Books on DIY expedition camper builds

[MarcusBrody]

I'm looking for recommendations for books on building an expedition camper. So far the two I've found are Wiggleworth's "Build Your Own Overland Camper" and Dolde's "Motorhome Self-Build and Optimization", which has just appeared in English in the last year or so. Does any one have experience with one or both? If both, which did you find more comprehensive/easier to follow? How's the translation on Dolde?

Are there any other books out there you'd recommend? I found a thread here from a decade or so back that recommended a sailboat systems book, though that was before the expedition camper specific books had appeared.

 

[southpier]

I think you would be hard pressed to find a book(s) that would give you the information I believe you seek. the books are vague, outdated, and often written by writers and not builders.

boat joinery is fine in theory, but you're not building something to last for a century even if you believe you are. use them for the practical design and space saving ideas.

read the build threads which interest you here and other (shiver-me-timers-matey) internet forums to get current information on what works why and why not (just as important I think) and some hands on experience building stuff for your current vehicle. take copios notes along the way, and the rest will evolve.

 

[B85]

Take a look at "Build Your Own Overland Camper" Haynes books (EU)
ISBN 978 1 78521 076 1

Got mine a month or so ago. Good book,but it's not a manual for building from.

 

[MarcusBrody]

I think you would be hard pressed to find a book(s) that would give you the information I believe you seek. the books are vague, outdated, and often written by writers and not builders.

boat joinery is fine in theory, but you're not building something to last for a century even if you believe you are. use them for the practical design and space saving ideas.

read the build threads which interest you here and other (shiver-me-timers-matey) internet forums to get current information on what works why and why not (just as important I think) and some hands on experience building stuff for your current vehicle. take copios notes along the way, and the rest will evolve.

I've definitely been compulsively reading build threads here and have learned a ton.

With the books, I was looking for something that might be a bit more systematic so that I wouldn't overlook something that people forgot to mention (or just thought it was too basic to bother). For specifics, I'm definitely searching here. I have a bit of time in any case before I will be able to start my build, so i'm just trying to build the best knowledge base I can. I've build some things for my current vehicle, but it's essentially a glorified tent. It's a daily driver so no ripping out seats, adding furnaces, plumbing, etc for me.

Thanks a lot!

 

[southpier]

some get a lot of information from this guide: http://www.desertwinds.co.uk/expedition_guide.html

 

[sg1]

Dolde is a guy who actually build his camper. The book is very comprehensive but he tends to overengineer. Great if you have a lot of payload not so great if you try to keep it simple and lightweight. For international overloading I am a fan of simple and lightweight. If you stay in the US and Canada weight doesn't matter.
Stefan

 

[MarcusBrody]

I just picked up Dolde's book as there was a used copy on Amazon, so I'll take a look. The US/Canada would be the vast majority of the vehicle's use, and really my main planned uses are as a 4 season, rough road, self-sufficient camper rather than a true overland vehicle, so offroad capability isn't a top priority (and so weight becomes a bit less critical). It's main uses will be as a basecamp for skiing, mountain biking, hiking, etc.

I'll keep my eyes open for a copy of the Vehicle Dependent Expedition Guide. Seems like another good one for the library.

 

[The Artisan]

I think if you have ideas, and do a search you will find a good amount of info on this site. What has worked, what has not, how to make it better etc...
Kevin

 

[LocoCoyote]

Dolde’s book is very good...and despite what some claim, his is based on experience of building his own expedition vehicle. The translation is good.

 

[nick disjunkt]

When I converted my truck (used as a case study in Steve's book), I referred most to Travel Vans by John Speed, and Collyn Rivers self published book, Caravan & Motorhome Electrics. There was less information online when I first started and I daresay with lots of searching you could find most of the same advice online. In terms of online resources I referred frequently to Rob Gray's wothahellizat build blogs, and Stephen Stuarts Unimog build blog.

 

[MLu]

I have both the books you mention in the first post, and Dolde's is by far the superior from an actual construction perspective. The Haynes book is fun and shows more varied examples, but is not as detailed or hands-on. Dolde's translation is fine, but it could benefit from an additional round of editing. The "Overlander's handbook" is also fun to read, but there's not really anything in it that couldn't be found out by spending enough time on this forum.

 

[southpier]

this (not really a book, but could be) is a great website http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/

and after a brief hiatus, he is back posting with what I believe is an entirely different perspective on the subject.

depending on your pain threshold, you can always go through the checklist: http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/index-resources.htm

or the packlist (more stuff than I own entirely): http://www.hackneys.com/travel/index-sitemap.htm