Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[Mary C]

I believe a discussion about wicking No GPW, not wicca but wicking. I have not been able to post pictures but have taken some to show why I have had to take my TD up and off the bed of the trailer bottom with great help from my brother . My problem was living in the south I thought just tucking the canvas under would work but unfinished even glued on canvas will wick moisture even in a barn. I have had to remake or I should say re think and make the canvas go under the trailer wood and be painted not once but several times to prevent any more wicking. The moisture inside showed up as black and smelly After a good wash with clorox and detergent I reglued the canvas under the wood. So my lesson learned is any canvas should be glued and painted and painted wheather put under the floor of wood, foam or cardboard or whatever you have as a floor. Depending on where you live I suggest that you Paint your canvas as soon as possible with two coats of paint sealing the canvas. I will admit I had a mess and almost had to start over. Without giving up any secrets of our reveal lets just say my grits are very cold and have a new pair of white suspenders.

CPO , I think that you really have a neat design, This section is the only place youu can really discuss what you are building and get some really great feedback, I'm not much help on design but I am always willing to give support.

Mary C.

[GPW]

Mary, we had the same problem on the FS. Awaiting good weather for the fix. (no barn, no incantations )

[cpowell243]

Thanks for your comment, Mary. I hope a 3/4" foam hatch with a few gussets will be strong enough if interior covered with bed sheet and glue and exterior is covered with canvas glue.
A few other items for feedback:
I'm thinking of using 2" sides with foam doors on either side of bed, gluing 1X2s to edge of door frames and edge of doors for hardware.
Thinking of cutting 3/4" X 16" X 70" foam pieces, then covering interior of each piece with bed sheets/glue using Rayvillian's method, After the pieces are cut, covered and painted, I would then start at the bottom front with one piece, glue it to both walls, then add/glue a spar, then another foam piece, etc. Idea is to have the pieces covered and painted before installing and having the 1/2's revealed for lights, etc. 2nd step would have another 3/4" foam piece bent (cerfed if necessary) around the rounded front on top of and glued to the spars and 3/4" foam pieces (the top of first layer is flush). Then canvas/glue over the exterior o f the 2nd 3/4" layer. Total roof width then 1 1/2" and no interior sheet installation/painting after installed. ???
Question re: site etiquette. I don't feel like I'm ready to start my own thread yet -is it best to post questions here until I am a little further along? Was anyone able to view my model pics- one response said they were too small.
Thanks again - Charlie

[Ned B]

oh what the hey, I've been in 'concept' stage for 2 years now... start a thread!

[cpowell243]

Think I may have improved photo quality of my models if anyone cares to view and comment.
Th - cpowell243
gallery/image.php?album_id=3840&image_id=128480
gallery/image.php?album_id=3840&image_id=128478
gallery/image.php?album_id=3840&image_id=128477
gallery/image.php?album_id=3840&image_id=128465

[cpowell243]

Since my plan is to build a foamier Winter Warrior I need to hinge my roof. Any opinions on using:

Living Hinges (from US Plastics website):
Used nationwide in a variety of applications including supermarket food bin covers, aircraft storage doors, and home cabinetry. Also used throughout the medical industry and in the military, where long life an resistance to harsh environments are essential. Performs particularly well as low as -40°F, critical in such areas as refrigeration, freezers, and other home and industrial uses. Made of PVC and Hytrel. Sold in 6’ lengths. #91623 is pictured. Hinges are clear PVC with a web in the middle divider.

Since continuous plastic no leakage through the hinge itself and can be screwed directly to the roof and trailer with sealant underneath the hinge. Appear to be UV/cold resistant and one website claimed 1 million+ flexes without fatigue. Has anyone tried these with a hatch?

Th - cpowell243

[Wobbly Wheels]

Models are always a good tool
In looking back at the sketch on the previous page, I notice you've got a walkway on each side of a 50" wide bed. I think most would agree that's typically pretty narrow for two people. I'm doing 50" myself, but 90% of the time it'll be just me since my wife doesn't camp and I wanted to keep it narrow. It seems to me that the space on each side of the bed would be more appreciated in the long run as bed width, but that's just an opinion.

I started a thread a while ago asking about hinges. I had narrowed it down to piano vs hurricane hinge for my build, but there are some comments about living hinges as well. It's come up before so there should be more threads on the topic in here somewhere, though I know the search function is a little rough.

I took the liberty of posting your pics so others don't have to open the links:

[cpowell243]

Thanks for comment and posting of pics WW - we have slept on double beds without difficulty so I think we'll be OK. Walkway is a major goal since my 1st TD had a 54"W queen air mattress and getting in and out with no place to plant a foot was a problem.
Any thoujghts on whether the beveled design (for reduced wind resistance) is worth the trouble?
cp

[Wobbly Wheels]

...we have slept on double beds without difficulty...

Gotcha - to each their own.

Any thoughts on whether the beveled design (for reduced wind resistance) is worth the trouble?

If it would normally be sticking out past the sides of the tow vehicle into the air stream without the bevel, then yes - I would say it's worthwhile. If you are towing with a full size van, probably not. It will obviously narrow the head of the bed as well but, looking at your sketch, that shouldn't be a problem. The V-berths in boats are always built that way out of necessity.

[kudzu]

This is just a note which only applies if you want to use standard sized mattress & sheets. Standard "Full" or "Double" bed size is 54" w X 75" l and "Queen" is 60" w X 80" l. FWIW, am confident we could camp comfortably with a 50"wide mattress. The 54" mattress in my camper feels wide enough for everyday use.

We only have a queen size mattress at home because of the added length. We got that for BF's benefit. Though the cats seem to think we have the extra space so we can share "their" bed with them.

[cpowell243]

updated BEULA design with rounded front.
gallery/image.php?album_id=3840&image_id=128493
gallery/image.php?album_id=3840&image_id=128492
cpowell243

[Mary C]

Like the name.
.
Mary C

[cpowell243]

Loraine named our first TD BELLA:
Best Ever Little Luxurious Accomodations
BEULA is thus:
Best Ever Ultralight Luxurious Accomodations.

[GPW]

Found this ... Interesting testing of foam as used by one of the young model airplane guys ... most all applies to Foamies eh !!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktKjbefoPis

[Ned B]

GPW thought you'd get a kick out of this on youtube...

http://youtu.be/QS2kVyqROkQ

just ignore the hard form of rain..