Not so much a journal but pics

[Bretster]

I used 1” foam because 3/4” is very hard to find in Canada. I laminated 18mm & 6mm to get to 1”. A bit of sanding with an orbital sander to level things off.

Roof and all interior skins are 3mm. Exterior walls are 6mm.

I deviated from Tony’s design in the galley. Because I didn’t include a headboard/cupboard in the cabin I bumped the galley wall forward so I could orient the cooler the opposite way. And rather than adding 6mm ply to the entire galley interior walls to provide a surface for the d-seal to butt up against, I mirrored the curve to make about a 10cm wide boomerang shaped piece, necessitating the notch in the counter. I think the cooler slider is 28”. Yes, I would do this again. I wouldn’t reduce the thickness of the gusset, not a risk worth taking. I did everything I could to save weight and every little bit helps, hence the boomerang.

They are Vintage Tech doors. They seem fine but at this point are untested.

As far as things I would do differently? Not a whole lot. I might have stuck more closely to Tony’s plans and techniques to avoid rookie mistakes, but I wanted light and I had different priorities than he did so the design needed to change. The 1” skeleton and insulation I would have avoided if I could, it was a lot of extra work. Finally, my biggest mistake was trying an experimental weatherproofing. I originally tried several coats of diluted TB2 followed by primer and paint (both good quality). Seams and screws were handled using thickened epoxy. Trailer is outside but under a lean-to so fairly protected. It didn’t last a winter. Spring time showed checking on the roof curves. So by trying to avoid fibreglass and epoxy, I ended up doing a lot of extra work to sand back to the plywood.

Anyhow, for a first effort I am pretty happy. It looks pretty good, it is strong and safe, and I am confident it won’t leak.

Bret




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[Bretster]

Tony,
Nailing the color was an accident. My wife picked the color, although your book may have been lying around and she may have subconsciously picked a similar color. I downloaded a pile of TD pics of various bold colors (we wanted something people wouldn’t run into) for her and she picked an orange-red. And thanks for the compliment, I couldn’t have done it without you and the tnttt website.

Bret


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[Hubert]

Bret,

thank you for your detailed reply, I really appreciate it. I also want to rotate the cooler like you did and it's good to see how you made it fit. I had not really considered moving the bulkhead. Something to think about.

Anyhow, for a first effort I am pretty happy. It looks pretty good, it is strong and safe, and I am confident it won’t leak.

You're too modest, I think your camper turned out awesome!