firecracker_jk
Member
Hi everyone! I have been a lingerer for a years on this forum. It is finally time for me to start contributing!
First and foremost. I am not sure what the rules are for posting external "social" content on Expedition Portal Forums. I am not affiliated with any companies or trying to sell anything.
I have my own website I have been working on. It will have much of the same information that this forum will have. Link to this build: patrickjamesmcbride.com/tag/project-toastercamp
I also have an Instagram page dedicated to this build: instagram.com/project_toastercamp
How it all Started.
I have been wanting to build my own camper for a long time. Now that I own my Jeep Wrangler and can do all of this awesome exploring, I wanted to explore and camp in places more and more. After discovering YouTube channels like Venture4wd* and TrailRecon*, the urge to camp more with my Jeep or “Overlanding” was like never before. TrailRecon and Venture4wd really have some nice setups with 4DR Wranglers and roof top tents. My Issue is that with a 2DR Jeep this is much more difficult to do. The short wheelbase is not very good on steep inclines, especially with a top-heavy RTT or other gear inside… PLUS It would mean that I need to ditch my back seat on these trips and couldn’t bring anyone along for the ride.
As much as I liked the idea of overlanding, I like the idea of base camping even more. If I want to drive out west, I would like to stay at least a couple days in one area and explore. This is where I think a camper really shines. Setup camp, do some challenging trails, and then go back to camp for the night… Trails I would not want to wheel in a loaded down Jeep.
So I started thinking about what kind of camper I wanted to build. I knew it had to be small and under 2,000 pounds. There are two main options… Enclosed Style or Tent style.
The Tent style trailer is by far the smallest and lightest. It gets you sleeping off the ground and setup time is decently fast. Cooking is pretty fast and easy with built in propane grill / stove, and sink. You can also fit a decent size refrigerator. These style trailers have been known to make it through aggressive trails like the Rubicon. It is not easy, but possible to tow it everywhere the Jeep goes.
The enclosed style trailer is larger than a tent style. You would not make it on the same trails that a tent style could get through. These trailers are just a bit too large and bulky for that. However, you can still get these campers out to the middle of nowhere on some mild trails… much further out than with a conventional camper. These campers are also a bit heavier. They are composed of more metal and wood, and typically are designed for longer stays. The sleeping comfort in these trailers can be far superior to a tent trailer. You can install any thickness mattress you want, you can have heating and air conditioning… Even a TV if you want. You have a permanent sleeping space that has more room for customization. The kitchen can also be a bit more centralized on an enclosed trailer. Typically with a tent trailer you have the fridge on one side, the sink on another, and the grill in a different spot. It is just hard to fit everything centrally. On an enclosed trailer, the kitchen can be outfitted with everything in a single location. Then enclosed trailer also always ready to sleep. If I am on the road, I can easily park someplace, and just hop inside of the camper to sleep… NO setup required! No tent to setup. Also the sleeping area of the enclosed camper is a bit more safer in bear country than a tent trailer.
There is a lot to like about the maneuverability of a tent trailer. I want one… BUT I like the idea of an enclosed trailer a bit more, because I like to base camp and stay in one area for a couple days at a time. I am not looking to bring the trailer on every trail with me… so why not have the best camping experience of an enclosed trailer?
After shopping around for enclosed campers, I decided most were WAY out of my price range at $20,000 or more. The cheaper ones that were in my budget seemed to lack in quality. They also had features I did not want, and lacked features I did want. So why pay for something that is so expensive that lacks the features I want? The answer to this issue is to build your own enclosed camping trailer. The problem is that it is a very big project to tackle.
I opted to build a trailer, but start with something so I am not having to build the entire thing from scratch. This is where an enclosed cargo trailer comes into play! It has a solid frame, and a decent, light weight constructions already…. That means I already have a frame, walls, doors, and a ceiling. And it already looks decent. It is hard to make something from scratch and have it actually look good as well.
Without further adieu, here is my Car Mate Custom Cargo 5×8.5 trailer. It is model number CM508CC. It is a flat front trailer. I had the trailer custom built. The only options I choose was an RV side door, barn rear doors, no vents, no spare tire, in dark metallic grey. My favorite feature is the side door with the screen door inside! It really feels like a camper right out of the gate.
I had to custom order the trailer and this process took several weeks for the camper to be build to my specs and then delivered to my dealer. It also meant that it would cost a little more… I think it was worth the cost and time. I paid around $4500.00 for the trailer delivery with taxes, registration, etc. Some pictures!
Lastly, I will be ending each major post with a Youtube video. I am trying to "vlog" the build to the best of my ability.
First and foremost. I am not sure what the rules are for posting external "social" content on Expedition Portal Forums. I am not affiliated with any companies or trying to sell anything.
I have my own website I have been working on. It will have much of the same information that this forum will have. Link to this build: patrickjamesmcbride.com/tag/project-toastercamp
I also have an Instagram page dedicated to this build: instagram.com/project_toastercamp
How it all Started.
I have been wanting to build my own camper for a long time. Now that I own my Jeep Wrangler and can do all of this awesome exploring, I wanted to explore and camp in places more and more. After discovering YouTube channels like Venture4wd* and TrailRecon*, the urge to camp more with my Jeep or “Overlanding” was like never before. TrailRecon and Venture4wd really have some nice setups with 4DR Wranglers and roof top tents. My Issue is that with a 2DR Jeep this is much more difficult to do. The short wheelbase is not very good on steep inclines, especially with a top-heavy RTT or other gear inside… PLUS It would mean that I need to ditch my back seat on these trips and couldn’t bring anyone along for the ride.
As much as I liked the idea of overlanding, I like the idea of base camping even more. If I want to drive out west, I would like to stay at least a couple days in one area and explore. This is where I think a camper really shines. Setup camp, do some challenging trails, and then go back to camp for the night… Trails I would not want to wheel in a loaded down Jeep.
So I started thinking about what kind of camper I wanted to build. I knew it had to be small and under 2,000 pounds. There are two main options… Enclosed Style or Tent style.
The Tent style trailer is by far the smallest and lightest. It gets you sleeping off the ground and setup time is decently fast. Cooking is pretty fast and easy with built in propane grill / stove, and sink. You can also fit a decent size refrigerator. These style trailers have been known to make it through aggressive trails like the Rubicon. It is not easy, but possible to tow it everywhere the Jeep goes.
The enclosed style trailer is larger than a tent style. You would not make it on the same trails that a tent style could get through. These trailers are just a bit too large and bulky for that. However, you can still get these campers out to the middle of nowhere on some mild trails… much further out than with a conventional camper. These campers are also a bit heavier. They are composed of more metal and wood, and typically are designed for longer stays. The sleeping comfort in these trailers can be far superior to a tent trailer. You can install any thickness mattress you want, you can have heating and air conditioning… Even a TV if you want. You have a permanent sleeping space that has more room for customization. The kitchen can also be a bit more centralized on an enclosed trailer. Typically with a tent trailer you have the fridge on one side, the sink on another, and the grill in a different spot. It is just hard to fit everything centrally. On an enclosed trailer, the kitchen can be outfitted with everything in a single location. Then enclosed trailer also always ready to sleep. If I am on the road, I can easily park someplace, and just hop inside of the camper to sleep… NO setup required! No tent to setup. Also the sleeping area of the enclosed camper is a bit more safer in bear country than a tent trailer.
There is a lot to like about the maneuverability of a tent trailer. I want one… BUT I like the idea of an enclosed trailer a bit more, because I like to base camp and stay in one area for a couple days at a time. I am not looking to bring the trailer on every trail with me… so why not have the best camping experience of an enclosed trailer?
After shopping around for enclosed campers, I decided most were WAY out of my price range at $20,000 or more. The cheaper ones that were in my budget seemed to lack in quality. They also had features I did not want, and lacked features I did want. So why pay for something that is so expensive that lacks the features I want? The answer to this issue is to build your own enclosed camping trailer. The problem is that it is a very big project to tackle.
I opted to build a trailer, but start with something so I am not having to build the entire thing from scratch. This is where an enclosed cargo trailer comes into play! It has a solid frame, and a decent, light weight constructions already…. That means I already have a frame, walls, doors, and a ceiling. And it already looks decent. It is hard to make something from scratch and have it actually look good as well.
Without further adieu, here is my Car Mate Custom Cargo 5×8.5 trailer. It is model number CM508CC. It is a flat front trailer. I had the trailer custom built. The only options I choose was an RV side door, barn rear doors, no vents, no spare tire, in dark metallic grey. My favorite feature is the side door with the screen door inside! It really feels like a camper right out of the gate.
I had to custom order the trailer and this process took several weeks for the camper to be build to my specs and then delivered to my dealer. It also meant that it would cost a little more… I think it was worth the cost and time. I paid around $4500.00 for the trailer delivery with taxes, registration, etc. Some pictures!
Lastly, I will be ending each major post with a Youtube video. I am trying to "vlog" the build to the best of my ability.
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