Fiberglass Utility Bed Camping Trailer

aardvarcus

Adventurer
I used to camp all the time, but it has been a long time since I last went. I have been a long time member here, mainly interested in the useful off-roading and vehicle recovery knowledge on this site. I finally pulled the trigger on the start of a camping trailer project.
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It is an all fiberglass utility bed with topper, seems to be from the 90s. It needs some work, fiberglass repairs and patching, new lights, painted, new weather-stripping, etcetera. I plan to mount it to an “off-road capable” trailer so that it can go anywhere my 1994 K2500 Suburban can go, but it is intended to be more of a base camp build. The trailer is TBD, either a custom build or repurposing an existing trailer. The box by itself is about 80” wide, 8’ long, 5’-5” high and weighs somewhere around 1000 lbs.

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I am at the design phase right now, my basic concept is to build a kitchen from the passenger side compartments, other amenities on the drivers side compartments. I will build a raised sleeping platform in the center part of the trailer with storage underneath accessible from the back. There will be awnings on the sides and maybe the back. The concept is that you do all your camping outside the trailer, and only go inside to sleep, like a small hard sided tent. I want to add some additional windows to the sleeping compartment. The back of the Suburban serves as an additional sleeping compartment.

Amenities I am thinking propane for cooking, solar panel and battery for 12V electric for lights/fans/etcetera. Unsure if water is a tank or just in cans. No plans for a bathroom. Anyway, I am open for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. I have already been looking at many build threads for ideas.
 

old_CWO

Well-known member
That looks like a good starting piece. I think if you can find one, a M116A2 trailer chassis might be the hot ticket for your build. It would already have a matching lug pattern to your truck, surge brakes and an easy installation.
 

Ovrlnd Rd

Adventurer
I have a M116A2 that's currently for sale. The benefit of it is that it comes with a MEP002A 5KW diesel generator. Pull the gennie for tornado season and plop the box on it.
 

aardvarcus

Adventurer
old_CWO,
A military trailer would be a good base, I was hoping for electric and not surge brakes but we will see.

Ovrlnd Rd,
Thanks but Texas is outside of my normal driving range for a trailer/parts.

Everyone,

I have done some very conceptual sketches for the layout and sleeping platform in the trailer, four squares is about a foot. Note the trailer has two pull out drawers in the front, I would be eliminating the upper one and cutting/reglassing part of the bulkhead to gain headroom by shifting the bed lower down. The lower drawer turns into the kitchen counter/pull out.

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