This is about economy and convieniance and useing what you have.
I wanted something lighter than a travel trailer, but roomier than a cargo trailer.
Find a utility trailer.
Mine has a 6x8 deck. ($500)
I removed the deck to put in a flat, solid floor.
I installed the upright panels first so that they would cover the edge of the deck.
I coated the pieces with roof coating before assembeling.
If I was buying the steel, I would have used 2 inch angle at the corners clear to the top of the pod, then 2 inch strap where the seams of the plywood butts together.
Make sure the skeleton is plumb and square!!!
A complete exoskeleton to bolt the panels to, then the roof would go in first, then the walls, then the deck.
This will keep the weather out, and if you needed to replace a panel, you just unbolt the panel and replace it.
Back to what I did.
After the walls were up, install the deck.
I then put 2x4s at the inside corners, seams, and across the top to support the roof.
When it's all buttoned up it looks like this.
The door is 3x6 framed with 2x4s for easy loading! (notice the mysterious hatch)
Built a small sliding window for venting the cooler.
Throw in a carpet remnant and build a bed.
My 2 deep cycle batteries will go under the head of the bed with 2 bolts going through the wall to hook jumper cables to for recharging the batteries if needed.
Remember the "mysterious hatch"?
Thats the swamp cooler!
Placement means I'm gonna need a blanket when napping during the day.
This is NOT a roof rack!
It's 1 1/2 inch 1/8 inch tube with 1 inch tube sleeved inside it.
Pins to hold the 1 inch in place.
Where did I put that crutch?
This is used to slide the rack out.
The white line tells me how far to extend the rack to line up the holes for the pins while extended.
I have two 14ft pieces of 1 inch tube that slide throughthe rack.
One 14ft stick of the 1 1/2 inch that slides through the rack on my truck.
It was 2ft too short so I added a piece on one end.
Now you could cut these long ass pieces in half, but this way I can shift my shade by 8 feet on whichever side the sun is trieing to sneek under.
My tarp is 12x40.
One end is ancored to the front tube, then rolled back over the playapod, and angled down to the ground where it will have nine 18 inch rebar stakes holding that edge.
Then I just inch the truck forward till everything is as tight as a trampoline.
Some what like this.
No upright posts with the new system!
I have some eye bolts that will go through the ends of the long tubes.
Rope will be ancored from the back corner stake, angled up through the eye bolt, forward through the next eye bolt, then stretched ridgid to the tube on the truck.
Caribener the edge of the tarp to the ropes and camp is done!
It will take less time for set up than it took for me to type this!
Now testing has shown that the playapod costs about 1 mile per gallon to tow.
It whieghs about 850 pounds.
Cost: less than $1000!
It will have 3 power outlets. 1 at the head of the bed, 1 at the back to plug in the cooler, and 1 on the outside back to plug in exterior lights for the camp.
The white interior means any small light will illuminate the space.
And the best part is that to clean it, you just take everything out, raise the tounge, and hose it out!
You could change the dimensions buy going to a 12ft or 16ft base and still not have to cut the plywood for the sides.
The hieght is 6ft 1inch inside and 8 1/2ft tall from the ground.
FIGJAM
