Mate, brilliant build and turned out awesome. A few questions and thoughts: 1. Why did you choose a wooden frame for the cabin vs say using RHS or square steel tube? I am debating this point right now and interested in your views and experience. 2. Double ply walls - understand you needed the structural integrity, but did you consider a laminated or hollow core approach using thinner ply on the outer (8-12mm), then borders/bracing for the insulation layer, then another thinner play or faced laminate on the inner layer? Not saying you did it wrong, but I saw a lot of wastage and effort in cutting out your inner ply. 3. Did you consider the aluminium composite sheeting rather than plywood for the walls? 4. I love the shelfing layout - I will likely steal your ideas :) 5. How did you get front - rear balance? This has to be one of the best camper build videos out there, really good you focussed on how you built it and not showing off what you built.
This thing looks gorgeous and super practical! I see you went with a totally different approach than the common fibreglass design. You've summarized a whole build into a short video where others would have made a whole series out of. Having said that, if there was a detailed series on how to build this, I probably would have watched it! Great job and hope you have many great adventures with the trailer!
great job Elvis, I plan on building a slide on camper for my 6 X 4 trailer, wanting to go prospecting 2 or 3 days at a time. I am in Melbourne, Happy travel's. Shayne.
Amazing build and info. I'd like to do something similar and live in Vic , this is so relevant to me. I have an old 1970 coleman poptop I'm thinking of converting as it's not enjoyable setting up and packing down. You've given me a lot of inspiration. Thank you!
Grandeeee!!!!! Bravissimo Plus, the total cost is 5k AUD which is less than 3k EUR for a caravan that worths at least 10k EUR! Great, congrats for the design and mostly for the very accurate handacrafting! Ciao
Hi Elvis, Great Job, I am about to head in the same direction with a square drop build and found great information about products and build ideas, Many Thanks
Good day to you! I am a grandpa rider on HONDA motorcycle from Japan. Enjoying camping ,touring and upload video. Your mini camper video is so nice! Awesome! Full supported ! Have a nice day my friend!
Only just found your videos. Looking to build something very similar. Is great seeing your learning from your build and the details you go into. Thanks heaps
What an amazing build!! The details and finish work really made the square drop. Simplicity was also a major feature that so many other manufacturers fail to accomplish or see as a necessity. Again, I’m really impressed, thanks for taking the time to show the building ideas. This is Alan, greetings from Riverside in Southern California.
Very practical, relatively light build. You give up some weight with a good, steel chassis. They make lighter, aluminum chassis. For me, that little extra weight was not significant, because it's still very small and light behind my pickup. I know it's back there. It definitely affects my gas mileage and acceleration, but it's still small enough that I can keep up with traffic and not be resigned to the slow lane and/or be a traffic hazard on mountain highways. If I were building my own, it'd be a square-drop where the back door is the entire back wall, and it's hinged at the top AND the bottom, so it can work as a ramp or weather protection, as needed. Just have it latch good and tight with side latches, and use a hinge pin (or pins) to decide which way it'll open. Run the pin through the top hinge, it's a back porch. Pull the pin and run it through the bottom hinge, and it's a ramp. Make it the absolute smallest toy hauler that's practical. I don't have any toys, but I would like that option. But all the toy-haulers out there are man-height. But I really like the highway and off-road performance of a good teardrop or square-drop mini-camper, and I think there's middle ground, there, for somebody with smaller toys, like 80-cc dirt bikes or snowdog snow machines. Nothing high-powered, but still mechanized, to extend your range from base camp. Toys you can take with, without making a production out of it.
This video is an amazingly inspiring gift to many people. Congratulations and thank you, Elvis! 👏 Sorry to ask, but could you summarize the approximate quantities/lengths for materials in a list? If not, maybe somebody else that is just building it? 😅 If there is some European builder here, which replacement material (brands, names, measurements) did you use?
Sweet build man you really thought of everything. Always love learning simple stuff I should know but wouldn't think of like overlapping the top metal with the bottom to obviously keep water out. A lot of attention to detail and great use of the space you got, I like the hand made paper towel holder.
Wow Elvis, I have seen heaps of these DIY Squaredrop, / Teardrop campers, and I have to say this is one the BEST I've seen, - great job mate, I am slowly in the process of making mine, but I don't think I will have the patience or knowhow, to do anything like yours, it is a very nice rig indeed, and your commentry and explanation of the build was very informative, and quite helpful, - I am also from Melbourne Victoria, so this fact gives me great inspiration to get mine finished. Thank you
Fantastic build, great explanation, and the video editing was perfect! The build is $3400 USD, which is 1/4 of what a similar trailer costs in the US, and built to a much higher quality. I think that trailer could probably easily go through some serious mountain trails with how well you built it. I hope ya'll have some great times ahead!
Fantastic. Stay tuned, I'm just in the process of making a video listing all my mistakes and how I'd do things differently. I'm hoping it will help people not make the same mistakes I did.
Very nice. Good job. It would be nice if you could put the links in the description of the parts and where did you purchase it, or the specks so we can find them in the US. Thanks for sharing
Great job! Thank you for sharing. You certainly attained your goals, looks professionally made. Building my second one now, first was teardrop and now doing a square drop "overland" style. Agree, it was challenging, but loved the build process and learning along the way. Cheers from Canada.
Thank you. And that's awesome. I'm really interested in building another one using 30mm composite for the shell, as it's apparently equally strong and heaps lighter. Weight would be my main objective for the next build for sure. I liked your teardrop build... it's really nice. Good luck with next one
After I included all the extras (stabiliser legs, roof racks, solar panel, brake system, toolbox etc... (and mind you I haven't used the lightest materials either), it's around 900kg. It's on a little heavier side, but it's rock solid... very strong. If I build one in the future, I' probably try use composite panels or something like that.
Hi Elvis, thanks for taking the time to produce this video. I really appreciated the way you split the build into the 3 phases. Your step by step process showed how straight forward the build could be. I reckon I will watch this video many times to make sure I understand your build process, because the finished product is very impressive. I am sure you invested many hours into the build, it would be interesting to understand how many man hours you have invested. Thanks again for making the video.
Thanks Tony for your detailed feedback. This is a quite difficult question to answer precisely, but I can give you some indication. I've built the frame in under two weeks during my holidays (working mon-fri). However I then had to spend time fiddling with bad bearings and tyres from an old trailer (if i didn't do that i'd save quite a bit time there). I completed the phase two within next 6 months working part time (after work and some weekends)... and then the next couple months I built the accessories (again just working after hours/weekends). It's quite hard to accuratelly timebox it though. I was pretty dedicated with the build during the 6 months, but it wasn't all of my spare time either as you need to rest as well and family and other commitments. During the whole build I had to make numerous unnecessary trips to far shops (which I could have avoided if i had more experience and better planning)... so all in all, I have wasted some time on the build too. So yeh, hope that gives you some indication... Good luck with your project.
Excellent job mate, it looks fantastic. Love this shape its almost identical to mine- im leaving early in the morning to drive to QLD and pick it up, so excited!!!
Awesome job, you must be very proud being able to camp in a great camper (project) you built yourself, some great ideas as well, eg the fold down seat 👍
Great job mate, very good design, ideas and execution... I was thinking the weight would be going up as you kept layering all that ply but your under 750kg total... wow 👌🏻 $5k for what you have is awesome... what was the actual total weight with the toolbox, legs, awning etc but no personal possessions?
Thanks. I haven't measured the total weight since adding toolbox/legs/awning. I still have to take it to the weight bridge to do that... Maybe another 100kg
Looks great mate, like a factory build one! Perhaps some upgrades you could think about are using eye to eye leaf springs and beefed up front spring mount, allong with getting the same hub and wheels to your car so you can share spares.
Great suggestions. I thought about eye-to-eye but will leave that for the next trailer, as I'd have to pull apart existing hangers and weld new etc etc (and I'm a bit over it at this point). But I am just installing a new spring based pivot coupling with brakes at the moment. Wheel matching is great when you know you will keep the car for a while, but problem is when you replace your car then you are in a pickle again.
Hello! Could you make a video explaining the support systems (water and power). how many batteries did you use? Can you share the blueprints that you did? Thanks!
That's a great idea. I'm currently in the process of upgrading some of the electric systems... for example installing solar panel, water pump etc. I also want to re-build the toolbox and install a draw fridge there. So once I complete that I can do a video explaining full electrics. I only use one battery for now. I have installed 160W solar panel kit, and in the full sun, it charges my battery very quickly. Having a water pressure pump is a must, as I didn't like using the manual pump tap... it was annoying and not enough water flow. A cheap ebay pump (8l per minute flow rate) was under $50 AUD, and it was very simple to install, and works really well.
Thanks heaps. Yes, i used 4x8, But i had to extend them... i added another four inches to the top, and maybe 1 foot to the rear. I just glued the extended sections on, and then added that second layer of plywood underneath to hold it all together.
This is a great build, it would be nice if someone could build a tent room that could attach to the side, so that you could stand up to change. It would make it easier for us older guys.
Hi Mate I commented at the very beginning of the build. Your finished build is so impressive. Your quality just cannot be repeated in mass. Its just that good. However you are perfectly positioned to make a business. Unfortunately you will be just too fussey with quality. Know the feeling. Your professionalism knows no boundaries. The quality of the presentation is perfect. Im trying to build one same dimensions with a part pop up roof at the rear with rear entry. No galley. So its capable of camping or cargo carrying if necessary. Ambitious task. Great fun. Cheers..Al
Tare weight is around 920kg. Fully loaded really depends on how much gear you put in. But for me it usually consists of food, fridge, few camping chairs and water tank filled up. I don't know exact but it would be no more than 1100 kg.
