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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / October 2006Websites showing images/plans for a small camper trailer
I've been looking for websites that have detailed images of someone building a small (14' or less (prefer 10' to 12')) camper trailer. Found a few, but still looking. Building a small camper trailer on a purchased trailer frame is my 2007 goal. I have tons of wiring, carpentry, and LP gas line installing skills, just looking for the right plans before I invest around $4000 to the job. Looking for something light (< 1500 lbs), with hard walls (no pop-ups), and will be easier to back up in tight locations (camping in heavy woods at the end of dirt roads), and can be pulled by a small Jeep across pastures to very remote locations without pulling out the clutch or transmission. All help appreciated. Thanks in advance. > I've been looking for websites that have detailed images of someone > building a small (14' or less (prefer 10' to 12')) camper trailer. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > All help appreciated. Thanks in advance. You might try looking at the floor plan and images of a Fleetwood Niagara pop-up. The box is 14 feet long and the area where the table is at converts into a bed. Mine has a slide-out for the table, but you could create a table area that will only seat 2 people instead of 4. Make it so the table covers the opening between the seat cushions and use the back cushions to cover the table. This would give you a twin size bed that is only there for sleeping and not during the day. > I've been looking for websites that have detailed images of someone building > a small (14' or less (prefer 10' to 12')) camper trailer. Found a few, but > still looking. http://www.glen-l.com/campers/glenlrv.html http://www.desertteardrops.com/window.html http://www.teardrops.net/plans01.html These are just from using the search term "trailer plans." JPinOH This is more along the vintage direction... http://teardropplans.com/ The vintage trailers tended to be lighter than some of the new trailers. Nathan <snip> > http://www.glen-l.com/campers/glenlrv.html > http://www.desertteardrops.com/window.html [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > JPinOH I've been looking at the tear drop plans and don't really like them. We have several cats who want to be with us and not stuffed into coops while we're on the road. I want a camper that is small, but can be walked around in. The kitchen is on the outside with the teardrops and I want a kitchen area on the inside of the camper. Get up and make a cup of coffee without getting my feet wet. The closest I've found is a plan from a very old Mechanix Illustrated model, but I want to have a 20 gallon fresh water reservoir and a small black water and gray water tank included with the camper plans. In the event we suffer another Hurricane Katrina-type disaster and have to evacuate, the small and fully self-contained camper will be the way to go without putting additional strain on us looking for an RV park to pull over and rest for a couple of days or three. Plus, the gasoline usage by my vehicle won't be as severe as it is with my nearly 3-ton RV. I've been using a lot of search engine terms, too, for a couple of years. But, with so many tens of thousands of replies, sifting through every single one didn't seem plausible. I've been thinking about modifying the plans of a slide-in camper because they are small, yet contain the things I want from a camper. Room enough for two average-sized folk, a few cats, shower/toilet combo, stove, sink, storage, furnace, hot water heater, bed, and an AC. I'll keep looking and greatly appreciate your help, guys. Last week I saw a pickup camper mounted on a two wheel trailer being pulled by a small truck. Might consider something like that. Looked like the camper was in the 8 foot range. Glenn > I've been looking at the tear drop plans and don't really like them. We have > several cats who want to be with us and not stuffed into coops while we're [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > I'll keep looking and greatly appreciate your help, guys. > The closest I've found is a plan from a very old Mechanix Illustrated model, > but I want to have a 20 gallon fresh water reservoir and a small black water > and gray water tank included with the camper plans. I've been in your shoes and know what you want..........I think. Ok, you have the skills. So do I. The wiring, plumbing, electric is no problem, right>? Ok, then think about it a bit......... The problem for you (and me) is to build the walls, so they don't come apart at 60 MPH, right? The only thing that makes sense is to get or build a flatbed trailer to fit an aluminum box from an appropriate size U-haul truck that is being junked. Or sold. Or whatever. Get the box first, then build/buy the running gear. Install the stuff. Be happy. Seriously/ MM^^ >I've been looking for websites that have detailed images of someone building >a small (14' or less (prefer 10' to 12')) camper trailer. Found a few, but [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >All help appreciated. Thanks in advance. If you like light and neat, it's hard to beat fiberglass. Burro makes kits: http://www.burrotrailers.com/the_kit.htm But even these will be too heavy for a jeep by the time you finish. You get a lot more safe choices if you pull with a pickup. You might find it's a lot cheaper and simpler to find a well preserved older small trailer and fix it up, rather than start from scratch. There's a lot of them out there. Back in the middle nineties I fixed up a 1973 13 foot stick and tin trailer and pulled it for several years behind a Jeep Wrangler. Cost me less than 800 bucks after fixing it up with new paint, caulking, plumbing, and tires. Whole thing weighed around 1200 pounds loaded, and worked reasonably well. Very simple, bed/couch, dinette, ice box, small closet, no oven, no toilet, 10 gallon fresh water, hand pump at sink. I wouldn't recommend anything heavier than that, though. Went everywhere, pulled about the same behind 4 banger or six. I got that thing into some craaaazy places up in the mountains. Your best bang for the buck behind a jeep is a light popup, so you might want to reconsider that. The lighter the better. You give up city or roadside practicality for backwoods room and reasonable comfort. Good luck. Bob http://www.arcatapet.net/bobgiddings I have looked all over for a good used 12' camper trailer in a repairable condition in my area. Can't find them or the owners want more than what I want to pay. I'm going to buy a 6' x 10' heavy duty trailer (solid floor, not meshed floor) and build up from there. I can get one for about $1000 because I am patient enough to wait for sales and clearances. I want a new trailer because I want to have the original title in my name. I'm getting the trailer titled and tagged as a utility trailer first then build the camper on it. Taxes and tags are much higher on an RV than on a utility trailer here in Mississippi. I get my tag and save some money, too. The camper part will be bolted to the trailer and I will able to remove it, if I have to. Lots of supports on the interior walls of the camper, too, so it don't rattle itself to pieces as I travel down some of these rough backroads here in Mississippi. My old Executive slide-in camper gives me a few clues as to how to place internal supports. I building this trailer to last at least twenty years. I'm still looking on the 'Net for plans and images of other people's homemade campers. Ebay has some folks selling their homemade campers and the images are clear enough to give me some good ideas of what to do to build a solid trailer. I do appreciate your replies to my question. Thank you. |
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