"Squatchpod" -squaredrop camper build

[Wm Hill]

Such great work! Loving the aesthetic of your trailer.
Can I ask a noob question and what/how does the bearing buddy help ? Keeps the grease more contained longer?

Thanks for the kind words about my build- much appreciated!
The bearing buddies replace the dust cab on the hub. There is a grease fitting on a sliding plate with a spring. You pump the hub with grease until the plate starts to move. The spring keeps some pressure on the grease to keep it in the bearings and races. It also helps push out moisture. The advantage is you don't have to pull your hubs off yearly to re-pack the bearings in grease. I have lost a couple of wheels through the years from a lack of grease, and that usually ends up pretty badly. You don't want to fill it completely, it will push grease past the seal and make a mess and may ruin the seal.

 

[WildernessSV]

Ah good info to know!
Dang. Wheel coming off sounds like a hairy scenario! Nothing a ‘squatch ain’t familiar with but still.
Thanks for the thorough explanation.

 

[Wm Hill]

I had a maiden voyage with the Squatchpod this weekend. Everything worked well except for my booze rack. 8 ounces of Woodford Reserve bourbon fell and broke. I clocked about 200 Adirondack miles without issue. It attracted a lot of attention too. I've tried to upload some pictures, but I get a pop-up that the file is too large. Same picture size that I've always used- hopefully, the glitch get fixed.
(Note to self, bring more blankets. It dipped into the forties and was a tad chilly.)

 

[Wm Hill]

You sir are the guy I want to camp beside and share a few beers with. I love anything unique and homebilt. Even more I love discussing the virtues and reasons for "do it yerself" builds....

Very cool build, we share several components.

If you ever find yourself in the Adirondack Mountains in NY- look me up!

 

[Wm Hill]

The new server must be successful- I can post full-sized pictures again. This is from my first outing over Father's Day weekend.


Arrived in one piece. This rig tows like a dream.






5 minutes and camp is set up. Mission accomplished.


Interior with the bed made. Using a 10" air mattress.





Lake Kushaqua


Pie iron breakfast sandwich- hard to beat these simple rigs.





Rear view of the galley.

 

[Wm Hill]

Another trip out with the camper and no issues. This was for a paddle trip on Cranberry Lake NY.

 

[Wm Hill]

I mounted a small solar charger/battery maintainer to keep the charge fresh while parked in the yard. At this point, the charge lasts me over the course of my trips, so I didn't see any need to go with a big panel. The angled piece that held the hand winch (the frame started as a pop-up camper) made a perfect mount for the panel even if it is off by s few degrees.





I mounted the panel to the angled bracket ahead of the propane tank.

 

[pigsammy]

What an awesome trailer! Not only functional but eye catching as well. I had one similar years ago. After seeing this, now I may have to build another!

On the chilly part. I have found it to be far warmer and more comfortable to use a foam mattress rather than air. The trifold type beds are great and can be folded to sit on, especially in inclement weather when one tires of lying down all the time or wishes to dine in a warm spot. A memory foam pad 2-3 inches thick on top of the regular foam even further improves comfort and warmth. And a second hand (hand-me-down?) down comforter packs small to store but is pure luxury at night.

Looking forward to future updates.

 

[Wm Hill]

What an awesome trailer! Not only functional but eye catching as well. I had one similar years ago. After seeing this, now I may have to build another!

On the chilly part. I have found it to be far warmer and more comfortable to use a foam mattress rather than air. The trifold type beds are great and can be folded to sit on, especially in inclement weather when one tires of lying down all the time or wishes to dine in a warm spot. A memory foam pad 2-3 inches thick on top of the regular foam even further improves comfort and warmth. And a second hand (hand-me-down?) down comforter packs small to store but is pure luxury at night.

Looking forward to future updates.

Thanks for the kind words on my project. I looked hard at the tri-fold mattresses as my first choice- but I couldn't find one in a firm. Most were rated soft, I'm not sure how that compares to my air mattress. I added a 1-3/4" foam mattress topper and that seems to have cured the chilly problem (so far). If I could see/touch a tri-fold mattress in person, I could get a much better idea of its firmness. I'm also looking at beach chairs for the inside. The air mattress could simply get flipped up against the wall when sitting inside.

 

[Wm Hill]

Another successful outing- this time Blake McNeil campground, Colton NY. The trip was great, but the campground- not so much. Plenty of paddling and hiking to occupy my day. Temps dove into the mid-forties by morning but I stayed cozy with a sleeping bag as a comforter over my regular blankets. The foam mattress topper alleviated the cold from the air mattress. Several folks came over to looky-loo at the rig. I'm glad I undertook this project.