Don & Christi's 6 x 10 Cargo Conversion

[GPW]

Prem , how about this liberal conspiracy .... WE caused it !!!

[d30gaijin]

Prem , how about this liberal conspiracy .... WE caused it !!!

I thought it was from all the cows we raise to feed ourselves and their flatulence... not that bears, elk, deer, cougars, wolves, coyotes, sheep, mountain goats, caribou, opossum, armadillos, dogs, cats, gazelle, kangaroos, etc. don't fart in the out of doors.

Don

[GPW]

Them too !!!

[d30gaijin]

Been too long but the Bledsoe CT is coming alive again.

Pulled the 110v electric water heater out as a useless, to us, item that simply adds weight to the CT that we don't need (never used it or felt a need for it) in our camping adventures.

We're loading the CT up to head south about the 16th of June to Lake Tahoe, NV. to help Mom out (after my Father's passing back in March) and then head to Napa, CA to visit the wife's relatives and my daughter and grandchildren. We plan to stay in the CT so as not to put any of them out when we intrude upon their lives for a couple of weeks. It should be a great adventure for us, maybe not so for them.

Once we return from that outing we will then plan our CT camping for the remainder of the year. This year we will be looking at mostly boondocking in remote areas during the week. I am now retired and can do that and Christi works for the local school district so is off for the summer giving us weekdays to take advantage of finding nice boondocking spots typically not available to weekenders.

I still have a bunch of work to do on our CT conversion but it is campable and we will be taking advantage of that this summer. Hopefully this coming fall/winter will see the additions/completion of our CT conversion.

One note I want to pass on relates to a great supplier, that being etrailer.com. We never had a spare tire for our CT so I went on line to look for one before our trip from ID. to CA. I found the best price at etrailer.com in MO. Best of all, I placed my order on a Saturday (online) and they emailed me that my order was shipped the same day and that they found a way to get it to me via UPS 3-5 day shipping instead of the 5-7 day shipping I paid for at no additional cost. That was my first order with etrailer.com and I have absolutely no affiliation with them whatsoever but I am truly impressed with their customer service so thought I would pass on my experience with them They seem like truly great folks.

Don & Christi heading out to adventure in our CT soon.

Don

[d30gaijin]

Well the best laid plans too often do not come to pass. No CT adventures yet. Too many family emergencies hit us at one time. Still, we look forward to getting back to our CT conversion that has been sitting idle for too long. But we have made some strides in getting a new BBQ grill (Volcano Grill) and some cookware (cast iron) for when we finally do get out again.

Made a few mods to the CT, not really worth mentioning at this time, but did decide to go with two new complete wheels to replace the "Only God knows their age") wheels that came with our 2001 CT. I am taking the new wheels to a local tire/wheel shop to get them balanced and will then bolt them to the CT. One of the old wheels will then act as a spare for emergency purposes.

Just wanted to let folks here know we're still in the game.

Don

[parnold]

Good to hear you're still in the game. Here's hoping you get on the road soon!

Life has been throwing me some stuff that has kept me from camping too.

[aggie79]

Hi Don,

Your cargo trailer conversion is really nice! Hang in there and don't worry about delays. You've only been building for about a year. I've been working on my teardrop for almost three months. Fortunately, I found out that "campable" means the camper is any state of contruction that is generally waterproof.

Keep up the good work and take care,
Tom

[d30gaijin]

Good to hear you're still in the game. Here's hoping you get on the road soon!

Life has been throwing me some stuff that has kept me from camping too.

Parnold,

The damnable misery of it is I am now retired but the wife isn't. She is, however, off for the summer (she works for the Boise School District) so we hoped to get out a lot while she's off but the family stuff takes precedent so we have been running back and forth between Boise, Lake Tahoe, and Napa, CA... Tahoe to help my 86 year old mom and Napa because my son is in the hospital there. We're hoping to get back to Boise this coming weekend and maybe salvage something of the summer for camping.

Best regards,
Don

[d30gaijin]

Hi Don,

Your cargo trailer conversion is really nice! Hang in there and don't worry about delays. You've only been building for about a year. I've been working on my teardrop for almost three months. Fortunately, I found out that "campable" means the camper is any state of contruction that is generally waterproof.

Keep up the good work and take care,
Tom

Tom,

Your thoughts re: "Campable" are precisely the same as mine. As long as it can act as a roof over or head we're good to go. Just gotta make some time to do so. I greased up the hubs/spindles have a brand new complete set of wheels and tires to mount when we get back to Boise. Getting that done will make me feel a lot better because we'll be good to go mechanics/safety wise. Completing the conversion will get done when it gets done, we just want to get out and do some camping.

Best regards,
Don

[GPW]

Don, anything is better than our old pup tent ... A basic "campable" CT seems like a better idea all around , just pile in what you want/need at the time ... Camp or Haul !!! Although some of those CTs look like something out of Decor magazine, and are really Beautiful ... That's a lot of "furniture" to haul around and maintain ... something to be said for a simple setup ... I keep eliminating the idea of anything that could be done simpler or movable ... everything being easily (and inexpensively) replaced "on the road" ... and when the need arises to haul somebody's old furniture Then all the camping stuff can be moved to the truck bed ... Gotta' be SIMPLE for us Old Guys ...

Don , my wife still works a day job too... did you notice that since you retired , now You are responsible for everything at home ??? I didn't retire , just working for the wife now ...

[d30gaijin]

Don, anything is better than our old pup tent ... A basic "campable" CT seems like a better idea all around , just pile in what you want/need at the time ... Camp or Haul !!! Although some of those CTs look like something out of Decor magazine, and are really Beautiful ... That's a lot of "furniture" to haul around and maintain ... something to be said for a simple setup ... I keep eliminating the idea of anything that could be done simpler or movable ... everything being easily (and inexpensively) replaced "on the road" ... and when the need arises to haul somebody's old furniture Then all the camping stuff can be moved to the truck bed ... Gotta' be SIMPLE for us Old Guys ...

Don , my wife still works a day job too... did you notice that since you retired , now You are responsible for everything at home ??? I didn't retire , just working for the wife now ...

GPW,

Gotta be careful how I respond to this (Christi reads this forum regularly ) but yes, it does seem I have picked up several additional responsibilities. But not just at home. Mom now thinks it is a simple chore for me to make the 960 mile (round trip) drive to her house in Tahoe to take care of her house and yard too, not to mention chauffeur her around to run her errands.

Me? I just want to go camping.

I am definitely with you on the keeping it simple. If anyone goes back through my build thread they'll see that come through i.e., what we have learned through both trial and error and from the good folks here.

Just returned (today) from another mad dash 1208 mile (round trip) drive to California and back for a family emergency. This time I hope I get more than two days rest between trips.

I need time to work on our CT. I picked up some great ideas from Chester's CT conversion and have ordered a pair of the Suncast overhead cabinets that will be installed above the galley in the same approximate location his are installed. See his build thread here: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43306&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Don

[mikeschn]

Don,

I'm thankful that my round trips are only 400 miles, unless I go the other way, then it's 1600 miles round trip. But you gotta remember, they are not going to be around forever... Enjoy them while you can!

Mike...

[d30gaijin]

Don,

I'm thankful that my round trips are only 400 miles, unless I go the other way, then it's 1600 miles round trip. But you gotta remember, they are not going to be around forever... Enjoy them while you can!

Mike...

Mike,

So true re: they're not going to be around forever. I get so tired of driving but I need to keep what you said in mind... I sometimes forget that most important part of it all. I am still dealing with the passing of my Dad this past March. That was one thing, but the thought of Mom passing is over the top for me right now, especially considering she has no one to turn to but me. Thank you for the reminder and a good jolt to my reality. In retrospect, the trip isn't that much of an ordeal. I used to go months without talking to Mom when Pop's was there to take care of her. Now we (Mom and I) talk nearly everyday by phone (she's now a cell phone junkie, cool for an 86 year old lady)

Again, thank you for a thoughtful and meaningful reminder!

Don

[GPW]

Don , my 86year old Mom lives 15 hours away , each way... I talk to her often , but my Brother lives very close to her and takes care of her needs ... I had the thought of building her a little house for her own on my property , but she refuses to move ... My 88 year old Dad lives a few miles away from her , divorced for 30years ... they never speak ... Silly and stubborn !!!

[d30gaijin]

I need time to work on our CT. I picked up some great ideas from Chester's CT conversion and have ordered a pair of the Suncast overhead cabinets that will be installed above the galley in the same approximate location his are installed. See his build thread here: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43306&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Don

So much for the Suncast galley overhead storage bins idea. They are 18" tall and once mounted would have left about 15" of head clearance over the galley sink to wash our faces, etc. Not enough so I cancelled the order and will likely have to fabricate something for overhead galley storage instead. I built the galley counter/sink height to match the height size of the Sears dorm reefer installed below. The galley counter is at a good height for us, in terms of practical use, but about 6" taller than Chester's and too high to accommodate the Suncast overhead bins and still give us reasonable access to our sink. I thought about installing only one Suncast overhead bin on the left side over the galley (sink is on the right side) but realized I would have to relocate my forward most overhead light fixture to do so, something I am not willing to do so the whole Suncast overhead bin idea is a bust. Back to square one in terms of overhead galley storage. Any suggestions?

Don... out West