New 5 X 8, no galley, with cargo space

[Maple]

I just completed my build. I created a small gallery with pictures I took along the way. I will post additional comments for each photo to explain what I did. It’s different from the traditional teardrop. It does not have a galley. It was important for us to have space for a Porta Poti for night use. We used to have a camper van and we realized with usage that all we really needed was a bed, a toilet and a fridge. The current build is very simple. No roof fan, no inside-wall wiring. Power comes from a Jackery. Inside the cabin, each framing section has individual panels that can be removed for future mods. The roof is solid foam insulation with fabric. The side walls are a combination of plywood and fabric over solid foam insulation. If you have any questions, let me know.

[Maple]

I started with a new trailer. I had to assemble it. It can be foldable but I didn't bother with that feature.

[Maple]

I built a simple camper. No galley, no roof vent, no electrical. We wanted to use the full 5 X 8 as living quarters. Using the full length allowed us to have a Porta Potti. We have cooler type fridge that we power with a Jackery 500. It gives us 72 hours autonomy. I split the camper into two separate sections. A 4 X 5 section in front with cargo space underneath. A 4 X 5 section in the back at frame level. Doing it this way allowed me to fabricate these sections separately. One of my objectives was to build it in my garage but do most of the dirty work in my basement workshop to limit the dust. The white stuff on the frame is PVC. I used that instead to wood to minimize underneath materials affected by weather.

[Maple]

The cargo area is built using treated wood. The floor of the cargo area is made of chair mats I had from closing an office. I used four mats to double the thickness of the floor. These mats are made of acrylic, hence waterproof.

[Maple]

The framing is 2 X 3. For back and front, I kept the full width of 2.5 inches. For the side walls, I trimmed the wood to 2.0 inches. The roof has a 9-degree slope. The rise is approximately 12 inches over 72 inches. This gives me a front height of 66 inches and 78 inches in the back. Hence, the camper can be stored in the garage. The back is flat for about 24 inches.

[Maple]

The outside skin is cedar wood bought from HD. The planks are 8 feet long by 5 inches wide by 1/2 inches thick. The roof is made of 1/4 inch ply, two section of 8 feet by 30 inches. All plywood is Baltic Birch.

[Maple]

Planking all done, with roof edges router trimmed. The cargo area is plywood on the inside and out, with 1.5 inches insulation.

[Maple]

All trims installed.

[Maple]

Windows, porthole, mushroom vent and door installed. The door is totally DIY, all cedar on the outside, with some ply on the inside. The skin is totally encapsulated with resin epoxy, 3 coats outside and 2 coats inside. We added 4 thin coats of varnish to the outside. The cargo area has 2 coats of black semi-gloss paint and 2 thin coats of varnish. The roof has 5-6 coats of epoxy resin, I lost count: 2 pre-coats, 1 coat with fiberglass fabric and then 2 or 3 more coats of resin. We painted the roof with Behr Marquee exterior paint from HD, 2 coats.

[Maple]

A view of the inside. The roof is fabric over 2 inches foam. All held by compression although we added bungee cords to help. The walls are a combination of ply and fabric. All individual framing sections are skinned on the inside independently so mods can be done in the future without having to dismantle everything. The floor is self-stick vinyl planks.

[noseoil]

Turned out very well & looks like it should last. I like the attention to detail & approach to the build, simple, clean & tight!

One suggestion, the wheel bearings may be import stuff, so it might be good to keep a spare set handy on the road. A lot of these trailers have some metric axle parts, which aren't always available in a local auto parts store. Track some down, get them packed with grease & keep them handy in a baggie or waxed paper, so they'll be available if you need to do a repair on the road. I use a cheap electronic thermometer (pistol grip, laser type) to check tires & bearings when on the road. We keep it handy for rest stops & gas stops, just to track temps on rolling stuff. You will see an immediate change in temperature on hubs & tires if there's a problem.

Want to see some travel & camping pictures!

[Maple]

Turned out very well & looks like it should last. I like the attention to detail & approach to the build, simple, clean & tight!

One suggestion, the wheel bearings may be import stuff, so it might be good to keep a spare set handy on the road. A lot of these trailers have some metric axle parts, which aren't always available in a local auto parts store. Track some down, get them packed with grease & keep them handy in a baggie or waxed paper, so they'll be available if you need to do a repair on the road. I use a cheap electronic thermometer (pistol grip, laser type) to check tires & bearings when on the road. We keep it handy for rest stops & gas stops, just to track temps on rolling stuff. You will see an immediate change in temperature on hubs & tires if there's a problem.

Want to see some travel & camping pictures!

Thanks for the tip. One concern I have is the suspension. Although I won't be using this much off-road, if at all, the suspension is quite basic (3-leaf springs) and I wonder how much pounding it will cause on the structure.

[Dan Gary]

Nice design, very similar to my design too with rear entry and forward bed. Only difference is a galley I have designed at one side that will house the toilet and cooler and provide counter space to put stuff. Like you, not looking to cook inside but have a place to sleep or get out of the weather. With the open floor design you can have a couple of lawn chairs and small folding table.

[Maple]

Nice design, very similar to my design too with rear entry and forward bed. Only difference is a galley I have designed at one side that will house the toilet and cooler and provide counter space to put stuff. Like you, not looking to cook inside but have a place to sleep or get out of the weather. With the open floor design you can have a couple of lawn chairs and small folding table.

Yes indeed, very similar, in form and function.