The Bohemian Raspberry

[bhoza01]

Good evening, Foamies. About two months ago my girlfriend and I were bit by the TTT bug. With our tax return coming in the next couple of weeks we will have some disposable income coming our way. With it I have vowed to build my first tiny trailer. I am in the planning process now and hope to have the Bohemian Raspberry on the road by late summer.

Since this is my first trailer build I am turning to you, the group, for all your experience and expertise. Please let me know your thoughts and concerns, and be blunt. I would rather tackle the problem now - when still in the planning phase - then months down the road. There are a couple concerns we have going into the build. These are:

1. Light, cheap, and minimal. Light. My small SUV is rated to tow 2000 lbs but less is more to me. Cheap...hence the foam construction. I have done a pretty thorough cost analysis of all building materials (wood, foam, glue, paint, waterproofing) and anything I will have to purchase (doors, fans, etc). I have the whole job at just shy of $1500. This includes a Northern Tool 5x8 trailer. I have access to all the tools I will need - minus a few clamps. Minimal. We are seasoned backpackers and are used to "roughing it". The idea of a covered shelter is kind of a luxury to us. We would like this to be a pretty bare-bones basecamp (no galley, running water, electricity). All lights and fans will run off of either batteries or solar (girlfriend works for solar lighting company, so that stuff is free!). I'm not even really concerned with interior storage.

2. Claustrophobia is a real concern for her. We opted for a 5x8 build. I am also eyeing two 43"x43" cargo-style doors. These seem to be on the larger side for a TTT. I would also like to build a skylight to make the trailer feel larger. For the skylight pane I am considering using a UHMW polyethylene sheet, due to its strength and flexibility. The panel would be supported on the inside by 1" galvanized pipe attached to 1"x2"s on the sidewall. This is the part of the build that kind of stresses me out. I see this as a real opportunity for water to get inside. Any thoughts on how to waterproof the skylight are very much appreciated.

3. It must sleep two adults, a toddler, and a 50 lb dog. I am planning on purchasing a 6" memory foam queen mattress. It looks like I will have to shave off a few inches in width to get it to fit. I am thinking cutting it in thirds to make it a "tri-fold" is the way to go, so we can maximize floor space when not in use. I think a raised platform is the way to go for the dog. We have an old twin coil spring mattress we can cut down to fit his sleeping platform.

I am planning on skinning the outside of the trailer with the old "Titebond 2 / 10 oz cotton drop cloth / exterior latex paint" technique. While it looks like there are 1,001+ ways to skin a trailer, it appears this technique is widely accepted as excellent. I still have not decided on an interior covering. I would like to do the same technique inside as out, but I'm thinking an 1/8" wood panel would be easiest. Thoughts?

That's about it right now. Again,let me know if you see any glaring oversights, omissions, or concerns. PLEASE! I would rather tackle them now than later. I am including some really awful Sketchup renderings. Never been a huge fan of Sketchup, but the price is right.

[ghcoe]

I can not see your images.....

If you are going with a 5'x8' with no bulkhead/kitchen area you should be fine with sleeping arrangements. My wife is claustrophobic and was concerned that she would have problems with a small trailer. My build is 5'x8' with a rear kitchen, the living area is nearly the size of a queen size bed. She has sat in it and found it to actually be quite comfortable. You would be surprised, I think, just how big it really feels once built.

My build is 5'x8' with rear kitchen. It weighed 480 lbs before I added the tongue box. Even with the box, I expect the dry weight to still be under 500 lbs.

Northern Tool offers two 5'x8' trailers. One is built out of aluminum and weighs about 80 lbs less. I really think a simple trailer could be made in the 350 lbs range if done right.

Good luck.

[bhoza01]

I can not see your images.....

If you are going with a 5'x8' with no bulkhead/kitchen area you should be fine with sleeping arrangements. My wife is claustrophobic and was concerned that she would have problems with a small trailer. My build is 5'x8' with a rear kitchen, the living area is nearly the size of a queen size bed. She has sat in it and found it to actually be quite comfortable. You would be surprised, I think, just how big it really feels once built.

My build is 5'x8' with rear kitchen. It weighed 480 lbs before I added the tongue box. Even with the box, I expect the dry weight to still be under 500 lbs.

Northern Tool offers two 5'x8' trailers. One is built out of aluminum and weighs about 80 lbs less. I really think a simple trailer could be made in the 350 lbs range if done right.

Good luck.

Wow! I was figuring in the 750 lb range, but 400 lbs is crazy light. Thanks for the encouragement. I fixed my pic links. Was trying to link to Google Drive... Figured it might not work.

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[jondbar628]

HEy bhoza, welcome aboard......Looks like an efficient way to maximize the space for your planned use....... One thing that jumps out at me off the bat is the skylight. It looks to be about 3' X 5'. You mentioned your concerns with sealing water out. TO me, just as much a concern would be turning such a confined space (especially one which is inherently well insulated) into a hothouse on wheels. The heat gain from several hours in direct sunlight would be tremendous. And using 1" pipe supports as your drawings indicate might compound this problem since steel is a very efficient conductor. Even after being removed from direct sun, those pipes would radiate their captured heat for several hours.........Please consider this a "devil's advocate" post...........endeavor to persevere ;-)..........jd628

[bhoza01]

HEy bhoza, welcome aboard......Looks like an efficient way to maximize the space for your planned use....... One thing that jumps out at me off the bat is the skylight. It looks to be about 3' X 5'. You mentioned your concerns with sealing water out. TO me, just as much a concern would be turning such a confined space (especially one which is inherently well insulated) into a hothouse on wheels. The heat gain from several hours in direct sunlight would be tremendous. And using 1" pipe supports as your drawings indicate might compound this problem since steel is a very efficient conductor. Even after being removed from direct sun, those pipes would radiate their captured heat for several hours.........Please consider this a "devil's advocate" post...........endeavor to persevere ;-)..........jd628

Great call! Thank you. I planned on installing some sort of drawn shade, but I imagine it would still be sweltering, even when closed. Especially here in our Oklahoma summers. Maybe I could repurpose one of those sun shields for cars, the ones that have one reflective side. It could roll up or down and attach with Velcro. Hmmmm...

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[KCStudly]

Zach (absolutsnwbrdr) did several builds and I think at least two of them had screen mesh roofs with custom snap on vinyl covers (like truck bed or boat mooring covers). To me having the cover on the outside is the best solution. Using a cover or shade on the inside does not prevent heat from building up between the 'glass' and shade, still inside heat.

An option to consider would be a translucent material like they use for school bus and UPS truck roofs; lets a bunch of light in but maintains privacy and has a lot more UV filtering.

Personally, I prefer to sleep in the dark, and don't necessarily want to be awoken at dawn. I think of a TD more as sleeping quarters and less as an activity space.

I second the comment about the pipes. They would be unnecessarily heavy, and being dissimilar material, would be harder to integrate into a unified structure. Poplar, cedar, or even pine spars would be a better choice, IMO.

[bhoza01]

Zach (absolutsnwbrdr) did several builds and I think at least two of them had screen mesh roofs with custom snap on vinyl covers (like truck bed or boat mooring covers). To me having the cover on the outside is the best solution. Using a cover or shade on the inside does not prevent heat from building up between the 'glass' and shade, still inside heat.

An option to consider would be a translucent material like they use for school bus and UPS truck roofs; lets a bunch of light in but maintains privacy and has a lot more UV filtering.

Personally, I prefer to sleep in the dark, and don't necessarily want to be awoken at dawn. I think of a TD more as sleeping quarters and less as an activity space.

I second the comment about the pipes. They would be unnecessarily heavy, and being dissimilar material, would be harder to integrate into a unified structure. Poplar, cedar, or even pine spars would be a better choice, IMO.

Thank you very much for the advice! Makes perfect sense to me. I like the idea of a snap-on type shade that attaches to the outside of the trailer. I'm thinking a reflective insulation sheet from one of the big box stores would be perfect for this. They're big, reasonably cheap, and light. Unfortunately, there also pretty ugly looking, but it could probably be skinned on the outside to something that matches the aesthetics of the trailer.

I had already ditched the idea of galvanized pipes once I went to Lowes and picked one up. Extremely heavy (and about $14 a piece). I had planned on switching to a high pressure rated PVC pipe, which I would paint. Cheap and light, and they wouldn't have to support very much downward pressure. However, I like your recommendation: pine spars it is! Easiest to work with.

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[KCStudly]

One of the advantages of the snap on cover is that, although not 100/ct water tight, it adds a layer of protection shedding water (maybe not at highway speed driving). Even though you would want to seal the plastic to wood pretty well, the cover would add to that.

Bob Henry will probably chime in here shortly, if he watches the foamie forum. He built a large TD with full polycarbonate (or similar) roof.