What kind of camper do you have?

Nice looking rig! How do you like the “windshield” in the front? How is it holding up through it’s use?

 

How's it tow with single axle on the trailer? Been looking at the slightly bigger 208BHS to get the tandem axle which should help it tow a little bit straighter with less sway.

 

We’ve only had it for one season, but so far it’s holding up great. We’ve towed it about 3,000 miles and slept about 20 nights in it. No quality issues so far. The window on the front is great and we’re really glad we got it. It doesn’t open, but it does add a lot of light inside. As with 90% of trailers out there, they’re all made fairly cheaply. Maintenance is the key to longevity. Fit and finish seems good so far though. I’d buy another one.

The single axle tows dead straight surprisingly. I have a DCLB with weight distribution hitch and anti-sway, which probably helps. The weight (3,700 dry) is about as much as I’d want to pull (4,500 loaded). I’d like a double axle for an extra wheel on each side in case of a tire failure, but it was a trade off for the weight. Having a slide added some weight for us too. It’s all a give/take.

 

Our camper is a Hiker Trailer Extreme Off Road.

 

I'm in the process of making a short-term camper (3-4 nights) from a 5x8 V-nose cargo trailer.It's going to be very basic, just a couple of shelves in the nose, and a drop-down platform along one side for a bunk, netting in the rear door to keep bugs out, a roof vent and couple of windows. I attend a few star parties a year (amateur astronomer) and am usually solo, but making it so my wife and I can get out for a weekend somewhere. I don't need the off-road capability like 2lazy2 has above, and I also need to keep the cargo trailer available to haul stuff as large as I can fit in it, so everything has to be easily removable. So far, I have the bunk and shelves made, have netting made which Velcro's in the doorway, the ceiling insulated and a roof vent installed. Next is to install a window on each side, and I'll be pretty much done. Power will be partly through the truck connector, and partly through a portable setup using a deep cycle battery with an AC inverter, which I'll use mostly to operate my telescopes and accessories. I also have a very quiet Honda 3000W generator which I can stick in the truck bed if needed.

 

Love to see some pics of the progress.

 

I'm actually surprised it weighs that much. The 208BHS is only 250 lbs. more (3950 lbs. dry) and is a bit bigger still with a slider and the dual axles.

 

Me too. I guess if you think about it though, an extra 1-2ft of just the trailer and some walls can’t weigh that much though.

 

Took me a while to get some pictures, but here they are.

1st thing I did was to build a raised rail along either side of the trailer, screwed into the frame, there are four in the front, two on either side. These both support the front shelves and the bunk, plus are used to thread tie-downs when hauling cargo. I took the idea directly from a U-Haul trailer I rented before I bought this trailer.
The shelves/table in front assemble without hardware or tools; the support posts fit in slots or a hole through the bottom shelf, and fit into recesses under the top shelf. The top shelf has metal angles that fit in the slots on the upper rails, both selves are supported in front by lying on the rails. It does not shift, and is strong enough to support 100 lb. each. The bunk will fit along either side, and has three hinges that fit in the slots on the side tie-down rails. It folds against the trailer side, and has four fold-up legs. I determined the desired height of the bunk by measuring from just above my knees to the floor, so I could sit on the bunk with my feet flat on the trailer deck. It also gives ample room beneath the bunk for storage with the bunk lowered. The bunk is plenty wide for one person, a bit tight for two, but I plan on a narrower drop-down on the other wall so a queen-size air mattress will sleep two. I can leave the narrow one out on solo trips, install it when my wife goes with me. The rear opening has self-adhesive Velcro along the sides and top, and two overlapping panels of mosquito netting attach. There's over a foot of overlap, allowing passage in and out without taking it down, but enough that bugs don't get through the gap. The tables and bunk can be removed or installed in less than two minutes, without tools.

I also installed a crank-up roof vent, and plan on a couple of small side windows near the front, at the edge of the transition to the V-nose. I also wired a white light above the shelves; it's small but gives enough light to illuminate the entire front of the inside. There are also two red lights on a separate switch, and I painted the factory-installed rear light red. At star parties, white lights are prohibited after dark because they destroy sensitive night vision. Red light preserves night vision.

 

Man, that's a great job!! Thank you so much for sharing your work and including the pictures.

 

Just got back from a weekend trip to Morro Bay. Awesome weather, awesome place to camp. We were at Morro Dunes RV Park (private) and the back of my rPod travel trailer was less than 300 yards from the ocean. Our four dachshunds also had fun! I took that last sunset pic standing in the doorway of the trailer.

 

Our last trip, we went up by Carbondale. Got down to 12 the last night we were there. Glad we got a 4 season. Lance model 1995
First time for I-70 and it did fine.

 

32-foot Southwind motorhome. Tow my 4Runner with it. Will tow the Taco once I sell the 4Runner.

 

Welcome aboard. Nice first post. Good lookin setup

 

Walmart has some small collapseable tables that come in really handy. It deffinately provides more space and they have several sizes

 

We went out quite a bit this year considering all the work I did to the camper and all the time that was involved. Favorite trip was just an over nighter but some friends with their teardrop and us took our campers to the top of Flag Pole knob in the George Washington NTional forest.









Fun trip we had to clear trees out of the trail and I ended up ripping a front stabalizer off the camper. They have an outstandng teardrop they built themselves maybe James will post a couple pics of it here. Thanks again friend @Wild Crow

 

We actually lucked out. The GF went to a concert here for Dave Mathews Band. Her neighbors flew out from New York (or thereabouts) and went to Wal Mart and picked up some cheap stuff. They werent going to take it home with them so she ended up with a nice folding table. Think we got another camp chair too.

We did add a smal heater to the camper. No pictures and not totally done yet. But the heat portion works well. Fits under the sink in the rear. Be nice for us ot take out it in the winter. We want to take i tup in the mountains for skiing.

And we are going to add a roof top box to it. Storage isnt to much of an issue with the Tacoma. But we plan to take an FJ40 in the future (ie when I finish it lol) so going to need the extra storage lol.

We do have a nice fun trip planned though. June we are going to spend 2-4 weeks doing a road trip from Anchorage back home (Seattle). Wont be fun for me as ill power drive up there but the driv ehome will be fun!

 

Hey Chris @Casper66 I saw this on YouTube might help out the condensation problems you’re having.

 

Ha thanks that is interesting