Overlanding Camper Build Thread

[WLDRIDE]

My son and I are going to build an ultra-light, high-clearance, two-person, hardshell camper - that weighs under 1,000 pounds - that we can pull into the boonies with the TJ. I thought I might post a build thread in case others have thoughts or suggestions.

We started with this 5 x 8 utility trailer. According to the website, it weighs 475 lbs as shown.

We removed the wooden slats and the ramp. That got us down to 310 lbs. I actually weighed everything.

Next we moved the axle to the underneath side of the leaf springs for more clearance under the frame.

Then I swapped the tires and wheels that came with it for these 15" wheels and 28" tires. That added back another 44 lbs for a total of 354 lbs. But, we now have 22" of clearance under the frame and 14" of clearance under the axle.

This is our base. We will build our camper on top of this. We want to do this ourselves for a number of reasons: we can build exactly what we want with the features we want, we can keep it to 1,000 lbs or less, we can build it for one-fifth the cost of buying a new one, and we think it will be fun!

I'll add photos as we go.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Laminating the ribs for the curved front of the camper. There will be four of these.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Beginning to assemble the framing.

 

[Denis92]

Really interesting project. Cant wait to see more.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Really interesting project. Cant wait to see more.

This project should move along a little faster now. Laminating those curved ribs took awhile.

 

[WLDRIDE]

After getting the camper perfectly level in all directions, I attached the ribs so that they are also level and plumb in all directions. Then I attached this front panel below where the curve begins on the front. This will hold everything straight, level, and plumb as I move forward.

 

[bobthetj03]

Very Cool!

 

[WLDRIDE]

Roof completely wrapped. Windows and doors framed in.

 

[EzPeezy]

It's looking good! Are you worried about the flex when you're offroad messing up the wooden frame?

 

[WLDRIDE]

It's looking good! Are you worried about the flex when you're offroad messing up the wooden frame?

No. I gave that a lot of thought in the beginning, but I think I'm going to be okay because of the way it's all fastened together and bolted to the metal frame of the trailer. It's going to be super rigid and stiff. But I'll let you know! Haha!

 

[TDI Sahara]

Maybe you could add shocks to the trailer to down the road.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Maybe you could add shocks to the trailer to down the road.

That's a thought. I'm sure I'll air down the trailer tires if I'm pulling it on a road rough enough that I want to air down the TJ's tires.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Sides are on. I'm painting this thing to match the soft top on my TJ. A final coat of paint will go on after it's completed.

 

[Goatman]

Why a 5×8 trailer and not something 6 or 6 1/2' wide so you could sleep sideways separately? Trying to keep same width as the Jeep?
Also please add some info on what materials you are using. Strips of plywood for the frame or strips of solid wood? Steam bending necessary? What type of glue? And what are the side materials? 1/4" ply? Marine board? What type of insulation are you planning?
Sorry so many questions. Have been thinking of doing similar down the road.

 

[WLDRIDE]

@Goatman
My goal is to be able to camp out in the boonies of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, a week at a time, with more comfort and shelter than a tent would provide. Camping for that long out of my TJ would necessitate pulling some kind of trailer anyway; I'm not much of a minimalist and wouldn't be able to fit all my gear in the back of the TJ. Nor would I have a way to lock up my gear while I'm out wheeling for the day. Thus, the overlanding camper.

I want the camper to be able to go virtually anywhere the TJ can go. So, that means ultra-light, oversized tires, high-clearance, and no wider or taller than the TJ. That's why I chose a 5x8 trailer to start with. I sleep on my stomach anyway, with my hands above my head, so I need 7'+ in order to sleep comfortably.

The 4.0 is rated to tow up to 2,000 pounds. I'm trying to build the camper to weigh half that, but I know I'm going to come in a little over that. When it's fully loaded, I won't be surprised if it weighs 1500 pounds. We'll see. But I recently regeared my differentials to 4.88s and that is really going to help with the towing as well as wheeling. I now hit 65mph in OD at 2400rpm, instead of at 1500 rpm. The OD doesn't feel nearly so doggy or under-powered as it did before regearing.

I really wanted a curved front, both for looks and for lower wind resistance. I made those curved ribs out of 1/4" thick slices of pine. I wetted them down, coated them with Titebond III, and clamped them into a jig. I've never done anything like that before. I scrapped the first one. It was also a challenge finding a material that would bend over that 18" radius. I used 5'x5', 1/8" thick panels of Baltic Birch. These were perfect since the camper is 5' wide. I did two layers of that, with a lot of glue in between the layers, and it is super solid.

I discovered this glue in this process and have used it on everything except laminating the ribs. It is fantastic! I've never used anything like it.



The framing is all 1.5" x 1.5" pine that I ripped down on my tablesaw. The sides are 1/4" luan plywood. The floor will be a 1/8" sheet of fiberglass reinforced panel on the bottom (there is wire mesh on the bed of the trailer), then a layer of 1.5" blue foam insulation, then a layer of 1/4" plywood, then a layer of carpet.

That's probably way more information than you wanted, but that's been my thinking process. More photos to come.

 

[MountaineerTom]

I’m enjoying following this trailer build. It’s looking great.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Doors installed, tailgate installed, and windows almost done. The other side looks exactly like this. When camping with my son, we want to be able to get out without crawling over the other person. The doors will be painted black; I could only get this size door in white.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Fully painted except for the doors.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Here's a shot showing the interior corner bracing I installed. I'm hoping this will keep the shell from flexing too much when I'm pulling the camper off road.

 

[WLDRIDE]

Spare tire mounted and tailgate supports installed. I may do something fancier with the tailgate later, like gas struts.