12’ Cargo Trailer Camper Build

[AK Traveler]

The Beginning!

I started this build back in February 2022 and we finished it in approximately one month.

 

[AK Traveler]

I drove from Connecticut to Georgia to pick the trailer up direct from the factory. Although it was a long drive, I still saved thousands of dollars buying direct.

 

[AK Traveler]

I brought it back to my shop in CT and started pulling down the plywood walls so I could insulate the trailer as this was headed to Alaska where we now live. I put blue tape on each panel and numbered them so they could all go back up in the same place in the same screw holes.

 

[AK Traveler]

I used 1” poly shield insulation, the exact thickness of the walls and taped them all in with Tyvek tape so it was a vapor barrier.


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[AK Traveler]

There were no windows So we added one with an integrated shade on the side door, and one on each side That slide open and have screens. I had to cut through the metal studs and weld up supports as not to mess with the integrity of the frame.

 

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I went with a thin layer of insulation on the floor as well as a vapor barrier. We used Home Depot Life Proof vinyl flooring and it’s been great. Super durable.

 

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I own a graphics and signage company, so i designed and printed up some textured adhesive wall paper and covered the inside. It’s a faux plaster look. It covered the imperfections on the plywood nicely.

 

[AK Traveler]

We decided against doing custom cabinets (mainly because I’m not a great fine woodworker). We went with the inexpensive unpainted wood cabinets from HD. We stained them a nice warm color. We wanted the kitchen in the front V nose of the trailer, so for this cabinet, we bought one at the approximate width and basically ripped off the front oak portion and threw out the particle board structure of it and framed it in ourselves. We topped it with butcher block. It was heavy, but its super stable. It worked perfectly. We found wall cabinets that we just bolted through the walls into the metal studs. So far it’s been 100% rock solid. I made a foam board template for the butcher block top to make sure it fit snug.

 

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For the sleeping and sitting area, we decided to make a couch with a wall mounted table that folds down into a king size memory foam bed 😉. The couch base has a bunch of storage as well.

 

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For the kitchen, we wanted a propane cooktop and a small sink. We went with a stamped tin backsplash and a shelf above for storage. All wood trim matching the rest of the build.

 

[AK Traveler]

The side sitting and table area and sleeping setup.

For the ceiling there is also 1” foam insulation with a 1/8” thick light stained plywood veneer.

 

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For the rear drop down wall/ramp I again printed a wallpaper pic with an image of a framed photo. The image is the view from our cabin in Alaska.

 

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Interior shot of the front kitchen.

We had some expansion/contraction issues with the strips on the ceiling that cover the panels edges. We since sorted that out.

 

[AK Traveler]

So the technical and mechanical set up is as follows.

2x 100 watt flexible solar panels. I mounted them to a separate panel of thin aluminum then mounted them to the roof.
100 amp hr lithium battery
Victron Bluetooth electrical system (shunt and battery charger for shore power)
NOCO shore power plug
2200 watt inverter
two burner propane stove top
outdoor propane hot water shower
diesel heater
Dometic Roof Vent
DC powered on demand water pump for the sink and shower. For water we have a 5 gallon water bottle for usabale water and an empty one for grey water from the sink. I have a 40 gallon water tank I can put in the back of my truck that plugs into the camper for longer trips.
This all fits under the front kitchen cabinet.

We have a flushable cassette toilet for bathroom needs. This has a cover that goes over it to turn it into a seat or side table in camp.

The camper has a lot of dimmable led lighting, as well as outdoor spot lights.

 

[Wildcat]

very nice