Home Made Camper

[Lem Lamb]

The time has come too build me self my own home made camper.

I seen one on the YouTube channel as it gave me the idea too take a project like this on.

The plan is a low roof model that pops up too load and upload my quad.
Kinda like inn door storage when loaded, and a camping shell when the units on the ground.


Of coures the back seat bed in the cabin on wheels remains, Ha. The extra box on the back will be for tooling, weekend office at quading, target plinking, fish gear repair as well as chain saw sharpening.
Food prep and general all round out doorsy stuff... Might even fall a sleep in it once in a while
LOL.

Electric and wood stove, coal oil lamp, and the massive 10 Watt single speaker am radio. County music with folk and Steve Martin banjo tunes.

1"x1" thin wall box square iron is $220 for 264'. I have windows in stock, and the kitchen will be Coalman stove, water tank. The whole camper with legs works out to $728 as it allows me too put on many more miles threw out North America coming up.

Bush camping will incress too 90% per year.
The other 10% will be trying to get away from cities and towns as I try my best too remain lost.

Yes, I know. I'll have to remain in the Big Apple while I getter done, but after that its lost time.

Costs, frugal, less is more, and simple as can be.

If this camper idea catches on, I could find my self on the far reaches of our planet.

From space traveler Lem

PS: photos soon too follow as the inner frame starts too take shape.

I hope every peace in this build is mixed up sizes as a real camper should be crooked. Ha,,, leaking roof too.

 

[imdoo'n]

The time has come too build me self my own home made camper.

I seen one on the YouTube channel as it gave me the idea too take a project like this on.

The plan is a low roof model that pops up too load and upload my quad.
Kinda like inn door storage when loaded, and a camping shell when the units on the ground.


Of coures the back seat bed in the cabin on wheels remains, Ha. The extra box on the back will be for tooling, weekend office at quading, target plinking, fish gear repair as well as chain saw sharpening.
Food prep and general all round out doorsy stuff... Might even fall a sleep in it once in a while
LOL.

Electric and wood stove, coal oil lamp, and the massive 10 Watt single speaker am radio. County music with folk and Steve Martin banjo tunes.

1"x1" thin wall box square iron is $220 for 264'. I have windows in stock, and the kitchen will be Coalman stove, water tank. The whole camper with legs works out to $728 as it allows me too put on many more miles threw out North America coming up.

Bush camping will incress too 90% per year.
The other 10% will be trying to get away from cities and towns as I try my best too remain lost.

Yes, I know. I'll have to remain in the Big Apple while I getter done, but after that its lost time.

Costs, frugal, less is more, and simple as can be.

If this camper idea catches on, I could find my self on the far reaches of our planet.

From space traveler Lem

PS: photos soon too follow as the inner frame starts too take shape.

I hope every peace in this build is mixed up sizes as a real camper should be crooked. Ha,,, leaking roof too.

oh this should be interesting? i was down at Alberta trailers south side of innisfail, they had several toppers like you describe, but i'm thinking they may be pricey! building your own is definitely dooable. build to what you want. maybe a fold up bed platform that allows you to put hondo in the shell, then outside when you arrive at destination. fold down bed, invite miss sasquatch over for a visit, get all the directions to the good trails.

 

[tex78]

oh this should be interesting? i was down at Alberta trailers south side of innisfail, they had several toppers like you describe, but i'm thinking they may be pricey! building your own is definitely dooable. build to what you want. maybe a fold up bed platform that allows you to put hondo in the shell, then outside when you arrive at destination. fold down bed, invite miss sasquatch over for a visit, get all the directions to the good trails.

Squasnatch u mean, lmfao

 

[imdoo'n]

would have o be fairly light weight for the ford, i hear a sled deck may be illegally overweight! ha. so you are thinking like a cab over, with double doors? false floor to store ramps, a high gain cell antenna, some storage space at front for grub, coleman stove and a couple water jugs. should work.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Yes too Onda storage.

I have limited space for parking, so a trailer won't work.

The home made camper frame will be made of light weight iron.

$0.86 per foot, so the frame work will be 2 too 3 times stronger than doing this too a old camper.

I need wheel-well to wheel-well for unit when tracks are on the unit, and 9' 2" so the door can close tight in the winter time. "de-icing" that is.
Electric heat for this as the moisture vents out the top.
My back seat sleeping system is a go on nights like that as theres no moisture in the cab.

When the unit is on the ground and doesn't need to thaw out, the camper is all mine for other things.
I'll do my own roll up & down awning with side and back drops too block off the winds so I can sit comfortably at my bon-fire. That's a must on cool damp rainy days.

The home made camper needs to fit all trucks as a different unit could show up 10 or 20 years down the road.

Framing $225 ish.
Exterior $free.
Windows $free.
Insulation $free.
Stove, water tub, wood stove, electric heater, Gen-set, lawn chair(s), table, coal oil lamps, old am radio, and upper cupboards $free. Or long paided for.

This box camper / camper allows me to target shoot archery all season long, fix and work station, camp any where I end up, and gives me that little bit extra room since my Cabin on Wheels is ok, but the extra space will be welcome,,, and I can add a few more plastic friends too join in. Ha.

I would really like to do the enclosed trailer if I could, but not having room and being on call 25/8/387 nights a year means I need too roll when it's a go.

I have a inkling that I'll be in the North working very soon, so my Chuck wagon will be fully loaded for days off.

Target plinking, game harvest, fishing, camping, OHV by tires and tracks, archery, and map filling works.
No forestry camps for me after work as humans and camps don't work in my world.

Yes for eating breakfast, dinner and suppers, but nothing more than this.

Another plus plus too this camper is when I visit with friends threw out our Americas.
I will take up nill for room, and no trailer to pull and wreck. Ha.
36 years of trucking and I still can't back up.

This camper needs to be solid as its a life time thing, ok,,, 10 too 20 years unless a Grizzly Bear eats me.

The iron frame will be just like the old school horse packing frames that folks used in their 1/2 tons from the 1950 after the war. The outer shell on them was a canvas tarp, but in todays age of times it will have too be a hard shell.

So a short box 1/2 ton too 1 ton can handle this camper as it will fit them all.

This will be my 7th or 17th build over the years, so I'm going to wing it just like I do with every thing I do in life.

Lots of windows, big big back door, and the best lawn chair $12 can buy.

I'm spending big time on this project as $700++ bucks is alot of coin in todays age.

Funds saved goes too more days off has always been the plan.

Jack of all trades and a Master of none. Ha

The Lem

 

[Lem Lamb]

The 2000 Watt gen-set will be replacing the 1000 watter as 2 heaters will keep cab and camper hot at night in the winter months.
3.7 L per 7 hours.

Yes too back door ramp, and water jugs, my spare RV water tank for dishes, and cleaning up at night. 2 gallon electrical hot water tank too.
Mr potty for the important things.

My auto wrecking buddy gave me 4 camper Jack's for free, so things are working out.

Another life long friend give me a new 50'x48' thick canvas tarp for my awning/back &side drops. Welding shop is throwing in the bearings and roller pipe at no charge installed.

Dam lucky to have good friends in life.
The electrical system will come into play peace by peace, and my cabinet pals have low profile cupboards for the walls.

The lift up 12 volt roof will be tricky, but it will all work out since I have access too Ford electric windows gears & leverage arms that will work.

I rely on MaGiver friends too come up with ideas that involves frugal since this is a big project. Lots of funds in the Hundreds of dollars, and maga hours putting it together.

40 to 60 hours.

Looking for a fiber glass tent trailer cap as I type, might have a lead on one off a 1974 tent trailer.
No roof leaks in this unit. LOL

 

[imdoo'n]

yup good friends are hard to come by, way too many flakes out there. always seeming to want something. lol.. your ideas sound like a lot of work but a few small bites a a time will get it done.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Yuppers.

I priced out a build at South Red Deer, but the numbers scared me. Ha.

2/3 was labour and office costs, 1/3 was materials.
And the costs jumped when I mentioned flip down ramp door. LOL.

Lucky I took on the YouTube channel too see a fellow make a inner frame iron channel camper that got me going.

I'd load pictures, but my photo-bucket is not allowing me too post.

Dam electronics. Ha.

 

[Lem Lamb]

264' of light iron will be in my possession later today.

Welder dude is lined up, and the coffee is on.

1 1/2 days tack-up time is aloted fir part #1.

Easier too start with the shell then putting up the walls then building the Ford F 150 2 wdr around it. Ha.

We will build it up-side down so we can roll it up-right for loading.

The frame will be like a cage if the camper thing dosen't work out.

Nothing like catch and release on 1000 lb Grizzly Bears.
Might need too make it larger for 2 Bears.

Oh my oh my. Now I need too thing GVWR.

Lem

 

[imdoo'n]

so are the grizzly bears the heating system you are installing?

 

[Lem Lamb]

Good thinking bro.

It might be wize too think about fire fur proof heater. Ha

 

[imdoo'n]

could be a wild night with all the scratching at the door and fur flying! haha.

 

[Lem Lamb]

Can a Ford F 150 legaly hual a Grizzly Bear and quad at the same time. Ha.

Just picked up the 264' of light weight 1x1 iron for the build.
Dam lucky as I was not keen on having a home made camper heavier than my truck and quad combined, nothing worrser than having 2 tons on the asperated 6 piston heavy haul Ford working double over time getting up to speed.

I thought I did a good job drafting a blue print of this thing, LOL,,, welder dude said he will wing it better then anything I could come up with.

Good too have smart Friends that work with this crap, and it only makes sense too learn how its done.

Ye Ha as the show gets underway.

Might be living in this rig in the next few weeks.

Can't wait too catch and release my first Grizzly Bear as welder engineering meets ft-lbs of furry critter test system. Ha.

Lem

 

[imdoo'n]

that is a fair amount of steel in the lambs den!

 

[imdoo'n]

should keep the wolves out!

 

[Lem Lamb]

The 1"X 1" box iron is a thin thin wall construction, so the bundle of 264' is fairly lite weight,,, areas at the back of the Grizzly Bear cage get reinforcement sections where the back door is,,, and the lifting roof top "slide-up."

Welder buddy changed 7 idea from the get go as it cuts down on welds and lessons the amount of material,,, so I will end up with 2 campers when we're done.

Extra camper is a gift too my long time friend who is un-bee-know'en too this gift. Ha.

Pal "Burning Stick" is all about arrow dynamics, function ability, practical, weight and structural strength in 4 dementions,,, ok,,, 3... His train of thought is the unexpected of unknowns as we don't know 100% of what this camper box is going too encounter.

I could see the sparkle in his eyes when the topic Grizzly Bears, 2400 lb Brama Bulls, and a ton of Mud & Snow pushing on all corners from all angles.

Hurricane winds are a constant as Pincher Creek and Palm Springs will test this build.

I hope his planning allows for a tipped over slid into the ditch of gum-ball clay at Fox Creek. LOL,,, it's the sticky stuff that boggs down life. Ha.

Photos are getting underway as sparks are flying and burning MIG wire belches out clouds of smoke.

This by far will be my King ranch of camper builds over the years, so I hope we get a few things wrong as project 1.1 turns into 2.20 later in life.

Lem

 

[imdoo'n]

your in luck, don't remember anything i ever built that didn't need a few tweeks over time. you installing gun ports for hunting season?

 

[Lem Lamb]

The template is now completed, I wish my Photobucket was working, but it isn't going to happen till I find a computer that can copy and paste.

So the camper will be a box on box with lift up roof.
My pumpkin is lost at this stuff, but welder buddy envisions this in his dreams.

There are welders and fabricators,,, just happens to be that he's a fabricator that is a welder.

Many people told me too step back and watch how it plays out. So far I can see that this friend knows his chit. Ha.

Lem's job is too do as I'm told, remain quiet which is tuff too do, and don't get in the way.
I can see me getting voted off the Island on this build. LOL.

Pretty happy knowing nothing as it lessons the chance of me getting thrown off a cliff.

I got the stink eye look twice today, duct tape and dark glasses from here on in. Ha...

If I move slow he won't see me.

Lem at being in the way as much as I can

 

[Lem Lamb]

Its a slow build, so this allows us to change things up as we go.

Arrow dynamics is priority one as it saves on fuel, drive train and transmission. My little cabin on wheels has a Ford mustang tranny, so I need to keep this in mind.

The big white Dog 1 tonner dosen't care what this camper looks like, but even then,,, it knows how to burn gas.

So just under 7' wide, 9' long plus 5' over cab, and one honking Donkey big back door for what life throws at me.

Universal camper idea is part of the build too.

Practical ability comes in time following the build...
We will get some things wrong, but this is how we learn when the next one gets under way.

At least I'm not trying to fit a quad into a old camper, nor am I willing to spend $$$ on what fab manufactors don't know what I want.

Every time I put ideas out there the cost double doubled. Ha no $$$ million dollar camper box for me as I'd never get to use it since I'd have too work many more years too fund it.

Practical is ones own funds. At least I look at it this way.

Lem at more too come.

 

[doorfx]

Pics posted for Don