Friendly Neighbourhood Slidavan

[kscmpr54]

As so often is the case, found something new. I am not familiar with the Slidavan, so looked it up. Thanks for sharing your build journey and best wishes.


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[MattLV]

Was there a specific need for the wood on the steel frame before you attached the sandwich floor to it?

I would say no and yes . The plans are based on a new bare aluminium trailer that is expected to have several metal cross members, but the trailer I actually had was basically a tongue and 'axel' beam made of 2" square steel, with a 'cage' of 2" angle welded to it, so it required a bit of extra strength before building on it. I think I over did it a bit, but I was using what I had to hand and not too concerned about the extra weight.

[greygoos]

Nice Build and informative. Can I ask what type of fabric you will be using for the roof? Thank you

[Tyrtill]

Its very cool seeing this build. You’re answering all the questions I had before I went full foamie instead. The canvas roof is the biggest surprise to me yet I just figured it was thin plywood. When you finish I would like to see the rigidity of it as that has been a problem in the foamie builds.

[MattLV]

Nice Build and informative. Can I ask what type of fabric you will be using for the roof? Thank you

I haven't chosen the outer roof fabric yet, but the plans suggest reinforced PVC fabric around 250g/sqm

[MattLV]

When you finish I would like to see the rigidity of it as that has been a problem in the foamie builds.

Me too

[MattLV]

Finally made a start on the interior construction. First job is to build the bunks/seating

[OP827]

I really like this design concept for how simple it is to build: straight and repeated cuts for plywood and wood sticks .

Is there a dinette table by design and how much space between the bunks for one's feet?
The floor plan is 5' X 8' from the designer's website if I am not mistaken..

I have enjoyed reading the Slidavan designer blog.

[MattLV]

Is there a dinette table by design and how much space between the bunks for one's feet?

The plans include a small fold-down table that attaches to the front wall. It's quite narrow between the bunks, just 40cm (15 3/4"), so just enough to shuffle in and out.

The floor plan is 5' X 8' from the designer's website if I am not mistaken..
.

Yes that's about right, although the width can vary to suit the trailer being used. Mine is a bit wider than standard I think, so the bunks will be wider but the space between remains 40cm.

[greygoos]

Any updates on this build?

[MattLV]

Any updates on this build?

Sorry for the lack of updates. Since lock-down my attention turned to making it more fun to stay at home, so I threw together a DIY hot-tub from an old IBC/Tote, I'll get back to working on the camper very soon tho

[MattLV]

It's been longer than I expected, but I'm tools-up on the camper once more, working to complete the interior structure









And with the interior bulkhead in place, it's time to cut out the door....GULP!

[greygoos]

Thanks for the update. keep us posted

[AS115]

I'm so excited to see this. I just asked Benjy last night if he could point me toward anyone who had built it (he didn't - you came up on my search).

Can I ask a few questions? Are you happy with the plans and with the trailer so far? Would you purchase them again? Do they include any details about putting a shower opposite the stove? Have you had any problems?

I'm also wondering if I can make this work for me. Are the banquettes large enough for teens to sleep on? Is there any adaption so I could sleep in the trailer, too? I was thinking maybe some sort of fold out loft bed. As I look at your pictures, it also looks like 3 bikes couldn't fit inside, so wondering where I could put them.

Thank you! Your build looks great. The diy hot tub looks interesting, too.

[MattLV]

Hi,

the plans are excellent, very detailed and well worth the money. Conversion between metric and imperial is covered , but if you can only source imperial sized materials then a little extra thinking is required.
I've never attempted anything like this before and so far haven't had any major mishaps, which is testament to the quality of the plans I think.

There are no details about adding a shower and to be honest I'm not sure how practical that would be, although there is plenty of headroom, there isn't much floorspace.
Mishaps.....one of my upper section panels doesn't seem to be completely flat, so I expect that may cause me some problems down the line when I come to assembling the top section. Hopefully I can pull it in to line...fingers crossed.

The plans allow scope for some variation in the length and width of the cabin depending on the trailer you use. The centre floor space is always 40mm so the bunks vary in width. In mine, the bunks are approx 187cm long (enough for my near 6ft frame) . I forget the width , but when put together as a full bed you could comfortably sleep three adults in there, no problem.

For a fold out loft bed....the top section walls have to slide down the outside of the bottom section , so it only leaves a 10mm gap for your bed fixings. Some kind of hammock arrangement might work, but bear in mind that will put extra weight on the fixings that hold the top section up when in camping mode.

I think 2 adult bikes would fit , but 3 would be a push.

I'm stuck in painting mode (booooorrrrrrring) and sourcing some materials, but will keep posting as an when I make further progress.