TTT Build

[nik1093]

I think it's probably time to start my build thread and show you guys some of the ideas I have for the camper I want to build. I am currently studying as a senior at Appalachian State University in the Industrial Design program. For my senior project, I have given myself the task of developing and building a tiny travel trailer. This is something I have wanted to do since high school.
Some of the requirements for the camper are:
6x8 floor size
four season capable
sleeps two adults and a dog
under 1500 lbs. (this is because the axle I have is rated for 1500 lbs., but I am prepared to purchase a more substantial axle if necessary)
interior galley (4 season)
i'd like to build a good composting toilet for it

I have been reading lots of build journals and the other helpful forums on this site to get an idea of how to construct such a camper. I am pretty familiar with metal work and getting more familiar with woodworking. I should have every tool I need between my home shop, and the shops at school.

I am starting off with the frame from a pop-up camper. Last week I painted it, but then got my new stabilizers in, so I had to weld them into place. This is how the trail sits today. I will finish painting the trailer on Friday I hope. I have already narrowed the frame 6 inches to make it 6' wide to make it use a sheet of plywood more efficiently.



I have started drawing a model on Solidworks too. This allows me to arrange the cabin how I'd like to. It will also tell me how much material I need.



From this CAD model I made a 1:20 physical model of the exterior of the camper.




These are very preliminary models to get the basic idea of how the shape might look. I really like it. I plan on skinning the exterior in 12 oz. canvas. I will have 3/4" skeleton plywood walls, with help of the shops CNC router. Insulated floor, walls, and ceiling. I will get images uploaded of what I am imagining for the interior layout. I am having a hard time sourcing materials in the mountains but I may be overthinking it.

Thanks for all the help already, and thanks in advance for the help I know I will receive during this project.

[nik1093]

It's small so there's not much to layout, but the bed spans the width of the back half of the camper. At the front of the camper I plan to have a small galley with a stove and sink. Next to that, will be the bathroom where I will have a composting toilet.



The middle section of the bed folds up to make a small table.



Again, these are preliminary plans and I am encourage any feed back.

[swoody126]

GOOD START

QUESTION ¿ can you and your sleeping partner sleep comfortably on a 70" long bed ?

w/ a body width of 72" minus 2 wall thicknesses you will be left w/ only 70"

just this old man's 2¢ worth

sw

[tony.latham]

Looks like you're cranking!

I'm a teardrop guy myself, but how'd you do your sketches? What software?

Tony

[nik1093]

GOOD START

QUESTION ¿ can you and your sleeping partner sleep comfortably on a 70" long bed ?

w/ a body width of 72" minus 2 wall thicknesses you will be left w/ only 70"

just this old man's 2¢ worth

sw

I was a little worried about this. I am 5' 10" so I would max out the width. Shes a little shorter so no problems there. I was able to use my couch as a full scale model since it is 68" long and I can sleep comfortably on it. The height would also be a couple inches shy of 6' but I wanted to make sure it stays as short as possible while still being able to use an interior galley.

Looks like you're cranking!

I'm a teardrop guy myself, but how'd you do your sketches? What software?

Tony

I am using Solidworks for the CAD drawings. I originally wanted a tiny teardrop but I got hooked on the idea of using the galley during some winter camping.

[Homebrewer25]

Lookin good so far. I'll mention a few things that you may want to consider.

1. Door. Campgrounds are usually set up so the passenger side faces the usable area of the campsite (picnic table, fire ring, etc). Power/water/sewer hookups are usually on the driver side. All you would need to do is flip the galley and toilet to put the door on the passenger side.

2. Bed. My wife and I are both 5-9, and I'm sure we would have trouble sleeping on a 70" bed. We both like to sleep stretched out rather than curled up. But if it works for you ...

These 2 may not be important to you, but consider resale value. Lots of people build a TTT, then after using it for a while they see things they'd do different, and end up building a second, third, etc. Features that are uncommon to TTTs may make it harder to sell.

3. 6x8. If there is no compelling reason to stay at 8' long, you could extend the floor 6-12" on both front and rear to give a lot more room.

4. 1500 lb. Foamie!!

I'll bet it was a gorgeous day in Boone yesterday. I know it was over here in Flag Pond.

[nik1093]

Lookin good so far. I'll mention a few things that you may want to consider.

1. Door. Campgrounds are usually set up so the passenger side faces the usable area of the campsite (picnic table, fire ring, etc). Power/water/sewer hookups are usually on the driver side. All you would need to do is flip the galley and toilet to put the door on the passenger side.

2. Bed. My wife and I are both 5-9, and I'm sure we would have trouble sleeping on a 70" bed. We both like to sleep stretched out rather than curled up. But if it works for you ...

These 2 may not be important to you, but consider resale value. Lots of people build a TTT, then after using it for a while they see things they'd do different, and end up building a second, third, etc. Features that are uncommon to TTTs may make it harder to sell.

3. 6x8. If there is no compelling reason to stay at 8' long, you could extend the floor 6-12" on both front and rear to give a lot more room.

4. 1500 lb. Foamie!!

I'll bet it was a gorgeous day in Boone yesterday. I know it was over here in Flag Pond.

Really good point about the door. I’m going to flip it now. Thanks for the information. I understand about resale value but I really didn’t want it to stick out wider than my 01 Tacoma. I think we should be fine with a shorter than normal bed. The dog will have to get used to sleeping on the floor though.

I really don’t have any reason to stick to 8 feet long other than I’d like to use fewer materials in general. Less waste maybe, than piecing in another foot or so. The trailer is 8’5” long now but I was just imagining making a diamond plate step/stoop as the back bumper for the last 5 inches.
A foamie does sound interesting. I originally wanted to make a SIP roof for it but was worried about using those adhesives under the tension of a curved roof moving 65 mph.

Where do you guys find the pink foam everyone uses for foamies?

And it has been gorgeous here the past two days. Trying to get done what I can before that inevitably changes.

[aggie79]

I agree with the posts about bed length. If you can't stretch out full height and are a side sleeper, you'll need extra bed width to keep your bent knee position from crowding out your partner.

Take a look at this build: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25814. It is almost the same size and shape as your TTT. The width on this is 6'-4". Here are a couple of pictures from that build.





The company that built this is no longer in business. The above had a transverse bed like your design, but they also produced a longitudinal bed design (with different layout.) Here's a link to an article about this design: http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house-concept/retro-traveler-1200/.

Rather than increasing the width, you may want to consider a longitudinal bed design cantilevered from the back end of the trailer frame.

[nik1093]

I agree with the posts about bed length. If you can't stretch out full height and are a side sleeper, you'll need extra bed width to keep your bent knee position from crowding out your partner.

Take a look at this build: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25814. It is almost the same size and shape as your TTT. The width on this is 6'-4". Here are a couple of pictures from that build.





The company that built this is no longer in business. The above had a transverse bed like your design, but they also produced a longitudinal bed design (with different layout.) Here's a link to an article about this design: http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house-concept/retro-traveler-1200/.

Rather than increasing the width, you may want to consider a longitudinal bed design cantilevered from the back end of the trailer frame.

That is a really pretty trailer. That frame is interesting too. The layout is identical except it features a more comfortable bed, haha. I will play around with a longitudinal bed design, it does make sense. I have it drawn only a few inches smaller than a full in both directions, but that definitely wouldn't work for everyone. What do you mean cantilevered from the back of the trailer frame? Just so I don't have to put a bed support so far forward in the cabin? Thanks for the input!

Maybe I could do something like this hahah.

[nik1093]

For the floor construction I was thinking something like this.

I would have 1/2" BC exterior ply on the bottom, 1"x3" pine supports on top of that, which is what you see in the drawing, and fill the empty spaces with 1" insulation. I would put another piece of 1/2" BC ply on top and then I was imaging thin carpet or interlocking flooring on top of that. The roadside I would coat with a thick exterior enamel.

Do you guys think this would be substantial? Since it is 6 feet wide, I would biscuit join a 2 foot length of plywood onto a 4'x8' sheet giving me 6'x8'. There are 1x3 pine strips supporting these joints. The sandwiched floor would be screwed and glued, or brad'd and glued.

Thanks!

[nik1093]

I know I am going to get a lot of flack for this, but I can't figure out a way to layout the bed longitudinally and make all my other amenities work. It makes the rest of the space in the cabin very awkward. I do think we can get away with sleeping slightly diagonally for some added length. The bed is 4 ft. wide and could be a few inches wider if need be. My sleeping partner is fine with that and that's good enough for me. It's just marketed for short people! I really don't think I'll have an issue with the length even though it would affect resale value.I'm not sure, kinda at a loss here I guess.
Do you guys think I could get some added length with a bay window style bump out on the side? I'm thinking that might be complicated to seal and maybe more trouble than it's worth.

[jbell.louisburg]

Ever considered something other than a dinette? If so, it opens up lots of possibilities.

If I were forced into a 6x8, and "had" to have a bathroom, and ALSO "had" to have a kitchen....

I'd either do a trifold like this:
https://www.birchlane.com/furniture/pdp ... e=hotdeals

or possibly a 72" jackknife sofa on the far wall (takes up the same bed space when folded out)
https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/a ... s2189.html


It would give you a sitting/eating place when folded up, and a bed when folded out.
Because the bed buts up against the shower curtain, you could let your feet hang off the end.
Splitting the kitchen into 2 pieces also helps.

Kinda like this:

6x8-withkitchen-withbath.jpg (54.01 KiB) Viewed 4360 times

[nik1093]

Ever considered something other than a dinette? If so, it opens up lots of possibilities.

If I were forced into a 6x8, and "had" to have a bathroom, and ALSO "had" to have a kitchen....

I'd either do a trifold like this:
https://www.birchlane.com/furniture/pdp ... e=hotdeals

or possibly a 72" jackknife sofa on the far wall (takes up the same bed space when folded out)
https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/a ... s2189.html


It would give you a sitting/eating place when folded up, and a bed when folded out.
Because the bed buts up against the shower curtain, you could let your feet hang off the end.
Splitting the kitchen into 2 pieces also helps.

Kinda like this:

6x8-withkitchen-withbath.jpg

I was playing around with a sofa bed type deal but it leaves less usable storage space underneath. A dinette, only requires that about 2 feet squared has to stay empty under the bed. Also, the bathroom would be difficult to access with the bed extended. I was thinking the only things I don’t need with the bed out would be the stove and the table. Also, the drawing you have puts the stove on the short end of the camper. I could change the shape but I didn’t want it to be that tall at the back.

Thanks for weighing in on my problem.

[aggie79]

Rather than increasing the width, you may want to consider a longitudinal bed design cantilevered from the back end of the trailer frame.

What do you mean cantilevered from the back of the trailer frame? Just so I don't have to put a bed support so far forward in the cabin?

I was trying to say that structure of the TTT and bed can further back beyond the end of the frame. Take a look at page 2 of this link to see what I mean: https://web.archive.org/web/20160331004452/http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/widget6-general.pdf This the Widget design from the Design Library. (Somehow the library was "obliterated". This is a link to an archive of that page.) In the cross-section of page 2, the TTT structure (orange) and the bed structure (green) extend beyond the back end of the frame.

I never really thought about it until this time, but the Widget design is also similar to your design.

[nik1093]

Rather than increasing the width, you may want to consider a longitudinal bed design cantilevered from the back end of the trailer frame.

What do you mean cantilevered from the back of the trailer frame? Just so I don't have to put a bed support so far forward in the cabin?

I was trying to say that structure of the TTT and bed can further back beyond the end of the frame. Take a look at page 2 of this link to see what I mean: https://web.archive.org/web/20160331004452/http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/widget6-general.pdf This the Widget design from the Design Library. (Somehow the library was "obliterated". This is a link to an archive of that page.) In the cross-section of page 2, the TTT structure (orange) and the bed structure (green) extend beyond the back end of the frame.

I never really thought about it until this time, but the Widget design is also similar to your design.

I see. I was always inspired by the widget. I am working on something that incorporates a 76” bed. I’ll post more when I get a solid idea.