Vardo with extra room
Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 6:21 pmSo I'm really into the vardo style trailers I've seen on here and elsewhere, and am starting to lean in that direction for when I start my own build. I have a couple ideas I'd like to bounce off of you folks for expanding the usability/space though.
First off, I'm more interested in the bow-top style than the ledge style, mostly for the ability to turn the bed sideways, but I am questioning why all the ones I've seen are tucked inside the wheel wells at the bottom rather than just coming straight down from the widest point of the body. That would allow a great deal more floor-space/storage,whatever. Obviously you'd have to build in wheel wells of some sort, but having the full width both ahead of and behind the axle would allow a lot more options for the layout.
Second, I'm trying to think of some way of making the front of the trailer slightly more aerodynamic rather than just having a flat wall up there. The two ideas I've had so far are:
1. If the door is at the back, then have some sort of bay window type thing built into the front, which would presumably split the air at least a little better than just a flat wall.
2. Have the door on the front, but mounted into sort of a V-front design so that you would enter from the side of the vee. with this idea you could still have a bay window sticking out the back making the bed area feel much more spacious.
My thinking is that while these additions would complicate the build a lot they would also allow a much larger feeling interior to be built onto a smaller frame and keeping it at least reasonable in the weight department. As of yet I'm still just figuring out the bare basics on sketch-up, so i can't really post pictures of these ideas, but hopefully my explanation is clear enough that folks can understand what I'm talking about. Please feel free to give me your feedback everyone. I'm still reading and learning, and am eager to hear from those with more experience about what rookie mistakes I might be making here.
First off, I'm more interested in the bow-top style than the ledge style, mostly for the ability to turn the bed sideways, but I am questioning why all the ones I've seen are tucked inside the wheel wells at the bottom rather than just coming straight down from the widest point of the body. That would allow a great deal more floor-space/storage,whatever. Obviously you'd have to build in wheel wells of some sort, but having the full width both ahead of and behind the axle would allow a lot more options for the layout.
Second, I'm trying to think of some way of making the front of the trailer slightly more aerodynamic rather than just having a flat wall up there. The two ideas I've had so far are:
1. If the door is at the back, then have some sort of bay window type thing built into the front, which would presumably split the air at least a little better than just a flat wall.
2. Have the door on the front, but mounted into sort of a V-front design so that you would enter from the side of the vee. with this idea you could still have a bay window sticking out the back making the bed area feel much more spacious.
My thinking is that while these additions would complicate the build a lot they would also allow a much larger feeling interior to be built onto a smaller frame and keeping it at least reasonable in the weight department. As of yet I'm still just figuring out the bare basics on sketch-up, so i can't really post pictures of these ideas, but hopefully my explanation is clear enough that folks can understand what I'm talking about. Please feel free to give me your feedback everyone. I'm still reading and learning, and am eager to hear from those with more experience about what rookie mistakes I might be making here.
