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Camping trailers are something that fascinates me a lot. They help you in so many areas if you are planning to go on a nature tour. They are a wonderful commodity to have.
So in this article, we are going to be discussing some facts about these camping trailers, although the main focus would be DIY Camping trailers where I will help you understand the things that you would need to do to make a camping trailer.
But before we get to that, let me give you a bit of background on camping and camping trailers. Ever since people have started living in and around cities, they have become detached from nature. When I say nature, I mean the rivers, hills, forests, countryside, etc., the places where you could find peace easily.
When you live in cities, you are constantly surrounded by people, cars, the noise, and just everything that is restless about them. You never get a moment of silence. There is always something or the other happening. It is this thing that makes people feel frustrated with life sometimes.
Another thing that is a big negative about cities is pollution, be it noise or air pollution. Nature provides you reprieve from all that. So once in a while, everyone dreams of going on a trip someplace where they could feel closer to nature. Getting closer to nature is something that makes everyone feel great, not only physically but mentally and emotionally too.
If you went and stayed in nature for a week or two, you will feel refreshed as you have never before felt it. Nature just fills you with a lot of positiveness and takes away your negative thoughts. I mean, we don’t call Nature our Mother for no reason.
Feel The Wonders Of Camping
The best way that someone can get away from city life and go to nature would be to go camping. You can go camping in forests, riversides, mountains, etc. Just whatever part of nature appeals to you. The main goal is to make yourself feel better. If that goal is achieved, then everything else is secondary to that.
John Muir once put it beautifully, what nature can do for an individual. He said, “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” That quote from him tells you that nature can be a great therapist for any of your problems.
When you go camping, you find a lot of things that you might not have imagined that you would find. If you go with your friends and family, you can have a lot of fun in nature and the vacation would be totally worth the time that you would be dedicated to it.
Even if you go alone, you can find an adventure there. Adventure in nature has kind of become the norm these days and so many people have started doing it because they know that it is important to get away from the monotonous life.
If you know the name Bear Grylls, you might have watched his episode of Man vs Wild where the US ex-president Barrack Obama and Bear talked about the importance of nature when they went camping and adventure in the wilds.
You don’t necessarily have to go to the wild, you can go to some quiet places too. Just as long as you camp in nature, it will be all good. So we will be discussing camping trailers, DIY camping trailers to be more specific and help you make a good one at home.
What Are Camping Trailers?
When you go for some adventure trips in nature, you might often rent a lodge or a motel. If you do that, you must know that the motels can be sometimes very expensive. Even if you somehow find some cheap motel, you have to still pay them money for other things like meals.
Do you think you might have an alternative to wasting your hard-earned money on some unnecessary hotels? You do in fact. You can carry camping tents with you. Or better yet, make camping trailers! DIY camping trailers are a great way of saving money and carrying all you need with you in your trailer.
A DIY camping trailer can be made in some easy steps. Although, it would take some hard work, dedication, time, and money to make these things. Nothing comes for free. The basic things that you would need are:
- A frame or a trailer that you would carry the camping tent on.
- Basic materials like wood or aluminum sheets, plywood, electric wires, pipes, water tanks, etc.
- Money to buy certain materials that are mentioned above and tools needed to construct your DIY camping trailer.
- Basic knowledge of how to use the tools and how you will set up your DIY camping trailer.
If you have all these basic things, you can start making your DIY camping trailer.
How To Make Your DIY Camping Trailer?
Making your DIY Camping trailer is an easy but time-consuming task. So if you are going to construct your DIY camping trailer, make sure you have ample time before you leave for your camping trip.
To start making your DIY camping trailer, gather all the materials, tools, and your trailer and then follow these steps:
Start With The Basic Outline
Before you start making the actual camping trailer, it is important that you sit on a drawing board and figure out how you want your DIY camping trailer to be like. If you need it to be thick and heavy or light, with enough light and ventilation, how much space you will need for what things and what all things are going to be placed where.
Once you have figured all this out, only then should you start actually making your camping trailer. Even after you have done that, you should leave some basic space for things that you might need later on.
The Base Of The Trailer
If you are going to be building it on a trailer or car truck, take all the measurements of the base on which your camp is going to stand. You can install plywood or some other similar material on the floor of the trailer to give it a firm base.
Make sure this base layer is thick enough. You can install the base on the floor by drilling them together and making it sturdy enough to hold a whole camp on it. After all your camping trailer is nothing but accommodation for you and it has to be strong enough.
The Walls, Windows, And Their Frame
If you need a thick and sturdy wall, you can use wood for it because that is the best way of making a good and light wall for your DIY camping trailer. Before you start on the walls, you will have to make a frame for the wood which you are going to install on it.
The framing of the walls will be one of the most important steps as this will determine the ventilation of the camping trailer. You should make sure that you leave spots for windows to be installed after you are done installing the walls in them.
It is important that you have enough windows in your camping trailer because otherwise, your camp can become suffocating as well as dark. Although the issue of it being dark can be solved with electricity because you might need that in the nights and the ventilation could be installed on the roof.
After you are done with the frame, install the walls in them. Before you start making the frame for the walls, refer to the basic outline that you made at the start and all the measurements of the base of the trailer that you took. After you have done that, make the frame and install the walls according to these outlines and measurements so as to avoid any misfits.
The Roof
After the walls, come to the roof. These are going to be one of the significant parts of your camping experience because you can make them be very entertaining with just the simplest ideas. You can make your roof from wood or metal. I would advise using wood as you can work on it easily.
To make your experience great, you can install windows on the roof too. Or better yet, you can make the whole roof full of windows. Make sure you install the glasses in the windows carefully. By making your windows on the roof you can enjoy the stars and moonlight over your head at night stays.
Finishing Up The Frame
After you install the walls and the roof, you might want to apply sheeting on the wall interior for more strength or you can just leave it at wood too. After that, you should finish up the wood and polish it if you want a better finish. You can paint the walls too.
After you have done that, make sure to install the door perfectly too. Polishing or finishing the doors and windows would be a good idea. You can get creative and use your own innovative ideas to make the doors and walls, just remember to make them strong.
Other Important Things To Keep In Mind
There are some other things besides the frame of your camping trailer that are a very important part of the trailer.
Electricity And Plumbing
Installing the electric wires and the lights and fans or whatever else you might need is an important task. You can even have a power outlet for your electrical devices. Be sure to make all the wiring of the trailer very safe. You can use a mini power generator or use your car’s battery to power all the electric components.
It is important that you have plumbing installed in the trailer, like for example a bathroom so that you can relieve yourself when you are out in the wild. It would be a good idea to carry a mini water tank on your trailer for this very reason. Make sure you have ample drinking water as well.
Other Accessories
You might want to have some tables or other equipment that you would like to carry with you in the trailer. Remember to take some sleeping mattresses in the trailer as well. Personalize the trailer in whatever way you want to, just make sure you make it all safe and comfortable for use.
Carry all the tools or basic materials and accessories that you are going to need on your trip. Make sure to furnish the trailer nicely as well. When you are making a camping trailer, if you are going to be installing something big that will not fit through the door of the camping trailer and that cannot be dismantled and reassembled again, make sure you keep it on the base of the frame and then make the frame around it.
Budget
One of the most important things while making a DIY camping trailer is the budget. You should not go overboard while making the camping trailer because you started making one because of budget issues while on a trip in the first place.
You can make a very good and comfortable camping trailer at home for less than $300. After you make it all and you feel like you are going to need some other things and you have money left, go for it but do not stretch the budget. You can save later and do it but not when you are out of money.
To Sum Up | DIY Camping Trailer
Camping trailers are a great way to go if you are a frequent visitor to the wild. You get a lot many advantages when you build your own camping trailer with DIY camping trailers. If you do not have enough money to pay for even one night’s stay in a motel or if you love adventures and new experiences, you can opt for a DIY camping trailer.
Making a DIY camping trailer is not a very heavy task and does not require any rocket science. You only need the basic understanding of a few things like the plumbing or the architecture or the design of the trailer and what kind of a space you need to have in your trailer and you will be all set.
Although you should pay proper attention to all the electric components in your DIY camping trailers as well as to the organization of things. Also, where do you want to place what things and one of the most important things would be the plumbing because we are going to nature to purify ourselves, not ruin nature.
If you can understand all these things and get enough material to make your own DIY camping trailer, all the necessary tools, and raw material, then you can easily make the DIY camping trailer and save a lot of money every time you go camping.
If you got a good idea about how to make DIY camping trailers, tell your friends and family about them and let them enjoy the wonders of a DIY camping trailer as well. Maybe you all can go on a big camping trip and let out all the steam that you have kept bottled up for who knows how long. So go camping, find your soul and never waste your money on expensive motels.
Well, this was all about the DIY camping trailers. If you feel that I may have missed out on certain points or you have any queries, do mention them in the comments section.
Till then, Happy Camping!
