Greetings from Baltimore...really like your trailer...couldn't agree more about the simplicity...we bought a 1977 fiberglass camper and refurbished it and LOVE the simplicity over the ridiculously huge rvs folks think they are camping in...LOL
We used to have a small Little Guy teardrop. We usually stay at state/national parks but sometimes we had to pack into a private park. All the bus sized motor home lined up side by side. We felt like a canned ham between giant loaves of bread. One woman looked at our camper and said, "I couldn't live without my washer and dryer". Never forgot that story, Buffalo Wyoming, Fall 2010.
This looks great for several reasons. Your video is recorded on a stable tripod, which is a joy to watch. The audio is clear, and what you say is informative as you include the "why" in addition to "what". Just wanted to pass along my thanks for sharing this video. Now I am off to view Part 2.
Very nice setup! I love the minimal elegance terminology! We’ve done basically the same thing. And I totally agree with you about the water system. We use a 5 gallon job site type cooler. We ordered our trailer specific as well. Barn doors too. I like tinkering with the different features one can come up with. I hope you have a great time everywhere you go! I’ll be “borrowing” a couple of your ideas, so thanks in advance! Happy trails!
Fantastic setup. Love your honesty sharing things you would change. I am planning on doing a similar build. I have come around on the whole idea of a shower and plumbing. I don't need it. I still might install a simple sink with a hand or foot pump. Great job!
I just watched your first video (subscribed too so I can see what else you come up with). Good planning. I like that pit bull grill and the long hose on the shower for the pooch. When I had a dog that would have come in handy.. She was constantly into stuff like mud. Looking forward to the future improvments. Thnx.
I know you were asking for viewer hacks, but I’m just a “Wannabee”, so instead I will thank you for your videos! The music selections, and your peaceful delivery are a joy to watch!
Yes, we leave it open whenever the temps permit it. Besides the shade inside, the doors can be closed part way to give more privacy yet still be open to the outside.
Good video. Yes I could make that hitch tongue longer and make the hitch coupler removable so when parked somewhere with coupler removed the trailer is much harder to steal.
Love to I called the company and asked (all aluminum) if they could weld on a long tongue. They said that being aluminum it's as long as they dare. Don't know if it's a copout or if it's true. As far as theft. I've got one of those yellow clamp on clamps that goes around the tire.
First, I am glad you both enjoy camping and traveling! Second, I think you have done well in keeping it minimal and a great set up. I would look at a hitch extension, with a clamp to stabilize it! They have shims to use with the hitch, but the clamp will do even better because it is not so easy to get the shims out sometimes! Enjoy and stay safe!
Yes, I inquired about one of those. I was told that it was doable but two things didn't add up. One was that for every 12" added it adds 100 lbs to the tongue wt. I need 16". And the pivot point stays the same, so you can turn sharper but it doesn't move the bumper further from the trailer. Strange but true. I actually had to make some small cardboard cutout models to believe it. The only way to fix this is to make the tongue longer. So, I just try to be careful and after hitting the side a few times early on I've managed not to since then. Thnx for the comment.
@@CraftsmanontheLake I was talking about an extended receiver, which would put your trailer back 16 inches. But you need to make sure it's solid! Good luck!
I agree in your tongue. It can be added onto. I have v nose 7x12 and it’s much longer than yours. Mine is Wells Cargo. I just put peel and stick tile inside and cabinets in front v nose area. We also painted all the walls. Getting ready to go on a long weekend with it. Have to figure out what we’re doing for potty.
I think adding a reciever extension would work. That little trailer doesn't have much tongue wt, so extending it out won't exceed most trucks. I give it a try, before dismissing the idea. Good luck.
Ditto. I had to use on one a UTV trailer pulling with my 2008 Sierra, because I added a wide tool box on the front of the trailer. Worked like a charm!
John, I visited your site and listened to a few of your cello pieces. Lovely. My two daughters are both accomplished violinists (Suzuki, 11 yrs of it, then other instructors). Thoroughly enjoyed listening to you. Thanks.
It's a 7x14 with a tall ceiling. In Part two there is an inside tour and there are some stills with measurement lines showing the exact inside dimensions.
Thank you for sharing your creation with us. Would like to take some ideas from this for my build, if that's alright with you. Also, you have a voice made for TV and radio! Very articulate and smooth.
Of course you can, without asking. We all do that don't we? I do it all the time. That's what a lot of youtube is for. I have a teacher voice. It was what I did most of my life. You automatically go into clarity mode. And if you're in a large room with a lot of people your voice can actually project without a lot of effort. It's just what happens to your vocal cords after years of doing it I think. Thnx.
To take care of your hitch problem get an extension for your receiver. I put a 12 inch extension on my hitch, I welded a piece of diamond plate across it for a step. Works great for getting in back of truck and lets me turn very sharp without hitting.
When I inquired at the place I got my camper about them adding a longer tongue they said can't do it. I asked about using a hitch extension and they said for every 12" it adds 100 lbs on the tongue. Still not a bad compromise but I decided not to. Also, adding a hitch extension puts the ball in the middle of the pivot. It lets you turn sharper but in the end doesn't move the end of the bumper further from the side of the camper. Anyway, thanks for the comment. I wish it was something that would totally alleviate the problem.
Me too, thing is I wake up after dreaming and I'm here! I hope you get to be here some day. It's a nice place. Beautiful in the summer and the winters are wonderful but of course can be cold. But we grew up here so we're used to that being what home is like. I've visited all the lower 48 states over the years but only driven through that panhandle part of Texas on the northeastern part. Took a long time and it's only a tiny part of the state! Flat...
@@CraftsmanontheLake yes some of Texas is very flat. But most is gorgeous. That’s the beauty of my home state. It looks like a desert in one place mountains in another and ocean in another! So big if you drive from one end to the other you think you’ll never leave! HA HA
It's sooo late here. I just went and looked at all 10 parts of your build videos. I must say. You're not just building a camper, you started way at the beginning. You're restoring it as you go along too. You've got crazy ambition my man. And you do some major front end work as a little distraction right in the middle of it! I subscribed. I gotta see where you end up with this.
@@CraftsmanontheLake I appreciate You watching my content. You do lots of cool things on Your channel I really like it. a lot dont get filmed I get so excited when I get started I forget to film. now my wife has been reminding me.
@@richardhuffman58 7x14 and 6'4" (I think) tall inside. A little more headroom gives the feeling of 'larger' but the gas mileage takes a bit of a hit for it.
@@CraftsmanontheLake are you set up to boondock with it? I’ve just installed a 30 amp shore power on mine. We’ll always stay in places where there is Electric
The only thing I'd do different is that I'd put a 1/2" spacer in between the wall and the back. It press closes now. A little space would have been better. Other than that it's just right for us.
Hi Dan Todd Muller again. Can you show me exactly where the upper and lower brackets for the awning attatch to the trailer, and what was used to attach them? Screws, Bolts etc.
It appears you can't send pictures via reply on youtube. Each top bracket has two carriage bolts that go through the support bracket mounting part. Mine goes through the top corner ceiling brace in the camper. The bottom is similar. When fully extended that's the angle that it mounts to the lower section. This install video is identical to the Dometic I have on my camper albeit larger. But the hardware is the same. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FdtBrlarRcQ.html
Reese used to make a hitch that was longer for custom vans that had the spare tire on the back . The hitch was probably 6 to 8 inches longer than normal.
We have a 6x12 ctc we are finishing. We really got drenched last year in a rain and had to close windows cause of no coverings. Can you please let me know how you made your rear covering. I wanna do that for our windows. Thanks
It's just an aluminum square bar for the edge that hooks on the trailer, a wooden dowel for the front edge and some aluminum square stock for the two supports. All available at home depot. The awning is some sunbrulla that my sister sewed up for me (any awning cloth would do). Then you have to get creative with how to make hooks for the top to connect and pins for the braces to go on. Actually I found everything at home depot in one dept or another. I just walk through till I see something that looks like it would work or looks like something I could bend to make work. I've also seen people make an awning by closing their doors parallel with the camper sides and putting an awning over the top edges of the doors.
Can you tell me what awning you use? Possibly a link to the supplier? We've just ordered a 6.5 x 12 from proline, scheduled for December delivery. We have taken much of your advice in keeping it simple. Thanks so much. TM
Yes, the brand is dometic I found one on Amazon that's the same model but 16'. Mine is 11'. You'd have search on amazon or the Dometic site to see about a smaller one if that's what you wanted. www.amazon.com/Dometic-848NS16-400B-8500-Patio-Awning/dp/B00WKK4LXA/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1NRFAKLTNOYYK&dchild=1&keywords=dometic+11+ft+awning&qid=1626917603&sprefix=dometic+awning+11%27%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-7
You just answered my question...is a cargo trailer "tin tent" lol still camping or is it Glamping your camping is my kinda camping...minimalistic, get off ground, jeep warm and dry unlike tents bug Karl the Ruffin it part the same
I too wish tongue was a tad longer, so the addition of items on front would not interfere with maneuvering or the setup. I'm not sure what the engineering/specs are and if this can be modified by welding an additional piece on each side? It would be great to find out. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! Love the trailer simplicity yet full functionality. Regarding a longer tongue, have you considered an extended draw bar? Again - THANKS!
Thanks. The extended hitch keeps the same pivot point. You can pivot sharper but it doesn't (believe it or not) move the bumper further from the side of the trailer. Plus, I'd need 16" and for every foot you add 100 lbs to the tongue wt. So... I've resigned myself to just being very careful.
Thank you. The awning doesn't have a brand name. I think it's because it's made for the company that sells the cargo trailer I got. But if you go to Amazon and search "cargo camper awning kit complete" you'll see several that are similar or almost the same thing in various brands and sizes.
Love your camper, but what caught my attention the most is your cap. It looks so comfortable. Most of the caps are kinda a bit too small for me. Mind sharing the link where you got yours? Many thanks.
Ya that would be cool but we camp by traveling. We see things then move on. Sometimes we just stop to continue the next day. Packing up needs to be quick. And we don't really need to be enclosed much anyway. We're outside until we decide to retire for the evening. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Dan....Just wondering if you think that I could run a camper similar to yours with only an extension cord and a plug in strip. I know that the small Runaway campers have that only and they come with a small air conditioning unit. I only want something simple. We had two travel trailers and it became just too much for me to drag around. Only need possibly a small air conditioning unit and a small fridge. Let me know what you think. I am no electrician....Thanks and keep up the good work. Love the videos.My wife and I are retired and live in Kentucky.
Thank you. You certainly can run a small AC unit like a bedroom AC with an extension cord as they are only 5 amps. If you look for an extension cord that is #12 wire it shouldn't be a problem at all up to 15 amps. A mini fridge like a dorm fridge is only 2-3 amps. If you think about it. I've got extension cords running to the camper. I just have circuit breakers inside. But there are circuit breakers on the campground shore power connectors you plug into so it should be fine Just be careful how you enter the camper with the wires. Don't want any fires.
My Proline trailer will be ready in the first of March. I would like to mount the spare tire on the tongue just as you have done. Did you do the welding? If you had it made would you let me know who did it so I can contact them or if you did the welding would you give me enough specifics to have our local welder do the job for me ? I’m very excited to get the trailer set up for one person and two large dogs. ☺️
I have a couple cargo trailers but have not built either out yet. Your setup is so well thought out. Maximum minimalist 😀 When you make reservations, what kind of space do you get, ie: tent with electric? Or rv site? Have you ever had issues after arriving? Also, how do you have it insured? I'm in L/A Maine. Thank you. Peace.
Just down the road from you Acton (Sanford Area). You have to do a trailer or better site. Tent sites in most areas are just for tents. I've never had an issue with a cargo conversion. I've been to all the lower 48 states over the years. 50k miles maybe between this and the teardrop I had before. The insurance is about $35. I have it insured for $10,000.
Well, I've got $10k insurance on it I'd say that the trailer, with the materials for the build is worth about that (the new lithium batter pack was a decent chunk) But that doesn't include the time making it and the sentimental value would make it hard to price.
Very much so. It is so well made. A 25 yr old family owned factory in NH near where I live. I never expect it to leak. The floor doesn't need any undercoating. After about 35,000 miles it's held up well. And they were very accommodating at the factory regarding what I wanted and how I wanted it made for retrofitting it myself. Thanks for the comment. Part 2 is the inside if you haven't watched it yet.
Well, in a camper this size putting one north south one edge of it would still have to be against a wall and it would take up more of the length of the camper as the small corridor on the side of the bed couldn't be used for much. And besides. The wife gets the outside edge as I haven't gotten up in the middle of the night in ten years at least.
