Popup Camper to enclosed travel trailer concept.

[bullfrog]

Your are right at the place many here have gotten to in the past in your thought process. You really want a small self contained trailer. There are very few out there and the ones that are cost way too much. Cargo trailers in most cases are better trailers but usually once built out cost too much or weigh more than you are willing to tow. Teardrops and tiny trailer.com has hundreds of really nice homebuilts and the foamies section trailers can be built with minimal skills but it is a lot of work to make them well especially if you want something self contained. Older camper trailers do not age well and usually develop water leaks which usually mean rebuilding most if not all the trailer again a lot of work plus they tend to be heavier than the newer light weight trailers. You might want to consider buying a quality dual axle flatbed trailer large enough to fit a car on. Then you can mount a truck camper on it, build a box to put on it or do as HDR did and mount a tent trailer on it. If it doesn't work out you can always sell the trailer or keep it. Flatbed trailers are very handy to have around. I was able to build a well insulated box 80" wide x 144" long x 72" tall which had 2 beds and bathroom and works well for my wife and I for less than $2500.

 

[XERTYX]

Yeah I may have to reconsider my plans. I found 4'x8' underlayment that's about 0.196" think I believe. Each panel weighs 17 pounds. I was thinking of that for both the exterior and interior. Definitely affordable @$15 a sheet. Its interior grade though but not particle board so I thought about painting it and seeing if it would weather.

Also I'm thinking now if I do go with a popup I'd have to strip everything and have the bed and a floor drain with shower curtain instead of an enclosure. One small counter and a portable stove to take outside to cook and a butane stove to cook inside when it's raining or too windy.

That would be a lot less weight.

 

[closeanuf]

Bullfrog I've been thinking about the same thing.  Can we see some pictures?

 

[bullfrog]

I'm world's worst at photo and computer skills. Teardrops and Tiny Trailers site has many good examples much better than what I have done. I basically used Poor Mans Fiberglass (PMF) to waterproof a box. It really doesn't matter what the box is built out of as long as it never gets wet. The secret to not getting wet is to not put holes in it. There are no holes in the roof and a slight arch to keep water from pooling would be a good idea as I have had to do some maintenance as mine is flat. I used a door and vent from an RV which the holes for them were framed in wood which were then sealed with PMF and sealed with windshield ribbon on vertical walls with screws placed in the middle of the ribbon to seal the door frame and vent to the trailer. My box is made from cheap damaged interior doors doweled and glued together together then the voids are filled with spray foam. The bed platforms are doors with 1/4" plywood glued on top. The floor is 1/2" plywood on top framed and cross braced with 2x2 lumber sandwiched with another sheet of 1/4" on bottom and filled with spray foam. Once everything is covered with PMF there is absolutely no flexing and unbelievably strong. PM me if you have questions I've built a couple of these and had great results. Many people mistake them for freezer boxes as the are painted all white!