Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

After the cabinets were hung and countertops finished, I finished the tongue-and-groove on the drivers-side wall. Same situation as before, the spacing with the boards was almost perfect. I have yet to install trim around the windows but it's on the project list... somewhere.

At this point in the build, I did not have time to design and finish the bathroom, so I just hung a blackout curtain and called it a day. Inside I'm using a Thetford 565e curve for the toilet, and it works wonders. I figured it would get minimal use and the thought of having to install multiple tanks underneath just made me choose to go the simple route. Im very happy with it and so far the I haven't had to replace the pump batteries.

In the picture I have a Frigidaire 4.5(maybe) cu ft mini fridge with a freezer compartment. I'll talk more about my power setup in the next post.

At this point, most of the tongue-and-groove is done. I finished out the front counter section and in the bathroom is just put the original plywood back for now. It still needs to be designed, but I'm working on it!

Did I mention my OCD when putting the walls and ceilings up? Every screw head is facing the same perpendicular way... that took more time than I'm happy to admit.

Hope you're enjoying the build!
- Connor

Solar or shore power?
While trying to be as budget friendly as possible, I opted for a pretty simple electrical setup. To run the 6,000btu AC unit and the Frigidaire mini fridge, I have a 110v pass through mounted behind the drivers-side fender flare. I have already stayed at a few different campgrounds and having the plug in a normal camper spot made for easy setup. I knew I wouldn't need much 110v power, so I once again went the most simple route. I have it plugged into a heavy-duty surge protected power strip and have only tripped the fuse once while running the AC at 64 degrees in July... oops.

Here's a link for the 110v pass through: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009A ... UTF8&psc=1

I try to use as few electronics as I can when camping, but laptops, phones, and cameras always need to be charged. In preparation for off-grid camping this summer, I went ahead and invested in a Suaoki 444wh portable solar generator. I spent a lot of time researching solar generators, and for only $350 I decided to give the Suaoki a try. One feature I wish it had was an actual percentage reading of the battery, similar to the lithium goal zero yeti, but for $250 less I don't mind only seeing the battery bars (1 through 5, 5 being full). When reading reviews online, I couldn't find anyone that mentioned running an ARB fridge on one of these and I was curious to see if the 12v socket would be able to power it.

Link for the Suaoki: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M2 ... UTF8&psc=1

I've had the ARB fridge for about a year and a half now as I used it with an expedition trailer I built back in 2015. I had some problems getting it to run on a 12v system I had setup myself but I have yet to have an issue with the Suaoki. Being only 444wh, it wont run the fridge for days on end. When running full power to cool the fridge down, it draws around 60 watts. Now after a simple calculation dividing 444wh/60watt, the fridge will run for a little over 7 hours. On paper at least. The beauty of these 12v fridges is their shutoff capabilities when the desired temperature is reached. This is easily one of the greatest benefits of the product, as it only consumes the power it needs and nothing more. Additionally, I will turn the fridge off completely and use it as a cooler to extend the life of the battery pack, but thats without any charge from the sun or shore power.

My solar panel setup is underpowered to say the least. Currently, I only have a small 15watt Acopower polycrystalline panel that I wired some MC4 connectors to. I'm planning on a 100watt briefcase style solar panel soon and will mount the MC4 connections under the trailer to keep them out of the way. I debated a rigid panel on the roof but similarly to the roof vent, I want to leave it alone and free from any holes. The solar panel is sufficient for now, I'm not doing any long-term dry camping and it is more of a convince factor than anything. the Suaoki has a built in charge controller so all I have to do is connect the solar panel and let it do the rest. I'll give the Suaoki 9/10 stars for the price and functionality.

Link for the 15w solar panel: https://www.amazon.com/ACOPOWER-HY015-1 ... olar+panel

Along with the Suaoki, I have recently wired a 112ah deep cycle battery under the front cabinet to run the water pump, lights, and 2 usb outlets. Yes, I am aware that the deep cycle battery is far more capable than a 444wh solar generator. The battery is a few years old and I'm still trying to figure out just how much solar and storage I will need for longer trips. As for now, it works perfectly and I just plug a battery charger into the 110v pass through to keep it topped off while at home. Like I said, still a work-in-progress.

Now that was a lot of information. If there are any specific parts that I didn't mention or any questions about the Suaoki, I'll do my best to answer them.
Thanks,
- Connor

Your camper is beautiful -- nice work!!

kirkupnorth wrote:Your camper is beautiful -- nice work!!

Thank you! It's almost complete.. I think

I picked up an ACOPOWER 100w foldable solar panel to go with my Suaoki solar generator and for the 12v deep cycle battery. I debated back and forth on mounting solar panels on the roof of the trailer, but I don't always have direct sun when camping (common problem). Also, my power usage is minimal and the 100w panel is enough to keep my system full. I'll post a full review on the panel when I get some use with it, but for now this will do.

I'm working on more of the build write-up, hopeful to make some progress this weekend.

Thanks,
Connor

Nice. Really nice. Looking forward to actual use reports on the portable generator and electrical.

Conner,

You have a beautiful conversion! Thank you for the update.

Could I ask you about details on your window installation please? I know you used residential windows and mounted them using the window flanges. Which side of the trailer did you place the window flange? I'm assuming you placed the flange on the inside of your square tubing frame and let the window project through the opening. Is this correct? If so, how did you fill the gap and/or trim the outside?

Thank you again,
Tom

aggie79 wrote:Conner,

You have a beautiful conversion! Thank you for the update.

Could I ask you about details on your window installation please? I know you used residential windows and mounted them using the window flanges. Which side of the trailer did you place the window flange? I'm assuming you placed the flange on the inside of your square tubing frame and let the window project through the opening. Is this correct? If so, how did you fill the gap and/or trim the outside?

Thank you again,
Tom

Thank you, Tom,

As far as the window mounting, I welded together 1" steel square tubing 1/2" larger than the window size (leaves a 1/4" gap on all sides of the window). I welded the steel frame to the trailer framing and cut out the window hole. I mounted the windows from the outside, so the flange is on the exterior and it is screwed into the walls/frame. All I have is a thick bead of window silicon in-between the flange and the exterior sheet metal. The screws are spaced every 3" and so far I haven't had any issues with water leaks.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any further questions.
-Connor

Thank you, Conner, for that explanation. I thought that was how you did the installation but I wasn't 100% sure. Take care, Tom