Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[rxc463]

Better yet, a Pacer

[GPW]

Glassice is right ... it would be difficult to get a very smooth surface finish , but I don't think this is a factor when considering inexpensive camping TD build alternatives ... Camping , not car show ... Tents aren't smooth eh ? Old canvas covered trailers didn't look smooth with all that Aluminum paint ...but they worked ... AFAIK

Paisley covering certainly would be cool .. or most anything really (Plaid , stripes, even the dreaded polka dot) ...
As stated previously , I really like the polyester Camo netting ... Cheap and STRONG , can't tear it by hand ... doesn't rot like cotton ... paintable ...
Something like this , although I got mine much cheaper at the Wal-Mart... http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/ ... =404518309
Many possibilities , depending on your taste ... all seem very practical if long term storage is in a covered area/garage ...
Now about the attachment ...We've always just used a water resistant white glue (thinned with water 50-50) to attach the fabric to our projects , then covered that with either paint or a varnish ... I have several 20+ year old ELBs done that way that look like the day they were finished , well used outdoors,even in the rain and snow , stored inside ... no problems ...

[schaney]

Hmmm, sealed cotton canvas works fine on canoes, should make a decent trailer covering. There are inkjet printers out there that print on canvas so you could do any design on it you want.

[glassice]

I am more of a indoor outdoor carpet kind of person . but if you park in a field you never find it and have to look out for cows

[GPW]

Cows ??? !!! That could be BAD ...hahahaha
Ok , so how about something like this ...canvas or T-shirts/etc. over just the 2" foam insulation ... doubled 1" on top for easier bending (Heat gun makes it simple .... blue foam bends at 190F... stays that way . )
Wood framing for doors and windows ... everything glued in ...shell glued to floor , reinforced with fabric doubler strips ...
Seems pretty simple .... some folks might want something a little more substantial , and so could add thin ply skins outside and in , then the canvas ...

[Miriam C.]

Madjack used camo-cloth for his TD and it is very smooth and really beautiful. Glossy as can be but he used epoxy!

[GPW]

Well , if Mad Jack did it , it's good enough for me ...

[Ageless]

Unless you are doing a tight radius; 1/2" white foam will bend without heat for radii normally used in teardrops. Remove the plastic from the inside of the bend.

[mikeschn]

I'm surprised Gary hasn't chipped in yet with his PMF.

Gary, where are you?

Mike...

[GPW]

Ruh Roh !!! We've been found out by the BOSS ... "The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten"..


Ageless , I was thinking the standard style (TD) would be stronger than a box style in bent foam (That curve thing ) , plus the aerodynamics would impose less wind loads on the more streamlined shape ... easy to add several layers of foam to the roof to make it as thick as you want ... water based contact cement works best for this as the other ones we've tried tend to gas in the sun eventually and actually melt the foam a little ...grrrrr!
Anyone have a ballpark price for a sheet of 2" thick Blue Dow foam ... it's much stronger than the white EPS beaded foam , and comes up to 4" thick ... That would be some insulation factor eh ? ... Guessing we could easily approximate the cost of such a build , depending on how many old T-shirts we have left ...
I feel the need to make some more drawings....ideas popping ... be back soon ...

[Jack55]

What about just a frame of laminated wood bows, or steel tube, and covering it with fabric like an aircraft....ala Piper Cub. Would also be very lightweight.....might need some ear plugs during a rain storm though.

[steve smoot]

:lol: Madjack used camo-cloth for his TD and it is very smooth and really beautiful. Glossy as can be but he used epoxy!

I looked at Madjack's album. The trailer is really glossy....did he ever describe how he did this...like what type cloth...how many coats of what...

[Ageless]

Another cost factor using cloth rather than FG is that you don't need more expensive cutting tools.

[GPW]

Jack55 , we've discussed that often, and every time somebody says the word "Bears" and kills that whole thing ...
SS, If we're nice , schmaybe' MJ will tell us his secret ...
Ageless, how about the "torn" Paisley look ... or we could do a collage of all those concert T-shirts we stashed away in some dark closet ... With a decent boom box , we could "Rock and Roll" down the highway ...

More ideas ...

[glassice]

I used to get old coffee bags for ten cents a pound in the bale in Woodland CA Most 1 off molds where made from hemp Bags and plaster.


Is that MR.Jack trailer that out of the goodness of hart that he show how to fix the rot in