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Certified, Degreed, Insured
If you pull into a campground and see this little trailer, at first, you might not even suspect it’s a camper!
Then you might notice the window in the door, the A/C on the front, the vent on the roof. Something seems a little different …
So a while back, Kat and I decided to convert a Cargo Trailer into a Camper. You might ask yourself, why would anyone do that?
The primary answer is, our driveway will only accommodate a 16″ trailer. Yep, it’s short. And while we’ve been to the Dallas RV Supershow numerous times. we didn’t see anything we wanted to buy. Either the layout didnt work for us, or the quality wasn’t there.
So as engineers, we said, “Yah, sure, we can just built one.” 😉
Our Inspiration was Tiny Homes, CamperVans and other Cargo Trailer Conversions (CTC). We watched as many shows as we could and searched the net for the best ideas. We settled on a Wells Cargo 7 x 16 trailer with a V-nose since it was the biggest we could store next to our short driveway. Having it at home made it so much easier and convenient for us to work on it.
The pictures below are the day we brought her home.
Not too impressive, we know….
most people use these to haul lawn equipment or tools around.
We had big plans and it was time to get started !
Views looking front & back, both very empty. Just 2 light bulbs and 2 light switches...
The first thing we did was to remove all the interior panels so we could add insulation. We found a few areas that leaked water, so we fixed those.
I also added an overhead fan for exhaust. It wouldn’t be an RV unless it had one of those, right? And beadboard on the ceiling, since I like it!
We also added a window to the entrance door. Once again, every RV has one of those.
The next major step was to mock up the interior. Even though I had actual plans, we wanted to see it all in place and move things around, if need be. Once we were satisfied, it was time to get to work. I added a window to the Driver’s side (airflow across the camper) and you can also see the Fresh Water tank below the countertop. We have the ability to carry 20 gallons of fresh water. You can also see the sink and some of the plumbing in the first photo.
A rainfall shower and Tankless Water Heater seamed like great ideas too. I wanted the Heater close to the shower so you can adjust it while showering. It’s not in this photo, but there is a curved shower curtain and the Heater stays dry!
Here’s the first time we Camped and I called it a Shakedown. All of the equipment was installed – Electrical, Propane, Water, and Air Conditioning. I’m happy and proud to say everything worked as expected. In fact to date, we’ve only had minor issues associated with it. Also, it’s hard to see, but the bed is a fold out from Ikea. It’s a couch in the daytime and a King size bed at night.
This is the laminate flooring we added. I’m still not sure why we picked such a dark color, but it shows all the dirt! But it does look nice and it pops next to the grey walls and white cabinets.
The Photos below are from when we hosted Open Night. The Camper is fully decorated and it’s very comfortable and inviting. We also shared the name of the Camper and we call her Serenity! We’ve taken her on a number of trips and each trip has been a success!
We hope to see you out there!
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