Building a wooden micro-camper 

Thanks for checking out the vid. Greatly appreciated. In my one-year review video, of that camper, you can see the damage from where a semi truck backed into the camper. It held up really well. I've learned to trust glue very much in woodwork after building cabinets and such over the years. Often the glue is so strong that it will rip the wood from a surface when forced apart from another surface. Plus I'm always broke, so I had to build cheap hahaha!

Thank you sir, and thanks for watching!

Thank you for checking out the vid! God bless you too, my friend.

Thank you, and thanks for checking out the video. I hope it helps with your build. It would be great to see your results once you're finished.

Thank you and thanks for checking out my vid!

Check out this video for a good view of the inside. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4lD_obdALDg.html I didn't finish the inside. I just put a mattress right on the wood and rolled with it. Thanks for checking out the video, and safe travels to you!

Thank you, and thanks for checking out my build. That's a great idea for the back room extension. I'd love to see what you come up with. I'm thinking the next one I build will have slide out kitchen shelves.

Thank you sir. And thanks for watching!

Thank you ma'am, and thanks for watching!

Thank you! Thanks for checking out the video, too. I hope your camper build goes smooth!

Thanks, my friend. Thanks for watching as well.

Thank you sir, and that's awesome to hear! I hope your build goes great

Thank you, sir. And thanks for checking out the video.

Thank you. I hope those details will help others in their builds. Thank you for watching, as well.

Thank you sir, and thanks for checking out the video

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

Sounds like a great project you have going there. I like that you're putting in all the accessories, too. Would be cool to see how it turns out. Thanks for checking out the video and my build.

Thank you for checking out the video, my friend! Greatly appreciated!

Just a thought, here: if you used hinges with a 90-degree bend to locate the pivot point (pin) at the back inner edge of the side walls, while having the door still be recessed, would that have worked? That way you wouldn't have needed to put the doors on sliders, even though that seemed to be an ingenious solution. Also, did you weigh the trailer when it was complete, and then again when loaded? Small cars are often rated to tow only very modest weights, around 500 lbs.

@@logmeindangit Thanks for the questions. The door slider method was kind of a desperation move during the build. From the beginning of the build, there were two goals I didn't want to compromise on. One was a recessed door so that the metal roof would overlap and help keep the weather out. The other was a clean, minimal-hardware look of the rear doors from the outside. I wanted the doors to look as 'all-wood' as possible, like the sidewalls. Though I should have filmed the failures, I tried to mount hinges six times in as many configurations. The biggest issue was that when the door was mounted by hinge to the furthest stud in the rear, in the recessed position, the outside edge of the door would push into the sidewall plywood and stifle it from opening more than a quarter of the way when I tried to open it. There was a bind. Then I thought of using kitchen cabinet hinges for the way they operate, but since they're countersunk I'd need thicker, heavier doors, or heavier framing on the inside of the rear doors (*granted the sliders aren't exact light). Still, the sliders may be lighter than a thicker sheet of plywood for a door. Another thing I found was that the top of my sidewalls are curved inward to allow the sheet metal to overlap one inch on either side. When I tried hinges alone, this curve in the sidewalls and the doors created a fitment issue and there was too much of a gap once the doors were closed. Overall, hinges alone would work for the rear doors but I learned you'd end up seeing the framing used to hold the hinges, and it would be less finished looking, or you'd sacrifice most of your roof overlap. One of these days, I'll weigh that thing. A lot of people have asked about that. I've been hauling motorcycles on trailers, by car, for years without issue so I figured my car would pull it alright. Heck, I have no idea what my car's towing capacity is haha. I am very grateful you chose to share your thought and it was worthy of a detailed response. All the best.

Thanks for checking out the video!

Thank you sir. Thanks for watching. I'm thinking about doing a slide out kitchen on the next build. Would be cool to see what you come up with, too.

​@mikekrabal I'm not totally grasping the door slide. I see it for closing, but when open the door the hinge looks like it will bind prior?

Thanks for checking out the video!

Thank you sir. Thanks for checking out the vid!

Thanks for checking out the video. It's been a good car and was great for pulling the trailer. This past January it broke a balance shaft guide, but I fixed it and it's still kicking. 183,000 miles so far.

Thank you sir. And thanks for checking out the video.

Thanks you sir. Thanks for watching

Thank you for checking out the vid!

Thank you! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for checking out the vid!

Thanks for checking out the video. Sorry for the late response. I just discovered a list of comments I'd never seen and I'm replying.

Anything I can do to help, is the goal. Thanks for checking out my video. I watched your video and that wooden teardrop is hands-down the best looking teardrop I've ever seen. You guys did a FANTASTIC job building it! I feel like such an amateur hahaha! Take care

@@mikekrabal thx mike , the image is our ideal looking camper but due to my monility scooter ere hsving to make a squaredrop , it remains coloured as shown and made all from pallet wood , hence wht your video caught my eye. I think its gonna end up like yours from the eternal shape, but some fancy wood cosmetics will make it more retro .. :)

Oh, I see. My mistake. May your build turn out great! I hope you will continue too share it with us on RU-vid. Thanks!

Thank you, my friend! I hope you enjoyed the build.

Thank you, sir for checking out the video . I appreciate it, and I hope it's useful to others. There's no limit to what we can build as long as we have the will to do so. I do finally have a garage to build in, but it took me 40 years to get one haha. My tools are all about the same though. I'm building the next one now. Hopefully it will be done soon. All the best to you!

Thank you, my friend!

Thank you sir, and thanks for watching

Awesome! I wish you the best on your build and your road trip. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for checking out the video!

Thanks for checking out the trailer!

Thank you. The next build, I'm starting with a new trailer haha. I'm going to go have a look at your channel. All the best.

Thanks for checking out the video! My saab towed that thing easily over 20,000 miles.

Good call! I did replace a wheel bearing in Tennessee. I forgot to mention that in my follow-up video. Thank you and thanks for checking out the video!

Thanks for checking out the vid!

Thank you! Cheers!

Thanks. It's been a good little car so far. Thanks for checking out the video!

Thank you, and thanks for watching. I built that thing in a time crunch, as I needed it for work. I only finished putting wood panels on the ceiling. Later on, I put an AC in it. It's still barebones on the inside.

I also would like that

Thank you, sir!

Thanks for checking out the video

Thank you.

Thank you! It was a fun build.

Thanks for checking out the video

Thanks for checking out the video! I appreciate the kind words and wish you the best on your build! It would be great if you post your build in a video as well so we all can enjoy it. Thanks again!

Thanks for checking out the video

Thanks, my friend.

Thank ya, sir. And a big thanks for checking out the video!

Thank you! Cheers!

Hey, thanks for checking out the video! Greatly appreciated. I thought of using hinges without successfully finding the one that would work at the time. Since then, I've found one that would work. I may use them on the next build.

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

I wish you the best on the build. It will be a solid unit. In 2020, a semi truck driver backed into mine while I was sleeping in it. It was 1:30am. Scared me to death. Thought I was going to be crushed. Instead the camper just pushed sideways and didn't collapse in. Saved my life. I hope to see your finished product. Feel free to reach out when you're done. Thanks for watching!

Thank you!

Thanks for checking out the video!

That sounds like a solid plan. I'd also like to build with more materials to keep the heat out and the cool in. That roof is 26 gauge galvanized sheet metal. The same stuff they use for duct work. I got it at Ferguson supply in 2020 for about $49, I think. It's a 4x10' sheet.

Thanks for checking out the video! Greatly appreciated! Your build sounds really cool. It would be awesome to see a picture of it. There are few limits to what's capable with a little know-how and imagination. I haven't heard of Smart Panel. I'm about to build another micro-camper, (just bought another trailer) so I'll look into that as an option for the walls. Thank you for making me aware of it. Safe travels!

@@mikekrabal I took a few pictures with my phone, if you'd like me to send them. Smart Panel is OSB based, and has a heavily embossed wood pattern face, grooved to look like boards, and comes with a very durable primer. I recently discovered it is available without the grooves, too, and used that kind to build a box for my utility trailer. The manufacturer is Weldwood, I think. Have fun with the new build. I just read yesterday that lumber prices are way down. Hope the local suppliers (yours and mine) reflect that, because the high prices are sure project killers.

@@stephenandloriyoung5716 Thanks for the info on Smart Panel. It sounds like a really useful product for these types of builds. Fortunately, lumber has came down around here too. A 2x4 in WV is $2.98 from a high of $7.37 at our local Home Depot. I'm not sure how to share photos on RU-vid, but if you have a suggestion I'd like to see those pictures for sure. Would you consider making a video of your camper? A lot of folks like me would love to see it.

@@mikekrabal I thought of email for the pictures - maybe you don't want your email address on YT, though. I should be able to do a basic video using my phone, but I haven't looked into how to upload to You Tube. Might have to take counsel from someone under the age of twelve.

@@stephenandloriyoung5716 Hahaha, yeah the younger generation is so much better at the digital stuff! I just subscribed to your channel and if you make a video I'll get notified to watch it. And you're correct, I'm leery of putting my email on here.

Really, you take it somewhere and hide

Hey if you get even 1 year for $650 what more could you ask for

@@thistexanspov6337Totally agree….if it falls apart after a year or two, already paid for itself and someone who likes building will probably have ideas for and want to build a “new, improved” version anyway. Don’t think he is building it to ride out the apocalypse…just for a comfortable cheap place to sleep while traveling.

@@Itried20takennamesit’ll be good as long as he maintains it iv had a wooden trailer for a few years and I maintain it like cutting new bords out when something splits

Might, or might not, but if DIYing…..in 5 years you likely have thought of changes and improvements, and want to make a new one anyway. And still likely cheaper than rentong or buying during that time.

Thank you sir!

That sounds like an awesome build! I especially like that you focused on keeping the bed of the truck usable. Very practical and original. Thanks for checking out the video.

I think balsa wood would definitely have it's place in any lightweight build. I guess it comes down to how the builder engineers their pieces. I wouldn't count it out. But hey, I'm no engineer. Just a backyard building hillbilly. I hope you'll check out my other camper builds on my channel. They are way neater than that one. Thanks for watching!

Nose around youtube and you will find a guy with a channel using foam board for non-stressed furniture. And I’m sure you know there is a group that builds lightweight campers from it!!

Thanks for watching the video, friend! I hope your build turns out great. To attach the floor plywood, I drilled bolt holes through the plywood and trailer frame and used a bolt, washer, and locknut to hold it in place. You could also use the holes in the frame cross members and only have to drill your bolt holes in the plywood once you line it up with the frame. Either way will work.

Thanks for leaving a question and checking out the video. It weighs 426lbs total. As a guy who's never had much money, I had to build it as cheap as I could. It sure helped me feel free as I pulled it around America in 2020. Good little camper. Safe travels to you. Freedom means more than ever right now.

Thanks for watching!

Thank you for checking out the video. It's greatly appreciated. On the next build, I plan to make a one-piece rear door, and a slide out kitchenette setup on the opposite side of the camper as the door hinge. I plan for larger windows on the side and a window in the rear door for a more fun/whimsical look, and I'd like to incorporate an outside shower somehow for multi-day camping. The shape of the side panels may be modified to include more rounded edges for a more fun look. It's all about making fun, functional, and economical projects.

Thanks for checking out the video! Greatly appreciated. For the A/C I used a regular window unit. It was a small 5000 btu model. I powered it with a small generator. I ended up cutting a hole for it in the front of the camper, above the tongue. It worked great. Not the trickest setup, but it was close to the cheapest setup. Here's a link to the video where I review the camper after one year. It has more info regarding the A/C, too. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4lD_obdALDg.html

@@mikekrabal Thanks. I'll check it out. Back in 2012-13, I traveled from California to Maine and then Florida and back, over 30 states with my dog for a whole year sleeping in a restored 1956 Benroy teardrop trailer. Not the easiest year of my life, but definitely one of the best. Great job on your trailer and thanks again for getting back to me. Rich

Hey, thanks for checking out the video! Just last night, I posted a video that shows the entire camper inside and out. Here's the link to that video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4lD_obdALDg.html

Thanks for checking out the video

Thanks for checking out the video!

Thanks for checking out the video and for the question. Every piece of wood above the trailer was assembled using wood screws combined with the highest grade wood glue I could find. For the bottom side of the cross members, I used wood screws and sent them up through the floor into the stud. I think a heavier lag type of screw/bolt would work even better with a pre-drilled pilot hole. Good luck on your build!

Man, that turned out to be a great deal! I'm happy to hear that you rebuilt it and actively use it. Those road trips you've been on sound fun. Sure would be nice to see pictures of your finished project. Thank you for checking out the video. I greatly appreciate it!

@@mikekrabal Had we thought about it we would have videoed it and uploaded it to to here but we didn't think it, The one thing that we did when we painted it was we painted it with Silver Majic Tractor paint we got from a Farm and Home Store, alot of people just do the cheap Rustoleum paint, which works but we wanted a more finished look and tractor paint is cheaper when though you have to buy and add a reducer and hardner it's still cheaper, our paint cost us $35 for the gallon, $9 for the reducer and $13 for the hardner. those prices have gone up but it's still cheaper, the only draw back is it takes a week to completely dry as opposed to the 20 minutes for Rustoleum but it looks better IMO and it also alot more durable than the Rustoleum too.

Thanks for the paint tip. I used Rustoleum on my last project. It turned out decent. Maybe I'll look into the tractor paint on the next one. Especially if I can save some money.

@@mikekrabal yep, that's what I'm here for, to help people. I've never rolled on or brushed on tractor paint but I don;t see why you can't, it's a spray on paint but I build Bobber Motorcyles for a living so I already have that but I don't see why you couldn't run to Harbor freight and get a cheap paint gun and 8 gallon air compressor, I have a 21 gallon tank and it never even comes close to shutting down to refill so a 8 gallon one should be more than fine.

Do you have a website to see these bikes you build?

Thank you sir for checking out the vid. Greatly appreciated! I used a roof caulk from Home Depot. I went there the other day to get the brand name, but they didn't have any in stock. It was a clear type with yellow markings on the tube. It claimed to adhere to galvanized metal. That's what sold me on it. I'm sorry I don't remember what type it was. In addition to the caulk, I used a few shiny wood screws to help hold down the roof metal. If I do happen to see it in stock again, I'll update this comment.

Sounds like a good idea. I hope you'll share the build with us on RU-vid. Thanks for having a look at my video.

you are welcome!....i will try to atleast take some pictures of the build

Thank you, and thanks for checking out the video. I used a Yamaha EF2000 generator.

My car gets 500 miles per full tank. Pulling the trailer, it got about 420 miles per full tank.

@@mikekrabal Cool build Mike, love the simplicity. There's a small stick on airfoil system made by many manufacturers, 1st name brand AirTabs, that will greatly reduce the drag on that flat-backed trailer. Not that expensive, easy to put on, just orient them correctly. You can feel the difference pulling it, and the back of the trailer will be a bit cleaner. You'll likely gain 30-40 miles of range back per tank. I was surprised with my cargo trailer, worked very well.

Yes sir, thanks for watching. Sure would've been nice to have a kitchen. I built that thing in a rush and lived out of a cooler all summer haha. The next build will be far more finished, hopefully.

Good tip. Thanks for checking out the video!

That's good advice for sure. I still have a lot to learn. What's even worse than that is a semi-truck driver backed into it and punctured a giant hole in the side one night while I was sleeping in it. The camper held up well and just slide sideways while not caving in. Scared the heck out of me! We have since scrapped the body and reused the trailer for another build. Pulled it almost 30,000 miles before scrapping it. There's another video on the channel showing how it held up after a year's use. Thanks for watching!

I am attempting to rebuild a similar (traditional teardrop shape with plywood walls and with aluminum roof) - I found there was rot at the bottom of the walls and the floor - the underside did not appear to be waterproofed and the walls were mounted inside the steel trailer lip. Short version being I think I need to seal the edges as you suggest when rebuilding... what should I seal them with? epoxy? I had not intended to rebuild the camper but bought it used and discovered the rot one year in...so I essentially have no idea what I am doing...camper by RU-vid. Any advice appreciated.

I bought it at Ferguson's HVAC supply. I recently bought a 4x8 sheet of aluminum from our local sign shop. That could work if you can't find the galvanized sheet metal. Thanks for checking out the video!

Thanks for checking out the video!

Thanks for checking out the video!

Mike Krabal no pressure

Hahaha, I've heard those things are born to rust! Thanks for checking out the video!

I used a small Yamaha EF2000 generator. It worked great for a complete night of sleep. As I traveled for work, I lived in the camper for almost four months. The generator and AC were a perfect pair. Thanks for watching!

Yes sir. Glad to help. I used 1/4" plywood from Home Depot for the walls. They sell it as premium plywood for $38 a sheet. It's maple I think. I used a full 4x8 sheet and only cut one corner for the rounded front look. That plywood almost looks like lauan underlayment but holds up much better. The floor is a full 4x8' sheet of 3/8" plywood. I used 2x3s for the side wall supports. If you pause the video at 8:29, you'll see how I cut and dovetailed the roof metal to make the bend. I used to do sheet metal work for a living. It was a technique we used all the time for round metal fittings. Underneath the dovetails, I used exterior grade caulk to seal the metal to the wood. For the long straight 1" metal bend, I used pliers. Sheet metal tongs would work much better. Overall, the camper is super light and I can easily pull it around the yard with my hands. It's 8' long not counting the trailer tongue. Thanks for reaching out and I hope you'll share your build with us on RU-vid.

Thanks for sharing your work

Thank you very much for checking out the video! That thing weighs 426 lbs. I kept it as light as possible by not finishing the inside so that my small car could pull it easily. For a more in-depth review of that trailer, here's my one-year review video of it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4lD_obdALDg.html

I don't mind at all. I paid $49 (if I remember correctly) for the roof metal from Ferguson Supply in the summer of 2020. It's a 4x10 sheet of 26 gauge galvanized steel. It's not stainless. It's what HVAC companies use for duct work. Thanks for watching, and I wish you the best on your build.

Thanks for checking out the video. That camper held up really well until I disassembled it to rebuild a new camper on that trailer. The reason I did that was due to a semi truck driver backing into it when I was sleeping in it one night. It suffered enough damage that I had to fix it or scrap it. You can see me scraping it in this video. And there's another video on the channel with more information on that trailer as well. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zdb4BxmhgGQ.html The camper sat out in the elements for two years before I scrapped it. Really no issues at all. Stayed waterproof with my temporary body work. The only thing I'd change would be using plexiglass/acrylic windows instead of glass. Someone else broke one of my windows in a separate incident. Sounds like it's better to keep the campers away from the public hahaha! That would be the biggest change!

Also, as of that video I had towed it 21,000 miles. By the time I scrapped it, it had more than 30,000 miles towed.

Thanks for checking out the video. I haven't began building the second camper yet. For the last eleven months I've been remodeling a fixer-upper house to live in. That project has taken nearly all of my time outside of working my regular job. I'm planning to start the next camper build in June. If anything, I'd like to add the regular stuff like a water supply system, a power system (solar likely), a way to cook, and maybe a side door. I know that doesn't sound much different, but the look of the camper will be radically different by using paint, wood and metals to create a more imaginative-looking unit. I'm still going to focus on a lightweight way of incorporating everything. I wish you the best on your build and I hope you'll film it and share it with the rest of us. It will be great to see what you came up with!

@@mikekrabal Thanks for the update Mike. Appreciate you sharing what you'd like to do for upgrades. Thanks again!

@Microgreens Grower I'm not sure if you've seen my next camper, but here it is. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aG9IBz9AiTU.html I'm just following up on a few of these comments here. Thanks and take care.

I buy those sheets of metal at Ferguson HVAC supply stores. They're galvanized. They run from $45 to 75 dollars depending on the size and gauge. Thanks for checking out the video!

Thanks for checking out the video! Darn good point, and I had never considered someone locking me in. However a tractor trailer nearly killed me when it backed into the side of it while I was sleeping in it one night. It was crazy! Oklahoma was my 48th state visited. Some of the nicest folks I ever met there.

@@mikekrabal I'm from Oklahoma and oh my goodness , maybe a censor or cameras so you can have ease while inside. She's beautiful and gives me hope since I'm opposite of rich and trying to decide if I go 30k rv or 6k trailer. I think I'll go this route. God bless you and all your travels.

@@chosenone828 Thank you and all the best on your build!