Cheap Chevy Suburban Camper

[trailer-t]

Jeff,  The "floor" is just a sheet of half inch plywood with rubber back carpeting glued on.  There is a removable cut out area for when the middle passenger seat is up.  The whole thing just slides in over the old carpeting. It is not attached. If your middle seats are removed you could just build legs on the front with 2" by 3" legs and shelf braces as shown in one of Bob Wells recent simple no-build videos.  The back pull out trays are just varnished 3/4" plywood sandwiched under a separate 2' by 4' piece of plywood.  The spare tire is in a bad spot, but where else to go with it? I am thinking about maybe some sort of top carrier.  I don't see a lot to be gained in tearing up the side panels. Flipping the front seat is well worth the effort but you need to remove the headrest (blind spot) and armrest (to access the latch to open the door.) The cot has 12.5 inches of storage under.  T

 

[jethro]

Hey Trailer T... thanks for the feedback! I thought I would post to the thread with an update. I've been a bit busy with my 03 Yukon and have the majority of the living/sleeping space completed. My goal in the next 2 months is to be living in it full time stealthing it in my home town as I still work full time. My situation is much like Bob's in that I recently went through a divorce and am tired of being so strapped all the time. (Half my income goes to my ex[emoji15] I still need to install solar which I have a 120watt suitcase which I plan on mounting on top. I would also like to install a fantastic fan before the warm weather sets in. It can be miserably hot and humid here in east Tennessee in the summer.
Like you T, I just placed a half inch sanded ply on floor over the carpet.i made a platform bed out of 3/4 ply and 2x4 legs as Bob has shown in his videos. I have 10" of clearance under for storage bins. I am 5' 10" but made the bed 4'10" with an added 1 foot board on hinges that flips up when I sleep and down when I need extra room behind the driver's seat. I can actually sit in my ply floor at the foot of the bed when the extension is flipped down. This allows me to work in the open space behind the driver's seat. I left in my passenger seat on the right as I have two daughters that ride with me on occasion. I have found that the backseat right passenger seat makes for a great recliner and I can prop my legs on my center console To relax.
The hardest part of the build for me, having no carpentry experience or skill, was designing the wooden frame to support my storage bins in the back on the left side. I used a scribing tool, which Bob Illustrated in one of his videos to cut the curves to fit in the window area. It took me a whole day to do just that part. The frame is just secured to the inside sheet metal of the truck with brackets. It is extremely sturdy. It was a lot of fun doing the build. I find that I am still a bit apprehensive about making this change as I know it will be a major adjustment. My biggest concern is fighting the heat. I have seen videos on how to make a cooler /air conditioner by cutting a hole in top and placing a fan and curved PVC for outflow. With my job I have access to a freezer with unlimited freezer packs that I can alternate in the cooler. I only plan on using the cooler at night for when I am sleeping. Hopefully it will take the edge off of the Heat. I guess that's it for now. If anyone has any words of encouragement to take the plunge and handle the growing apprehension I would greatly appreciate it. I have attached the pictures for you guys to see. Happy nomatic living to everyone!

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[B and C]

For no carpentry skills you have done a bang up good job. Looks professional to me.

 

[trailer-t]

Hi Jeff, Nice work! Now you have me eyeing those side areas in the back-- very nice fit. Looks like a good amount of storage there (I think I have enough storage for my current use, but those shelves look great). Where is your spare? Mine is mounted upright by the Jack storage area (right in the way). The bed frame looks solid---much more stable than a cot for full time. You have the exact same curtain setup behind the front seats that I now have.

Those Cooler/AC things are pretty interesting if you have unlimited access to freezer packs. I just have a Fantastic Fan Endless Breeze, but still no 12 volt installed in the truck at this point. How does that Buddy heater do? The one I have in my 7 x 12 cargo trailer is more than adequate when it is in the 40s--gets too hot.

Can you sit up on the bed without your head hitting the ceiling? That is my biggest issue. I have considered removing my right side middle seat to have a lower area for the porta potty, but it is not really needed for where I camp presently. Do you have a pic showing the area behind the driver seat? What are you using that for?

Looks like the hardest part is done. Congrats! T

 

[jethro]

Hey T
In answer to some of your questions...
I currently have nothing in the area behind the driver's seat... it is the bare carpet floor. I've been thinking about and debating on what items to put in that area. Right now it is my primary entrance to the back of the SUV So I don't want it cluttered with too many things. I will need to find a place for a house battery at some point. I have cut down a small square of plywood which is supported and leveled by little scraps of two by four blocks. That's where I intend on sitting on the loo... so that my head doesn't hit the ceiling. Currently sitting on my bed even at 10in I still have to hunker down a little...
I just purchased this Porta-Potty on Amazon today
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FIDZLI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_EJomEb7MF4VEP

and it is only 14.7 inch high. I plan on putting it inside a foldable ottoman

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010U5LTTK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_jLomEb8SDV65V


so that it's not exposed when not in use and then I can sit on the ottoman down in that bare place behind the driver's seat if needed.

I don't have any pictures of that area behind the driver's seat yet.... so I will take one tomorrow and post it on the thread. Basically the plywood floor over hangs the drop area where the passenger seat was and I have 2 (2x4) legs to keep level and support it. I can actually sit on that and do things around that open space. That's why I made the fold down portion of my bed. It gives me one more place to sit and maneuver around.

I will add that I don't have my bed anchored down to the plywood floor yet. The other day I had to brake suddenly and my bed came sliding forward and hit the back of the driver's seat pretty hard. It could be a very dangerous thing having your living quarters unsecured in the back.[emoji15]

I do have the Mr. Buddy Heater and have not actually used it while sleeping in the truck as of yet. I know it does get really hot really quick in small spaces. My plan is to turn it on only when it's really cold to warm up the truck and then turn it off before actually going to sleep. .. then maybe upon waking before getting up from the sleeping bag in the mornings...[emoji3063]

I just got the 9" usb opolar fan today. I'm not really sure if this make-shift cooler ac thing will actually work. I'll have to update the group after I've tested it in warm weather. Here's the link to the one I plan on making from YouTube.



Since I wont be traveling much initially and will be in my home city I will have a storage unit rented for all my camping, biking and kayaking gear to access when needed. I have my planet fitness membership for cleaning up. I've actually slept in my truck in the parking lot of my current apt complex a few times with no one none the wiser...I'm hopeful it with be an easy spot to rotate in and out in my nighttime camping/stealth places.

Thanks for the responses and encouragement from everyone.
I'll post a few extra pictures tomorrow.




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[jethro]

Oh I forgot to mention that my spare tire is located underneath the vehicle so it's not in the way....that stinks yours is inside the back[emoji31]

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