design and I'm already thinking of scrapping that idea due to wind and the water intrusion risks. I may start on the slide in camper for my 1/2 ton pick-up first to allow me to get out there sooner and give me some experience with the building process. That would take the pressure off trying to get a more complicated project out the door. It would not be a cabover and would be much less complicated. It would have a bottom in it and not rely on a water tight fit to the truck bed.

[ghcoe]

[quote="Lotsahorses"]George, I read the link you sent me and that was helpful-I have a second project that is a slide in camper for my 1958 GMC pick up
I got to page seven of your build thread and what a wealth of information. We newbies owe a great debt to you pioneers. Your technique for square cuts is a big step forward. Ditto clamping two sides together to cut simultaneously. The jigs for keeping walls parallel and plumb is smart and gives confidence when working with wet adhesive that wants to expand. .[quote]

Thanks, and glad it was/is of help.

[Lotsahorses]

I'd like to ask a general question about the possible foam slide-in truck camper that I'm thinking about building. I envision this as a single piece pod that would rest on the bottom of the truck bed and be secured in place by the usual methods. In other words it would not rest on the rails of the bed sides but on its bottom. That would eliminate the excessive stress on the ledges of the typical design.

I'm thinking the ledges could be made entirely or mostly of foam or eliminated and just make straight sides. Where this all leads is to this question- other than hard points for securing a cot or fold down counter and window/door attachments on the inside of the camper could the entire unit be foam including the bottom? I envision wrapping the whole bottom (2" foam) in heavy canvas/glue just like the sides and top. If this seems feasible the whole unit could rest on another sheet of uncovered foam with channels cut in it to avoid having the camper sitting in water and to cushion it from abrasion from contact with the truck bed.
I hope that makes sense. I like the idea that it would be simpler construction and very very light which makes removal possible for one person working alone.
If the design included the ledges to improve the looks of the unit and to give some additional space inside I'm not sure how well the canvas wrap would work for strength bending around two right angle turns.

[Pmullen503]

I would cover the foam floor with plywood, 1/8" would probably be enough but 1/4" would work for sure. The canvas covered foam will eventually dent from walking on it and gear bouncing around on it. I like the idea of setting the camper on a piece of grooved foam for drainage.

Will straight walls make the camper too narrow?

[Lotsahorses]

Yes, I thought of putting luan or something on the inside of the floor but the plywood on the bottom was my main concern. It would eliminate a lot of weight and allow me to manhandle the thing possibly alone.

[pchast]

I think I would want to add some hard wood runners to provide
a wear surface. 2 or 3 on the bottom and one on each side.
Maybe 1/2 thick by 1 or 2" popular glued to the canvas skin
somehow.