My Backcountry Camper Trailer Build

[bucketosudz]

I love TIG Welding!!!

Tad off topic, but your references to welding reminded me of my last job.
I spent two years building Fine Art Bronze sculptures at a foundry in Northern Idaho. I was their Welder/Tooler/Foundryman and we would collect number 10cans full of rod ends. We used both cast rod and manufactured rod. Sure make you conscientious of how many dollars you were melting as you were putting the sculptures together. Oft times we would run out of rod, then I would spend an hour or so tacking rod ends together to complete our projects. I really do miss TIG welding!!!

Trailer is looking Great!! Enjoying the progression on your build, and it is good to hear your healing. Had a fellow employee at the same foundry nearly wipe his thumb off, palm first, with an 4 inch angle grinder. BAD, BAD, Injury!!

 

[slimtwo]

I like your choice of color, it looks close to the color of my TJ, and the color of my future trailer (because I will have it painted to match my Jeep). Great job on the trailer Rob, keep up the good work!

Happy trails!

 

[RgrBox]

Wow Rob, the work on your trailer looks great! YOu've done a mighty fine job so far.. I can't wait to see it finished.. as I'm sure you can't either.. Really great job.

RB

 

[Titanpat57]

Progress is moving along smoothly...paint looks professional. Is there a camping trip in the near future so you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor?

Hope you're finding spare time to put the finishing touches on..seems that's what always take the longest.

Enjoy....it's looking ************ bro.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Camping trip this weekend, but we'll be tenting. I've blown through all my deadlines, and stopped setting new ones. We'll also be going on a week long trip in 2 weeks, will probably also be tenting. Maybe by fall?

Summer is here, and I won't waste my summer working on this. I've already missed a number of motorcycle events. Summer is too short in Canada. If it's not ready till next year, so be it.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

No updates on the trailer (well, I did install the lights yesterday), but here is why I need it. Went on a 3 day trip this weekend, and here's what the truck looked like.

Worse is the back seat. I try to put only soft stuff back there. It's pretty crowded, and only one kid. The only thing we brought that was sort of "Glamping" was the Coleman water heater, but then, we also didn't bring any water supply. I had recovery gear and tools, but no spare parts. So, it's either trailer or roof rack, and a trailer makes more sense to me.

 

[mtnbike28]

funny pictures!

I agree Rob, that is why I wanted a trailer too. We looked worse than that. The amazing thing is going for 2 days or 2 weeks is almost the same amount of stuff! Spend a night and make the trailer road worthy and call it good till LATE fall! Summer is here in the NE!

 

[UK4X4]

Rob coming along nicely,

Get r done... finish the bits that make it road worthy...

register it and use it for the rest of the summer------

Then come winter time you have time to fit the interior and finish it

get some use out of it, fill it with gear, you'll find after a few trips you'l change how you pack things and where you want to store things.

Enjoy your first phase work and plan the second phase for later in the year when the bad weather returns.

Mine was a cavernous hulk for almost year before I got around to finalising the interior designs and making some cabinets to fit inside.

The final bits were way diferent to the original plans so I'm now modding
where I originally installed some of the elctrics to suit the cabinet designs.

I used 1/4" ply with waterproof glue nailed and clamped, making your own cabinetry means you'll waste less space.

kitchen storage for ideas, it took me a while to find containers that made the best use of the doorway opening, along with sealed lids

Removable bar

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I'm still at least a few days away from being able to use it. Gotta paint the outside of the doors green still, I'll start that this week. It'll only take 15 minutes to roll on, 3 coats, let 'em dry. I need to make some 1/8" hinge spacers to give room for a seal around the edges. I installed the lights last night, just need to wire them. It's already registered, so that's not an issue. But I don't really think the trailer will be too helpful until it's finished. The main point of it is to minimize setup and breakdown times. So until the kitchen is done, etc...

We were going to be camping for 9 days next week, but after this trip, I dunno. I have a reservation at a campground for 3 nights, but we might just keep it to those 4 days. We had a lot of trouble with our son.

We went to the Ottawa Valley Land Rover get together last weekend. Phil (and even my wife) loved the trail rides, and the social aspect. Phil had great fun playing with some of the other kids. But the camping parts... He was really cranky at the campground. Actually no... for a lot of it, he was ok. It was Sunday morning that just blew up. We were trying to break camp, and he was just in a terrible mood. I don't know if we'd brought more toys it if would help, or what. It was hell. Anyway, the thought of going 9 days just.... a little scary at this point.

After we got home Sunday afternoon, he played quietly by himself for hours as he normally does. He's fine entertaining himself at home, rarely have a problem. I don't know if we'd brought more toys if it would help, but we didn't have room.

Anyway, the upcoming trip, we'll take the van and then we have TONS of room. So that's not an issue. The van will solve the space problem for this trip. I just don't know if we'd be ready for 9 days at this point.

 

[nwoods]

here is why I need it. Went on a 3 day trip this weekend, and here's what the truck looked like.

A cheap mod that will help immensely is a dog barrier/cargo barrier. It provides fall protection from stuff coming from the cargo area into the backseat, and serves as a tiedown point for all the loose stuff you've go there. That photo is a bit unsettling...not that I should talk, I am very familiar with the bulk storage requirements a family of 4 requires!

Its even harder in a Jeep!

 

[Root Moose]

You may want to get a cargo barrier to go behind the rear bench. I have the Raingler barrier in my XJ(s) and have been happy with it. I think they make one for the LRs...

Your little guy needs to get used to camping is all. He'll be fine. Considering this was the first time doing this I'd say you did well only having one little blow up. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. I'm taking my little guys for 4 days in August. They are 4 and 6; this'll be their first time camping. Should prove to be interesting. In some respects it may be easier though since they have each other to play off of. We'll see.

 

[Root Moose]

That photo is a bit unsettling...not that I should talk, I am very familiar with the bulk storage requirements a family of 4 requires!

Yep, been there and done that. When we first started going in our LWB SJ-413 (me, the misses, the dog - back before kids) the back of the Suzi looked very similar. And it was a bit of a mess trying to build and break camp quickly. We ended up getting some Sterilite style containers from CTC and packing so that all stuff would be in containers. It keeps it organized and if the worst should happen (swamped in a creek/bog) all you gear doesn't get soggy. We ended up ratcheting ours down with a cargo net (put some cargo loops through the bed of the Suzi).

 

[RgrBox]

I've been working of cargo space for some months now. I have a roof rack, and it will come in handy. I think about a trailer all the time, and think that this would be a better itdea for me due that the roads over here aren't that bad anywhere you go. I can load it and pull it without any problems.. this would also give me a place to keep my camping gear stored too. I had a simular problem 10 years ago after being on vacation for 2 weeks when my son was only 9 months old. We carried he everywhere, and he had a great time. He only had a problem the very last night. We stayed in a hotel in Orleans, France on teh way home after a long day driving to get back. He went crazy.. we were up with him all night.. We still talk about this, and don't understand what happened.. anyway, it was the last time he did this, and my daughter never did this.. keep getting out there, and the kids will get used to it..

RB

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yes, I will absolutely be building a barrier behind the rear seats, probably this winter. I will probably scratch build something as I want it REALLY stout. I really question the ability of the dog guards to hold everything back in a heavy frontal collision. I've been in a heavy frontal in a car, and it's amazing what a suitcase will do to the back seat, let alone something heavy recovery gear, etc. I think it's one of the most underappreciated aspects of this sport/industry. I'm talking about something really heavy duty, 1" tubing at least, bolted to the floor, backstays attached to the top. It'll be almost like a 4 point roll bar.

Last year we used a roof basket, but that has it's own problems in the NE where it's really really going to rain, so everything up there must be waterproofed. It's easy if you're wealthy and just put everything in a Pelican, but for the rest of us...

Once the trailer is done, I won't have this stuff in the truck at all, but I expect that I'll then be bringing more heavy stuff in the truck. Repair parts, etc.

I did try to pack as best I could, keeping everything below the level of the headrests so at least there's some chance it won't come forward. The cardboard box was just dry food stuff.

We went camping twice last year with him. Both were challenging as well. The #1 issue is just the set up/tear down time. The tent is the worst part because it MUST have 2 people and takes 15 minutes. Last year is when I decided we had to get a trailer.

I think maybe the cause of the blowup was just lack of sleep. We were so busy having fun, he didn't have enough time to nap. Only 30 minutes in the truck on Friday, and on Saturday he got about 1.5 hours, but then my wife woke him up for dinner which was probably a mistake. Combine that with not sleeping the best at night, strange bed, etc... by Sunday morning he was a ticking bomb. This year he did much better with the sleeping bag however. He didn't like that at all last year.

I also think marshmellows before bed didn't help matters.

 

[RgrBox]

I also worry about having loose stuff inside my truck.. I'm working on getting this taken care of. I get my kids involved in the setting up, and tearing down.. Give them jobs they can handle.. They love helping.. I have a picture in front of me from several years ago when we first brought the kids to my home state of Louisiana. My son went fishing fo rth efirst time with me and my dad.. he liked it for a few minutes.. but soon was ready to go home. I remember he even caught his first fish. Later he complained to my wife that ti was boring.. my dad and I went again the next day alone, and we spent all day out on the lake just fishing, and bull****ting.. was a great time out.. but i woul dhave loved it better if my son would have liked it.. Kids are hard to keep involved.. they get board... Best to bring stuff that they can keep occpied with during the trip..