This is my first build post on the forum for a little project I'm working on. I'm always receptive to any suggestions and ideas on how to improve. So, always feel free to share your thoughts.
A quick background on this odd project.
We have some very good friends that have a 30' Jayco trailer and they have always wanted us to get a camper and camp with them. A couple years we finally decided to get a little pop up to test the waters. We found a very small Coleman Columbia that was built in 1984 for $600. The sellers had bought it in 1988 and used it pretty carefully. It lived inside of a garage when it wasn't being used. They even had the original Coleman brochure. Nothing had been updated or altered and it looked inside like it was still 1984. Lots of orange and green colors.
It had a little ding here and there but other than that the frame was in great shape. The canvas was, well, original and after 35+ years it was dry rotted, torn in a few spots, and patched. We took it camping a couple times with our two teenage kids and I quickly realized it was just too small and not overly comfortable. So we started looking for a used hybrid that was in reasonably good shape and cheap. Ha, yeah that was a challenge. We did find a 20 year old Jayco Kiwi for $1,500. Bought it with just a cursory inspection and got it home. Well, as you'd expect it had issues. Water issues. A rotten floor, rotten ceiling sections, bad wall area, etc. My friend and I spent last winter rebuilding it. We replaced the canvas bunks, the floor, the walls, etc. It's now very usable and we camped several times last summer with it.
Right next to it though was the little teeny tiny Coleman Columbia pop up. For some reason I just couldn't let it go. And then one night while I couldn't sleep, pretty normal for me, the thought hit me that since the canvas was shot and the roof had water damaged areas, and the crank up system was shot, that maybe I could tear all of that stuff off and make a very very tiny, hard sided, bug out camper for just one or two people. Then the sketches began. And I'd be up at night thinking about how I wanted to build it. It would be great for just quick local overnight trips either solo or with just one other person. Hmmm.
I did a lot of searching online and there are very few that have done a project like this. Probably because it's not a great idea. But that has never stopped me before from building silly things. (Just look at the 6' mini boat I built a few years ago)
So, it was on. I pulled the Coleman into my folk's large garage (it's actually an airplane hangar) and started in.
I usually share projects like this on my YouTube channel. I'm currently on Video #3. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can finish framing in the door and the roof. As far as the interior goes, there will be a small framed out area for a porta potty, a tiny kitchen/sink area, and two benches that fold out into a bed for one or two people. The frame is in very good shape due to it being stored inside for three decades.
I'm open to thoughts and suggestions!
Dan
Video #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xlEoMAb4eY
Video #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF8PxSOmN9Q
Video #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Agx2HJEDzk