I absolutely LOVE the simplicity of this build!!!! As someone who RV’d full time for over 10 years I can really appreciate this design. If I were doing something for myself I would never even worry about anything that didn’t plug into a campground outlet. I don’t think we did any boon-docking in 10 years of full time RVing. We either plugged in or just roughed it 🤷🏼♀️
Thanks for checking out the build! I really appreciate what you said as it fits our way of camping. I believe even if I set it up for boon docking, with great solar and batteries, we'd still have trouble finding time to go camping. The little camper is just enough to keep us out of a tent. I envy your ten years of full time RV life. I lived in a car for 15 months and it wasn't a very easy thing to do, but I miss parts of it like waking up with the sun and being outdoors a lot.
Loved watching the full build, the level jacks I’m looking forward to seeing set up, amazing job on the waterproofing, best tiny build I’ve seen in ages. Look forward to next update
Glad to see you changed the AC!! It would not have worked as originally installed! My friends and I have been using a similar water heater system, but we used a submersible pump right in the heated water, and had a long meat thermometer to monitor the water temperature, and had a small tent for a shower. We were tent camping, and riding off road motorcycles and bikes, so got sweaty and HAD to have a shower! Nice looking build
You asked for painting suggestions, here goes: navy blue and white-ish. I used a whitewash then wiped it down. It was called “pickling. You apply the whitewash with a cloth, and then wipe it off/rub it in. This method allows the beautiful wood to be see-actually highlights the wood features. Paint the now brown parts of the camper navy-blue in semi-gloss. You could also paint the wooden strips white/almond in semi-gloss or whitewash/pickle them too. I enjoyed your video about making the camper, and meeting your family ❤❤❤I’m looking forward to the next project 😊
Thanks for checking out the video, and for the color suggestion. I think that would look great and I'll keep it in my back pocket incase I ever get the motivation to paint it again haha!
I think you did a fantastic job building the camper. There's always room for improvement if you search for it. You've got a great family, and i love the crazy acting of your daughter. As long as y'all are have fun its good enough. Greetings from the Netherlands.
This was fantastic. The camper really turned out well. lol... I know you weren't all that thrilled about the brown but it looks great. You have such a cute little family too. :)
Thanks for having a look! That really means a lot to hear that. I'm happy that you were able to make those memories with your parents and thanks for sharing.
The camper out making awesome memories, and it is easy enough for quick trips is perfect. The rocket kept us smiling through 1800 miles, record heat, and heavy rain. It even made quite a few fellow travelers smile too. Thanks Mike!
Thanks for checking out this video, Chuck! It's good to hear from you. You guys have given the rocket a life that I may have never have. And I think that's awesome!
Love from india .. your kids and wife are definitely proud of you . And i assume kids must be bragging about how their dad make a RV with his hands from scratch.❤❤ What an experience it is.. i pray you all stay happy forever ♾️🙏
I think it’s a great DIY build ! The bigger axle was my concern also . Now you can add some stabilizer jacks . Then unhook on your next camping trip if you wanted! Thanks for sharing your little adventure!😁🇺🇸🇺🇸
Nice job.😊 for the bathroom window. Buy waterproof material and small flat magnetic. Inlay magnetic into the wood. Sew or glue, make a curtain out waterproof material. Sew or glue the magnetic to the material. Easy up Easy down.
Mike, love your build video, I’m going to do one of my own so appreciate all the info you include on why you used what you did and if something worked better, many thanks!
I enjoyed the build and this follow up video. I appreciate your humbleness and your time and skill in making it all happen. God bless you and your precious family. R.J from Toronto Canada.
I'd put luggage rack on the camper and mount the boats up there. The kids look like they had fun. Your daughter is a clone of your wife LOL. These are memories they will always have. Good job Dad!
Very nice. Maybe you could create a long piece of matching wood (with hinges at the top) that covers the front window during drives. Then when you're parked, just pull it upwards and lock it in place.
Looks like you guys will continue to create and have some great family memories in that little camper. 💞 Hey what about those peel & stick privacy sheets for the bathroom window? I think it'll be a great space saver & prevent people from seeing in all while letting light in at the same time. Maybe even put a small shelf there after for shower products? They have some really nice ones too that look like stained glass etc.
Both of those are really good ideas, and we'll likely add the peel and stick at some point. I was a little aprehensive about adding it, at first, due to it changing the way the camper would look on the exterior. I thought that grey windows would throw it off, but now I am of the mindset of just using what works. Thanks for checking out this video, too!
Nice little camper. Something caught my eye on another channel they had a freestanding a/c heat pump tucked in a little nook and the 4 inch round ducted to the outside this looked like a clean and tidy way for heat and a/c. Cheers and good luck.
I'd sure like to know what model that is so I could have a look at it. I'm building one now and may use something different for cooling. The mini splits just seem giant in relation to the size of the camper. Thanks for watching!
I wonder if your kid brags to the other camper families that her dad built their whole camper with his own two hands. I'd consider that to be amazing, really.
I believe that I saw you driving through Ranson heading out to go camping on the second trip. The camper looks great! I think the weather really wants to test the sealer on that wood since it keeps raining while you are camping. 😂
Thanks for watching! I hope your jeep makes it many more miles. I used to have an 04 Grand Cherokee with 198k on it. Took it mud bogging and the next day the transmission went. I really liked it though.
It isn't the miles but the smiles that count, distance does not make memories but especially children they remember the days spent in a tent in the back garden. All my daughters (4) remember their time spent at the coast, 2 miles down the road from my house, the time spent in the woods a couple of miles away from when the were 10 years and under, now the youngest is 32 years old and produces a popular motorbike travel RU-vid channel- 34.5 k. I blame her parents.
Thanks for checking out the video and sharing your experience making memories with your daughters. I'm interested to know of her motorcycle travel channel? In 2011, I spent four and a half months roaming the US on my motorcycle. Coast to coast. 17,000 miles overall. I still enjoy watching folks out there doing that sort of thing. I wish her the best in her travels!
Think it’s perfect for what you’ve intended it for……usually most people spend their time outdoors & only in for short periods of time or rain then it’s bedtime…..maybe if keep doing as the kids get older & a little bigger they may need larger one so can be more comfortable. And for a few nites it does seem to work. Good luck to them.
So I’ve watched your videos now, they are great, I have an old boat trailer I’d like to turn into a basic sleeper camper. But, when do we get to see some videos on your dirt bike racing life lol
Thanks for checking out the videos! I appreciate your time and hope that you'll have fun with your sleeper camper build! I'm so old and slow on that bike now that it wouldn't be worth looking at haha! But I still ride and have a great time. Hopefully my son will want to ride and we can film that!
Nice looking home built camper. Have you checked the square of the camper, now that you've moved it a few times? Another question, Did or Have you considered a Mini Split AC unit? That way you can eliminate the big hole or window for the AC to hang in. Good luck
Thanks for watching and the questions. I haven't physically checked the square, but it feels incredibly solid and I don't see any signs of anything loosening. Of course, it doesn't have many miles on it yet. As for mini splits, I like them and hope to use them on larger builds in the future. They are fairly expensive and possibly far too big for a camper this size. It's really small in person and I'm not sure where I'd hide the outside unit. I have seen them used successfully in van builds, though. One of my build goals is to make the campers look as seamless as possible by hiding the hardware. Honestly, I just haven't looked into it much, but there's likely a way to hide the outside unit with a door or something, then open it while camping. It's a design challenge I'd like to take on. Thanks again!
Cute camper. We were thinking that you may need to add a slide out for your daughters feet in a few years. Just so she has room to stretch out at night.
Very cool. My wife is too claustrophobic for something that small but I want to build one that is 7.5 X16. I want the flexibility for it to be able to be put on a trailer but also maybe moved to a pontoon boat. So, it might be a Foamie. Will need to keep it super light. I really enjoyed your video though.
Great job man. I watched the building video. I wish I had the space to go threw a build like this. I also don't have the wood skill or engineering mind to get it done. I'm better at metal fab. Maybe an all metal one 😂. You must be near me as the campsites you went to are all under 2 hours from me. I guess I'm technically an rv mechanic. If you ever need wiring help let me know. I love wiring. I love schematics and all that stuff.
Thanks for the offer, my friend. I'll keep you in mind if I get stuck on a wiring issue. t still have to tackle solar wiring one of these days and have no idea how to do it.
Thanks for watching! If I had built it on a sturdier trailer kayak racks would be a great idea. How it is, I worry that it would add too much weight while fully loaded. I'm building one now on a larger trailer and may consider a rack. Thanks again!
THE ONLY THING IS A NEED A S WAYBAR SYSTEM ON YOUR HICH THEY WORK ON A SINGLE AXCL-TRAILER WITH A SINGAL TIRE ON THE GROUND JUST FOR A FLAT AT 55 MIA HOUR THAT WONT FLIP YOUR TRAILER, YOU HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB HAPPY CAMPING WITH YOUR FAMILY
Thanks for watching! I'm building one now that will likely be available in October. I'm still buying material and don't yet know the final labor cost, but I'll soon have the answer to your question when it's finished. I'm using a larger trailer, better sealers and equipment so it will be a better unit than in the video.
Beautifully built. Your family is too big for that lttle camper. You now know how to do it so make another at LEAST twice as long so you can place the beds where your kids wouldn't have to climb over you in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I would think that someone would give you a pretty price for that gem of a camper. A larger camper could also be used as an air-bnb in your backyard or place for relatives to stay during a visit. Two axle setup for the larger camper. Nice fridge, stove, sink, the works. Will makie camping so much more pleasurable.
other than a great and fun looking family - your trailer is beautiful ... cant wait till it's 100% finished! ps - you probably did it already, but i think the table edge and corners needs to be rounded for style and safety :)
love the video man, i want to do something similar.... 1 question if you don't mind, can i just buy the cheaper trailer for 450 from harbor and put the bigger axle in? i feel like the only difference is the axle on them? because trailers are just to expensive otherwise. i was also thinking of going 10x6.5x6 and maybe trying to figure out a better table option. Awesome work man you have inspired me.
Thanks for watching! I just used a harbor freight trailer due to me not being able to afford a larger trailer. I understand that you feel the same, but it's not the best move for this build. I wish I could, but I don't feel comfortable recommending either of the Harbor Freight trailers for this build. It's working fine for us, but let's say something happens to the HF trailer you chose, or if you build your camper a little heavier than I did, it could lead to problems. I can only recommend a larger trailer. I am building one now on a Karavan 6x10 and it's a great trailer. I do recommend the Karavan trailer. They make 6x12s and smaller ones too. They are great trailers with the option to unbolt the side rails, and their main tube framing is all enclosed rectangle tube instead of C-channel. Try to find yourself a used one if you can. With that, there are a couple differences between the cheap and more expensive HF trailers. The tongue on the 1720lb version is made with heavier duty C-channel steel. The tires are larger and the center cross members of the frame are made of the same heavier duty C-channel as the tongue. It's a more beefy type of C-channel. The 1195lb HF trailer is way too inadequate for this build and all of its C-channrl is flimsier. I wish you the best on your build and please consider using a larger trailer. Thanks, my friend.
@@mikekrabal I just got my hands on a 2001 palomino pop up and it’s rated for 2720lbs which should be perfect and I could prolly tow it with my town and country instead of my truck! I’m hoping anyways….. The whole towing numbers get weird to me, says i can tow 3700lbs but depending on who you talk too there are so many numbers you need to calculate to make it legal and precise. lol
