Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Thu Jan 07, 2016 7:35 am

Camping is what it’s all about !!! :thumbsup: Foamies make it more affordable .... My first trailer was wooden and cost almost $3000.00 + a lot of time/labor , and although what we wanted , it just didn’t last , and we sold it for a Big Loss ... :cry: ..
Our first Foamie cost the price of a HF trailer and glue , we had or scavenged everything else ... The Bigger Foamstream , costs ~ $800.00 ... Big difference from the usual trailer build prices ... :roll: And the Foamies have held up ... living outside with no covers... :o

The more they’re seen, the more they’ll become accepted ... ;)
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Sat Feb 06, 2016 10:46 am

OK, adjust your drool cups ..... Check this out , it’s a fiberglass kit on Flea bay , but I’d bet it would be possible to make one from foam too ... :o
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby KCStudly » Sat Feb 06, 2016 11:14 am

Curious about the kit. Do you have a link?
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby Wolffarmer » Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:09 pm

GPW wrote:OK, adjust your drool cups ..... Check this out , it’s a fiberglass kit on Flea bay , but I’d bet it would be possible to make one from foam too ... :o


A bill block of foam and a sureform file.
"these guys must be afraid of the dark"
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:30 pm

The Link ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/AEROLUX-ART-DEC ... 2268298592

Wolf , yeah , that’s what I was thinking , or even doing like Rowerwet does and glue sections together and sand ... Sure is a Cute trailer huh !!! JMHO FWIW ... :roll:
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby KCStudly » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:34 pm

From the seller's blog page (http://aeroluxtrailer.blogspot.com/) - "A note to copycats, The Aerolux trailer name and the body design are intellectually protected.
Infringements will be vigilantly prosecuted."

But it wouldn't take much to come up with your own variation on a similarly shapely shape. I don't think anyone can lay claim to the concept of a body kit, or rounded shapes.

Just saying for the record.

Although there appear to have been at least three of these built, the blog provides surprisingly little details, and shows big gaps between inception and following entries.

Still, it makes a very neat looking 8 ft camper (maybe 8ft 5inch... blog states 8ft but states that the profile hangs off of the back of the chassis by 3inches, then the chassis sketch shows 98inches long, not 96).

Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Sat Feb 06, 2016 6:14 pm

Yes , I only liked the shape ( pretty picture ) ... Thought that would be able to be done with Foam ... ( sorta’ ‘ish ) Just a thought for some new ideas , as we tend to produce nice “Boxes “ around here ... :roll:
Sorry , I’m not much for Kits ... More fun building from scratch , and since we’re not in a business , who cares , but us anyway ... :D
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby KCStudly » Sat Feb 06, 2016 9:11 pm

I get it. No criticism intended toward you, GPW. Just spewing my thoughts after looking closer at the creator's info.
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Sun Feb 07, 2016 8:35 am

You probably know , we’d not want to shell out Two grand on some fiberglass parts sight unseen ( in person ) ... Not that I don’t trust the internet , but as Bill Maher said “ the great information superhighway has turned into Bulls**t Boulevard “ ... :roll: Buyer Beware ...
Why only this morning I received an urgent e-mail regarding renewing my domain name , but it was not the company I have registered , and it was 5 times more expensive ... SCAM , and in my opinion absolutely Criminal !!! ... :thumbdown:

Intellectually protected ....what a Crock of Bluff ... one small change and there goes their “protection” ... :o
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby ghcoe » Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:48 am

GPW wrote:Intellectually protected ....what a Crock of Bluff ... one small change and there goes their “protection” ... :o


In this case they are protecting themselves from someone who may purchase their kit and use it to make new molds to sell.
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby ghcoe » Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:52 am

GPW wrote:Camping is what it’s all about !!! :thumbsup: Foamies make it more affordable .... My first trailer was wooden and cost almost $3000.00. The Bigger Foamstream , costs ~ $800.00 ... Big difference from the usual trailer build prices ... :roll:


I just did a materials needed list for my next 4'x6.5" build and it came in under $800.00. With the build being simplified I think I could build it in a week. So even labor will be low. :thumbsup:
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Gorrilla Glue, Great Stuff and Gripper. The three G's of foamie construction.

My build viewtopic.php?t=54099
Working with flashing for foamie construction viewtopic.php?f=55&t=60303
Making a hot wire http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=55323
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Sun Feb 07, 2016 12:51 pm

Foamies ... Makes comfortable camping affordable for regular folks like you and me ... :D 8) :thumbsup: You can probably do a little “Salvage “ and beat that price too ... :thinking:

Gh , I suppose you’re right about the copyists ... Those who would steal another’s work ... They are everywhere ... :roll:
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby Mary C » Mon Feb 08, 2016 6:59 pm

GPW, I think why people tend to even go foamie is limited building skills and also being intimidated by the voracious curves and how to manage them. I am thinking of how to get limited curves on my standie build. and I know some have built because I have said my age and ability's so they wont be intimidated, and foam seems easy. I could never build with aluminum, it scares :frightened: me to think about it. I was all set to build a woodie when I found foamies. The purest seem to forget that other than the companies building tears in the 30s 40, and 50s people were building their own travel trailers. As you know even since I have been on here several companies have stopped manufacturing trailers, They know we can build a basic travel camping trailer out of Foam for less than $900. The largest problem I see is money, if you have it by all means buy, but if you don't you have to find what works for you and your pocket book. Now that I have built one my passion :twisted: is for building and camping. My next one will cost a lot less than the first. I don't like fiber glass. and I personally don't care :thumbdown: for the look of that "greenish one
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby GPW » Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:32 am

You’re completely right Mary , The money and the skill ... I was totally PO’d when my almost $3000.00 wooden TD build started having immediate problems ... :x But then I didn’t know ,eh ? :roll: Still traumatized by the unexpected 5 week Katrina evacuation , we knew we needed to provide some kind of shelter for the wife and I ,should it ever happen again ... :frightened: Then we read Glassice’s thread about his fiberglass and foam trailer , That was the game changer , although we never did find out if he ever finished it or not .... Seems like he just disappeared ... :o

Now , after having tried a commercial trailer too ( What a Huge disappointment and waste (loss) of $20,000 ... :duh: ) Foam was the most Affordable alternative ... :thumbsup: It works ...
Your trailer looks great ( and comfortable ) !!! :thumbsup: 8) :dancing
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Re: Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

Postby Ned B » Wed Feb 10, 2016 2:38 am

GPW I'm just glad the foamstream has worked so well as hurricane deterrent... Now that you've got it built & ready you haven't needed it!
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