Building A 4x4 Truck Camper | Pour Foam Composite Panels

I'm ready to build the composite panels for our camper floor, but the foam board I planned on using is no longer available, so I'm testing pour foam as a core material in my DIY composite foam sandwich construction. I'm building each panel with a 1"x2" wood frame skinned in 5mm plywood, filled with pour foam, and glassed with 6oz bi-axle fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.
Totalboat Pour Foam = amzn.to/3fjXzWp
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[@FuhrChris]

You can reach Zero foam waist in the concept of taking all your scraps of foam and laying them out so that they form a merged together two part foam cube. Then use a long bow saw (Look up you tubes on making a wood working Bow saw frame) to cut the material back down into sheets or shape them into things like end cap plugs etc...

[@brianwade8649]

I loved this video. It is very rare to find diy videos that 1) don't have a person acting unnaturally hyperactive, and 2) do have EFFICIENT and thorough information exchange. I'm taking the time to write this because that's how good this is and I hope it benefits you to continue making them.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for taking the time to comment Brian. I'm not putting out a ton of videos. Like you said, I want to be efficient in sharing the process/information. But stay tuned and more will be shared as I progress through the build.

[@marcpikas2859]

Enjoyed the demo. You're a scientist now.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Haha. the pour foam is totally a science fair volcano every time 😂

[@iforce2d]

"The biggest advantage of the pour foam is that I can get it" yeah I'm having that problem myself...

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

It's a pretty big advantage 😉

[@KristoferTravelsHomesteading]

That's a great idea. Never thought of that. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@jondavidmcnabb]

Excellent video!!! You covered the subject well and showed all the steps and the results.

[@jeep6242]

Great update. Excited to see more progress. Even more excited to see your future travels.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Exactly! I'm excited to make progress, but even more excited about the idea of get back on the road and using what I make.

[@aimxray9823]

Great videos Matt. Awesome seeing the progress. I can’t wait to see the final results. Good job!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks!

[@Drew-xy7yg]

Fun! Glad you're moving forward. Preparing to travel down to Nica in two months (hopefully ahead of any lockdowns from the US). Watching your old videos to check out the border process. Thanks!!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Only 2 months till departure! excitement levels must be high. I don't think you need to worry about the US locking down the border. They haven't locked it down the entire pandemic. But definitely keep an eye on things further south. Have fun!

[@doncunningham3124]

Another advantage to using this foam is that you're not limited to using only epoxy resin like using eps or xps foam panels. You can use polyester resin which is much cheaper and easier to find than epoxy. Additionally, you can also use chopped strand fiberglass which is far more resistant to impacts than woven reinforcement. Cloth. Chopped strand fiberglass doesn't work with epoxy resin. I hope this helps anyone reading this.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for posting. Always nice to see others adding useful info in the comments!

[@grahamkearnon6682]

Remember wood is a heatsink so maybe try square hollow tubes for framing, you can fill with foam too. The foam needs to be closed cell to produce the insulation you want. Good luck.

[@TheRebelmanone]

That is going to be nice, and strong too.

[@coryyoung8289]

Awesome mate! 👍

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks 👍

[@Everlanders]

As I watch this I think of 1:1 mixing nozzles for epoxy, part A goes in one side part B in the other and they mix in the straw as they are pressed through. If you can find ones big enough you could just inject it in a hole in the bottom with one big push...

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Not something I thought of. Are those things 1 time use?

[@Everlanders]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Typically, but if that foam dissolves in acetone as many foams do, then you may be able to get a few uses out of it.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@Everlanders Thanks, but the foam is "very chemical resistant" according to the manufacturer it can't be dissolved with anything. I like the idea, but I do a bunch of smaller pours to fill the bigger sections to try to reduce the pressure and heat, so I would go through a lot of nozzles and probably a lot of product being left in the hose.

[@BywaysnoHighways]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal That answers a curiosity I had about the larger spaces! I was wondering about build-up!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@BywaysnoHighways if you do the pours about 6-7 minutes apart then you still get a chemical bond between them as well a mechanical bond. Or at least that's what I read somewhere on the internet 😅

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

Genius! The use of flotation foam in significant quantities for campers, trailers, and tiny houses precludes the need to be insulted repeatedly as you build your own survival ark and allows you to use it as something else right up until the next flood. One item, two uses, that’s how we reduce the amount of “stuff” we have in our lives to manageable levels…..

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks Rick

[@brian8616]

Cool video great guy

[@duncdunc76]

Nice adaptation, thats some cool stuff👍 And looks like it might work better then your original plan in many ways. So excited to watch your build progression and following travels. Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring others on the possibilities of budget minded DIY adventure travel👍 Your guys's channel is Awesome!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks Sean. Just trying to make the videos that I would like to find on KZbin. Kinda tired of looking for overland truck camper builds and finding expensive trucks with a bunch of expensive kit bolted on and an expensive tent on the roof. I'm glad you've enjoyed our show.

[@duncdunc76]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal I here ya on the expensive overlanding vids on You Tube. I mean theres some awesome rigs out there but not anything Im going to be able to afford and I consider a truly awesome rig to be one that has experience scars and has taken its travelers on adventures that bring joy and contentment to their time on old mother earth. Your T100 is one Truly Awesome rig in that sense! And I gotta say the unique and DIY build is another reason it Pretty Dang Awesome in my book👍 Your Chans got all kindsa Great stuff going on! Ive thouroughly enjoyed wathing so thanks so much for Sharing on You Tube!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@duncdunc76 Thanks for taking the time to send some positive words our way. Much appreciated 👍. Couldn't agree more with what makes a vehicle awesome.

[@TheRebelmanone]

Watching that makes me realize if we spray foamed the cavities in any completed wall that it will not only give a R value it will strengthen it due to the adhesion. And that foam is probably similar to the XPS250 in that is has high compression resistance, that combined with your wood layers will give the cabinet high strength in both compression and stress forces.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

That's definitely the idea. The foam I'm using has a very similar compression strength to the xps 250 and I think that it's working out pretty well so far. 👍

[@adamwalker7338]

You've been busy! I haven't watched your videos in a while so just seeing you are doing a new build and are making your own composite panels was pretty interesting. I'm in Sweden so I can only imagine that pour foam here would be $$$$ ( instead of the $$ you found). I've never seen a full sheet of XPS foam here so I'd expect it to be $$$ expensive.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Interesting. I've met some Swedish travelers with really cool custom campers... but I think the campers were built in Germany.

[@free-range-humanproject7212]

I thought about building my camper using a laminated wall system, but in the end I built it using traditional wood framing filled with ridgid block insulation. Ill be keeping an eye on you project. Nice work!

[@kevinhornbuckle]

One way to make the wood frames stronger and weather proof is to route a half-round and then epoxy in fiberglass rod.

[@surfingcuriositywaves4046]

I don't understand how that makes them weather proof.

[@kevinhornbuckle]

@@surfingcuriositywaves4046 The fiberglass over both the wood and the rods protects the wood. But if the wood begins to rot, the rods will not.

[@BywaysnoHighways]

Just got back from a run and caught up. Was awaiting how you were going to do your panels! That's a very short open time dude!!! Curious if you're thinking of adding a center strut/divider in the larger panels? Could help with the blowing and not be as big a space to fill. Good progress Matt!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I'll have to completely change how I planed to frame each panel. I'm finishing up with the floor now and I did run a center stringer the length of it to divide up the space and add strength to the area we will be walking on the most.

[@Brian-nt1hh]

Interesting working this product. Kinda labor intensive it seems

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Very labor intensive and time consuming 😅

[@brianpark5629]

2" painters tape on the bottom edge might control the foam seeping out better than the plastic.

[@SteelDogFab]

I’ll be honest, this is a great video, and I might do something similar

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks and good luck with your project

[@surfingcuriositywaves4046]

I'm just suggesting an experiment to reduce the effect of push out forces of the pourfoam: Try multiple small 'lifts', allowing most of the expansion to happen in the time between lifts, like is done with cement walls. This may allow the ratio of 'expanding edge'/total expanding volume to be higher. This also allows reduced error in overproducing foam.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Good thinking. That is what I ended up figuring out as I moved on with additional panels. smaller pours and building the panels so the cavity being filled allowed for maximum "expanding edge". wide short cavities filled better than narrow tall cavities.

[@GrantOakes]

I've considered doing the exact same thing but I might pour just a bit under the calculated amount of foam and top off as needed.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Ha ha yeah. I've gotten a little better at not waisting so much foam. It is a bit tough though since the foam's expansion is affected by so many factors(temperature, moisture in the wood or air, size and shape of the void you are filling)

[@largemarge1603]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal If the 'cure' is moisture-related, could the wood be soaked to modify the cure-time? If the 'cure' is temperature-related, could the cure-time be modified by pouring on a cool morning?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@largemarge1603 Yes and yes, but both also affect the expansion of the foam. TotalBoat gives some good spec sheets and explanations on their website. Basically too moist or cold of conditions will result in under expansion

[@felixcat9318]

One major benefit of using this type of foam is that the bond strength of your panels will be very high! Once you've learned to judge the mixture to panel sixe ratio, you should able to achieve very little wastage of the foam. Thank you for sharing your work, it greatly helps viewers to learn more about the technique and the product used.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

The bond strength does seem really good. I've got a comfortable strategy figured out for filling the panels with much less wastage. The thing I'm struggling with now that I've moved on to larger panels is producing straight, flat panels. I've been clamping wood supports onto the outsides of the skins while filling with foam, but I may try getting some steel tubing instead.

[@2fuzy]

i tried the xps type composite that you originally mentioned in the cabinets in my van build and while it worked in terms of being light in weight but strong enough the big negitive was time in layouts as you have to plan ahead for every screw time in gluing the lamination and fitting the various materials was a pain in that 1/2" xps is a 1/2 and plywood is 15/32 etc It was worth doing in regards to my galley counter top and I made the cabinet for my fridge in hopes of less on time conclusion it works but it was a pain for not much gain in cabinets but the bigger the piece the bigger the benifit such as i would probably do so for a tear drop sidewall your experience may very but that was mine

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Good info. Thanks for sharing. It's definitely a time consuming process.

[@jblo76]

Really enjoy your channel, thanks for documenting. Maybe you explained it in another video and I missed it, but what’s the purpose of filling foam inside plywood for the panels? Did you find that to be the best combination of strength, lightweight, and insulting properties compared to other panel materials?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

It's not the best, but it's not nearly as expensive as the best and I think it will work. a structural foam board with thin carbon fiber skins vacuum bagged would be better, but much more expensive and I don't have the room to set up a vacuum bagging laminating table.

[@johnnylightning1491]

I guess my only comment is why you didn't rip the 1x2s to half width to save weight and expense. Otherwise great stuff (no pun intended). Keep the good stuff coming.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

That would have been a good call.

[@georgewashington938]

Good to see you working on the build. Where are you located / where is XPS not available?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Basically no XPS board in Southern or Central California. The online retailers that sold it by the sheet (instead of by the pallet) are also out.

[@johnw65]

Looks like a great end result, as long as you can control expansion. Do you think a whole teardrop side could be poured successfully? Perhaps Form ties through your wall and sides might work with 3/4 ply forms on the outside?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks. If you made ridged, flat forms that you could put your panel between before pouring I think you could do an entire teardrop side👍. I did some panels that were 48x75 inches. A straight ridged form results in a nice flat panel. The top edge needs a little extra attention. If the wood is warped you need to pull it up agains your form. The foam won't push the wood out again the form along the top edge.

[@johnw65]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Just saw your reply. I've been in on concrete pours of vault walls, and building walls that used 'form ties' thru the slab, with clamps on the outside of the plywood.. 2x4 frames held the 3/4 ply forms flat, preventing warping from the pressure.

[@AstroLanderRV]

Hey Matt! Have you heard of a hotwire saw? It is similar in shape to a bandsaw, I suppose, but it cuts foam incredibly efficiently and cleanly. I used one to cut all the XPS foam for our foamie camper.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I have heard of them, but have never tried one. Sounds like a useful tool for anyone working with foam. Thanks for the tip

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I took a look at your build. looks pretty cool

[@AstroLanderRV]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal They are really fun to use! It cuts the foam like warm butter. I'm happy you checked out our build! Thank you. I've been a long time follow of you guys on one of my other youtube channels.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

​@@AstroLanderRV Very cool. I always like that our viewers are doing cool stuff too

[@ADONAIsays-so]

Hi Mat. Have you considered the DIY spray foam kits that folks use on walls and such?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I didn't dive deep into it, but I wasn't finding much information about the foam that is created by those kits with regard to compression strength, closed cell percentages, water absorption, or weight.

[@GrantOakes]

Great idea, provided you can accurately spray the proper amount into the cavity without excessive over spray and loss.

[@lawrencefranck9417]

Pour foam is much, much better than spray can foam.

[@mriggsdesign]

Great work! I live in Southern California and I can’t seem to find the pink foam board anywhere so I’ve been considering doing something like this myself. I appreciate you showing us your process. Have you tested how strong your panels are?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I haven't done any "scientific" testing. I have built the floor of the camper and have been walking around on that and have attached a couple of wall sections that are nice and ridged. The biggest difficulty for me has been keeping the larger panels strait and flat, but this has more to do with the fact that I am trying to build this thing in my backyard without a proper place to really be doing a project like this 😅

[@mriggsdesign]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal I hear ya brother. Thanks for the reply. I’m imagine they are plenty rigid. Today I did a google search and found a company who sells Foamular sheets here in southern cali. I also watched your camper floor video and saw that you are using Raka epoxy. I used them when I built my cedar strip canoe. They’re good people and had some of the best prices on epoxy. Keep up the good work man. I’m excited to see what you turn out.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@mriggsdesign Nice! I am going to stick with the pour foam construction for now, but was hoping the foamular would become available again. I might switch to that for my popup roof section.

[@erichughes9098]

😎👍

[@philipwalters5254]

I wonder if using 5/16". - 5mm coroplast would work for inside walls. maybe not for the floor though.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

So many materials out there to experiment with. Creativity is the coolest part of DIY projects.

[@fibranijevidra]

Great video. BTW why is the XPS not available? They found out it is very toxic, or what?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I was told it was due to Covid supply chain problems, but a couple of OwensCorning XPS products are staring to show up again and they are calling it GPX and advertising that it is a less toxic manufacturing process, so it would seem Government regulations may have had something to do with it.

[@BywaysnoHighways]

Once you have a good idea/more practice, please do mention how much you are mixing compared to how deep you pour. I like the idea of what you are doing and wish to dig a bit deeper as to how you are. If in principle only... I wish to do some remodeling to mine!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking, but I'll try to give you an answer. I was working on a panel yesterday. It had a void of 24 x .75 x 37.5 inches (LxWxH) and I filled it in 3 pours. two 8 oz pours and a 2 oz pour for a total of 18 oz of liquid.

[@BywaysnoHighways]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Not sure I'm seeing the whole response. You filled it in a pour? 37" is deep for build-up f cure.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@BywaysnoHighways 37" deep, 24" wide, and .75" thick. Filled it in 3 pours

[@BrianBonner]

If you had just nailed the plywood to the 2x2, would the foam push the sides out as it expanded or does it just expand up and out (least resistance)?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

It primarily expands up (least resistance) but as it expands it adheres to the wood and creates resistance and exerts a bit of force in all directions. easily enough to bend the 5mm ply and cause convex bends between the frame members.

[@dougaranda6187]

Probably be a much more rigid build in the end anyway. You're probably done with the pouring now, but a serrated blade (bread knife) works great. Don't tell me, is the foam panel banned in Ca?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for the positivity Doug. The XPS isn't banned in CA... yet🙄 When I went to order some from an online retailer they told me that they were out of stock due to Covid supply chain issues, and none of the retailers I tried know when they will be able to get it again.

[@aimxray9823]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal They blame everything on COVID these days. My daughter couldn’t get her mozzarella sticks at Applebee’s because they were out. The waitress said it was because of the pandemic 🤣. Anyway, great improvisation.

[@largemarge1603]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal April, 2022. Fortunately, Russia President Vladimir Putin cured the epidemic. Crisis averted!

[@godboat.]

so I'm trying to do pretty much what you're doing, but realized that you can never get lumber that would match the thickness of the xps (1 inch thick lumber is more like .75 or something) how were you planning on working around that or did you find a way to get lumber that was sized exactly?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I was planning on using .75" XPS foam board. They manufacturer it in that thickness in theory, but I can no longer find it anywhere in California or online. All the retailers I talked to said Covid disrupted their supply, so hopefully it will become available again.

[@godboat.]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal cool thank you

[@largemarge1603]

I notice square wheel-wells instead of arched. How does this foam fill an semi-circle?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I can't speak from experience on that, but it should work as long as you can get it poured in with enough time for it to flow as a liquid to the bottom of mold to make sure its getting into all the nooks and crannies

[@sawboneiomc8809]

What if you put plastic tubes down the panels and poured the two liquids in at the same time?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Unfortunately the two parts need to be thoroughly mixed to achieve good expansions

[@scotts.2624]

Where do you live. I am looking at the HD website and they have no end of XPS foam. Do you live in peoples republic of Californistan or something like that?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Yes, I do live in California. I Couldn't find anything bigger than a 2'x2' square. I even tried to order it online and found several sites that listed it, but when I ordered they canceled my order and emailed me saying that they didn't know when they would have it in stock again due to suppychain/ Covid problems. Anyway, what website are you finding it on? I may try it out and consider switching if I can find some.

[@scotts.2624]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Its on Home Depot's site. Well at least here in the Mid West. There were even full sheets of 2 inch in the store Saturday.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@scotts.2624 Nice! I've been hearing rumors that it might be available again through the online retailers and maybe we'll get it in Home Depot and the like here in California again soon. I'de like to try the ups/frp sandwich panel construction.

[@mrwonk]

I think your math is off. I'm using pour foam for a project and compared to pre-made foam panels; I find the pour foam cost to be dramatically lower. Check your math again.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I was including the cost of the wood as part of my composite core. XPS board compared to the pour foam per cubic inch of foam, the pour foam is definitely cheaper

[@horseshoe182]

why not use a composite board,? lots faster, easier.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I couldn't find anything available to me (in California) without having to order from a custom shop in Europe or Australia ($$$) or buying in bulk ($$$) But I would love to see what you are thinking. If you give me a link or product name, I will definitely check it out.

[@kevinhornbuckle]

Valuable experiment. But why even use wood? Alternatives would be light gauge steel studs, alum tubing, fiberglass tubing.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I chose wood for a mixture of criteria: weight, insulating properties, availability, cost, strength, the tools and experience I have available.

[@CkLam93725782]

is't non-firing material ?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I can't seem to find the rating on the spec sheet, but I remember seeing that it is flame resistant and it is USCG approved.

[@visamedic]

I can still get the foam board here. I’m looking at adhesives, when I had my cabinet shop I use to use 3M 90, which someone recommended to stick the board to a thin plywood. Is this what you were going to use?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I was planning on trying a few different options. Loctite PL300 is a foam board adhesive that comes in caulking cartridges. or make an epoxy paste

[@unionse7en]

nice, very expensive though .

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

not the cheapest thing possible, but compared to pre fabbed composite panels or laminating your own?

[@jwiereng]

liquid ounces? 3:08

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I guess fluid ounce may be the more correct term. 1 US fluid ounce = 29.57 milliliters

[@northwesttoyotas509]

Wait…beard or no beard…so confused here! Lol🤣

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I mix it up 🤪

[@aimxray9823]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal I loved your handlebar mustache when you had it. That was awesome.

[@jenwallace1766]

To More waste

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

?

[@zzanerg]

To much work

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

You're not wrong 😂

[@zzanerg]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal keep slaving away...more power to ya

[@gschady]

reinventing the wheel makes for a boring video .. buy preformed panels sheeesh

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Please let me know where I can buy preformed panels in low quantities at a decent price! Seriously, I'm not done with my build yet and would absolutely switch to preformed panels if I could source them at similar cost. Thanks