Greetings from Gadget Man in Minnesota

[Gadget Man]

Greetings all.
I discovered this site a few weeks ago while searching for information on van life living. I think I have watched every You Tube video there is on vans, Class-B's and Cargo trailers, anything to do with living on the road. One day I landed on the Without Bound documentary, which lead me to this site. 

My past....
We've owned a dozen campers over the years, starting with a couple pop-ups, then 24-26 foot travel trailers, a 27 foot class -C then a couple toy-haulers to haul our motorcycle. I've always been tied to driving big V-8 tow vehicles. 
I built a tear drop camper from scratch a few years back and my last project was a 7x16 tandem axle cargo trailer conversion. It was built to be a toy hauler as well with fold up Jack-Knife sofa beds in the back, A/C - heat, bathroom, etc. It was very nice, but heavy. I think I enjoyed building it more than using it. Every camper I've ever owned has been rebuilt, modified or changed in some way to beef it up and make it more usable for us.

My Present...
I currently do not own a camper and have been doing all my recent camping on my motorcycle and sleeping in either a tent or with my hammock. I do own a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan mini-van. It has the "fold and go" seating so everything can be folded flat in the back. I'm thinking of making this a weekend camper by building a bed and adding a small countertop. I think my camping has come full-circle back to minimalist camping, going with just the basics. 

My future...
I have a  5 year plan to get entirely out of debt, sell most of my stuff and hit the road. I've started whittling down on stuff. I had a garage sale this spring and made $1200. I sold a ton of stuff and have never looked back, I don't miss any of it. I've sold miscellaneous things on E-bay and have donated a lot to local charities. I'm going to start looking for an extended cargo van with a high top. I'll take my time and find just the perfect van.
I own lots of wood working tools plus welders and sewing machines to make my own curtains and cushions. I know my van build will be a year long project. I'll use it for a weekend camper to fine tune everything before actually going full time. Once the van is finished, those tools will all be sold. 
These are my short and long term goals, everyone needs a starting point. 

I'm excited to read everything on this site and gather as much information as possible long the way. 

Thanks for having me.

 

[B and C]

Welcome aboard.  There is a wealth of knowledge here and it sounds like you have some of your own to add to the collective "brain" trust.   
It took me most of a year to get through a lot of the posts/blogs and I have learned a lot from them.

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome Gadget Man

Looking forward to your posts of creating the new rig .

Pitch in whenever you have something to add.

 

[WriterMs]

Sounds like you have very solid plans. And I'm sure that downsizing your "stuff" now is helping you get even more focused on the ultimate goal.

And like popeye mentioned, folks here will hound you for pics of every stage of the build -- especially since you have done so many and are sure to be using well-tested ideas. LOL

Welcome

 

[jimindenver]

Gadgets eh? Well you have come to the right place. we have gadgets that charge, convert, invert, make coffee, cook, cool, freeze, heat, shower, vent, solar, connect and so on.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Gadget Man! We are going to love watching your build. Most of us don't have all of the tools or experience that you have so it'll be fun seeing how you do it. Don't forget to keep us updated!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[cargovanconversion]

If a little experience comes with the tools you have, you may accomplish a lot with modifications to your vehicle.

Good luck and report back on your progress.

Van Williams

 

[Gadget Man]

Here is a link to Gadget Mans Adventure Trailer build in case anyone is interested in checking out my build log.
There are tons of pictures that can hopefully help someone looking to do a cargo trailer conversion.
The link will take you to another forum group.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=45992

Thanks 
Please ask questions if you feel the need.

 

[WriterMs]

Wow. With 18 pages to scroll through (including all the comments by your readers), I did not read very much of your text at all (I have no building skills). But once I saw the big empty trailer.. it was like peanuts.. I had to keep going until I saw how it turned out. A big wow on your execution of using every available inch for storage.

I'm sure there are several on this forum who will dive right in to all the details.. and also enjoy all the shots of your tools and toys in the garage. LOL

Fantastic.

 

[highdesertranger]

well WriterMs has a lot more curiosity then I do. I only got though the 1st page. now I might have to go over the whole thread. I only wish you did the build thread on this forum. highdesertranger

 

[WriterMs]

HDR and others... I admit I have an untrained eye and zeor knowledge on the techniques he uses and such. But I had looked at a few manufactured small toy hauler trailers a few years back with my ex. NOTHING like all the clever stuff he packs into his. Tons of wiring shots you guys will no doubt enlarge, etc. Even a little tool pegboard in the water storage outside access area. Scroll is your friend to get to Gadget's own postings. LOL

I can see, however, that he paid for all the luxuries (built-in bar with bottle holders) with a lot of weight (as he mentions in his first post).

 

[Gadget Man]

Thanks Guys. 
I wasn't even aware of this forum when I started the Adventure Trailer build. 
I was already in that group from when I built my first Teardrop camper, The Weekender. There are only about 10 pictures of that trailer in my photo album, if you click on my name and go to my profile page. 

I know it's a lot to go through, but at least go through the first couple pages, then the last few. That will give you a good idea of how it turned out.

Thanks

 

[Sabatical]

My goodness GM you do really nice work! Glad to have you aboard.