Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Works

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby Pmullen503 » Wed Feb 17, 2021 4:37 pm

Nice to see the whole thing with the walls up! I envy all the room and ceiling height.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Wed Feb 17, 2021 10:42 pm

Thanks PMullen - definitely nice to see it taking shape. It has more head room than I strictly need, but since it folds up I'll take it.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby Terra6 » Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:39 am

Looking good. :thumbsup:
You must be very excited and happy at this stage
Couple thoughts on your previous questions.

Flooring. Definitely go with an all plastic hard floor. Especially for winter use. Use small carpettes in winter.
I used plastic planks and don't worry about water at all. Used a 1/2 inch solid plastic stone which is tough and durable as well. Costs more but I got it on sale. Besides, can install last and the actual exposed floor won't be allot so not that big an expense.

Tongue length
The minimum that you would require is 1/2 the width of the tow.
vehicle plus a bit. Allows for 90 degree turns without contacting. Can go longer by a few inches for more sharp turning clearance cushion if desired.
Necessary? If your angle is that sharp, what have you got yourself into? :shock: :lol:
With a trailer, forethought and skill come into play.

So what's the plan for roof attachment and sealing?

Did the same overbuild to 6x10 on a HF 4x8. Extended 1 foot on all sides. Points to consider, chassis and or floor flex effects and wheelwells. Light build helps allot with flex to a certain point. But not for enclosing the wheels. Had a flat once and a tire blowout can cause serious damage at speed. The original tires are only rated to 55mph if I remember correctly. Why many up size to a 13 inch tire. Those 12 inch originals are ok but consider changing if going to do any serious miles.
HF had to stop selling their trailers for a few years due to tire and DOT issues fyi.
On the road to Shambala...
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Fri Feb 19, 2021 1:45 pm

Thanks for all the info Terra - super helpful!

As to the roof, here are the sketches of project:

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The roof will be foam/PMF with wood frame around the edge, two lengthwise 1X spars, and a number of crosswise spars. Has to be pretty strong in case of snow. There will be a skirt made of 1/4" ply that extends down 8 inches in order to weather proof it when set up or when in tow mode. I'm going to put some pretty thick foam weatherizing tape around the top of the walls so that the roof will rest on that when set up.

I'll use some latches to keep it down. I bought something like this https://www.grainger.com/product/3VUN5? ... gIPafD_BwE

Flexible T latches. But I'll make the final decision on latch type after making the roof. For a designer of my amateur abilities there are always some unforeseen issues at junctures like that.

Definitely open to sizing up the tires at some point, but not for the present.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby OP827 » Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:51 pm

TinkerTailor wrote:Question: how many louver vents should I install for my space of roughly 6' X 11' X 6'?

- I found this article on campervan ventilation, hope it helps.

Question: are you planning on installing a lift assist to raise front and back walls similar to Esterel's design?

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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Sun Feb 21, 2021 10:29 pm

Thanks, Oleg, for the article. It is helpful.

For now I'm not going to install any struts, but I may add them later.

No pics yet, but started installing the windows I made today, so I'm plunking along. Then doors and roof. We'll see - I'd like to get a ski trip in this season if possible.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:36 pm

Quick update:

Windows are built/installed. Should have done fewer windows and store bought, but what's done is done. I made the opening windows as simply as I could. painted wood frames, with the plexiglass screwed onto the inside. Screw holes were drilled with room for expansion, etc., and the joint between frame and pane caulked with a thin bead of flexible caulk. We'll see how they do. Non-opening windows just have the panes glued, screwed, and caulked in the rabbets in the walls.

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I also installed the tongue box where my diesel heater and a battery to run it will be located.

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I have built the doors and am in the processing of finishing them with spar varnish, then on to installing them with piano hinges and hardware, etc. No photos of the doors yet. Then comes the roof. Closer and closer.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby OP827 » Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:17 am

It's coming together beautifully!

I think your windows are great, simply because they come with a lifetime warranty for labor and parts, they are lighter than a store bought units, which is especially important with foldable design and they are way more economical. And if needed you can fix a double pane on outside for cold weather camping. With this folding design the windows are only exposed to sun and weather when the camper is up. They should last much longer than in a usual camper.
This is your creation and the factor of design simplicity and practicality is what makes your build unique and inspiring.
Although it took me time to design and build with learning on the way, I still like my home made windows for the above reasons and would do it again.
This is a great build, thanks for sharing here.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:46 pm

Thanks again, Oleg -

Lifetime warranty on parts and labor - emphasis on the labor! But you're right. Glad you are finding the build interesting and worthwhile. It's nowhere near as technical and carefully crafted as yours, but at least I'm making it happen!

Here are a few pics of the doors in progress. They are foam cores, timber frames, and ply skins. Reddish side will be indoors, lighter side out:

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Here is a shot of the trailer with windows in.

164539
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby OP827 » Fri Mar 26, 2021 10:57 am

About diesel heater clicking pump noise. I saw on youtube that hanging the pump on zip ties or some rubber bands helps with the noise reduction, so it does not touch any parts around to propagate the solenoid metal click. Good call with placing the heater in a separate box on the tongue too.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:37 pm

That's a great tip, Oleg. I will definitely do that when I set everything up with the heater. Thanks. Should have some more updates on the build soon... Roof is under construction.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Tue Apr 20, 2021 11:01 pm

Ok. I have built most of the roof structure and just put it up on the camper today.

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Pretty exciting to have a roof up there, but it was a bit of a struggle to put it up and down - more so than I expected, so I think I will be installing gas struts, as Oleg suggested. I also plan to install small casters into recesses in the top of the front and back wall so that they will roll more smoothly along the inside surface of the roof as they are pulled up.

I started looking at liftsupportsdepot.com tonight. I need to figure out what struts I need. Any advice on this process? I think I will copy to the extent possible the mechanism on the Esterel as seen in the photo Oleg posted earlier in the thread. I'll see about weighing the walls and roof tomorrow. We will see how that goes.

The camper felt nice and spacious inside with the roof up:

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A few other roof-related shots:

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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby OP827 » Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:43 pm

Did you see these builds: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbnMvXtbmCvza4Tcpd3B4ZA ?
Valentine's latest build used gas struts. Note that gas strut can put substantial constant(when stored and especially when towing) force on its brackets, which means reinforcement is a must in the attachment areas and folding wall hinges should be able to sustain that as well.
The strut assisting force can be calculated from the mechanism geometry and wall weight. I think that it should only be assisting for lifting not to be difficult, because if the strut is too strong then it may damage the attachment points and hinges, especially during towing with vibration and shocks added to its static force.

Rollers on the walls would probably be required once you install struts.

I also saw that some webbing or metal strips were used to limit roof to wall free movement. That way the roof cannot be blown away as the strips would hold the roof down. These strips can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuK47--luPY. Other designs I saw had the strips on the walls themselves, instead of edges, but the idea is the same.

Hope this helps, would be interesting to learn the weight of walls and roof.
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:26 pm

Good info, as always Oleg. Thank you. I'll study those tonight. Another option that occurred to me, and that I think I'll try prior to engineering the strut solution, is to use a crank operated speaker stand to lift the ends of the roof as I set up each end, as seen in this video (though I'd be using it outside the camper):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcr0qgHgjg
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Re: Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Work

Postby TinkerTailor » Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:05 pm

I took the roof off and weighed it, putting one end of the roof on the scale, while the other end was supported on the floor, in order to mimic the weight supported while raising one end in the set-up process. The weight is only 36 lbs, But it feels like much more than that given the size and awkwardness, especially with a little bit of wind.

There is no PMF or paint on the top side, so it will be a bit heavier when all is said and done.
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