Wanderer, Widget, Squidget, or...?

[cluttonfred]

I mentioned in my newbie intro that I am leaning towards a Wanderer 10 small standy project after also looking at the Widget and Squidget designs.

I would love to hear from this community about the pros and cons of these three designs or any suggestions of other plans to consider.

My criteria are: 6’ or more standing headroom somewhere, tiny galley, room to sleep at least two, dinette for at least two, and ideally an enclosed space for a portable toilet.

Cheers,

Matthew

[cluttonfred]

Bumping my own post...does anyone have any experience to share with one or more of these three designs?

[aggie79]

Matthew,

I'm not sure anyone has built a wanderer trailer. You might want to check out Jerry's Retro-Kamper build: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=33938. It is pretty close to the wanderer design and has a small bathroom.

Take care,
Tom

[cluttonfred]

Thanks, Tom. I see that Jerry describes his build as a Puffin for 4, and I have flipped through some of Steve Wolverton’s Puffin and Puffin 2 threads, but I was unclear whether those were actually from plans or his own designs. Are Puffin plans out there? Cheers, Matthew

[aggie79]

Hi Fred,

I don't believe there are any plans out there for the Puffin, Puffin-for-4, or other variants. There are plans for the Widget. The link for the design library under design resources used to send you to a different website. Most of the plans were reconstructed from archives at this site: http://tnttt.com/Design_Library/Design_Library.html.

Take care,
Tom

[cluttonfred]

Thanks, Tom, I found the Wanderer plans in the Internet Archive so I’ll likely start from there.

[aggie79]

I'm looking forward to your build Matthew!

[dangerranger]

I'm interested in building a Wanderer too! I'm going to build on a light weight custom frame instead of a HF frame. I need room for two to sleep, a small galley, and some place to sit. I'm looking for a weekender that can be towed by a small pickup or a small SUV.
In Dec I bought the steel to start the frame But a week later we had a storm that damaged our homes roof. By the 1st of May I should have our house back together! Our roof is on, and ceilings are back up. I'm just waiting for the flooring to come in. Then I can get back to the wanderer.
I have built equipment trailers, But this will be my first travel trailer. DR

[cluttonfred]

dangerranger, sounds like you've had some challenges but glad to hear things are looking up. I look forward to your build, still kicking around ideas for mine. Cheers, Matthew

[dangerranger]

The two things I did not like about the wanderer were,
The wheels being so far under the body. It may make it more stable if I move the wheels out to the outside of the trailer. And it definitely will Make it easier to change a tire and service the axle.
And maybe its just me, But I would be more comfortable having the frame continue all the way out to support the sidewalls. Instead of just being supported by two 1x6 boards.

I think I can cut a little weight over the HF trailer frame. But I will be adding it back in nice to have items like shocks and a heavier axle. I still want to come out with a very light weight standie trailer. DR

[cluttonfred]

It's funny, but since I don't want to mess with the trailer I was thinking the exact opposite. I sketched out increasing the radius of the curves on the bottom corners from 15" to 24" and bringing the 1x6 support beam spacing down from 9' to 8' so I could just leave the HF trailer exactly as sold including the stock spring and axle placement and height except for removing one crossbeam to allow for the dropped footwell. I actually made all the corners the same radius, which is less elegant but easier to build and I thought would provide a little more spacious feeling inside.

I would do everything possible to reduce weight on the trailer...something like okoume marine plywood for the body, which is strong but light, and white pine or spruce for the support struts and beams. The floors could be done in two layers of 1/4" plywood with much of the bottom layer cut away by lightening holes. I have also considered covering the "roof" (the whole perimeter except the floor, meaning the purple line in my sketch) entirely or partly in aluminum, acrylic sheet, glued/shrunk/painted dacron (like an airplane) or even heavy duty white polytarp in order to eliminate the plywood at the curves altogether except for the bottom front corner. There would still be plywood at the flats to hold it all together and provide rigidity.

In my case my wife has a big old Ford Explorer with a V-8 that can tow just about anything but my car is a Jeep Patriot rated for 1,000 lb (2,000 lb with transmission oil cooler and trailer brakes, which I'd rather not mess with) so I was hoping to get the weight down closer to 1,000 lb so I could tow it with my little Jeep.

Cheers,

Matthew

[dangerranger]

To be that light you might build it as a Foamie. Styrofoam covered with cloth and painted. There have been a couple of those built. If you are used to working with aircraft it should be a no brainer! Good Luck.

The contractor at my house says about another week, and I will be back to my part, and then finished! The tile is in, the painters will be done . and then I need to set the finish plumbing. Once that is done we can move our furniture back in. With the stuff out of my shop I can start again on the trailer frame. DR

[aggie79]

Take a look at this small TTT with outboard wheels:

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?p=377215#p377215