2018 6'X12' Cargo Express We decided we wanted a cool, dry, comfortable place to camp. Here is what we did with a limited budget. The bunk can be disassembled easily so it can be used as a toy hauler.
This is a very well crafted camper with meticulous attention to detail and a high standard of workmanship creating a beautiful, family travel cabin. The fit out maximises the practicality of the travel cabin enabling true multipurpose usage. Your build is elegantly simple and simply elegant.
Real nice build, simple and cozy. Your family looks happy to go. On my build, I went with a 6.5' × 16' tandem axle for a smoother ride. Nice futon for couch to bed. Front nose section, built in ⁹double size sleeping spot, for kids or adults, w/ storage above. Counter, sink, 2 burner stove. 30gal, fresh water tank, Heater, Refridge. 3'x3' toilet room/sink. The back flips down for deck and screen that snaps in when the back is lowered. so no bugs during day. Solar panels w/4 batteries, or 30 amp for campgrounds w/ elec. I like the futon because it gives room to walk front to back easily when a couch. Still adding as we go. Enjoy your conversion trailer.
You did a great job with this video because you gave those of us who are serious about converting a cargo trailer a better idea of what it takes to do it. I like how you all kept it simple. I'm not looking to build a hotel on wheels, I just need a place to sleep and stay out of the elements when it gets cold and wet. For that reason I will do this. Actually converting a cargo trailer seems to have a lot of pros over getting an actually camper.
Your new travel home is absolutely fabulous. You have made a home from home that can only bring you closer. I have done something similar, I also had grandparents who owned very large caravans and when we were kids we all went away together. Mum's&dad's, aunties&uncle's, gran&gramps and all ten kid's. The best holidays of our lives. I wish you all many many fabulous holidays and wonderful memories with the whole family. God bless you all.
Hello, Also enjoyed watching that Eagle fly off. Those kind shots don't happen often . Enjoyed waching your cargo van build. That's awesome sir. I've not seen such a clean, neat, organized work area ever ! I can appreciate your work in building this"camper". My hubby of 56 years and I built a cab over Pick Up camper in our mid 20's. ~~ Karen
Green board great idea. I’m not much on windows prefer skylights but they can leak and interfere with solar panels. Small wood stove mandatory. Kitchen, bath and bed with storage all important as insulation. Keyless locks provide better security because they can not be picked. A “V” front seems mandatory for gas mileage.
great job! that's a nice family project that you and your family can enjoy for years to come. There are a lot of ideas everyone can use if they want to build one as well. Thanks for taking the time to share your project. I enjoyed your video, and it looks like you had plenty of helpers with the build.
Very cool me i wouldnt bother putting a tv when ppl have tablets and smartphones maybe, a stereo if i got one. I definitely would put a tiolet, burner stove, sink, propane heater, propane fridge, solar and, rv airconditioner. Most definitely your giving me ideas when i convert a cargo trailer. Thank you so much
Watch my conversion camper video, I only show the finished product and you don't even have to look at me ...LOL....on You Tube search....Brian Swezey ......and watch the updated video. You might get some ideas.
Amazing how you got them beds in there so perfectly what a sturdy home ..Love the fact you used plywood very tough stuff there is beautiful and so practical yet there is shelving..I LOVE it!!!
Very nice, giving me some ideas 👍🏻 i just built a 4 x 8 mini camper and it’s just too small. Going to try a cargo trailer next i think, you did a good job 👍🏻 😊 thanks
Maybe just paint the conduit white so it doesn't jolt the eyes away from that nice painted paneling. I may have opted to run the conduit along the floor or at the top of the ceiling and boxed it in. The beds are an awesome idea. Nice job overall.
I like a lot what you did. Do you remove the AC when your driving and put in when you stop. Would like to see the AC setup. Why did you put the AC outlets external instead of in the walls?
I remove the AC when traveling. I ran the wiring in conduit because there wasn’t enough room to run it along the ceiling in the void. I didn’t want to drill through the studs.
you mean to tell me, you didn't want to spend $19g's for a 25ft trailer with tax, license and finance = $26g's + ...and finance that for 12 years?...that's unamerican...lol...
sherrcon this means more to them bc it’s self built and also they know the “specs”...plus so much better than a cheap put together prefabricated 25ft trailer imo...great build and thanks so much for sharing! ✌️
Why? I am going a similar install you have done, cargo door in trailer side and ac moved in and out for camping and travel. I will be framing with 1 x 1 1/2 rectangular tubing which is the same as the trailer framework. My trailer is a 7x16 with 2 foot V-nose and the ac will be "roadside" high mount in the rear portion. Electrical will be run as yours is, for ease of install and maintenance, plus as you said, does not compromise structural studs.
Looks great. I have been playing with the idea myself. Could you tell me what you have invested in the trailer and how much it costs to convert in to a camper?
I've seen a lot of these conversions and one of the things I question is why people build less than an 8.5' wide trailer. 32 extra square feet would have been awesome for you.
Minimum for this is a 6x12.. but an 8 or 8.5' is honestly getting a bit wide for a small trailer. On top of the cost difference. You will pay minimum $8000 for an 8.5' wide trailer. This one they have costs $3000. That $5000 difference is massive, plus the tow vehicle required for that wide of a trailer.
Our Cherokee wolf pup is 7 feet wide. Part of that is ease of driving, wind drag. Seeing blind spots easier. Parking at stores. You. Don’t need width to live. It’s a pretty simple build. But I’m sure custom to their needs. I keep looking at self builds as the wolf pup has extremely cheap cabinets and wall paneling which I s basically a magazine pic of wood grain or something. And vinyl on rest of walls. Want ideas. I have been forced to live small for years 9x11 studio in my 50s before i met current partner. We had a 5th wheel with slide that kept breaking. That was freezing to sleep in donate, not air tight and twice as heavy and too wide to park at side of house at the time. Scary to go up 8,000 feet where we boon dock. Smaller is better. Creative things can be done by going skinny and up.
When I retired I spent five grand on a decent fifth wheel travel trailer for me and my wife to do the nomad thing. Arizona in the winter and Minnesota in the summer. I am fairly certain if I had gone with a cargo trailer where you had to crap in a bucket and shower with alcohol wipes it would have been a deal breaker for my wife. A flush toilet and running shower along with a stove and oven are nice things to have. We did the tent thing when our kids were young and decided a camp stove to cook on and a log to poop over wasn't going to be enough this time around. In January it will get in the thirties and forties at night in the Arizona desert so having heat is nice too. After five years all I have done to the trailer is change the oil in the generator twice a year repacked the wheel bearings and I have recoated the roof once. The insulation job on the cargo trailer in the video was superior. I bet you could let a rear cheek squeaker in it in June and open it back up in November and still smell it. But unless you are going to park it on a frozen lake and use it for ice fishing seems like a whole lot of overkill. I pulled a cargo trailer for years when I had my construction business and you can't believe how much more stable the fifth wheel pulls in comparison especially in a high crosswind the fifth wheel is a whole lot safer. So you can travel with a square insulated box with a home depot bucket toilet or be traveling with a twenty-eight-foot fifth wheel home away from home. For our lifestyle its a no brainer for us. Travel safe and be a happy camper.
Dude, this is about them, it doesn’t always gotta be about you, why don’t you comment about the great build they did, it was a lot of work, I guess some people are so very self centered,..huh.
@@lifemyway200 Lucky for them they didn't build the camper for your needs but for theirs. You need to go drink another bottle of Woke-A-Cola. I thought Anthony Nelson did a nice job explaining an alternative way of going camping with some funny comparisons. You and the other commenter Gregflores are people that go out of your way to be offended so you can jump on board the Butt Burt Bus.
Just curious but what are you pulling it with? I see a lot of these conversions with cargo trailers of this size and they're all on Tandems which means a truck to pull it. I have a Dodge Grand Caravan but I'm not so sure it would pull this without really putting heavy wear and tear on the motor or having issues breaking.
Looks great! Just wondering, why did you put an air conditioner through that nice window you installed? Why not just go straight through the wall? Seems to me you just wasted a window and a lot of labor. Happy camping!
I think if you hunt around you can find websites with a "build-your-own-trailer" tool, and they'll wire 'em up any way you want, with any kind of lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling. Onboard generators and solar panels are of course pretty standard options. What I like about a CARGO trailer conversion is you can pack all the shower and kitchen stuff 'way up in the front of the trailer, and have a back-door RAMP, so you can load a ton of cargo, or a 4-wheeler, snowmobile or motorcycle up in the back, and turn the whole space into living space by unloading the 4-wheeler.
Get the WEEROLL Trailer which is the same but already has insulation electric outlets and AC Porthole and all aluminum light and won't rot or rust,and a spot for your CPAP. They are in florida pick it up on your way back from Cuba 🇨🇺 on your way to Canada 🇨🇦
Could I get by without electrical installation if I always went to a campground with electricity and used puck lights or electrical cords for necessities?
If you search RU-vid...search..."Brian Swezey"....and check out my conversion camper and watch the updated video . I used 2 pigtails one at each end of the trailer and then only used a heavy duty 3 plug and 2 USB ports and mounted it . You can see in the video. At the back my pigtail is used for my AC unit and a light and at the front I use the pigtail for the refrigerator and the plug in cord mounted on the kicthen cabinet. And I use 2 cords to run my electric and most campgrounds have 2 110 plug ins. It seems like a lot of people put lots of light switches in and outlets. You are camping and I don't understand the use of so many outlets in a little trailer.
Wow you sure put a lot of effort into that trailer. Too bad you couldnt have gotten the barn doors though, unless you wouldnt be opening the rear very often.
With such a small space indoor air quality is a HUGE concern for me. I actually removed all of mine, it's super nasty, toxic wood and I don't want to be inhaling those chemicals. I replaced everything with aluminum including the flooring but tongue and groove pine would be another option. If you're on a hard core budget AFM SafeCoat makes a products called Safe Seal I have heard of people using.
No toilet? No water? No shower? Seems to me you HAVE TO HAVE AC...? No photocells? No heat? Want to be away from civilization, not just in a different part of it...😞 Nice job though....😎
To be honest it is more like a tv hide out but not a camper needed serious planing before starting and putting things together in a very an practically manner
Better than a tarp pretending to be a house.... aka a tent? It’s bigger then my 9x11 studio I lived in for 5 years as an old lady after downsized by economic turn down in 2007. Shared kitchen i refused to use but couldnt get out of the shared bathroom situation. No closet ...lost my job, car, all furniture, all poses on except my thrift store clothes and my sewing machine. I as 52. So yah.
