(The Puffin) New Tiny Trailer

[steve wolverton]

Now this is something kind of different.

I installed 3 mirrors over the bed. The mirrors follow the curve of the camper. I then built some plywood boxes cover up the gaps at the ends of the mirrors, and they will be painted the same beige color as the interior and will house 6.5" speakers. It makes the camper feel larger than it is. It's a neat effect, and my friend Lisa liked it too.



It's kind of hard to make out in the photo, but there are 3 mirrors. One sits inside the shelf on the very back of the camper (I need to paint the inside of it now because you can see everything!), the next sits above it, and the last one is directly above the bed with the reflection of the mirror in it.


Speaking of my friend Lisa - here she is about to attack an alligator.

[steve wolverton]

Zorkman - The exterior latex paint is holding up just fine. The problem is it's too hard to clean with the texture - it needs to be smooth to clean easier. Eventually, I'm going to use a marine paint because they have really nice gloss finishes, but for now I'm just going to sand the camper smooth and paint with a latex again. I don't feel like spending a ton of time on making the exterior perfect right now - it's summer and I want to be camping! I'll make the exterior perfect some winter when I don't have anything to do.

Also, the hinge on the door is fine, the screws that came with the hinge are rusting. I really need to pickup some SS screws for mine too.

Jeeper92 - The camper measures 81" tall from the ground, 6'1" wide, and 8' long (11'6" from rear bumper to the hitch). It has 6'2" of standing room inside because it has a dropped floor that's 12" deep. If your tow vehicle is wide (full size pickup) you could easily make it 6'6" or wider.

[kirkman]

Steve?
My wife wants to see a pic of your bathroom she says there is no way you could have put a bathroom with a door in there that was possible for any one over the age of 3 to use. I really love your design. I would build my self one like that BUT mine would have to be 6'8" wide to fit me in the bed.
Thanks !
Jason

[steve wolverton]

My wife wants to see a pic of your bathroom she says there is no way you could have put a bathroom with a door in there that was possible for any one over the age of 3 to use.

Here ya go:


The camper is so small that it's hard to get pics of it. I'm laying in the bed facing forward. The bathroom door has a mirror on it and a latch at the top to lock it. The bathroom measures 36" wide, 30" deep, and 64" tall. I can stand in it by bending my head down. My girlfriends (tallest being 5'4") can stand in it just fine. There are vents at the top and bottom, and I use a push light inside.


Obviously it hasn't been painted yet. I'm in no big hurry to finish it out as it's the least used area of the camper, but one of the nicest to have at 3AM.

I really love your design. I would build my self one like that BUT mine would have to be 6'8" wide to fit me in the bed.

Thanks. The easiest way to fit someone 6'8" in it would be to cut a hole at the bottom of the bed and let your legs hang out.

[bledsoe3]

Steve, you might want to flush that.

[NightCap]

My wife wants to see a pic of your bathroom she says there is no way you could have put a bathroom with a door in there that was possible for any one over the age of 3 to use.

Here ya go:

The camper is so small that it's hard to get pics of it. I'm laying in the bed facing forward. The bathroom door has a mirror on it and a latch at the top to lock it. The bathroom measures 36" wide, 30" deep, and 64" tall. I can stand in it by bending my head down. My girlfriends (tallest being 5'4") can stand in it just fine. There are vents at the top and bottom, and I use a push light inside.

Obviously it hasn't been painted yet. I'm in no big hurry to finish it out as it's the least used area of the camper, but one of the nicest to have at 3AM.

I really love your design. I would build my self one like that BUT mine would have to be 6'8" wide to fit me in the bed.

Thanks. The easiest way to fit someone 6'8" in it would be to cut a hole at the bottom of the bed and let your legs hang out.

Or bend your knees amigo.

[steve wolverton]

bledsoe3 - I've tried - it just won't go down.

NightCap - Yeah, that would probably work too.

[NightCap]

Hey Steve, you have a pic of your trailer just before putting on the First piece of wood?

[steve wolverton]

Hey Steve, you have a pic of your trailer just before putting on the First piece of wood?

Yup.

[NightCap]

thanks Steve. I was lookin for the frame to be extended out beyond the edge of the frame. Did you just run the floor plywood out or did you put 1x2's between the floor and the frame and extend them in front and behind the wheels? Am I makin any sense?

[steve wolverton]

NightCap - I laid 2x4's across the trailer frame, and then I screwed the 1/2" plywood floor onto those. The floor is then bolted using 5 bolts to the frame. I used 3/8" bolts - 3 in the front and two hold the back.

The 2x4's are 6' long except for the one in the middle between the wheels - it's 4' long.

Hope this helps.



Also, since my trailer uses the small 8" wheels, I didn't have to cut out fenders for the tires/wheels because I have enough clearance from the trailer floor to the wheels that I didn't need to notch them.


See there - no need for fender cut-outs. The floor measures 6'x8'. This is me screwing the floor to the 2x4's. I haven't mounted it to the frame in this photo, that's what it's not centered on the trailer. I also left the brackets on the back of the trailer, that's what I mounted my bumper to.

[NightCap]

You bet it does. I was going to build a frame and was wondering just how you were getting the support. If I buy a frame I will be doing it like you did. Thanks for answering all and I mean ALL the questions. LOL, you should create a FAQ. Puffin FAQ Sticky.

[steve wolverton]

If I buy a frame I will be doing it like you did. Thanks for answering all and I mean ALL the questions. LOL, you should create a FAQ. Puffin FAQ Sticky.

I think I paid $180 for my trailer at Harbor Freight. I wasn't going to attempt to build one if I can buy one for that price.

I'm working on a webpage for my build. I'll put a link here as soon as I finish. It will have the plans and all the build info needed to make a Puffin.

So what are you working on now?

[NightCap]

So what are you working on now?

I have a boat trailer, but want to weld one for the experience. I want to make a 6.5 x 10 TTT. It might end up looking a bit like yours but it will be taller. I'm thinking 6'3" inside. I don't know if will look as cute as yours does but I think it will still be a TTT. I'll post a thread when I get underway.

I used Visio to come up with 30 or so different ideas of a floor plan and when I finally decided on one I think it is a lot like yours. I guess there are only a few ways you can get a bathroom, stove counter and a sink area into such a small space.

[steve wolverton]

I'm thinking 6'3" inside."

Are you planning to use a dropped floor?

I used Visio to come up with 30 or so different ideas of a floor plan and when I finally decided on one I think it is a lot like yours. I guess there are only a few ways you can get a bathroom, stove counter and a sink area into such a small space.

Cool! I was going to do my bathroom like that at first too. I changed it up when I put more storage between the bed and the bathroom. Looks nice - I'm looking forward to watching that build. Yours is quite a bit different, I put my pillows on the other side.