DIY Tiny Camper Part 1

This is a video tour of the inside and outside of our Tiny Camper, 70 sq ft of bedroom, kitchen, and living space. Digital drawings & instructions how to build available on Etsy at etsy.me/30LVzwR See my DIY Tiny Camper Part 3 for improvements to roof, ease of opening and setup. Built for about $1200 material cost, and only 700 pounds so it can be pulled behind most cars. More photos and info at DIYTinyCamper.com

[@sanfilms786]

Excellent. The best micro trailer.

[@renavarges3852]

That is TOO smart!!! What a creative imagination.

[@treenotion9466]

That's just brilliant! Thanks! 👏

[@lamusicjunkie41]

Genius and beautiful.

[@tarachavez1]

very creative, so impressed! looks very cozy

[@arodriguez5914]

This build intrigues me. It's awesomely practical and I would very much like it if you shared the plans. Please. Thank you.

[@tomsem1]

Best description: awesomely practical, agreed. Plans should be ready by November 30, 2016.

[@arodriguez5914]

Yay!!!

[@tomsem1]

Plans are available now.

[@joecieri5122]

Tom Sem I have been looking at many many different types of camper builds I don't have much money but would love to find your plans on this I really like it and to me is the best I have seen thank you for sharing your build Joe

[@tomsem1]

Joe Cieri I appreciate your comment. The plans are available on www.etsy.com and search for DIY tiny camper. I designed this so it would be low cost to build, and relatively easy to build with flat plywood panels. Good luck!

[@marksparks8852]

that's just like when I leave chili in the fridge - COOL BEANS

[@hollyr8788]

This is the coolest little trailer I have found on YT. I was thinking of building one and was wondering why nobody has done a small one with slide out or something similar then found yours … you did a great job on this! TY for sharing it

[@debbushee6970]

nice job , only would put some arms on it to help and/or cable with boat style winch to pullup . ty deb

[@tomsem1]

Deb, I did add some garage door springs to assist with opening and closing and it made a big difference. Check out my Part 2 video to see how it works, thanks, Tom

[@Deontjie]

Could maybe be improved to make it easier. But this is the type of plans we need for trailers.

[@johnhamilton4526]

Is water getting through an issue in the rain?

[@tomsem1]

Not getting any water around the edges of the tarp, but I have some leak issues at the window bottoms where I need to provide an escape drain at the bottom of the windows. The tarp roof needs a pvc criss-cross structure in it, bowed upwards, to keep it from sagging in the rain, which I added later.

[@nancyshadowaz3658]

Very nice. did you make it or buy it like that I would like more details on how it was made. I'm very interested in doing the same thing

[@tomsem1]

I made it myself, and I am working on drawings and instructions so other people can build. Should have them ready in November.

[@tomsem1]

Plans are available now.

[@ceesparxxx]

Now if only someone would invent a camper/rv like this that can be pulled by a bike.....That'd be amazing!!! Like a chloroplast version of this, since that's what most bicycle campers are made out of to keep them lightweight. Most bicycle campers you can't even stand up in lol. If someone invented one that you could, that'd be incredible :) I saw one made from a guy name Kevin Cyr.....and that one looked absolutely incredibly amazing....but you can't find any how to's or anything about it other than just a video of his final project :(

[@tomsem1]

Hey, I just looked at that stand up bike camper by Kevin Cyr, and it looks very heavy, he can barely pull it. I think a version using coroplast, like you said, is a way to make a folding bike camper work. I will think on it and see if I can figure out a folding, coroplast bike camper that's standupable, and thinner so it fits on a bike trail. Maybe 30" wide x 7 feet long and 7 feet tall after unfolding.

[@ceesparxxx]

Tom Sem That would be incredible if it's possible!! Definitely would be one of the most interested campers anybody would ever see. If you create something like that, you deserve a trophy :)

[@tomsem1]

Chris, I built a 1/9th scale version of the folding bike camper last week, based on your comment. I used a material like coroplast but made from polycarbonate instead of polyethylene, pretty rigid stuff. Unfolded, the footprint is 6 ft long x 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall. Folded it is 6 feet long by 2 feet wide by 4 feet tall. Thanks for your comment, I will post a video of it in about a month after I build the full size version. Weight will be about 100 pounds. I want that trophy.

[@canusakommando9692]

I've researched 1000's of designs for micro homes and campers and I find your design to be fantastic! Genius. Thanks for a fresh direction.

[@tomsem1]

Thanks for your comment. It is evolving, I have added a couple springs to assist with the folding and unfolding. Also, I have added an access door to access the storage area when the Tiny Camper is folded up for travel. Next thing I am working on is to adapt it to fit on the back of small pickup trucks. I appreciate the comments to the video, it helps me figure out where to go next with the design.

[@ravenlorans]

Sweet. Would have tried to find a way to make it a hard top myself. Like on you large window side, attach a couple more sheets of plywood that are hinged and if made slightly wider, after unfolding would get you just enough of a peaked roof, you don't have to worry about water pooling up in a rain storm and your Canvas sagging and possibly coming down on you. Then build over the tongue of the trailer for a small but usable Porto-Potty location.

[@sdnlawrence5640]

A great idea; I see this as a prototype though since it got me thinking. I really like the "flipover" bed, reminded me of some high dollar Australian campers I've seen.

[@crv20051]

You are a mad genius and a gymnast as well! Great fun to see this, wonderful.

[@JoseJimenez-mp1iy]

Aluminum or fiberglass sandwich with foam core more light....

[@mossyhornhunter7022]

Great job 👏

[@Tsiri09]

REminds me of European builds I've seen. I really like this one!

[@renavarges3852]

He must be like me, I get claustaphobia in places I can't stand up in.

[@eddypagan8675]

It's big once it up and tiny when close yes it's a transformer outstanding

[@Itried20takennames]

What a smart idea….great job.

[@markcobb6561]

for the braces under the bed, I would have bought 2 load locks from a truck stop and cut to fit. easy adjustment. genius idea. really nice for the weekend getaway.

[@scottrussell9527]

Can't say no more but perfectly genius could work as camper application as well perfect!!

[@danieltwomey3787]

That's an awesome setup! Been planning to do something very similar but was thinking about using a wax canvas type of roof. Haven't yet decided but, I'm glad to see that it's working out well for you!

[@tomsem1]

I am working on a canvas roof this winter, with a center peak. Will post it in a few months.

[@robertpersely1722]

That is very cool. I'm rethinking a folder I've been mulling over. The roof is just a tarp! Saves alot of surface area to fold.

[@tomsem1]

Right, surface area is critical in a folder, so a tarp roof. I also had to convert the bedroom wall to a screen with tarp covering, because the wood version was too heavy. Thanks for your comment.

[@honeysagenails4577]

damm I have a stupid look on my face now. it's like a pop up house

[@74dartman13]

One of the coolest designs I've seen so far! Very smart thinking! I really like it!

[@hairyhider7478]

awesome job when I built my camper I was going to do a fold up one, but was talked out of it 👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍

[@lapalmeal]

Very cool construction. Folds up nice. A coupe of suggestions. It would be nice to have access to the main cabin when everything is folded up. Good place for storage of stuff you unload. Instead of 2x4 supports for bed, how about pipe or tent adjustable tent poles . Impressive. I'll bet a lot of people ask questions when they see it.

[@tomsem1]

It would help to have those bed legs adjustable, we have to fiddle with those 2x4's to get them level. Also, good comment on access when folded up, from your comment I have an idea to add an access door to the lower back wall, which is accessible when the tiny camper is folded up..

[@tomsem1]

It draws a crowd in the campgrounds, especially from the campers in the huge RV's. They aren't ready to downsize, but they have great ideas for improvements.

[@kshook8418]

Great build ...i like the folding up part. Nice design.

[@kshook8418]

Do you have a design available? I would like to build one.

[@patrickmckowen2999]

very interesting👍

[@funcheckout9701]

Thank you,thank you

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Unbelievable 👍👍👍

[@debbushee6970]

yes saw that u did , but I think you would have been happier with some arms , keep building they say this is a life of constant change and inprovement LOL Living tiny

[@rleo2001]

OUTSTANDING JOB!!! Love it.

[@CORYJOHNM]

Thats darn slick bud. This goin in my camper playlist.

[@samuelcampos5261]

Gostei d+ dessa idea muito bom

[@ozzietadziu]

I'd like to see a video of you attaching that tarp roof and side covering. I suspect it might be a nightmare.

[@rafaelhuicochea2286]

That's awesome, but I wonder if you have modified the bed, since I think it is a little dangerous to fold it down when packing. Thank you for sharing!

[@tomsem1]

Yes, I added some garage door springs to assist with folding and unfolding the bed. I am going to add a new video this week to show how they work. It was pretty heavy (about 65 pounds) to fold it without the springs.

[@patrickmckowen2999]

Very nice - and plans are a fair price Cheers, Patrick

[@TinySanctuary]

Interesting, this could be my next tiny house project...

[@Pitster73]

Genius

[@joselinmckenzie3324]

just awesome

[@carolinegray3150]

Nice inside

[@SamuelCroin]

Absolutely brilliant

[@jeffsapp9112]

Brilliant

[@Jesse-fz8pu]

Excellente mi amigo. Love it.

[@martinwebster8702]

DONE!

[@vstarcruiser7141]

very cool amigo, they only want 6 grand for those fold down styles used! damn u beat em...

[@tomsem1]

I appreciate your comment VC. For young people with limited money, it didn't seem fair for them to have to buy a truck and expensive RV just so that they could have an adventure.

[@andrisecasimir4930]

How much? Bring without a home i sure can buy one little camper Please respond If mot interested i will unsubscribe!

[@tomsem1]

Please tell me more about your question, I don't understand.

[@Tysoncat13]

Just received my plans can't wait to start. will take me a while as it is a week end project.

[@tomsem1]

Great, have fun with it.

[@jrfragance]

Tom, you are amazing, I'm about to buy your plans in the next couple of weeks. Can I ask you something?... Two questions, It's anyway that you can do something to build like an extra space below the bed for an extra bed or inside for an extra one person bed? I'm asking you caused I love your concept, but we are at least 3 may be 4....I was thinking and I thing that may be you can put like couple of more panels create like a box below the main bed, with a small door with screen, just only for sleep. Let me know, but i'm happy with your product. Also can we just put 1 sink, so we can have more space for something else. Ohh, did you already build the solid roof? thaks

[@tomsem1]

I really enjoyed your comment because I had the same thought while we were camping in it. I had the thought to make a snap in fabric wall that goes under the wooden bedroom. And part of the snap in wall could have some velcro opening windows for ventilation. But the simplest concept could be just to take a cheap tarp and put snaps on it to snap it under the wooden bedroom to give you sleeping area for two more adults or three kids. And with the access door you can crawl through it to go from the 'fabric' bedroom into the kitchen area. Or even just leave the access door open so you can keep an eye on the kids, or close for privacy. I think I will build one of those snap in walls this summer because it adds so much more usable space to the camper, plus gives you a screened in porch for rainy days. For the roof, I have got the polycarbonate panels and piano .hinges that I will use to convert to the solid roof, and I have a good idea how to fold and unfold those panels easily. Hoping to get that done in this next month. This camper is still evolving because of comments from other people; I think this is cool to share and evolve this online.

[@jrfragance]

Great!!! But please keep the plans for the original one, so people can decide what they want... I will wait for the roof!! thanks Tom

[@jrfragance]

I sent you an excellent idea through your page in facebook... thanks

[@peterrasmussen7545]

So Nice 👍👍👍👍 Just my cup of tea !!!!!

[@markcobb6561]

for the braces under the bed, I would have bought 2 load locks from a truck stop and cut to fit. easy adjustment. genius idea. really nice for the weekend getaway.

[@tomsem1]

Clever idea, load bars. My wife will like that, she doesn't like anything not level.

[@patrickdolan.]

They sell smaller load locks at the truck stop. About 40 or so each. The longer ones are 30 35 each

[@claudioviamao]

Why single if complicated is better kkkk

[@TheRemynight00]

10/10 maximizing space.

[@djpitr]

Good idea , bud how about how is it waterproof it the folding joins ?!

[@tomsem1]

I was going to put some of that thin foam weatherstripping (adhesive on one side) if I had water coming in, but to date it has not been a problem so I didn't put it on. But I still carry that roll with me just in case.

[@atubeviewer4942]

What is the roof and why didn't you show any of it being removed or set up??

[@tomsem1]

Good question, I noticed the same thing, that I had not spent enough time or photos explaining the attachment of the tarp roof. I added a photo of the inside of the tarp roof with the PVC supports later, but should have shown more detail on that. In my part 3 video I added a folding hard roof which shaved about 10 minutes off of the setup time.

[@jackelliott1017]

Do you have any plans drawn up?, I've' been looking for something exactly like this, so cool, Thanks for sharing, sorry should have read all the post, waiting patiently

[@tomsem1]

Thanks for your comment. Since I built this I have become aware of, and seen, various tiny campers out there, some cool concepts. Nice to know other people are thinking about this 'compact' concept.

[@tomsem1]

Plans are available at etsy.me/2fVjXEd

[@owenriggs8518]

Very nice ingenuity but let's be honest to anyone less educated the roof design (a simple tarp laid flat) simple will not work in the rain. Without any support your tarp is doomed to pool. Maybe you live in a dryer climate then myself, but I guarantee any summer rainstorm in the Midwest you are going to have the ice bucket challenge on top of you during a storm. 1 cu inch of water weighs .03613 lbs. so on an 8x8 tarp you'd have about 25 lbs of water flowing right to the center my friends. Even at only a half inch rain your pushing 12.5 lbs... think of a bowling ball in the middle of that tarp my friends. now just in case somebody says we'll just setup under a tree to reduce the rainfall volume, please research how many people annually die by sleeping under trees. Years ago I built a quick chicken coop and threw a tarp over top similar to how you have it and the weight of the first rain snapped the grommets out and I had some mighty upset ladies! Lol Not trying to be an ass, just attempting to provide some wisdom.

[@tomsem1]

You are correct. We added a PVC tube cross with a peak to 'guide' the water down to the sides. Tested in torrential downpours and works good. But before we added the peak, we collected a big belly of rain that first stormy night. The bungee hold-downs allowed some stretch to creat the 'dome' peak.

[@workingmansdead44-ug8hl]

Owen Riggs two collapsible polls( like for a picnick umbrella)and a length of rigid tubing for a ridge beam,simple and cheap.well thought out though nice job,what trailer type are you using,looks like a single wheel single axle five by ten???

[@tomsem1]

Harbor Freight folding 4 x 8 trailer, rated 1195 lb, 12 inch tires, about $260 when on sale.

[@cfonvip6515]

talking about portability, you got it. I only hope not a heavy rain happens when you're camping. . . . LOL

[@tomsem1]

Our absolute first night camping in it, we had a torrential downpour. Found some leaks around the door and windows, but the bedroom stayed dry.

[@cfonvip6515]

Glad to hear that. Fix it and you're all set. well done !

[@jimbreedlove1342]

This is awesome 😎👍👍

[@deweyhood2747]

What kind of top you have

[@DznByLimbo]

wot n tarnation that is wicked

[@Brazillianize]

That is simply genius!

[@JohnT-ii5od]

It is bit of an combination between an Esterel caravan and a Rapido Caravan.

[@tomsem1]

Hey, that Esterel Camper is cool, I didn't know about it before, but quite similar folding except their roof is solid (nice!) and they don't have the flip over bedroom. I finally added garage door springs to Tiny Camper to assist with the open and closing of the fold over bedroom. I will post a video sometime soon.

[@dangavin5470]

An absolute masterpiece...!!

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

Brilliant :)

[@AnnetteZang]

Genius design.

[@johnnyg2983]

The roof????

[@tomsem1]

Yup, I was so excited about the unfolding walls, I forgot to provide more details on the roof. The roof on this video is a tarp roof, held on with elastic. If you look at my third video, I have devised a folding 'hard top' roof made out of polycarbonate panels and aluminum hinges.

[@johnnyg2983]

What a good idea this is🤣

[@johngraber4776]

Where is the roof

[@Edwerdman]

Boa ideia amigo

[@tomsem1]

obrigada amigo

[@CarlottaART]

Amazing design! Awesomeness!!

[@kerrityler635]

could not find plans with that address. help?

[@tomsem1]

Kerri, I just checked the link and it seemed to work, here it is again: etsy.me/2fVjXEd If it doesn't work again, I appreciate if you could let me know and I will try something else. The old-fashioned way is: www.etsy.com and search 'tiny camper'

[@enigmaflyonthewall515]

👍👍👍👍

[@jmrichsonsr]

Very clever‼️

[@tannerwinn5095]

Very cool!

[@angelasheppard7197]

nice

[@ghosttargets9288]

what is the finished product weight?

[@tomsem1]

It is about 730 pounds, including the trailer.

[@ckwongo7194]

that's awesome! I love the fold-a-way concept!

[@BirdyMcKee]

Bloody Cool!

[@tomsem1]

Cheers!

[@richardspengler1794]

Where's the roof!

[@tomsem1]

The roof, currently, is a tarp. You can see that better in the still photos at the end of the video. I am now working on a modification to have a solid, folding roof. I didn't like the 10 minutes that I spent futzing with the tarp roof. Stay tuned!

[@darrellblair5818]

LOVED IT. 👍👍👍

[@cipu25]

Perfect for desert One rain and it's pretty much done

[@tomsem1]

Our very first night trying this out, we had torrential rains in South Dakota, and it did very well. We added some PVC cross supports, which don't appear in this video, but do appear in the build instructions. Also, the part 3 video has a folding, hard roof option.

[@Xolani_Khabazela]

Lol