Modifying the Weekender for family of 5

[Alfred]

Hi Gang,

So I am thinking about buying the 5x8 trailer from Northern Tool for $299, which I am told is made by the same company that makes the 4x8 sold by Tractor Supply Co., for the same price.

My goal is to come up with the smallest, simplest, cheapest design that will sleep the 5 of us, at least until the kids are old enough to be trusted in their own tent. The two youngest are 2yo/4yo, and Mama wants them in the camper with us, for now. The tallest of the three kids is about 46" now, but they are growing.

So my thoughts are to build a modified "Rimple" (from Andrew's designs). This because the "Rimple" will offer the most headroom for a bunk, with the 4" tall limit. I want to keep the cab at 4", because I have a low garage door and need to maintain clearance if I am going to garage store it.

Build it 5x10, on the 5x8 frame, by building one foot over the frame in the front and back. I am thinking of building some sort of bench in the front, which could open to hold blankets or something (I think the "Weekender" had something like this), but which could also be used as a small bunk for two of the kids. Then one of the kids could sleep with us on the queen mattress. I am 5"6, so I am thinking the big mattress has to be at least 5"9 or so. What is the standard size?

I don't have the exact measurements yet, but allowing 18" or so for the Galley, then 5'9" for the queen bed, then the balance for the bench (30+ inches, could we squeeze 36"?". I am thinking the the 4" height would not be enough to allow for actual two tiered bunks(?)

I am wondering about door placement, because the door will have to fit between the kids' bunk and the wheel. I am not sure the spec's on the trailer, as far as where the wheel is located.

I also thought about adding a window in the front, behind where the bench/bunk will be, for the kids.

Any thoughts on if this will work? I downloaded the CAD programs, but haven't figured out how to draw with them yet. Any ideas for an alternate plan or layout would be welcome, too.

Thanks, AL in Asheville

[mikeschn]

Al,

If you have 18" for the galley, and 69" for the bed, you have 33" left for the two bunks. You have not allowed the 1 5/8" for the hatch thickness, the 1 1/4" for the bulkhead, and the 1 5/8 for the front wall.

This also assumes that you are going to let all 3 kids stand on your bed in order to get into theirs. It also wasn't clear how you would get 3 kids into 2 bunks.

Would it not be better to build it a little wider, and turn your queen sized bed around? Of course now you have to build above the wheel wells...

You're trying to package too much into 10' of space. This is 10' long...



Mike...

P.S. How much clearance do you really have to your garage door from the ground?

[Alfred]

If you have 18" for the galley, and 69" for the bed, you have 33" left for the two bunks. You have not allowed the 1 5/8" for the hatch thickness, the 1 1/4" for the bulkhead, and the 1 5/8 for the front wall.

This also assumes that you are going to let all 3 kids stand on your bed in order to get into theirs. It also wasn't clear how you would get 3 kids into 2 bunks.

Would it not be better to build it a little wider, and turn your queen sized bed around? Of course now you have to build above the wheel wells...

You're trying to package too much into 10' of space.

Mike...

Hi Mike,

Man, the devil's in the details, huh?

Yes, I was thinking the kids would have to go over our bed to get into their bench bunk. I was thinking the two little ones could sleep side by side on a 33-36" bench bunk. The third kid would sleep with Wife and I in the queen size.

I am apprehensive about trying to build over wheels, actually a little apprehensive about building over the ends, but was going to try it. I am also concerned how much our 2000 Dodge Caravan can pull.

I will have to remeasure the garage door, I don't remember, but it is a basement garage, with a slope going down into it, and it is not as high as most garages. The Dodge Caravan will not fit into the garage, because it is too tall.

Wondering if there are any other creative design variations/ideas how we might fit two adults, 3 small ones, in a 5x10?

(Else I keep thinking to go back to the 4x8, but I know it will end up the kids in the camper and Wife and I in an attached tent, or I will end up building two campers!)

AL in Asheville.

[mikeschn]

Al,

We're thinking on it... We need a little more room, or you have to give up some features...

Are you willing to give up the galley?

Are you willing to build over the wheels?

How tall can you really go?

Mike...

Anybody have any other design variations/ideas how we might fit two adults, 3 small ones, in a 5x10?

[Miriam C.]

The simple answer is to build one really big bed. Pile on till the kids get bigger. Make the galley shelf slide in for one if you need to. Course a couple of the kids could sleep in the caravan as they age.

Also If you take a look at page 3 for ideas on this.
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... c&start=30

[Alfred]

:question: The simple answer is to build one really big bed. Pile on till the kids get bigger. Make the galley shelf slide in for one if you need to. Course a couple of the kids could sleep in the caravan as they age.

Also If you take a look at page 3 for ideas on this.
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... c&start=30

Hi Miriam,

One big bed would be OK, that is how we sleep in the tent now, all of us packed in together. I don't understand what you meant by a galley shelf slide?

AL in Asheville

[mikeschn]

Al,

If it were me, I would build a 5x10 teardrop in this configuration. The queen sized bed is on the floor with the pillows toward the front of the trailer.

The kid's bed is about 18" higher than your bed. Your feet go under their bed.

They can sleep 3 across. Their bed is shown about 66" long but you could make that anything you like.

Once the kids are out of the teardrop, you can convert the bed into a galley. You could plan ahead and hinge the part of the bed that is in the galley, and have it hinge up and out of the way to use the galley.

It's rough, but this is kinda what I am thinking about.



Mike...

[Alfred]

Hi Mike,

I am wondering if there would be a way to combine the extra bunk and keep a modified galley, with a hinge or slide in/out or something, so that the galley space could be used as a galley space, then converted into bunk space in the evening? Maybe like hinge the bunk in the middle, so that 1/2 bunk would fold down over the Galley counter.

I am thinking we would lose the upper cabinets in the galley, and in the cabin, where the bed would swing in place, but the galley counter top and bottom cabinets would be intact. Then when the kids move out, I could retrofit the upper cabinets back in.

I think your plan is moving in the right direction with the dilemma.

AL in Asheville

[Miriam C.]

I sure wish I could remember who did the sliding shelf.

My mom says if I move my counter dividers she could sleep on mine. Play with it and some cardboard. With small children they might love getting into the galley for part of their bed. Put their heads toward you also and you might be able to fit upper cabinets in a small galley.

Like Mikes drawing but with a foot pass through for the kids.



This is what it looked like before the dividers went in. You can play with the height of the shelf and even make the inside part of the shelf fold away or slide to the galley for family sit up time.

This is the upper shelf

[SharonB]

If you are looking for a cheap space solution while the kids grow, although this is not a build solution, it struck me when I saw it as a great idea for a family. I don't know how to copy in a link to another post, but under the "Camping Secrets" section of this forum, look for the post by mrchuc titled "Sportz SUV tent (last post on 10/16/07) and scroll down to see the pics that "endo" posted. His tent is completely attached to one side of the teardrop so the door on that side stays open and makes the tent and TD into one extended "great room", with no openings for bugs to come in or kids to escape out! Mom might be comfortable with the three kid sleeping bags on the tent floor right beside the TD mattress - she could reach her hand out the door and touch them. It's worth a look, anyway!

[Alfred]

If you are looking for a cheap space solution...SUV tent is completely attached to one side of the teardrop so the door on that side stays open and makes the tent and TD into one extended "great room", with no openings for bugs to come in or kids to escape out!

We had looked at the attached tent option. Wife really wants the little ones in the camper with us. Last time we went tent camping, the 2yo managed to get out of the tent in the middle of the night, didn't wake us up until he started crying he couldn't get back in (think it taught him a lesson), but scared Mama.

Wife also points out that since the 4yo and 9yo have already signed-on as "Daddy's Helpers" in this project, they are going to want to sleep in the camper when it is built, which puts Mommy/Daddy back outside in the tent, if there is not enough room!

Thanks for the suggestion, though.

AL in Asheville

[Alfred]

Hi Mike and friends,

I measured the garage door today. The actual framing for the garage door opening is 6' high. But when it is open, the door and automatic opening device come down to about 69", so I am thinking the actual clearance is in the neighborhood of 68", or about 4" shy of 6'.

Where does that leave me with options for camper height?

Thanks, Al in Asheville

[mikeschn]

On my HF chassis, the body starts at about 19" from the ground. So unless you are willing to get a torsion axle, you will be limited to about 48".

My Lil Diner had a torsion axle, and was 52", but it would have fit in your 68" of clearance.

Mike...

[Alfred]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for calculating that for me. I am going to assume the Northern Tool and/or TSC trailers have similar heights to the HF trailer. I was really hoping to avoid having to modify the trailer too much (One of the reasons I am going to for one that is already assembled). I have never really been a handyman type, and this is the first thing I have ever tried to build at this level of difficulty, so I am still trying to keep it as simple as I can! So I guess that brings us back to a 4' cabin.

The other option, is not to keep it in the garage. I have one of those shelters in the back yard, four poles and a roof, looks like a picnic shelter, which I think was designed to keep firewood dry (What do I know? I live in WNC but grew up in Florida)! The roof clearance for the shelter is 74". Which would give a little more room, but would provide roof shelter only (There are no walls). Would that be adequate protection? And would it be worth trading the garage protection for the extra inches?

Al in Asheville

[mikeschn]

You only need protection while you are building.

We built the Escape Hatch under a tarp.



Mike...