Home made camper/caravan...

[BertB.]

This past summer my good friend and I embarked on a project. The two of us both enjoy exploring this country and the U.S. largely the western parts of Canada and the U.S. which means LOTS of driving and camping. We are both pushing 40 and have families that we enjoy taking with us on our trips (when the women allow it). I have owned the folding tent type campers before as well the more conventional type and always found them a bit flimsy for my liking. So after much conversation and me selling off some un wanted things like my ATV tracks and a light duty enclosed trailer, I purchased a large roof top tent, and had also bought up items like an axle, leaf springs, hitch, electrical supplies, and steel among other things. While nature was still tormenting us with a long and excessively cold winter (climate change is a myth and festering pile of shite!) Chris came over with a pad of graph paper prepared to make some plans on what the trailer will look like and its approximate dimensions.

 

[BertB.]

As the framer was being built we kept test fitting things to make sure everything lined up. The plastic box on the tongue will eventually hold a deep cycle battery, a 400 watt inverter and currently hold a junction box for the lights on the camper. The aluminum box on the side we cut down on a table saw so it didn't stick out beyond the wheel wells. I keep my little propane stove and some tools for setting up the camper, the door folds down nice and flat so it can be used as a bit of a table or ledge if needed and its sealed against water, dirt, and weather. I recently procured a second one that will be cut down to size and added on to the other side in the spring.

 

[BertB.]

Behind the tongue box the spare tire is strapped to the trailer and has a nice little hollow where it sits safely and comfortably. We also have a space for a 5 gallon jerry can and a 20 pound propane tank. The 3500 pound capacity axle was too wide so it was carefully cut down and re-welded together. The springs and shackles were assembled and welded. I bought the wheel rims from Costco online they are just plain steel which is perfect and the tires were used but in great shape and were on a 3/4 ton truck before so unlike conventional campers this thing can take the beating on gravel roads and forestry roads quite well. As June faded in to July I got quite antsy to get some major progress done as my wife is a teacher and July and August are the only times of the year she can take off for a holiday and I wanted to go to British Columbia to visit with my brother and his family and do some camping and test out our new camper.

 

[BertB.]

We mounted up the rear outriggers simply by drilling and tapping the mounting points. Then tacked a frame together to test mount the tent and unfolded it and made sure everything worked out fine. Chris did a great job making mounts for the tent as the plan was to use it as a roof for the trailer as an interim measure. In the spring a proper aluminum roof will be put on and the tent mount about an inch and a half above so I can keep the interior of the trailer dry and clean. There are plans or talk about making some roll out bins in the back and maybe on one side where a little bit of a kitchen would be made.

 

[BertB.]

As August quickly approached Chris donated some aluminum sheething he had been holding on to for over ten years (I was originally going to use plywood) but he said he didn't like that idea and had these aluminum sheets he was going to use for a race car project that never got off the ground and said that the aluminum makes it look more professional. To save money he got his former employer to bend up some wheel wells out of galvanized steel as his sheet metal brake isn't big enough for this kind of thing. I sourced some diamond plate aluminum privately and it made for a perfect tail board for the back I still have some leftover but it might not be enough for where the gas can and propane tank are suppose to go.

 

[BertB.]

We settled on 5/8" plywood for the trailer interior floor it was simple and cheap and to prevent it from becoming water logged in a rain I coated it with this goo I thought I could paint it on but I needed a trowel or an asphalt paver for that matter it was quite difficult to smear on and smelled like an oil sand tailings lagoon. But it did the trick. I bought some hardware for the back door which was nice and cheap and came with a lock. Chris fabbed up the frame and used a threaded rod to keep it square and then sheathed it in aluminum, the rear outriggers were drilled and tapped and then just about everything was disassembled so we could prep for paint. My youngest brother works at a paint factory and got me not only primer and paint but also a can of Xylene to wipe it all down with and a chemical that converts rust in to something harmless I guess. Chris primed and painted it outside in the dry heat we were having and final assembly began after the paint was able to cure.

 

[BertB.]

Final assembly didn't take long but we also installed the trailer lights and signals and used crimps as an interim measure as we pretty much ran out of time to do anything else so in the spring all the splices will be properly soldered just to insure that there is never any problems with those connections. The rear door worked out perfectly and we made up our own limiting strap out of an old ratchet strap.

 

[BertB.]

We tested out the electrical made any final tweaks that were needed and took the trailer home to load up for our holiday in which we left the following day. There was some concern about it not being stable without front scissor jacks but in the end it worked out fine and if there was any doubt we left it hitched up to our truck. Recently I bought a pair of jacks for the front virtually identical to the rear ones except for being painted blue which doesn't bother me at all. We had a great holiday and the trailer handled very well and was nice and light to tow behind our Toyota. We even made it to Mount Robson in British Columbia which is the tallest peak in Canada.

Mount Robson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I can't wait to finish up the trailer and go camping again with my family and hopefully drag Chris with me. lol

 

[Grahams]

Looks a fun project. I've never slept in a rooftop tent , but seen a few about. Seems to make life a lot easier than trying to pitch a conventional tent if the ground is not ideal.

 

[Smiffy]

Looks awesome
If you haven't already seen it there is a Facebook group called aucampers
Dedicated to this kind of stuff and there are some really neat extra ideas on there for fridges kitchens showers and power setups if you fancy it

 

[diggerjones]

I've spent alot of time in mine this year. Paid for itself. My sites aren't in your type of surroundings.

 

[diggerjones]

 

[Mogman]

I've spent alot of time in mine this year. Paid for itself. My sites aren't in your type of surroundings.View attachment 11074View attachment 11074

There is no way I would stop in a caravan while working away from home I price in a b&b to the job and if I don’t get the job at least I sleep in my own bed I have a sleeper cab on my truck but I even stop in a travel lodges now and again especially if doing a bit of manual work in the day buts that’s just me being a bit soft

 

[diggerjones]

Paul. You say that everytime you read my story of my caravan
People pay money to stop in these things

 

[Mogman]

Paul. You say that everytime you read my story of my caravan
People pay money to stop in these things

Ha ha I don’t doubt it for a minute
I must like my creature comforts and being waited on hand and foot as the bride will testify
to be honest you’ve done a Stirling job on the teardropbut not my cup of tea

 

[BertB.]

Looks a fun project. I've never slept in a rooftop tent , but seen a few about. Seems to make life a lot easier than trying to pitch a conventional tent if the ground is not ideal.

It was alright to build but took up a lot of weekends so by the time we were done it felt much like summer blew by and that's something that is a precious commodity for us here. And I was fearful that it would end up falling by the wayside with his other projects. So for this coming spring my priorities are putting the proper roof on, painting it, and using up the diamond plate and maybe some electrical work mostly soldering up the lights. After that I'm going on another expedition with the family, life is short gotta have some fun and see some of the world at least.

 

[Komatsu]

Looks really smart Bert, with some stunning scenery in the background🏔

 

[craig]

Looks good ,
what model Toyota it that please?

 

[fred]

stunning scenery.

 

[fred]

rambo that.

https://www.planttalk.co.uk/attachments/20190814_150251-jpg.11090/