Simple Foamie - 5x8 with galley.

[tac422]

You can try ironing the bumps and see if they smooth out ,,,,,

[3nero]

I used a stainless steel piano hinge on my hatch but sandwiched it between two bicycle tyre inner tubes that i cut up and flattened out. I used Evo stick contact adhesive to stick one flattened tube to the underside of the hinge while it was in the completely folded closed position and the attached it to the trailer and hatch. Then i used the same glue to attach the second tube over the hinge leaving a good 1 inch over lap on the top and bottom of the hinge. I live in the land of eternal rain and so far have had no leaks since putting on the top layer of rubber. Its a two person job though because the contact glue is an instant bond so you need someone to hold one side up high while you align the rubber strip on the other side. You can paint the rubber later if you give it a light sanding with 280 or 320 grit paper first.

[katrinad]

Okay so that's a nix on using the plastic hinge on top of the current stainless one.

Can I simply use butyl flashing tape to cover the gap? The main problem I'm dealing with is the way I did the spars. There is nothing accessible from the top surface to screw into. It's only foam and canvas. Maybe butyl flashing 6" wide to cover the 3" gap. I would first sand down the canvas surface to ensure its smooth and hope that the sticky side gives enough seal to prevent water coming in.

Otherwise, I guess I'll have to take the old hinge off and reattach with the plastic hinge. But I think the way I have it configured this would still result in water seepage inside. I will post a picture once I get back home.

[kudzu]

As someone with absolutely no experience, I probably shouldn't comment. FWIW, an idea came to mind. (It's not my idea but came from someone else in a different thread I can't find right now.) Could you maybe water proof the hinge by adding a cover/flap of painted canvas? It wouldn't be a living hinge since it's not supporting the hatch at all. The idea is to keep most of the water off the hinge itself. The edges would be attached along to main camper shell & hatch near the edge of the hinge. The middle section of the canvas cover would not be attached to anything but left free to flex so it can pop up out of the way when the hatch is opened. Just an idea from the non-technically educated.

[katrinad]

5 years later and I'm back for more advice. Sorry I never updated this post with the final build! It took 1-2 years for it to be "done" completely. As once I got the shell and could go camping I was unmotivated to finish it until winter. We take this out every other weekend at minimum in the summer up the Rocky Mountains with no problems. It's reached Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, and Zion NP's (among many others). I'd say we have >10k miles on it at this point. I never thought a foamie could last this long!

My nerdy self kept a spreadsheet for cost and weight. We were around $3,500 for the full build including all tools, power tools, hitch, and car towing accessories. We put about $100-$150 a year in it to fix or upgrade one thing or another. Calculated weight was ~750-800lbs unloaded.

Briefly here is what I've done year by year:
Year 1 - Shell of camper complete. Ready to roll. Continued to add waterproofing. Scrapped keeping food storage in the back.
Year 2 - Added divider and back galley. Can't figure out waterproofing, always entering through front window. Added layers of paint to no avail. Ended up adding tarp under mattress. Curtains!
Year 3 - Upgraded baskets in the interior to a fixed shelf. Re-waterproofed the bottom with roof tar. Attempted to grease wheel bearings, couldn't get them out. Bought new standard axle instead.
Year 4 - Crappy axle had stripped/misaligned threads on one side. Replaced one wheel hub and regreased bearings. New trailer tires. Upgraded hatch weatherproofing with a strip of trailer roofing rubber.
Year 5 - Found the used front window had a holes drilled in through the framing (emergency window I never opened because it was blocked by the tongue box). Finally found and sealed the source of water entry! Replaced lights with LED before realizing failure was in the car not the teardrop. Hatch blew off, in need of fix ( viewtopic.php?f=21&t=70637 )

Once I can figure out how to put up pics again I'll include them. I just wanted to update to show any skeptics that foamies can last and be a viable teardrop. It's worked perfect for our towing constraints. We get around 18-21mpg in our Subaru Outback towing it loaded for weekend trips. All our trips involve high mountain passes.

[katrinad]

Can you say 8 years of camping? I might be at a turning point with my camping set up for one reason or another. But my foamie keeps on truckin' on. We actually might have driven it more than ever this year. I'm estimating were getting close to 20,000 miles. At this point, with a little bit of work it looks like my foamie might make it to next camping season, but my tow vehicle won't!

Year 5 - Fixed hatch with some eyebolts, turnbuckles, and wire rope. Re-waterproofed hatch hinge with trailer rubber roofing.
Year 6- I'm sure there is something.
Year 7- Replaced driver's tire. Rewired trailer lights.
Year 8 - Re-waterproofed front window and repainted front. Still persistent water entry in hatch but only when extreme rains or driving in rain. Broken front window, needs fix. Replaced trailer jack. 2nd replace of car towing harness.


To make it to year 9 I've got to...
Replace front window, replace trailer tire, fix side running light, fix roof box. Finish full exterior repaint, maybe retar the bottom wheel wells. Try a new waterproof on the hatch (or just don't camp in the rain). Repack wheel bearings