dustboy wants to build a camper...

[dustboy]

Peter-good comments, you know your stuff. Since we're neighbors, I'd like to see this FUSO camper of yours!

After a couple cups of coffee I thought this all through, and a composite-panel camper is probably not what I really need.

I want to be able to do long washboard roads and bounce over rocks without worrying about the camper coming apart. And then, on Monday I want to put 500 lbs. of lumber on top of it..probably not something you would do with a composite camper.

Which puts me back at a contractor-style shell, with a steel frame and sheetmetal skin. For insulation, I could just fill the area between the frame with pieces of the foam panel, or use an expanding foam product.

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

I like your idea about the foam and aluminum skin...attached to a stout steel or aluminum tubing frame. My Carson trailer does the same thing, but uses particle board for the core and laminates (glues) it to the frame. Very stout, but heavy. Surprisingly warm.

I'm still drawn to fiberglass toppers...I have a 12-year old SnugTop that still works well. But the headroom is the problem. I have a buddy who has an older Callen shell...beefy with adequate headroom. Try C-list for used.

As for the double door cargo tops...they look great and you can access the bed much easier. But I still like a tailgate for sitting, climbing up on top, etc.

Lookin' forward to the build...I may have to steal, I mean borrow, your intellectual property!

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

P.S. I'm with you on not considering tent campers...FWC, ATC, FlipPac, etc. I owned two Westys ('69 & '70) and while fun overall, not so fun in the wind. I hear it gets windy along the coast and desert. Perhaps the above-mentioned units have solved that problem, though. I've seen the inside of a FWC...very nice setup...but when it comes to the conditions I've read about on your adventures...just sayin'.

[dustboy]

As for the double door cargo tops...they look great and you can access the bed much easier. But I still like a tailgate for sitting, climbing up on top, etc.

Lookin' forward to the build...I may have to steal, I mean borrow, your intellectual property!

Yeah, I'm on the fence about ditching the tailgate, the tall doors probably make sense if you can stand up inside, but often the tailgate is my kitchen counter.

On the off chance that a good idea comes into my head, you should steal it and make it better!

Windy nights are the main reason I don't like soft-sided campers, I'm a light sleeper and with a bunch of canvas and zippers flapping in the wind, it's a rough night for me. Plus, no sound insulation if you get stuck in a campground next to a noisy neighbor.

[robert]

Insulating the top will certainly help, but you'll need to insulate the bed too if you really want it to be warmer. I've insulated my Westy behind all of the panels and it makes a heck of a difference in road noise but only a mild difference in interior temperature- that's subjective as I never measured it. With all of the glass (even with curtains) and the fiberglass top, it bleeds heat off really fast. A Mr. Buddy heater warms it nicely, but it looses that heat quickly after you turn it off.

The only way I've been able to make a real difference is to put reflectix over the windows and under the bed and drape a wool blanket over and in front of the bed to reduce cabin space and provide some insulation.

In my old Tacoma, during the winter I had an old wool blanket on top of the carpeted platform and I suspended another inside sort of like mosquito netting- think of it as a wool tent inside the bed. The fiberglass cut the wind, but the wool actually insulated some. The best I've found for this purpose, heck the best wool blanket deal I've ever found period, is the surplus Italian wool blankets. I'm not sure what they're selling for now, but they were around $10 for a really heavy 100% wool blanket that is about 64"x80". They have some sort of moth repellent on them but if you hang them outside for a couple of sunny days it goes away. I usually wash mine with Woolite then hang them outside. After they dry I tumble them in the dryer for a bit to soften them up.

[dustboy]

I found another build that I really like, at least the shape of it is what I'm thinking about. Mine would be scaled down a good bit, although this one has me re-thinking the idea of a camper-shell rather than a frame-up conversion.

http://www.turtleexpedition.com/vehicles/turtle5.php

[Sportsman Matt]

If you can keep the tailgate, do it. Reason I say that is my current camper has a floor length of 7'6" and the truck bed is 8'2". I keep the tailgate on, when I get to my site, the tailgate acts as a porch, I can step out of the camper and have a couple feet of space to move around incase I need to pull something out or someone wants to go in while I am going out. Plus you don't get the "first step is a doozey" incase your steps or ladder are spaced at a different height or angle to the camper.

Sounds like your still in the planning stages like me.

[dustboy]

If I go with an aluminum sheet skin, over steel frame, will I have corrosion problems between the two materials? If so, what can I do to prevent it?

[Sportsman Matt]

I would probably go with stainless steel screws with the steel frame and aluminum skin. When I did repairs on campers for a local RV dealer we would use either stainless or painted screws with the painted or anodized aluminum slin and trim material. Never had much problem with corrosion, you tend to see it more in salt water applications, like boats or coastal enviroments. I'm opting for a wood frame and aluminum siding from RV Surplus, you can get different sizes and patterns in the special order section of their site.

[theMec]

Dustboy, I started out similar to you - a Leer topper w/ a storage platform / bed inside. I thought about using an ARE vertical side topper, then thought about a flatbed w/ a vertical side topper on top.

I finally went w/ a Callen camper custom build. I love it. It has a cabover for easy to access storage when the benches are made into one big bed for my girls and myself. Anyway, the build link & pics are here.

I can take the benches/ sleeping platform out in 5 minutes. The rack on top allows for canoes, lumber etc. Here's one pic (click on the pic for a larger view):


Callen uses aluminum skin over a steel frame. I'm not sure what material screws are used.

I'm going to have a rear bumper made w/ a 1/2 width fold down tail gate/ storage system. That way I can open one back door without dropping the "tailgate".

I need to update my build thread. I have an awning & a water system now. Webasto air heater (diesel) to be installed real soon now.

Hope this helps - steve