Sustainably built Amphibious camper trike!

[ProtoTribal]

I haven't been to this site in a while because I broke my neck and have had to sell off pretty much everything I owned to survive. I gave up on expedition thoughts because I've been scraping by on $200/month hoping that my neck will heal up so I can be productive and consistent again. This decision puts a guy in an odd position.

Not being able to work reliably, not wanting to become dependent on the system, and really not wanting to participate in society as we know it anymore, the idea hit me that I needed to develop a free way to get around, have shelter, electricity, and store/filter water. If I didn't have dogs, music equipment, and tools, I'd just load up the backpack and hit the road, hoping to find an intentional community where I fit in. Since I have all of that stuff though, I'll need some kind of vehicle for now at least.

So, for the last few months, I've been designing and gathering parts for an amphibious, three wheeled, solar/pedal electric RV. The idea is that it can be built with natural sustainable materials and recycled parts and can be built by anyone with basic hand tools and the ability to follow directions. I'm thinking that this concept could provide shelter, transportation, water filtration, and a place to sleep for homeless people, people in third world countries, and ecologically minded folks that are addicted to exploring without harming the environment. The trike I'm building will be designed to go fast downhill and off road capable so I can take the trails and forest roads instead of the highways.

The frame will be bamboo and the skin will be hemp cloth soaked in super sap natural resin. The roof and upper doors will be coated with scrap solar panels which will recharge a small 24 volt batter pack. There will be a 1kw inverter and a ridgid power tool battery charger attached to this battery bank. The charger will charge li ion batteries for two ridgid drills, which will dock into the drivetrain to help cruise slowly and get up the bigger hills. I'm using a Hammerschmidt planetary crankset, a Nuvinci CVP transmission, and an 8mm pitch belt drive for the pedal drivetrain.

When stopped to camp, the top will lift up and the side doors on the top half will fold out, expanding the size of the roof. The bottom doors will fold down, expanding the floor area. Then I plan to velcro in tent material to enclose it. Total interior space when expanded will be 6' high x 8' long x 7' wide. There will be a hemp rope hammock that ties between the riser posts to make a bed. It will have a little sink, 10 gallon water storage with a pump and filter, and a propane/wood/solar oven.

The theory is that people that don't fit into the current system can build one of these things and have all of their needs met except for food, community, and a place to poo. That's where the next part of the idea comes in. I'd like to help foster the growth of an international network of permaculture campgrounds where campers can pay for their stay either with money, supplies, or by working in the food forest gardens or community areas. I just found out a few days ago that I can start inviting campers out to build at the first location, which is near Camp Verde, AZ.

I've rounded up about half of the parts to build the trike and hope to start building, documenting, and spreading plans pretty soon. This broken neck thing makes things challenging though and predicting any kind of schedule is basically impossible but I'm making some progress every day.


I'll try to post updates everywhere but I have really limited bandwidth so the best place to see what's going on and interact will be the Camp Exist forum at http://muut.com/campexist

Anyway, if this is something you're interested in seeing or helping with in any way, I'd love to hear from you!

 

[BenitoKaspars]

I haven't been to this site in a while because I broke my neck and have had to sell off pretty much everything I owned to survive. I gave up on expedition thoughts because I've been scraping by on $200/month hoping that my neck will heal up so I can be productive and consistent again. However, during the last two years, which included a stroke and many hours of sitting in silence trying not to focus on the pain, I've determined that I have no desire to rejoin capitalism or industrialized society until money is fair again and capitalism is practiced sustainably. This decision puts a guy in an odd position. I firmly believe that participation in this corrupt system is morally wrong but unless I participate, I'll starve.

That's when the idea hit me that I needed to develop a free way to get around, have shelter, electricity, and store/filter water. If I didn't have dogs, music equipment, and tools, I'd just load up the backpack and hit the road, hoping to find an intentional community where I fit in. Since I have all of that stuff though, I'll need some kind of vehicle for now at least.

So, for the last few months, I've been designing and gathering parts for an amphibious, three wheeled, solar kits. The idea is that it can be built with natural sustainable materials and recycled parts and can be built by anyone with basic hand tools and the ability to follow directions. I'm thinking that this concept could provide shelter, transportation, water filtration, and a place to sleep for homeless people, people in third world countries, and ecologically minded folks that are addicted to exploring without harming the environment. The trike I'm building will be designed to go fast downhill and off road capable so I can take the trails and forest roads instead of the highways.

The frame will be bamboo and the skin will be hemp cloth soaked in super sap natural resin. The roof and upper doors will be coated with scrap solar panels which will recharge a small 24 volt batter pack. There will be a 1kw inverter and a ridgid power tool battery charger attached to this battery bank. The charger will charge li ion batteries for two ridgid drills, which will dock into the drivetrain to help cruise slowly and get up the bigger hills. I'm using a Hammerschmidt planetary crankset, a Nuvinci CVP transmission, and an 8mm pitch belt drive for the pedal drivetrain.

When stopped to camp, the top will lift up and the side doors on the top half will fold out, expanding the size of the roof. The bottom doors will fold down, expanding the floor area. Then I plan to velcro in tent material to enclose it. Total interior space when expanded will be 6' high x 8' long x 7' wide. There will be a hemp rope hammock that ties between the riser posts to make a bed. It will have a little sink, 10 gallon water storage with a pump and filter, and a propane/wood/solar oven.

The theory is that people that don't fit into the current system can build one of these things and have all of their needs met except for food, community, and a place to poo. That's where the next part of the idea comes in. I'd like to help foster the growth of an international network of permaculture campgrounds where campers can pay for their stay either with money, supplies, or by working in the food forest gardens or community areas. I just found out a few days ago that I can start inviting campers out to build at the first location, which is near Camp Verde, AZ.

I've rounded up about half of the parts to build the trike and hope to start building, documenting, and spreading plans pretty soon. This broken neck thing makes things challenging though and predicting any kind of schedule is basically impossible but I'm making some progress every day.


I'll try to post updates everywhere but I have really limited bandwidth so the best place to see what's going on and interact will be the Camp Exist forum at http://muut.com/campexist or at facebook.com/campexist

Anyway, if this is something you're interested in seeing or helping with in any way, I'd love to hear from you!

Well I can say the entire aspect sounds very impressive.. You have tried to make most of the adjustments and I will surely love to follow your facebook page..Keep it updated all time..

 

[ProtoTribal]

Thanks! I'm really excited to get started on it, which will happen as soon as my little truck sells and I can order resin.

 

[Co-opski]

that resin is not cheap at least in alaska. supper sap is what my neighbor uses to build skis. sounds like you have a good plan, get well and get out.

 

[ProtoTribal]

You're not joking! I picked up the bamboo,hemp cloth, hemp rope, the nuvinci cvt, the hammerschmidt cranks, a heidenau k60 scout tire for the rear and some quad sand tires/wheels for the front, and I ran out of money for resin. It's going to be $300ish for the resin kit, which is definitely a lot but I might have enough to build two out of it. Still need to do some testing. I thought about using regular epoxy but I wouldn't save very much and I'd like too make it as "sustainable" as possible.

Can't wait to get rolling on it....ha a pun!

 

[TailLights]

Inspirational! I can't wait to see pics of you are building.

 

[ProtoTribal]

I'm really glad you guys are into it!

I picked up all of the parts from storage tonight. Pics tomorrow!

There's a possibility that I might have the money to order resin tomorrow if my truck sells but it's someone from craigslist so I'm not going to get too excited..

I got permission to set up a temporary shop at a friend's property so the build will happen in a 10x20 greenhouse with a tarp over it and a pallet/osb floor. I'd do it outside but the monsoons are coming fast. It's going to be fun but low tech/low cost/anywhere is part of the project goals.

More updates really soon.

 

[ProtoTribal]

View attachment 233960

 

[k9lestat]

Good man, ill be following for sure.


Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

 

[libarata]

Subbed. Just wondering, but is there a less expensive alternative to the super sap? Could you not impregnate the skin with melted wax?

 

[ProtoTribal]

I looked into alternatives for the skin but couldn't find anything natural that will give the strength and rigidity that the epoxy will. It will basically be a natural fiberglass. Since the bamboo/plywood framework will be wrapped in the epoxy coated skin, it will be exponentially stronger than each of the elements on their own. Think of a boat hull... not a lot in the way of heavy framework but the whole unit ties together to make a super strong and lightweight piece. I will do some testing of different materials when I have scraps laying around to experiment with but for now, I want to go with something proven so I can get this thing on the road. Also, I'll be bombing down rocky trails in it, and maybe bouncing off some rocks under rapids accidentally, and just might put a 100kw electric drive train in it next year and enter it in the NORRA mexican 1000, so this thing needs to be bomb proof.

Another concern was lifespan, UV, and severe weather. Since the solar should last at least 30 years, I want the whole structure to last as long as possible. I don't want to be working on the thing every few years, or worse, replacing it every few years. If this goes together like I think it will, it should last a lifetime, which will allow it to make way more energy than the energy used to create it. We live in a world of planned obsolescence but since this isn't intended to be a product, I'd like to make it as reliable and durable as possible.

One more reason that I decided on the super sap is that it doesn't off gas once it's cured and since I'm going to be living in it full time, that's a big plus and an area that would have to be experimented with if using alternative/untested materials. Resin alternatives that I've considered so far are linseed oil, egg whites with a uv clear coat, elmers type glue, sugars,.....and of course......hemp resin...ahem....:ylsmoke:

I still haven't decided on the flexible, waterproof material that will be used to enclose it though. I've been looking at silk but it's pricey and most of it is made by exploited people....and uses cheap die....and has to come all the way around the world. Then I thought hemp cloth and beeswax but one AZ summer would turn into a pile of goo! I think, unless I get better suggestions, that I'll have to go the recycled rather than organic route for the tent walls though. I've seen old tents at goodwill for a few bucks that have broken/missing poles, etc, so that's what I'll probably do at first at least.


I made lots of progress today!

I picked up a 10x17 greenhouse/garage thing from harbor freight,, some 4mm braided stainless cable, a few ruined 16.5" tires and rims to bury as anchors, and there are plenty of pallets for a floor already laying around so I'll have a private workspace soon! A friend even donated a huge swamp cooler to the cause!

I also found a complete front suspension setup from a yamaha raptor quad. The list of parts I need is getting very short but I'll be able to get going on the chassis/body, and rear wheel as soon as the resin arrives! I just need one shock and the electric drive/solar stuff after that, which I plan to pay for by selling my old RV. Once I have a rolling shell that I can camp in and pedal around, I'll have no need for the rv anymore.

Tomorrow, I'll order the resin and over the next few days, I can put the workshop together. Hopefully by Monday, I'll be gluing stuff together...even if it's only the scale model of the leaning suspension.

One more thing that I discovered is that a tiny smt fet in my camera's charging circuit blew. So, to get pics of the parts, I'd have to charge the battery up manually which would be tedious and boring, and might burn my rv down if I forgot and let it go too far.... A friend just dropped off a gps from his plane that did the same thing so I'll probably dig into those tonight and get parts ordered. I'll probably have the workshop setup about the same time as I can take pics again so look for part pics early next week.

If anyone has questions or suggestions about any of this stuff, I'm all ears. I love thinking about it all and explaining my reasoning to people over the last few months has really helped me refine the project.

Time to shift to electronics repair nerd mode. You guys have a good evening and I'll be back with updates soon.

 

[libarata]

Cool cool! I can not wait to see this thing rolling around! Once you have it proven, will you be selling plans? Could be a neat way to fund little ventures.

 

[ProtoTribal]

Thanks! The plan is to document the build process online. I'll put up pics and descriptions of the processes involved at each step. Not everyone will have or want the parts or materials I chose though so I'm hoping people will use the hand tools only/recycled parts and materials construction and design ideas and come up with cool stuff on their own!

I have entertained the idea of putting together a nice set of build plans for my exact trike, with parts list, vendor list, exact dimensions, and step by step instructions. Maybe printing them up in a large, glossy format, and sending them out for a small bitcoin donation. That way people would have something to refer to in the garage or even teach from. The reason that I say donation is that I'd only want the donations to cover the costs of printing the stuff and getting it distributed, and that if someone didn't have the funding and really wanted them, we'll find a way to get them the info.

I'll only way I'll be into that if someone else wanted to take over the business aspect of it for a salary paid out of the donations, and one friend has expressed interest in helping in that way. I can prepare all of the materials but beyond that, I just want to ride around and help everyone and everything grow.

It's too windy to set the garage up today and my neck's killing me so it's nap time. Can't wait to post up some more pics!

 

[libarata]

BTC? You terrorist.

You could also patch together a list of tradeshows and such your invention would fit into, burn cheapo CD copies of your plans, and sell em while people poke their heads around the rig.

I have skimmed through a few times, but have you mentioned a roof material yet?

 

[ProtoTribal]

Yeah...lol... Until there's a decentralized, open source, peer to peer internet, and the perfect crypto currency comes along, bitcoin is the most ethical method of electronic value transfer I've found. I don't want my activity funding bankers and governments and more than it has to.

I can't wait to hit some festivals, shows, and intentional communities. I have a big list drawn up and mapped out. Raising support in person will be the next phase of the project and the part I'm most excited about.

The roof will be a layer of hemp cloth coated in the natural resin, then a layer of 3"x6" 3 watt scrap solar cells, and I plan to encase each solar section with solar specific encapsulation epoxy once everything checks out electrically.