Starting a new camp trailer

Campers are always better than a tent.....especially when it starts down pouring and you hafta pack up in a hurry

Always hate having to unpack and set up a wet tent so it can dry then pack it all back up again.

Pop ups are the perfect compromise between the two in my experience....tow easy, open up and close back up easy, pretty well weather proof....



But anyway, diggin the camper!!!

 

Yes, definately better than a tent. I took a trip in November and had the best 2 nights of sleep ever while camping. It takes a whole 5 minutes to set up camp. And if you pack everything back up when you finish using it, it takes about 5 minutes to get ready to leave in the morning.

 

No pics?




How is anyone supposed to convince the boss to approve the budget? :toetap:

I guess I'll just have to make a sketch with puppy staircase.

 

I had a trip report but it looks like it has fallen out of the off-topic forum.

This is the camp site on day one. It's a gravel bar in the Llano river south of Mason, TX. Literally I pulled up and parked. I could have crawled inside and gone to sleep without doing anything else.

 

That looks nice for road trips as well, jeeps arn't the roomyest things to rest in. was it nice and quiet inside the trailer?

 

Yes it was. And with the vent fan there is white noise to cover any noise that might intrude.

 

2 months ago I Installed the Monroe shock conversion kit. I also removed the bottom 2 leaves from the springs to get a better ride. It was an easy install.

So far I like it.

 

After taking a break and actually using it a couple of times. I started building out the galley today.

I roughed in the lower shelves. There will be divides between the items to keep them from moving around and hitting each other.



This is the first time I have tried this type of joint. It works well and I could almost not use screws or nails to hold it together. Right now it is all dry fit. I will glue it all up when I get the dividers made.





This is the self over the Air Conditioner. I had to put the braces in to support the shelf.



It's a tight fit but everything is where it belongs.

 

My HS shop teacher was a big fan of dados (plural is technically "dadoe", but that sounds silly) and rabbets. They were the first joints we learned to make, and he insisted we use them as much as possible. If you want to get fancy you can do a blind dado where you can't see the joint from the front.

 

Finished roughing out the rear cabinets this weekend. Just need to build the front frames and doors now.

 

I don't see a spot for a big cooler :? very concerned.
are you going to use a water sealer on the shelving in case of spills/leaks?

 

The cooler will ride in the back of the Jeep. easier to get to drinks and food while on the trail then opening the hatch. I did seriously think about putting the cooler back there but decided not to in the end.

I will use oil based primer on the floor and lower areas where the water jug is sitting. I will also calk around everything to seal it up. I am contemplating putting in a drain as well just in case.

 

What shock conversion? Curious.

 

Monroe makes a trailer shock conversion kit. It includes the spring plate with/shock mount and the hardware to mount to the frame. The shocks are extra.

http://www.monroeheavyduty.com/products/trailer_retrofit_kits.asp

I used the RB511 kit with the 555002 shocks.

 

Okay, Its been quite a while since I updated this thread. I have been working on the galley slowly. This afternoon I finally got the tile on the cabinet top and grouted. The tiles are 1" glass tile sheets set in charcol epoxy based grout.

The wood trim pieces were cut from construction grade heartwood redwood that I had left over from my fence.

 

Really like the tile. Wondered when we'd get an update.

 

Spent the day working on cabinet doors and building a table that will fold down from the back. All of the door pics came out blurry abut at least these 2 of the table came out good.





I still need to build an adjustable leg to support the end.