by MegC » Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:05 pm
In fairness, there's a lot of us that want some trade-offs that simply aren't available commercially. Take my wish list...
I DON'T WANT:
- Anything I can't wipe down in 5 minutes after a muddy dog or human jumps on it.
- Interior plumbing since the rig will be stored outside year round and we get cold.
- Elaborate electrical systems- I'm getting AWAY, most likely to places without a plug-in anyway.
- Massive weight/volume... waste of gas since I don't need it.
I DO WANT:
- Something REALLY weatherproof since it's stored outside.
- Someplace I can stow skis, bikes, dogs, dog scooters/carts/sleds, kyaks, all the usual camping gear, extra drinking water cans, and any other toys that aren't heavy but take up some room and tend to be drooling crud one way or another. Which brings me to...
- An easily re-configurable interior depending on the adventure and the garbage we're hauling for it, including a bunk for the kidlet.
- Insulation + heater and ability to stand up and get dressed inside for winter trips.
- An upgrade from a thermarest pad to sleep on (doesn't have to be a full-on mattress).
There simply aren't many pre-made options, and those stripped down mini toy haulers that might approximate our requirements the closest are REDONKULOUSLY expensive. Even with a husband being allergic to building one from scratch, and me too busy working to complete it myself (and too tired/chicken to try to nag him into it), it will STILL be massively cheaper to order a new CT insulated with E-track, windows, and vents installed at strategic intervals from the factory. Then all I've got to round up is 10 E-track 2x4 braces, 5 2x4s cut down, some foam covered in something plastic-like, an awning/open sided tent thingamajig to cook under, a fold up plastic table + some chairs, and the most complicated would be 2 or 3 pieces of plywood + 3 or so hinges mangled into a bed/couch. Everything else is gravy.
~ intel gathering until we get more $. If anyone's got a line on a winning lotto ticket or a tooth fairy I can shake down for cash, PM me.
"...believing in human perfectibility starts with trying to force people into a mold, then into a prison, and then into an oven."