Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[droid_ca]

sewing I know some people that could do that for me I was thinking I could line it with grommets and take some lacing and do some sort of wrapping and it should be solid almost hammock like...So top loading could almost be cockpit like front could slide forward or up forward is probably easier to do just use drawer slides then it could be aerodynamic....awesome ideas here keep them coming I'm getting lots of inspiration for this just need sweaters for two of my dogs

[Wobbly Wheels]

The insulated tent sounds like a great idea - you can get boat covers that are made of two layers of Sunbrella and 1/4-1/2" foam inside. Combined with some supplemental heat, it will let you use a 'three-season' boat year round.
My only concern is that, given where you live droid, you'll get cold spots wherever the cloth meets to stitch a seam. You would almost need to stitch up an inner and outer differential bag separately and just join them at a few points, like the zipper. Or, you could lap the seams to prevent cold spots, sort of like shingle-stitching a sleeping bag.

A couple things I don't get...if we're talking about a significant thickness of foam (2-3"), would that not make it pretty difficult to roll up and stow the 'bag' during the day ?
Or does this replace that idea ?
Would you be able to compress it enough to save enough space to make the project worthwhile over a 'hard' capsule ?
I'm sure we've all tried to roll up a 2" foamie after the Xmas houseguests leave: it doesn't compress very much.

The other thing to address is ventilation: I think those windows would be fogged after only a few minutes and, given their placement, the vapour from your breath during the night would condense on them and drip onto your bag from the lower seam. You'll probably also want to have the day's clothes in there with you to dry out, so that's a lot of combined moisture to clear out.

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud: I think this is a neat idea and the drawings are great
I just don't see the advantage of this rig over...say...a down bag in a GoreTex bivy sack on a flat-decked sled or pulk. It will stuff into a much smaller package and keep the overall weight down.
What am I missing ?

[droid_ca]

The insulated tent sounds like a great idea - you can get boat covers that are made of two layers of Sunbrella and 1/4-1/2" foam inside. Combined with some supplemental heat, it will let you use a 'three-season' boat year round.




The other thing to address is ventilation: I think those windows would be fogged after only a few minutes and, given their placement, the vapour from your breath during the night would condense on them and drip onto your bag from the lower seam. You'll probably also want to have the day's clothes in there with you to dry out, so that's a lot of combined moisture to clear out.

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud: I think this is a neat idea and the drawings are great
I just don't see the advantage of this rig over...say...a down bag in a GoreTex bivy sack on a flat-decked sled or pulk. It will stuff into a much smaller package and keep the overall weight down.
What am I missing ?

Tent you say, maybe we could have it unfold like a tent so then it would give you more space..got to cuddle to stay warm and all as for ventilation what about a small fan that is at the back to help reduce moisture...I'm thinking this would be like jumping in the backseat of the car to take a nap type of situation not much fun getting back there but oh the adventures that one could have. The down bag would work too but I live in bear country I'd rather give them something else to try and work their teat through then just me snoring in a bag I'd feel like one of those plastic wrapped hot-dogs...No sticks in the mud here just looking at other ways to solve problems for me it wouldn't be how fast I got there but as long as I got there comfortably the ice fishing lake we go to is a twenty minute drive from my house just thought this might be a little more fun way to get there crossing farmers fields and what not heck if I can get away with that it would probably only take 45 minutes then more time to fish dogs get their exersize I can have Hot Toddys . Is it against the law to a drink and dogsled

[Wobbly Wheels]

Tent you say, maybe we could have it unfold like a tent so then it would give you more space

Hmmm...like one of these:


Here's a pic of how the CF does it. Or...did (it's been a while)
The tent is a heavy@$$ canvas monster that packs into that sled in the foreground. Then there's a 2-burner Coleman stove, lantern, fuel, cookset, pressure cooker, food, etc on two more sleds. Then you're schlepping your personal gear: parka, down bag set, etc in your ruck. Many of us 'forgot to bring' those tents and packed little cocoon tents or bivy bags.
Living outdoors in the winter takes up a LOT of room...(one of my reasons for building a trailer in the first place)


One could have a fold-out shelter on the sled made of flat panels (either hard or soft foam) that opens up into a box. The first fold could be the panels that widen the floor. If you figure a 30" wide sled, you could conceivably have 90" of width with a section folded out on each side !
Just doing some quick math on that size, if you figure 30" wide and, say, 8' long for the sled...you could do it in 13 panels. Assuming 1 1/4" panel thickness (1" EPS & canvas), the folded 'stack' would be about 16" tall. That should leave space on top to strap a backpack without the whole rig getting too top heavy.
A cloth gasket snapped on at the corners would keep out the drafts, join the panels, and serve as the hinges. One could design the final size and shape so that all the panels and gaskets are identical to take out some of the 'origami' element.

[droid_ca]

hey Wobbly Wheels those are some good ideas maybe wait till GPW has a look at them..This kinda started out when I was at a friends place he said "I'll make you a sled for your dogs to pull you around in" I said "in" "Ya in" I'm still in the dark about the in part but he is a Newfy but also a millwright and builds crazy things all the time the only deal we have so far is I have to take the kids for rides...The kids wanted a hot air balloon and rockets to make it go faster they are 4 and 1.5 but I do like where they are going maybe pusher props but not sure of the hot air balloon some (Teddy Ruxpin) show has one and now they think I should too (cute kids, I think they are trying to KILL ME) but yeah then there is the HotWheels show and those guys have rockets on their cars to make them go faster (so less work for my dogs or same work for my dogs I just go further as for a tent I was thinking if the top lifted up and then folded out kinda like a cot bed then it might be more sustainable or there is the shopping cart tent
Here is a webpage that shows a real one http://www.myproperty.co.za/property_ne ... tents.aspx
And Paul Elkins has built one for Burning man out of coroplast so foam might be good for winter Right? hey the guy has built a 29 pound speed boat http://www.elkinsdiy.com or http://www.elkinsdiy.com/burningman-bicycle-camper/
or there is the EDAR http://www.edar.org or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ciwnivq6Yc
maybe like that style...But the kids want me to be a fast DuckBoy (story for another time...Don't want to make this too confusing)

[droid_ca]

Or better yet a Little' Gypsy Vardo on skis That just might work still not sure about the steering so the bottom of it could be like a sled and the top a vardo with the little wood stove Got to stay warm

[GPW]

Not Foam , Foam Rubber... it compresses ...

[GPW]

Just a word of advice to all you Foamlings living in the areas affected by Sandy ... If you live in a low , flood possible , area , you might want to leave .... You’ll have to travel a good bit to escape the winds (it’s a Big one ) ... We are already getting increased winds from the storm and are nowhere near it ... If you choose to stay be sure to prepare ... Stay Safe !!!!!

[KCStudly]

Thanks GPW. Yeah, this one is going to send wind and rain my way, probably get Eagle pretty good, too. Paul is probably smack dab in the middle. I think Becky is in there, too, IIRC.

Spent the day in Framingham, MA in the drizzle doing the final pack and load up to haul Mr. B down to the chunk in DE next Thursday, wondering if we will be able to get fuel into our gas tanks down in Jersey on the way. The field was closed today due to the rain already (some people go early to set up and practice), hopefully it will dry out by the time we arrive (if we even get to go). Two years ago we had lots of rain just before the chunk and the field was a muddy mess. Had to go to TS and buy gum boots, but still had a hell of a time just walking due to the mud trying to pull your boots off. While some of our team members raked up dried corn stalks out of the field to mix with the mud to dry it out, others went to the local hdwr store and bought some chip board 4x8's to place around Mr. B so we could have something solid to walk on. We saved those and loaded em up in the back of Dave's truck today, wrapped in a tarp to try to keep them dry in the meantime, in case we need them next weekend.

Eric, our team capt., kept his generator at home in case of power outage, leaving a spot on the utility trailer for Karl's welder/generator. I towed the utility trailer down to Karl's today to stage it for our trip, but if we loose power here Karl may be reluctant to bring it. He has his house wiring set up to use it in the event of an outage. Yvette and I suffer w/o power if it goes out; after Irene we were w/o for 3 days, I think, less than most. We are near one of the main high tension lines and power transformer stations feeding power to the Dow foam plant, and near a main road, so that seems to help us get power back sooner than some.

I filled a couple of 10 gal plastic kegs and a couple of 5 gal plastic buckets full of water so we have something to flush the toilets (no well water w/o electricity to run the pump), but am hopeful that if we lose power it will be restored in short order. Wife picked up some bottled water and we both filled up our vehicles with gas. Where I work we have CHP and city water, so I can always tote more if needed. Plenty of flashlights, and the 275 Turd if needed. The worst part if the power goes out, aside from not having water to bathe, is the tedium that sets in form no tellie or net. Plenty of reading material, though.

A few weeks ago I had the two big trees out front trimmed of deadwood, since they tend to shed stuff, and one of them is partially over our driveway where we park. We had a dead branch fall on a new car (that we no longer have) once. Smashed the roof above the windshield, taking the windshield with it. We've had some other near misses out of these trees, so I am glad I had that done when I did, despite the expense.

Hopefully we will just get rain and some wind w/o all the doom and gloom that the news seems to like to play up.

Either way it's going to be a heck of a week, between the storm and trying to fab some last minute pieces for the ballista. Still don't have any decent ammo either. They say it was a good year for pumpkins, but there are nothing but orange ones (too thin wall) or too heavy white ones (Ghost, not the preferred Luminas) available locally.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Whew !
I'm glad that all we have to deal with on the wet coast is earthquakes...a bit o' rumbling, watch the waves and then it's over.
None of this 'impeding doom', batten-the-hatches stuff.
Keep yer heads down and hopefully it's as uneventful as the shaker we had last night.

[eaglesdare]

i stayed in bed yesterday, ended up with the stomach bug. trying to sit upright now. yes we are getting it pretty good right now. lots of rain and wind. we are expecting the worst of it to hit us early afternoon. but it is looking like its going to hit north or us, so we'll just get the outside furry, not the direct hit. i think deleware and jersey are going to get slammed really good. we are prepared for the loss of power also. no generators but its all good anyway.

honestly the worst thing for me right now is the 2 collies when they come back inside. they are totally soaked. so as you can see we are doing good here.

[GPW]

Eagle , we have our fingers crossed , rabbit’s foot , and Lucky candle burning for you... Stay Safe !!! Power will likely be out for a long time after the storm ... just like camping ... sorta’ ...

Praying a Lot for All the folks back East ...

[KCStudly]

Thanks GPW.

The Gov. just closed state roads to all vehicles, Yvette works at a hospital in the neighboring state of RI and is about 45 min commute, so I hope they let her go soon. She is an RD so is not a "critical worker". Basically if they are caught up their procedures say they can go 3 days before revisiting patients. She advises the doctors on dietary issues and needs, but the doctors are still the first line of care.

I just had new tires delivered for the Jeep (which is her normal vehicle), but have not got them installed, so with all the water on the road I am a little concerned, wet leaves, etc., but it does have higher clearance than most vehicles so she should be good if she is careful and takes it easy.

Rain just picked up a bunch, but the wind is only gusting as yet. The big show will come later this evening.

I could not make out the call in line message for work this morning. Sounded like they said "closed for 2nd and 3rd shifts", so I went in to find out that it was "closed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shifts." Stayed and worked on chunker parts for the bow line compounding that we are going to try to make happen at the eleventh hour. Beat feet out of there when I heard that they were closing the roads.

Three bags of ice in the freezer and topped up the gas tank in the Ford again.

Home safe now and waiting for wifey to do the same.

[KCStudly]

Additional storm prep; last night Yvette and I got all caught up on our laundry, and I just took a nice hot shower (could be the last one for a few days, schmaybe). Filled a couple more buckets with water.

Since my last post above, power outages in the state have doubled from about 15000 to 30000.

[eaglesdare]

i'm thinking we are getting hit with the worst of it now. announcements are being made that trees are coming down all over and power is going out in those areas. i suppose its just a matter of time now.
update: they just announced a few areas that STILL had power.
so like i said, its probably just a matter of time for us now.

hubby's shed shingles are starting to come up and flap around. looks like a couple have come off.
over all we are doing just fine. hubby's going to try to make a pumpkin pie before we lose the power. let the race begin.