The Cargo Condo

[CLynn85]

Or whatever else we decide to name it.......

Backstory - we [stupidly] sold our ambo-camper, the Belafonte, this winter to pursue version 5 (or is it 6, I'm losing count) of our 'permanent' camping setup in the form of a trailer. First we bought this



But it sucked, old leaky, moldy, no side door, etc. So I flipped it for a tidy profit and bought this!



Which is only two years old and barely used, for basically the same price that I sold the first one for.

It's a 5x10 v-nose with a 5'9" ceiling and side entry door built by local mfr Holmes in Richmond.

Edit - a bit more about the reason for the change and our new requirements.

1. Ability to basecamp. The ambo required us to pack up camp daily to go out anywhere. Original plans called for hauling the klr for this, but the wife wasn't keen on it at the time. Now that I have a cruiser though, she's changing her mind...

2. Stealth. Last camper was an old ambulance with red stripes, enough said.

3. Modularity. The goal is for the bed setup to easily fold or remove and store against the wall somthe trailer can double as a toyhauler of sorts.

4. Maintenance. A newish cargo trailer is considerably less maintenence intensive than a 20+ year old ford, and I already have way too many other vehicles.

5. Mobility. Should be self explanatory. Some mods to make the trailer a bit more trail friendly are also in the works.

6. ADHD. In the past couple years...SQURREL!

 

[CLynn85]

Since we had a ridiculous winter for this area this year, I dragged it into the shop for disassembly.



Pulled the walls and added 1" polystyrene foam in the walls and ceiling.



And framed out an opening for the roof vent.



While the walls were out we painted them a neutral gray and then reinstalled them.



We also experimented with some layout mockups, liked this one but moving the large panels around was too clunky.





Installed a window from vintage teardrops. The size/ location aren't optimized, but we wanted to keep everything basic and flexible while we experiment with it and see what works. Didn't want to take up a whole wall when we didn't know what our needs were going to be.




- - - Updated - - -

Hmmm, some formatting issues with doing this on the tablet, will have to fix on a real computer at some point.

 

[johnspark]

Very interesting. Cool idea. Keep us posted.

 

[CLynn85]

Also got around to installing the vent fan over the holiday weekend. I loved the maxxair deluxe we put in the ambo, and stupidly left in when we sold it, but the budget wont allow it on the trailer, so a regular old fantastic fan went in instead.



And finally tonight after years of relying on friends, relatives, crowswing R&D, and ripping things by hand, I broke down and bought a table saw of my own.



Maybe this will improve the quality of my builds a little. Nah, probably not...

 

[Mark Harley]

Nice purchase. Nothing better than straight cuts when ripped on the table saw.
One other recomendation....A compound miter saw. Then you have all trim cutting covered.
Looking forward to the build.

 

[SWITAWI]

Table Saw + Compound Miter Saw ******...

Looking forward to the progress on the trailer. Are you planning to change the axle, match the bolt-pattern of the Taco, or fit larger tires?

x2 what Senor Harley said above. Not to thread jack, but I love my compound miter saw and I still wish I had a table for those long straight cuts.

Though the table saw would be stay-at-home while my compound miter is well-traveled...

EDIT: PS. I like your window placement. Good for letting light in, venting warm air in the summer, and high enough to keep prying eyes from easily prying. Well done.

 

[elmo_4_vt]

Seems like a great idea, though my opinion is somewhat biased since I've done something similar.

And don't worry about the ADHD... Thinking about what works best is half the fun.

Don

-

 

[CLynn85]

Thanks

Looking forward to the progress on the trailer. Are you planning to change the axle, match the bolt-pattern of the Taco, or fit larger tires?

Not immediately, but larger tires or a straight axle are probably in its future. It has a drop axle now so you lose about 4" of clearance.

 

[AFBronco235]

You need to add a cargo rack on top, like what some horse trailers have on the back. Just an extra place to carry gear, with a ladder on the side. Probably make a nice porch to watch the sunset from too. Heck, just throw a RTT on top of that rig and you'll be all set. Just don't fall off.

 

[CLynn85]

Got a little bit more work done this weekend on the trailer. A lot of little stuff inside, paneling, wiring etc, not much to see there.

Mounted the tongue box that will house most of the electrical, best harbor freight had to offer



I've had these Yakima racks laying around since we sold our four wheel camper 6 years ago, figured it was time to put them to use. Only problem? No rain gutters, so I made some.







This also provided a convenient place to mount our arb awning that we had on our skamper and has been put to use more recently on a friend's Synchro.

 

[Titanpat57]

I like it Carl...its coming out nice.

I bet if you took it easy and carefully....you'd be surprised where you could tow that.

Keep up the progress...looking good!

 

[patoz]

Oh boy, another build thread to follow!

Carl, I have an Ambo almost identical to the one you had, but mine is a '93. My plan is to cut it in half, add a tongue to the back half, and make it into a heavy duty camper trailer. My justification for this is 1 & 4 of the reasons you listed at the start of this thread.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for the interior. I still refer to the pictures you took when you were building your ambo, especially when I need to see what's inside of a wall or the ceiling, etc.

 

[CLynn85]

Oh boy, another build thread to follow!

Carl, I have an Ambo almost identical to the one you had, but mine is a '93. My plan is to cut it in half, add a tongue to the back half, and make it into a heavy duty camper trailer. My justification for this is 1 & 4 of the reasons you listed at the start of this thread.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for the interior. I still refer to the pictures you took when you were building your ambo, especially when I need to see what's inside of a wall or the ceiling, etc.

Glad I could be of assistance

 

[CLynn85]

Got to use the trailer for the first time this weekend. Everything worked great, the 5x10 size tows excellently behind the Tacoma and is really easy to deal with. Nothing too crazy on this trip, just a good shakedown run, stayed in campgrounds (private and national forest) just to get a feel for everything.

Temporary location for the fuse panel, 12v outlets, and a cell phone charging shelf from an old license plate.





Prototyped a bench on one side out of scraps, then added added some ply to make up the rest of the platform and threw an air mattress on top for a temporary sleeping solution.





Hit up some stops along the Blue Ridge Parkway, natural bridge, and foamhenge; No LARPING!









And no trip is complete without a stop by Devil's Backbone brewery on the way home!

 

[patoz]

Carl,

Do you have a camper top for the truck, for all of those things that won't go, or are too messy to go, into the camper trailer?