5x10 Garage friendly camper
Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:39 pmI started this build with a couple requirements
1. Trailer MUST be able to fit inside a standard garage with a 7' door.
2. Trailer MUST be air conditioned.
3. Trailer Must be narrow enough to not require towing mirrors on my Tacoma.
2 years ago I purchased a Runaway Navigator that fit all of the above needs. It is 4x8 with AC and looks GREAT. I love this trailer BUT the 4' width is no longer an option as I want to be able to sleep two comfortably. I will be putting the Runaway up for sale as it is a great trailer and someone will love it.
I have been shopping around for a while and found a good deal on a 2019 Cynergy 5x10x5 trailer. The new trailer has a side door, double rear doors, a roof vent, wire and braced for AC and 2 30x30 windows. The structure of the trailer was greatly upgraded as well with 1x1.5 tube for all wall and ceiling structure (on 16" on center spacing) and 1.5x2 tube for floor structure (16" on center) all on a 2x3 boxed frame.
I sourced the trailer locally as it was a custom order that the factory put the wrong windows in as the order was for 15x30 windows. Since this was an unwanted custom trailer I was able to purchase for $2,500.
The first thing to be completed was to insulate the trailer. I purchased 6 sheets of 1" rigid insulation (pink) and got to work removing the wall panels.
I have some major limitations as I live in a condo and therefore EVERYTHING has to be cleaned up when I am not actively working on the trailer. This means taking everything out and storing it somewhere was not an option so I chose to remove one panel at a time, insulate and replace the panel. I thought this would really be an issue but I can highly recommend this method. There was no confusion on which panel went where and it was easy to put them back in the exact position so that each screw was in its original hole. I would also like to thank Cynergy for using SCREWS on all the panels!!!
The first small section was easy but the next 8' section had one of the windows in it and I was worried. I scraped away the VERY good caulking job that the factory did on the interior and taped the window into the trailer from the outside. I will also state that the caulk job on the exterior of the trailer was amazing. I removed the trim ring and was pleasantly surprised when the window itself didn't move at all...silicone caulk is great stuff!!
I used a razor knife to cut the insulation for the first 2 foot section but it was a pain. I wanted to make it neater and faster so I put a fine tooth blade in my circular saw BACKWARDS. This means the aggressive pattern of the teeth rotate in the reverse of what it was designed for. IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC!!! Cuts were smooth, very little heat to deform the foam and almost no dust. When I was done for the day I didn't even need to sweep up as there wasn't anything to sweep up. The fine coating of pink dust on my saw was more or less the extent of the cleanup.
Today I worked about 2.5 hours and got nearly half of the walls insulated. This included removal of the trim and window ring and replacement of all plywood but no trim as I won't be reusing the ugly trim boards.
Tools used today:
Total cost of the trailer project thus far:
$2,500 Trailer
$120 Insulation
$2,620 Total.
1. Trailer MUST be able to fit inside a standard garage with a 7' door.
2. Trailer MUST be air conditioned.
3. Trailer Must be narrow enough to not require towing mirrors on my Tacoma.
2 years ago I purchased a Runaway Navigator that fit all of the above needs. It is 4x8 with AC and looks GREAT. I love this trailer BUT the 4' width is no longer an option as I want to be able to sleep two comfortably. I will be putting the Runaway up for sale as it is a great trailer and someone will love it.
I have been shopping around for a while and found a good deal on a 2019 Cynergy 5x10x5 trailer. The new trailer has a side door, double rear doors, a roof vent, wire and braced for AC and 2 30x30 windows. The structure of the trailer was greatly upgraded as well with 1x1.5 tube for all wall and ceiling structure (on 16" on center spacing) and 1.5x2 tube for floor structure (16" on center) all on a 2x3 boxed frame.
I sourced the trailer locally as it was a custom order that the factory put the wrong windows in as the order was for 15x30 windows. Since this was an unwanted custom trailer I was able to purchase for $2,500.
The first thing to be completed was to insulate the trailer. I purchased 6 sheets of 1" rigid insulation (pink) and got to work removing the wall panels.
I have some major limitations as I live in a condo and therefore EVERYTHING has to be cleaned up when I am not actively working on the trailer. This means taking everything out and storing it somewhere was not an option so I chose to remove one panel at a time, insulate and replace the panel. I thought this would really be an issue but I can highly recommend this method. There was no confusion on which panel went where and it was easy to put them back in the exact position so that each screw was in its original hole. I would also like to thank Cynergy for using SCREWS on all the panels!!!
The first small section was easy but the next 8' section had one of the windows in it and I was worried. I scraped away the VERY good caulking job that the factory did on the interior and taped the window into the trailer from the outside. I will also state that the caulk job on the exterior of the trailer was amazing. I removed the trim ring and was pleasantly surprised when the window itself didn't move at all...silicone caulk is great stuff!!
I used a razor knife to cut the insulation for the first 2 foot section but it was a pain. I wanted to make it neater and faster so I put a fine tooth blade in my circular saw BACKWARDS. This means the aggressive pattern of the teeth rotate in the reverse of what it was designed for. IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC!!! Cuts were smooth, very little heat to deform the foam and almost no dust. When I was done for the day I didn't even need to sweep up as there wasn't anything to sweep up. The fine coating of pink dust on my saw was more or less the extent of the cleanup.
Today I worked about 2.5 hours and got nearly half of the walls insulated. This included removal of the trim and window ring and replacement of all plywood but no trim as I won't be reusing the ugly trim boards.
Tools used today:
Total cost of the trailer project thus far:
$2,500 Trailer
$120 Insulation
$2,620 Total.
