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DIY Camper or Trailer?

Kevinlj74

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Looking for opinions and/or experience with either.

I've been using my RTT for a few years and love it during good weather, however when the weather turns bad, gets cold, and the dreaded wind starts blowing, the short falls of a RTT really become apparent. I really want a hard sided camping solution that has no fabric what so ever. This is manly for wind, I hate the noise from fabric shelters when its windy. Better insulation and weather proofing is also desired.
I've come up with what I feel is a pretty good DIY design for a hard sided wedge pop up slide in camper. I chose a slide in design for complete wether sealing. A camper "cap" is nearly impossible to completely seal ( mainly in the tailgate area ). Being slide in, I can design a hopefully clever way to store camper jacks on it when traveling that don't decrease clearance, allowing me to unload it and then explore in the truck.
My wife has a 5th get 4runner. It would be great to have a hard sided camping solution that could be used with both vehicles. This means an off road trailer seems to be the only solution. I've also got a design for a hard sided pop up off road trailer that uses the same principles as the camper. The reason for a "pop up" design is to able to stand up, and have livable space to be inside for extended periods during bad weather, but keep size and height in check for off road travel.
I've considered a lot of the pros and cons of each, It would be nice to have something compatible with both vehicles.
Does anybody here have experience with an off-road trailer? Any have any experience with a slide in camper ( pop up or not)?
 
Have you checked out the "redtail overlanding" hard walled RTT? You could use that design as a reference for building your own, if you went that route.

1619451253335.png
 
I’ve looked at the Redtail. It looks pretty awesome, but I wonder how many they will sell for 20k+. The amount of moving parts for a design like this is a little out of my wheel house for a DIY project. I would be worried about it being truly “weather sealed” with my skill level. I have an idea for a pretty simple wedge design that is hard sided that moves as one unit. I think it would be much easier to keep sealed. Added bonus is that weather I build it as a trailer or a camper, I would be able to stand up in it.
 
I’ve looked at the Redtail. It looks pretty awesome, but I wonder how many they will sell for 20k+. The amount of moving parts for a design like this is a little out of my wheel house for a DIY project. I would be worried about it being truly “weather sealed” with my skill level. I have an idea for a pretty simple wedge design that is hard sided that moves as one unit. I think it would be much easier to keep sealed. Added bonus is that weather I build it as a trailer or a camper, I would be able to stand up in it.
I know they sold out of their pre-orders. The money's there if you target the right market.

Have you checked out "four wheel campers"? Another good option for design inspiration
 
Have you checked out the "redtail overlanding" hard walled RTT? You could use that design as a reference for building your own, if you went that route.

1619451253335.png
this could be made from plywood and sealed to perfection. seems like a cool project actually
itd weigh more, but be that much more durable than carbon.
but quite honestly, looking at it, id just as soon make the sides soft with zippers and reduce the weight
 
this could be made from plywood and sealed to perfection. seems like a cool project actually
itd weigh more, but be that much more durable than carbon.
but quite honestly, looking at it, id just as soon make the sides soft with zippers and reduce the weight
That's my Delima....I desire a hard sided solution. With that comes a weight penalty. For truly 4 season all weather conditions, I have come to the conclusion, through some experience, that a hard sided structure is the way to go. How to do that in a DIY setting to get exactly what I want, Save money, and have something that is decent quality, is a challenge when I consider myself to have "average" skills. I am in no way interested in starting a business building this type of camper solution, but I would think that there has to be a way to disrupt the market and build a hard sided camper, either as a trailer, or slide in truck camper, or both, and keep the cost lower than what is currently on the market. There are a few companies like Scout camper that are taking a more minimalist approach to save weight, however the cost is still very high. I'm trying to build what I want in terms of off-road performance, amenities, and weight while trying to keep the cost as low as possible. I'm not and engineer, and this creates a little frustration when trying to be creative in design to hit those goals, but it's also fun in a way.
We'll see if I change my mind in 5 minutes, but I think I have settled on a Off-road trailer for now. Mostly, because I want something that can be be used with my Taco or my wife's 4Runner. I think it will be the easiest to build with my skill set and still hit my main goals of being hard sided, being able to stand up ( with a hard pop up wedge design to keep it low for off-road), be light as possible ( strength to weight ratio), and not cost 15,000 to 20,000 dollars.
 
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