Weekender status - 1st camping (update 10-21-12)

[fartblossom]

I'm giving much consideration to the 5x8 NT trailer. I've also decided on a modified weekender with a galley much like yours. I just want to use a rounded front end as I think it will match my car's lines better.

Would be very grateful if you would post your total weight when you get done. I'm trying to figure every way to keep my weight down and would like your weight to compare against.

[les45]

I'm giving much consideration to the 5x8 NT trailer. I've also decided on a modified weekender with a galley much like yours. I just want to use a rounded front end as I think it will match my car's lines better.

Would be very grateful if you would post your total weight when you get done. I'm trying to figure every way to keep my weight down and would like your weight to compare against.

I plan to weigh it soon so I will post that when it is finished. I did a rough calculation early on and figured it would run about 1,100 pounds empty. I have not been too concerned about weight since the NT 5X8 is rated for 1,700 lb load and my TV is a hemi Durango. Also, I am a retired engineer with a touch of OCD so I tend to add a lot of "safety factor". I did several things that you could probably save on including:
3/4 plywood side walls versus the lighter foamie style construction
1/4 plywood outer skin could have been 1/8
heavier 2x4 and 2x6 nailers on floor deck for fastening side and end walls (some people use 1x2)
insulated floor when I didn't plan to initially (two layers rigid foam plus 1/8 luan sheathing)
3/8 bead board in most of interior paneling could have been 1/8 luan
onboard battery for DC power vs homemade AC/DC system
Progressive converter vs homemade AC/DC system
manufactured metal doors vs homemade wood doors
Good luck on your build.

[rbourne3]

I'm giving much consideration to the 5x8 NT trailer. I've also decided on a modified weekender with a galley much like yours. I just want to use a rounded front end as I think it will match my car's lines better.

Would be very grateful if you would post your total weight when you get done. I'm trying to figure every way to keep my weight down and would like your weight to compare against.

I built a "stock" weekender as lightweight as I could. Total weight is just a little over 500 lbs empty and 750 loaded. Pics available here
http://thebournes.us/weekender/index.html

[les45]

No new pics, but I hit a major milestone today while putting everything back together after completing my painting. This was the first time that I had everything in my electrical system connected to my Progresssive 4045 converter/charger. Hooked up my shore power and started flipping breakers and no surprises. Everything worked exactly as it should. AC/DC with and without the battery. It's a little overkill for my 20 amp system, but it sure is nice. I had a bit of a scare when I checked my outlets and they showed an open ground. Turned out it was a faulty extension cord (cheapo from HF; just because you have a ground prong doesn't mean you have a ground). When I connected my new longer/heavier cord that I will be using with the weekender, everything checked out perfectly. I see camping in the near future just in time for the cooler weather.

[CliffinGA]

Good job les! I had my 12V side up and working but going to get the other door and handles on mine and run it over to the state park and check 30 amp this weekend to make sure mines kosher. I won't put my tear next to yours on the finish side, mine you can tell is an amateur but can't wait to see yours some day! Keep ontrucking and you'll be camping soon!

Cliff

[fartblossom]

Thanks Les45 and rbourne3 for your replies and info.

[les45]

Been traveling for the past two weeks so I just got back to working on the weekender today. Almost there. Doors installed today and vinyl insert edge trim starts tomorrow. I feel a camping trip coming on soon.

[KCStudly]

That's looking pretty sharp posing pretty for the camera!

[les45]

OK, today is the day that I declare victory (almost). Everything is done except for a few very minor details. The wife is out looking for stuff now for our test run next week (she's decorating the interior). We've decided to go "yamping" next week just to be on the safe side. Because of the colors, we decided to name it the "Super Bee" like in the old Dodge cars so the only thing left to do is a couple of Super Bee decals that I ordered today on Ebay. Next up will be a real run with some camping friends to Devil's Fork in upstate South Carolina in two weeks. I'll be posting some pics of the real deal with lessons learned after we check it out completely.

[KCStudly]

Very sharp!

[CliffinGA]

Bud it looks great!!!! See you started after I did and finished before me and it looks great! Your decals will look great on it! Your not going be far from us. We're thinking of heading up to a campground up in GA Mtns that weekendalso! Have fun and enjoy!

Cliff

[les45]

Did a trial run yesterday in preparation for our first real camping trip next week. Drove the weekender for the first time about 20 miles at speed and found a few little trailer issues that I have to work on (see my post yesterday at Trailer & Chassis Secrets). "Yamped" out in the back yard last night and everything worked perfectly. Hardest part of the whole thing was getting the EZ-Up up for the first time (bad instructions). Slept like a log on the memory foam topper. Can't wait to get to the mountains on Friday.

[les45]

We finally made our first real camping trip this weekend to the mountains of South Carolina. We also gave the weekender an official name, the "Super Bee". Everyone kept making the comparison to bees because of the yellow and black paint scheme (and no we are not Georgia Tech fans) so I decided to go with the old Dodge Super Bee logo. A couple of decals from Ebay made it official. The Super Bee worked like a charm with just a very few issues. I had posted previously in the Trailers and Chassis section about a jittery ride on an earlier trial run. Most of that was eliminated when I filled the cabin with all our camping stuff to get more tongue weight and I bought a new drop hitch to lower the trailer to dead level. Still just a little bit of road feedback, but I attribute that to the heavy springs on the 2,000 lb NT trailer and the high pressures (48 lb) in the 12" tires. I plan to move up to 13" tires in the near future. We experienced only one minor technical hitch when one of the interior cabin lights quit working on the second day. It's on a circuit with an adjacent porch light that was still working so I'm thinking it is just a loose wire connection. The only real lesson learned had to do with adding a door stop/bumper pad to the manufactured doors to keep them from banging the side walls when opened. Temps were in the low 40's and we took some advice that I had seen on other postings on heating the cabin. We took a small ceramic heater and turned it on low for about an hour before bedtime. We turned it off when we went to bed and just added layers of cover during the night. With a sheet, thermal blanket, and thin quilt topper we were comfy all night. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting up with CliffinGA and his lovely wife. They were camping their Red Woof Inn at a nearby park and made the side trip to our campsite to see the Super Bee and talk teardrops. Really nice to meet Cliff after all the online chatting over the past year.

[aggie79]

Fantastic job Les!

I love the color and Super Bee theme! You ought to be very proud of what you have built. Have a great time camping!

Take care,
Tom

[campmaster-k]

Great work thanks for sharing!