When we shot this video, we had yet to hear of the tornado damage in Panama City and Mariana Florida. We were relieved to hear that everyone survived this tragedy.
We had a "fancy club" RV resort here just east of the Kansas City area back in the 70's. They were rather snooty about "who they allowed in". It wasn't too many years before they were begging for anybody with money to come stay, but the damage was done, and they went bankrupt. It re-opened a couple decades later under new ownership, but the infrastructure was so far gone, it was an uphill battle for the new owners. No idea of it's current status. Haha, let's face it: no matter if your rig is $10K, or $300K, were all just "trailer trash" ... embrace it ! Glad y'all are ok from the storms passing thru. Snow and cold up here in NW Missouri.
I watched the same thing with an RV park in San Antonio that set up near Sea World. Snobs who would only accept NEW, high dollar RV's. Almost pure concrete everywhere. Within a couple of years, the concrete was cracking and they still were snobs. I don't know if they're still in business, but they were sitting on a gold mine and turned away the gold.
Here's an idea: Now that Cargo Trailer conversions have gotten so popular, why not create an organization that promotes them to private campgrounds? Maybe a non-profit like Bob Well's HOWA. Food for thought....
I would love a video on just weight distribution as in designing your insides of the build. I have seen many of these conversions and I have drawn up on paper what I would like to have. Then I figure out that I have too much weight on 1 side or too much on the back. I have yet to feel good about my designs 🤷🏻♀️ maybe if you could go over how you came up with your designs that would help me out. Thanks
Thanks so much for the answers. It helped a lot. There is so much mixed information out there about cargo conversions. I will be picking up my trailer on Saturday to start my build. I have never had any problems at state parks staying in my van. I also watched a video of you and Deb in Anesthesia State Park in Florida when you had the red trailer. Florida just doesn't accept out of state disability camper discounts at there State parks. I do have my America Beautiful Access pass for disability and utilize the COE and NF parks in my van. Again thanks
Thanks for the video and info on America beautiful pass. I think adding a bridge to that picture would really make it pop, just my opinion. But what do I know I can't even draw a good Stickman,lol
When i search for a campsite I first look to see if they have tent camping. I have found they are less likely to ask what type camper you have. Be sure to check reviews because some may be a little to lenient! We camp in a GMC Savanna van and usually set up a tent.
When I purchased my "America the Beautiful" pass, I was told I could buy one pass a year for 4 years, trade them in for the lifetime membership, and be done with it. I had to SAVE ALL THE PASSES and trade them in when purchasing the pass for year four. I bought the lifetime pass at year 3. I just wanted to be sure I would use the pass enough to make it worth the cost. Thanks for sharing that. It has saved us a ton of money. We love Corp of Engineer Campgrounds! One question: Do you have to pay to have your camper weighed?
There is a fee at the scales. We went through the scales twice. First, we weighed the van loaded, ready to travel, and with a full tank of gas. Then, we hooked to the trailer and went back through. We pulled up on the scales where the van was on one pad, and the trailer on the other. Then, we got 2 weights. The weight of the van (again) on one pad, and the weight of the trailer on the other. The van the 2nd time through weighed about 1200 pounds more than before. That means the actual tongue weight was 1200 pounds. Then we took the 1200 pounds and added that to what the trailer weighed on the 2nd pad. That gave us the total weight of the trailer. We had to pay a fee twice.
Here in Arkansas, the COE campgrounds shut down in the winter. We went to 5 or 6 of them up around Greers Ferry to check them out, and we could drive in, but no camping until in the spring (forgot the exact dates). Would not even let us boondock at all. Spoke with a host who lives there year round, and she said that is the way it is in the COE. ?????? Has anyone else found this problem anywhere else???
There are 2 campgrounds in NW Arkansas on Beaver Lake that remain partially open. One is Prairie Creek near Rogers. The leave 8 sites open during the winter, and even though there is water at the sites, they turn the water off due to potential freezing. There is one water faucet near the dump station to fill your fresh water tank. The other campground is Lost Bridge North near Garfield on Beaver Lake. There are 34 sites to choose from there. No water at the sites but there are faucets available to fill your fresh water tank. It's a pretty steep decent down to the campground. The road is very treacherous on ice and snow. Oh, I forgot, there are actually 3. The 3rd one is Horseshoe Bend near Monte Ne on Beaver Lake. It too is only partially open and the water is turned off except for a community faucet to fill your fresh water tank. The Road to that particular campground is narrow, curvy and hilly which also makes for a treacherous trip on ice and snow.
Thanks for the info. 😊 We live in central AR, and am surprised at the closings, as most of the time the weather is pretty good here throughout the winter. But, the government knows so much more than I do. Stay warm! We are looking at about 90 hours of 20 degree or lower weather here in the state starting this weekend. Hope you will be warmer... ☺@@billanddeb
Hello, I'm near Marianna. I thankfully wasn't staying in the RV park.. I deployed my dogs and now looking at Friday ( tomorrow) another blast from mother nature. I lost my solar panels but fortunate to have enough batteries. I'm looking for a 6x10 trailer to set for the dogs and I do. With cadaver dogs, they get kinda spooky till they see my big Welsh hound looks like a giant Snoopy. Certified school dogs and sweethearts. 2 airedales and a Welsh hound allow us to not only rescue, recover and help feed folks by hunting the abundant wild hogs when the power goes/ everything shuts down. A fellow here at the Aussie owned resort here in Bonifay has a "cargominium". Nice? Yes. I'm looking to build and still load a 4 wheeler and store more tools like chainsaws etc. I'm female, but a decenT grill and solar is more important than Martha Stewart comfort. Any thoughts? My husband and twins died is about 10 days in February so I'm basically rebooting to trying to move forward. You have a beautiful set up, but without a family, I'm just trying for workability. One thing you haven't mentioned is Amazon Camperforce to provide some income. Your advice on weight vs tow capacity is a matter of life or death..thanks for letting newbies know how important that is.. God Bless and be safe,
I see a lot of nice used 6.x 10 cargos for sale but not many nice 6 x 12. This seems to tell me that the smaller trailer is not quite big enough for many purposes and the 6 x 12 is preferred. Not quiet ready to buy right now so I guess I'll have time to keep looking.
I've read and I adhere to it, for every 1000 ft elevation you go up you minutes 100 lbs off of the weight that your vehicle is allowed to tow. Never forget the elevation you will experience gaining as you drive into the states that have mountains such as Colorado.
I’m in PA and we got a foot of snow last Saturday then yesterday Tuesday it rained cats and dogs all day today it was in the low 40’s so needless to say the snow is just about gone! Crazy weather all around the country! Take care and stay safe 🥰
@RU-vidMaster1611 1. I don't go places that I would be breaking the law with my firearm (businesses that post in MN .... that's not illegal unless you refuse to leave if asked). 2. Just because they CAN search you doesn't mean they will. My guess.... they've never searched someone unless they were a troublemaker or whatever. 3. I was joking 😀
I’m considering building a cargo trailer conversion. Your videos and interviews have been very helpful. I’ll also need to purchase a tow vehicle. We’ve towed in the past before transitioning into Class A RVs, but as we’ve aged, towing something smaller into more federal campsites has greater appeal for us now with a more robust rig. While towing capacity comes up often in your discussions, I never hear people considering the frontal area of their trailer as part of the equation. From my own research this is what I’ve learned. Selecting a tow vehicle for a 5,000-pound trailer with a 60-square-foot frontal area requires a tow rating that exceeds the trailer's weight. Here's a general guideline: * Minimum recommended tow rating: trailer weight x (1.15 + frontal area / 100) = 5,000 lbs x (1.15 + 60 / 100) = 8,750 lbs Other pertinent factors can be tongue weight capacity and the max rear axle load for a tow vehicle.
I have airbags on my Toyota Tundra to keep my 8 1/2 by 20 cargo trailer level and I do not have a sway bar and I weigh as much as Bill and Deb's unit as well
i had some friends tell me the same thing. they were not allowed into certain campgrounds because their trailer was "outdated" some campgrounds only want the newest and largest 5th wheels that look shiny and new haha.
Hello, I'm sitting here watching your videos and just wanted to say, I work now as an park attendant for the Corps, we have 4 campgrounds on West Point lake, in West Point Ga. I will be working at Amity campground this season, It's the only campground you enter in Alabama. We will welcome y'all, if you're passing through our way.
I think one of the issues is when someone does a cargo trailer or even a van buildout they add entirely too much weight to the rig through material choices in their build such as cabinets or bed or wall/ceiling/floor coverings. They overload the rated weight of the suspension and at the same time make such build out a lot less fuel efficient and possibly to the point of being dangerous to drive or try to stop quickly. As a retired single senior I consider weight as one of the primary considerations of importance as you can still get the desired function out of much lighter options with a little thought into the matter.
