Our 7x18 cargo conversion....slowly but surely!

[Prem]

When we actually get it all done, you probably won't ever find us at home!

You'll be the envy of many/most of us on the board!

Prem

[shortycas]

You'll be the envy of many/most of us on the board!

Prem

lol!! well I don't know about that, but I sure hope it helps other people the way everyone else's posts have helped us!!!

[shortycas]

Also was wondering some opinions on a canopy??
From what we can tell, they're pretty expensive, even if they're used, however, finding a used one that's not sun rotted, torn, etc, is next to impossible. Also, would it be a huge pain to get one and try to install it to the trailer?

our thoughts were to just get a pop up canopy and put it up next to the trailer. Unless someone has a better suggestion???

[Eskimo]

Here's where I bought my canopy. Took my son and I about an hour to install it.

http://www.enter.net/kart/kart.pl?cart= ... 2&pwidth=3

[shortycas]

Hey, thanks!! I'll have to check it out!

[ho-do]

Just thought I would throw this out there:
I was wanting to add a regular type RV awning to our rig, but the amount of space above our door was not big enough for one. An awning-in-a-bag could fit, but not sure about that yet. However, I found an RV junk yard here in Alabama that will sell you the awnings off the wrecked units they get in. Some are almost brand new and 1/2 the prices of new ones, but you have to take them off yourself. So see if there is an RV junk yard any where near you.

[shortycas]

That's actually where we bought our a/c.....from a junk yard, but he said they don't usually get RV stuff in. BUT, it's always worth checking!!! Thank you!!!

[shortycas]

Just realized I haven't posted new pics. Must do!
Got a broken pop up camper from my husband's cousin that we are going to rob parts out of for the conversion.
Will post progress thus far. It's not done, like I had hoped. But it's coming along

[b.bodemer]

That cabinet is perfect for a sink:
http://cttraveltrailer.blogspot.com/201 ... -good.html

http://cttraveltrailer.blogspot.com/201 ... added.html

Barb

[shortycas]

That cabinet is perfect for a sink:
http://cttraveltrailer.blogspot.com/201 ... -good.html

http://cttraveltrailer.blogspot.com/201 ... added.html

Barb

That looks great!!

[shortycas]

I'm back from a TTT thread hiatus!

Here's some pics of the progress so far....I'm hoping to have more done by our 2012 maiden camping voyage which will be over spring break!

Here's the window after we cut it in....


Here's an interior view:


The beds!!! Hubby made the top bunk on shocks (the kind like that hold your back door up on your SUV when you open it), and when pushed up, it rests on a lip.


And here's the upper and lower lips:


Bottom bunk, has sections...they're all hinged together, and fold up as seen in the sharpie drawing from a previous post Folds into a couch...KIND of like a futon. Underneath is where we store our folding chairs and swim items, etc.


Got a boat chair. Waterproof AND comfy. Win Win The chair is on a removable swivel. We've utilized the removable part several times when we have people come camp with us....we pull the chair up, and put an air mattress down on the floor!


2nd boat chair that we have not put on a swivel yet. It sits right in front of the beds....This is the future location of a fold out night stand for a reading light for me




Cabinet has served well for food storage and prep area...coffee pot, etc. We are putting in a bar size sink HOPEFULLY this weekend in this counter. We will shorten the legs on the cabinet, also. Eventually, a window will go above this counter/cabinet.



The catch-all junk area. Hoping that this will be either a closet for luggage and junk storage (as you can see here), or a potty area. Or both...maybe half and half. lol. It'd be a tight squeeze for both, but having a potty inside will be very helpful for those middle of the night occurances with the kids.




This was the inside front of the trailer at one point...


And this is the current inside front. Not sure how the pic got so pixelated, but we put in a wooden counter top (will go back with some sort of cost effective but nice covering...any ideas?), mini fridge (swapped my dad a full size one for this one for his shop!), and the trash can fits perfectly under the counter. Will serve as more prep space for once we get the sink in the other cabinet.



So, folks, that's what's new in our camper. Need a pantry area somewhere, also. Right now, it's that cabinet we had given to us, but soon the sink will go in, and between that and the water heater, we will lose a lot of pantry space. Maybe upper cabinets over the counter that is over the fridge and trash can. What do you think? Trying also to not weight the trailer down TOO much.

[dmckruit]

Nice build so far. Can u post pics of your bunk beds in the "closed" positions? I like your concept but i cant get the full picture in my mind without seeing it. I have been playing around with different ideas for my build.
Thanks,
Dave

[shortycas]

Yes! I will try to get that done tonight or this week!

[pete42]

shortycas
Nice idea on bunks.
I have seen some in "real" toy haulers that swing on steel arms up to the ceiling and down for sleeping
sliding onto supports when down and held in the up position by fasteners.
using shocks is a cleaver idea
I'm assuming it swings up and down and not just straight up an straight down,
but it may have enought movement to slide into the "up" brackets.
like Dave said more pictures would be nice.


Pete

[shortycas]

Ok, I know I haven't posted the pics of the top bed in upright position yet, but will get to it. As for now, I'm pretty excited. My husband's cousin gave us an old pop-up camper that doesn't pop up lol. We figured if nothing else, we could pull the water heater out of it for our conversion, demo the camper, and use the trailer for something. We really didn't know what kind of shape it was in, because it was older, and has been on a deer lease for several years. Turns out, the outside wasn't really pretty, but once we got that baby pried open, it was a gem inside! At least, a gem to us. There was more in it that we could recycle/repurpose that we expected. In fact, we completely gutted it, minus 3 cabinets. Score!

We hauled the camper out to mom and dad's, where we have plenty of room and pasture to work. After some thought, we figured the best way to get it open was some high-lift jacks. Probelm #1- we only had 3. But we kept on it until we got it up.




Ta da! Got her up!



We held the window panels with c-clamps, just to ensure the walls didn't come tumbling down on us
Pulled the tarps off the pop-out beds, and then pulled the beds out. Will probably use the plywood that the beds sit on for something....and I think the "mattresses" will clean up nicely to use on our top bunk, instead of the queen size mattress that's up there now. (Part of the reason I haven't posted pics of the top bunk in upright, because it's a little difficult with the thick mattress to get it up).


Guts all over the place. lol



Getting it back down without the window panels to come crashing down was a fun chore.


So how do you get the window panels off? Pull the top off. How do you pull the top off? Why, you throw a chain pulley in a tall tree in the pasture and hook it to the top, of course!





Going up!



Windows, out!



Ta Da! Redneck convertable!!