ANOTHER CARGO TRAILER 4 OPINIONS

[Ozarker]

I have a 6x14 V-nose cargo trailer to haul my trike. Planning to hit the roads and dirt this summer and fall.

Does anyone camp out of a cargo trailer without doing all the conversion stuff? Just put a cot, small table, couple camp chairs inside, hook up a fridge from the truck and call it good?

My trailer has a drop down ramp door, I can put stands under the ramp and use it as a patio off the ground.

The trailer is silver, it doesn't get much hotter inside and I could use a fan.

Looking for opinions about just using it as is, I've never slept in it.....yet, seems it would be better than pitching a tent.

OR

I might go ahead and insulate it with blue board, put the insulation over the interior plywood and seal it up on the inside, then use Masonite on the walls half way up (maybe 4') and upholster the inside like car interior. Drop down curtain will work for the potty, no built in cabinets, just use bags and hooks. Not interested in building a tiny house out of it, just something to be safe and dry in.

When it gets chilly I'll use the Mr. Buddy.

Next:

Why does everyone gut these trailers then add insulation then plywood, when you can just put insulation over the existing ply and cover the blue board?

I can think of only 2 reasons, weight if the double the plywood on the walls and interior space, you'll lose a couple inches inside. Neither is a concern for me, so what did I miss?

 

[ITTOG]

I used mine bare bones a couple years. Loved it that way but ended up insulating because most of my use was below freezing. I removed ply, insulated, reinstalled ply so I wouldn't lose any width.

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[simple]

No need to do a ton of stuff if you don't want. Assuming it has vent but no fan, I'd put in a vent fan and make a bug screen curtain for the back or side door or something to allow cross flow of air. For the fridge, you might want to consider a suitcase solar charging system and an isolated battery. You could also add LED lights and a fold down table.

 

[HaveeBear]

Whatever you're comfortable with....that's the minimum.

 

[SDDiver5]

In high school we had a black enclosed trailed. We'd usually sleep in it at night when we were in the desert. Had a very small table, cots etc. Nothing special inside and not a care in the world as we thought we were super cool because we had motorcycles lol.

 

[Ozarker]

No need to do a ton of stuff if you don't want. Assuming it has vent but no fan, I'd put in a vent fan and make a bug screen curtain for the back or side door or something to allow cross flow of air. For the fridge, you might want to consider a suitcase solar charging system and an isolated battery. You could also add LED lights and a fold down table.

Well, more of the story, I have a 2000+ Watt Bluetti and another one at 300+ Watts and 600 watts in panels, more on the way.

I could run A/C for awhile, or all day with good sun and double the panels. No problem for a vent fan.

I have two garage screen kits to use and there is a light inside.

I'll use a bar fridge, 110V, the Bluetti can take care of that without issues.

Also got an 8' awning to mount outside.

The trailer does have a rubber tile floor in it, and E-track on the walls. Got a toilet that just uses a bucket and bags, that should do. I can carry 30 gallons of water, have a folding table with a sink in it and a big Coleman kitchen set-up.

I need to fit the trike in there, it's about 54 inches wide and almost 8' long, so I'm not cramped for space. Beds/bunks can fold down on each side, that way we can get up during the night as needed without crawling over each other.

Both of us have customized vans, we like the idea of soft sided walls with material rather than plywood paneling.

I will be mounting a HF winch in the nose, just incase the trike doesn't start or I need to haul a non-starting rider.

I suppose I'm trying to stay out of doing a lot of work, she's had 2 knee surgeries and I'm pretty stiff, just thinking we could go without the work.

That said;

Has anyone had a problem in a campground using an unfinished cargo trailer? Won't be in a KOA, probably state parks.

 

[simple]

A winch would also be handy should you come across a dead moose or something.

 

[ITTOG]

Has anyone had a problem in a campground using an unfinished cargo trailer? Won't be in a KOA, probably state parks.

I never had any problems.

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[Ozarker]

I think I'll bolt some stuff down, like the winch up front. I've been looking at 80/20 aluminum, seems like an option for some simple framing. Anchor the Bluetti down, install some wiring and a fuse box rigged for shore power. Fasten the toilet down and put two fold down bunks on the walls. A fold down table toward the front for the cooker, in case it rains while trying to fix chow.

Need to be done by May 15th, I better get busy.

 

[Ozarker]

Forget the insulation unless you want it for ski season..

Got your number now,

I'm thinking of adding insulation to the ceiling, nothing there except a plywood strip down the center, easy to take off and replace the light.

I'm thinking the ply walls and floor covering are good enough for some A/C this summer.

I'm more concerned about hot weather than cold, cold is easier to manage but you can only get just so naked.

 

[1000arms]

Cool needs air flow above the insulation.... or just air flow between the roof skin and the ceiling. I do this for a living with home design.... Insulation only slows heat gain or heat loss.... ventilation between the skins works better than filling the void with insulation....

Think of it like an awning, shade is what you want and air flow. Even a white tarp over the whole trailer will work better than insulation.

... Coolers, refrigerators and sleeping bags have insulation for a reason. One might not need as much insulation in a well-built camper compared to a 5000 square foot home, but, insulation can be quite useful even in a well built-camper. ...

 

[Ozarker]

Cool needs air flow above the insulation.... or just air flow between the roof skin and the ceiling. I do this for a living with home design.... Insulation only slows heat gain or heat loss.... ventilation between the skins works better than filling the void with insulation....

Think of it like an awning, shade is what you want and air flow. Even a white tarp over the whole trailer will work better than insulation.

Yes, moving air is the best insulator per volume of space used. However, inside my metal can, A/C will most likely create rain inside on my hot/warm metal roof. The foam ceiling will prevent that and block radiant heat from acting like an oven.

My guess is that my V Nose cargo has about 75 Sq Ft. The vent fan takes roughly a Ft. off that. I have 4-100 watt panels that will take up about 40 Sq Ft, I may get 2 more which would then shade 80% of my roof area. Couple issues with that plan, one I'd need to park in the sun for optimal use of my panels and the other issue is mounting them securely.

I remodeled my cabin at the lake 10 years ago, I did what is called a "roof over" built a higher contemporary style vaulted roof over the old 2/12 gabled roof. The top ridge of the new metal roof was 6' above the ridge of the old roof. On hot days in the summer, upper 90's, it was 78 degrees in the den! I used the A/C mostly for guests, when it was just me all I needed were ceiling fans. Note: That was in an area where you didn't need a building permit (that's changed now) and a "roof over" like that is a fire hazard because water can't be sprayed on the burning roof below. So, I kept two fire extinguishers in that attic, just in case. Besides, it would have taken 30 minutes for the volunteer fire department to get to my remote cabin, on a good day, so, I was the fireman too.

So, shade can make a big difference. If I were simply going to shade the whole trailer and a few feet beyond, I think I'd use shade cloth from the garden center, color won't make a noticeable difference with that stuff. I takes more abuse in windy conditions than a tarp.

I picked up an 8' RV awning about 2 years ago, it's still in the box, need to get that mounted.