Our DIY Cargo Trailer Conversion

[@itsamysticlife3500]

Very nice conversion, and thanks for sharing. A word of caution about you propane tank - You might want to get a milk crate to store it in for travel, and put it in a cabinet inside the trailer. I worked on Promised Land TV show and we had a propane tank flip and roll inside the film storage box truck(no storage crate nor locked down) and the box of the truck blew up with 5 days of film and all the equipment. We never refilmed that episode and it was a nightmare of paperwork - no one was injured, just shaken up. Also, some states have laws (with HEAVY fines) for transporting propane bottles inside of a car trunk, especially if it is unsecured or goes over a certain distance - their citing a public hazard as the tank can act as a bomb in an simple rear end accident. Take care, have fun and make great memories.

[@littlejoey22]

Itsa Mystic Life that’s a crazy story, I imagine it was quite the pucker factor, I’m glad you were alright. Have you found many good options for transporting LP canisters? We bought a canister holder from e-trailer, gives it a sturdier base and run a tiedown through the canister a D-ring. When I take my truck I usually strap it in behind the cab. Honestly I don’t really like any of the options I’ve seen commercially, especially the external mounts on many the trailers, I find them flimsy and insecure. Anyway glad you’re all safe and thanks for sharing.

[@itsamysticlife3500]

@@littlejoey22 Yeah, everyone was fine, but it was something else to see our "Luigi truck" turn the corner and then blow up. Weeks of paperwork, insurance, fire marshals, and TV executives was probably worse than the initial explosion. You know the oh-no-excitement, incident containment and relief that everyone was safe versus the never-ending questions and what-should-we-do-now scenarios. The insurance companies were the worse part - fault finding (they called it "fact finding") and trying to get out of paying all of the damages. It's about $$$ not doing right. Anyway, hubby & I did special event food service and catering for about a decade and used a plastic milk crate for each of our propane bottles. As part of the break down and packing up, we Always turned them off, unhooked the hoses and screwed the safety plug back in the propane tanks; then bungeed the tanks to d-ring tie downs on the passenger side in the cargo trailer. We're just finishing a goose neck tiny house conversion, and we don't like where the original propane tank holder is located (front of the trailer under the gooseneck extension). We're exploring options on placement and having a friend weld us a mounted lock box for the tank(s). We'll post a "ta-da" video open house when we make the final decisions (we still have the interior decor and outside paint to finish)

[@brettm1118]

2nd the milk crate. $6 investment at home depot

[@rcarver1961]

This may be my favorite 6 x 12 build

[@heckmancs]

Beautiful build, lot of nice features, I'm getting ready to do my own build out on a 6x12 V. Got some more ideas from what you did. Thanks for sharing! 👍

[@jonthebru]

Simple is good. Function over fluff.

[@caroljackson4093]

John Bruce When well thought out, you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other 🧐

[@jimsteele7108]

When it comes right down to it, all you need is climate control.

[@mtthielsen8342]

That is amazing, I still can't believe RV makers don't get a clue, and build something like this. A dealer could sell those all day at 10-12K, instead of the trailers that dissolve with water damage in two years for 20K.

[@littlejoey22]

Mt Thielsen thanks for the positive comment! You pretty much nailed why I built my own. I wanted a small well built trailer that wasn’t made of particle board and glue. I like the idea of the Airstreams with the aluminum body and chassi but at the end of the day the price tag is so over the top I can’t justify buying one. I’ve upgraded a few things since this video, solar panels, fold out shower curtain, electric brakes etc. I’m into this build for roughly 9k now and honestly I couldn’t be happier. Some mods I would like to do is to build in a permanent propane heater. The wood heater is cool but it would be nice to have something that I can set to a temp and leave it when we’re out playing without worrying if the pipes might freeze or not. Anyway, if you’re thinking of building one I’d like to encourage you to do so, it really was a pretty easy project and I get a tremendous amount of joy and satisfaction out of it. Hope you have a good night. -Joe

[@garrygutier]

You guys put together a very nice and clean set up. Love it! However I'm the process of building a 6x12 V nose moto race track set up and ran into yours looking for cabinet ideas. I'm about to cancel all that and just go camping. LOL

[@richwilcox9564]

Great job on the camper & the tour; complete and to the point.

[@littlejoey22]

Rich Wilcox thank you sir, it was a joy to build and all the positive feedback this far has been amazing. We hope this video inspires others to take a crack at building one for themselves.

[@lass-inangeles7564]

Love the alder wood cabinets and bed. Such a warm golden grain. Functional and well made. Enjoy your travels and thanks for sharing!

[@littlejoey22]

Lass-in Angeles seriously a ton if thanks, we love the positive comments, made our evening, thank you.

[@wesleelouderman382]

I bought a 6x12 cargo trailer just like this one, and am planning all of the same things for mine except that I will have an indoor bathroom and shower. Very cool.

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks man, good luck with the project, it’s honestly fun, rewarding and not that hard. I found the whole project really enjoyable. Since finishing this one I’ve build another one for a friend a bit bigger and more insulated. It was last year and it started getting hard to find materials in a timely manor so if I may offer a bit of advice I’d start collecting the components you want now, it would suck being held up for a month or more waiting on some random product. Also, if you dig the wood stove check out 509 stoves. My buddy, who I built that second trailer for is a pro skier and lives out it for 4-5 months a year traveling around filming and stuff and in his we put the 509 self feeding stove and he’s getting 12 hours of burn time which blows my cubic mini stove out of the water. If boondocking we have to worry more about freezing pipes while he’s gone all day without any issues. Since filming this video of mine I’ve added a few things that you may find helpful, a self composting toilet is surprising easy, doesn’t smell at all and is a good addition. We also put up a folding shower hanger made from boat bimini hardware which gives us some privacy outside. Best upgrade has been a 100w Renogy solar panel. I seldom plug my trailer in, that solar panel keeps my battery topped off all the time, it’s great. Anyway, good luck on the project, I hope it goes well for you.

[@wesleelouderman382]

@@littlejoey22 Thanks Joseph, I'll definitely check out those stoves. I'm holding off on solar for the moment and will settle for a generator and propane to power everything. I can't wait to get out there and spend some quality time in something I put a lot of work into. Have a good one!

[@ositolee5870]

Very nice. Love to see a video on the Murphy bed build or how you did it.

[@upriver7047]

Super cute inside! Love the alder cabinets. Thanks for sharing!

[@littlejoey22]

Rosalie Larson thanks for the super positive feedback.

[@jluv420]

Really nice thought out build. Great job and explanation.

[@fancysfolly554]

Very nice...love the finishes...esp the beadboard and the wooden planked walls...I’d love one like this but bigger...also the Murphy bed is wonderful...I’d want some sort of couch or comfortable chairs..looks comfortable and cozy

[@jalton9416]

I love your camper. Very functional. Great job

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks! It was fun to build and after 3 years it’s been holding up well. If you’re thinking of building one I’d say it’s completely worth it. Thanks again.

[@mouses911]

Nice guys! Thanks for sharing.

[@gabbyschultz3572]

Not enough golden retriever footage! Just kidding - thanks for the great video :)

[@ohmercy5924]

Love it! The bed idea is perfect. Happy trails!

[@freedomring4813]

Nice ,I did a 14x7 special order with 5 slider windows, ramp back door but I also built a wall with a screen door and hard door in the back .the inside looks like a log cabin with a leather loveseat and coffee table. I went for 3 weeks and loved it. If I decide to I can fit a full size motorcycle and it will fit in the back doors.

[@markbunker5934]

Nice. Clean and simple. Thanks for sharing

[@tmise50]

Very nice looking camper! I’ve actually been thinking about doing one for probably 15 years now. I keep my boat at a lake that is two hours away. There is a nice rv campground just across the lake from the marina. This would be perfect for having a place to stay rather than sleeping in my truck or a motel.

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks! It was a fun project, not that difficult either. Took about 2 months to build mostly working on weekends. 15 years is a long time to be thinking about building one, maybe it’s time to “pull the trigger” and make it happen? Total build out on this with including purchasing the trailer and a few other things we’ve added since including electric brakes and solar panels was around 8,500 to 9000. Other than the trailer itself the most expensive part was the stove which if given it to do over I would have gone another route for heating. For the trailer we went with aluminum to save on weight, it cost a little extra but was worth it as the difference in weight allowed us to tow an ATV with only the one #3500 lb axel. If weight isn’t a big deal for you then you could have bumped up to a steel 7x14 double axle for not much more money than what we paid for the 6x12. I hope this encourages you to do it, it was a blast to build and using it has a amazing and satisfying. -Joe

[@MikeDingman-q7n]

love it. set up perfect

[@leroywarner7354]

Great craftsmanship need clean well flat out and thinking about doing it myself thank you so much

[@littlejoey22]

You should, way better than a tent and blow up pad. It was a fun project and not all that challenging.

[@billygage6899]

Very nice build

[@moosedrummer1]

Good job. Very simple and very functional.

[@BigBobby713]

Ive actually been debating on the tandem axle over the single...not sure if the extra tires and extra size truly are needed, guess im trying to be budget friendly for the long run but i suppose you have a point on not being so concerned on weight. Thanks for replying so quickly.

[@justinsimpson3139]

Awesome build

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks Justin, couldn’t be happier. Been 3 years or so since I finished it… it’s been awesome, everything has held up well. Maybe at some point I’ll make another video about some add on features like solar and stuff. It’s a worth while project if you’re thinking of doin it. Thanks for the positive comment, hope you have a good one.

[@bernadetteolsen2517]

Well done! We are thinking about converting a cargo trailer as well.

[@littlejoey22]

Bernadette Olsen I encourage you to do so. It’s an enjoyable process, It’s not that hard to build and quite rewarding when you’re finished. I’d say the hardest part was the planning, research and design of it to fit your needs.

[@pokeyrebel3730]

Very nice! I'd like to see how your bench works.

[@littlejoey22]

The idea at the start was to put a pop dining table underneath the bed, then fold up the bed to bare wall and use the bench for sitting at the table. However we haven’t made the table, found we don’t really need it and so the bench basically just works as storage to house our battery bank and then on the other half it stores blankets and pillows. It also is nice as a bed side table. I wired in a usb charging port to it. The pillow top also works well to help keep the bed from shifting around while we’re traveling and have it stowed in the up position.

[@BroomieIam]

Awesome little setup.

[@MixinitupOutdoors]

I've watched alot of these videos.. I think this is my favorite build of all

[@littlejoey22]

MixinitupOutdoors thanks! It was a fun build and we’re happy to share it with folks and just want to encourage others to give it a try. Or give them some ideas. Thanks again for the positive comment, it mkes taking the time to film and edit it all worth it. -Joe

[@MixinitupOutdoors]

@@littlejoey22 forsure. I am currently looking at pulling the trigger on a 7x14 or 7x16. Not sure yet. Will definitely be using your layout design. Any chance of seeing how you built the bed and how it folds down. Looks really cool. I forsure want a woodstove in mine to. Absolutely love how you guys did that

[@littlejoey22]

MixinitupOutdoors the bed is super simple. I cut a 45 degree angle down the length of a 1”x3”x 6’ piece of hard maple. I mounted that on the wall to the metal studs such that the 45 degree angle faces up. On the bed frame I mounted an identical piece only this time with the 45 degree angle pointed down. The two 45 degree angles match up so that the bed is pulled into the wall and is fully supported along the rail. On the other side I mounted two fold down legs. The legs have stop blocks mounted on the bed to keep the legs from rotating when in the down position. Super simple, sturdy. If this doesn’t make sense I can make a video about it. Also, the wood stove is cool but for me it’s mostly a novelty. It’s nice during spring and falloff take the edge off a cold night but when it gets really cold it’s a pain in the butt. It heats the trailer quickly and easily but if I’m counting on it to keep the trailer warm at night when it’s pretty cold I find that I’m getting up a few times during the night to stoke it and because of that I find it hard to recommend it. Also when we took the trailer skiing for a weekend I was stressing that the pipes would freeze. So for the time being if it’s cold I make sure that I have an AC power source for a small plug in electric heater. I like the wood stove but as a primary heat source it’s just not reliable enough for cold weather boondocking. Also, it was expensive. After all was said and done with the wood stove, heat shield, stainless pipe, cap and cone I was into it for nearly $1,000, much more than I was originally planning on spending. Also, I’ve added a 100w Renogy solar panel and charge controller which has been awesome awesome. I haven’t plugged the trailer in for over a year and the battery has stayed completely charged without any problems. Anyway, hope this all helps.

[@larrybe2900]

@@littlejoey22 Could you convert it to propane?

[@ryanflynn573]

Clean! No hack job here. Well done.

[@littlejoey22]

Ryan Flynn thanks! Fun project. We’re enjoying the feedback, and we’re hopin people are getting inspired to build their own.

[@infosociety2112]

thank-you so much for the detailed description of your materials. Now I know what shiplap is...

[@littlejoey22]

Ha, well you got me, not real shiplap. I always make fun of the HGTV shows that put fake ship lap in their homes and bathroom and then I go do the same thing. I needed to cover the OSB sheeting and conserve on weight so I ripped down some utility ply, the real thin stuff from the big box store then cut it into various lengths, rounded the edges, glued and pin nailed it to the 1/2 OSB. It didn’t add much weight and served its purpose. I gapped it using a few nickels, my thought behind that is so the edges don’t chaff and bind up cause a break or the boards to potentially pop. I think for this it was a pretty good fix

[@infosociety2112]

Thank's for letting me know

[@shopart1488]

Very nice build, of all that I have seen this is the best thought out build. I have always though a Murphy bed would be perfect.

[@guyanderson327]

Wow so many ideas..love when the young get creative

[@victoroses7631]

Really really cool stuff. Love what you guys did with the trailer!! Love it!!

[@littlejoey22]

Victor Oses thanks bud, we really appreciate the positive comments. It was a fun project, we encourage everybody to give it a shot if they’re thinking about building one.

[@mach2262]

I love your camper. Can I come and smell the wood burning stove.?🤩🥰🙏

[@littlejoey22]

This is my favorite comment yet

[@jordanbrightpublishing6990]

Beautiful! What are the wall panels? Are they light weight? I love all of it. Thank you!

[@littlejoey22]

Hey thanks Jordan! For the wall panels I bought a few sheets of 5mm utility ply from Home depot and ripped them down on the table saw to 7.5” wide. I then cut the ripped down planks into various lengths to offset the seems, rounded all the edges and spaced them slightly apart (I used 5 cent nickels to get my spacing). Behind them is the factory 1/2@ osb and so when I adhered the utility ply pieces I troweled on a general purpose construction adhesive and stuck them to the wall. I used a couple of pin nails to hold them in place while the adhesive dried. This gave me that shiplap look without the weight of real pine shiplap. Also it was way cheaper. After I installed it, I painted it before installing the ceiling or flooring. For the paint my wife used Sherwin Williams emerald paint line in satin finish and the paint color is seafoam green. I was skeptical of the color but she likes it so it’s good enough for me. For the ceiling I used plywood bead board, don’t use the mdf bead board, it is heavier and more susceptible to any moisture that hopefully doesn’t ever happen. Hope this helps, thanks for the positive comment and have a great day.

[@davidgarcia-cw1fk]

Very nicely done!

[@yardsausage]

i love videos like this, it shows how being simple makes sense..thanks.

[@littlejoey22]

yardsausage thank you! Love the positive comments.

[@FortWildernessRicky]

Really like this build. Simple cool 😎

[@rob9346]

very nicely done! thanks for the video

[@mikejarvis6138]

Very nice !

[@bobmccaslin2040]

Very nice and well thought-out! Blessings as you travel- Bob

[@littlejoey22]

Hey thanks Bob! Thanks for the positive comment, always makes my day.

[@shannonthurman5208]

Great Job! ♥ I love this layout ! Thanks for sharing .....

[@BigBobby713]

By far the best layout I've seen. Plan on following same basic idea, with some minor adjustments that will work slightly better for my personal needs. Hats off to you both. A truly excellent cargo trailer conversation. I have a couple question. What size quad do you have? Give or take how much did you invest on the full build?

[@littlejoey22]

BigBobby713 roughly 9k, but that includes a few other things we’ve added since the build like solar panels and a Bimini hardware shower curtain I made for the outdoor shower. As for the atvs we have a couple but we usually put the Polaris sportsman 400 in the trailer and the 600 in the back of the truck. It fits the 600 size wise but the added weight kinda stresses me a little more as it’s right at max axle weight with the bigger 600 plus water. We went with the aluminum trailer to keep some the weight down allowing for the atv plus the trailer components, gear and water. If I built it again I think I’d opt for 7x14 or bigger with a double axle. It’ll save you from having to worry about the weight issues. My buddy is building one now that is 7.5 x 18 and it’s pretty sweet. He’s also doing a shackle loft and spring and over the axle mount to increase ride height and bigger off-road tires. All upgrades I’d recommend. Feel free to write me back with any questions you may have, happy to help.

[@OdditiesWorld]

Great set up. Well done!

[@randomstuffwithjoe]

Nice job. Do you find the 6x12 is a bit small? I was planning a 6x12 camper build.. but after seeing it in person, I felt it was a little small. I ended up going with a 7x12 plus the v-nose. I'm about 70% done on my build now. Hopefully I'll have it finished by summer time.

[@littlejoey22]

Joe Scopa size wise it’s ok, I think 7x14 is better. In a perfect world for my needs I think a 7x14 single 5k axle aluminum trailer with 6’6” ceiling height would have been great but those are hard to come by. I built it with the idea that my wife’s 4Runner would be able to tow it comfortably with the atv inside. Much heavier than this setup and I think it would struggle with the steep mtn passes all around us. Good luck with your build, it’s an enjoying and rewarding process.

[@randomstuffwithjoe]

@@littlejoey22 I was actually looking to buy a 7x14 plus the v-nose, but the dealer sold it before I was able to get to it. They did have the same trailer in a 7x12 plus v-nose.. so I got that one. Had I got the 7x14, I may have put in a full bathroom with shower, but I skipped it with my 7x12. I'm just adding an outdoor shower now. My trailer is a dual axle, but its all aluminum, so its not too bad for towing - but I'm also towing with a Silverado. Anyway.. nice job on your build. Congrats.

[@randomstuffwithjoe]

Btw.. here's a link to my latest video of my build.. in case you're interested in checking it out. Cheers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4e0lGyan5Z_la8

[@littlejoey22]

Joe Scopa I dig it! I like the e-trac idea. I kicked around doing that as well. Have you thought about maybe putting a bottom on the beds and hinge it such that the dead space between the 2x4s could be used as storage? It would make it a little heavier and more of a pain to move but every lit bit of usable storage is a pulse .

[@randomstuffwithjoe]

Joseph Nelson the bunks aren’t actually framed so a bottom wouldn’t work. It’s just plywood laying on top of 2x4s but it’s not attached. It’s literally just laying on top of it.

[@jaredmasten1591]

Great build

[@richardfoster8692]

Great build !

[@KarenCalypte]

Hello, Very functional and looks very well made. Like the concept of the "Murphy Bed" coming down onto that ledge, but was actually looking for extra fresh water tank to fit under our older motor home to extend our stays when boondocking. Would be super if you could tell me the manufacture you bought yours from. Looks like it not very tall and would work underneath our MH. Hope to hear from you, thanking you in advance for your info on the manufacture company. Kindest Regards, ~~ Karen Calypte

[@littlejoey22]

I can’t say for sure but I think it’s a “class A customs” water tank. I didn’t really look too closely at the manufacturer, I was more looking for a specific size to fit into the space that I needed.

[@KarenCalypte]

@@littlejoey22 Thanks so much for replying. Cut and pasted this you posted to me: "class A customs water tank". It opened up more business and images and I found several the size configuration that would work in the space we have. Again, thanks so much for the info. Kindest Regards, ~~ Karen Calypte

[@pyr8at40]

nice and functional...welll done

[@junkman2758]

Great job

[@ericwiltse8054]

Sweet trailer,nice work

[@thomashorn9152]

Very nice set up, starting my build. Just wondering if you have any video on how you did the counter top & bottom part in the v nose. Thanks for showing build.

[@littlejoey22]

thomas horn I have a slide show that you can pause at various points of the build. The counter top is 1/2” cabinet grade plywood with MDF. Also I glued and pin nailed a 3/4” strip of hardwood along the edge of the plywood, this covers up the plywood edge and also let’s me break the edge with a round over router bit. To get the shape I first made a cardboard cutout and then copied that onto the plywood. The plywood counter top is actually two pieces that I joined together such that the joint is supported by the edge of one of the cabinet boxes. Along with that I also glued and domino biscuited the joint. I then filled the little imperfect gap with a sandable wood filler and after it dried and blended it out. To attach everything I screwed a level wooden cleat to the metal trailer studs, the cabinets are screwed to that and it gives support for counter top. Quick side note, the cabinets don’t have a backer on them as to reduce weight. I made the cabinet face frames using 3/4” alder. The doors and drawers are also alder and for the inner paneling on them I used 1/4” alder veneered plywood. To give the counter the appearance of stone I first sealed the plywood surface with a grey acrylic paint. This served as the base color. I then mixed three systems epoxy and spread it evenly across the counter top. I used a torch to pop and bubbles and then to add depth to the epoxy and make it look like stone I had a couple colors of spray paint that I lightly dusted into the wet epoxy. When the paint hits the wet epoxy it kinda disperses out and adds a cool appearance. I’m not an expert at this, just watched a few videos and gave it a shot. It was easy. If you have the budget for it, consider stonecoat epoxy, they have a KZbin channel and they do some amazing stuff. But for me I had left over epoxy from another project and random cans of rustoleum hammered spray paint. I went sparingly on the paint and if given the opportunity to do it over, I think I would have tried some aggressive paint and techniques from the stonecoat channel. Anyway, hope this helps.

[@littlejoey22]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqS8iamEfq2Eftk

[@thomashorn9152]

@@littlejoey22 thank you so much for getting back to me. Great job.😀

[@dotjohnson231]

Great job! That wood stove really caught my attention. I haven't seen anyone else put one in a cargo trailer. How did you build the frame that you set it on? Is it secure going down the road? Are you going to post anything about the newer stove you are working on? Thanks!

[@littlejoey22]

Hey, thanks for the positive words. The stove is awesome, it came as a package…mostly. I bought the stove and mounting plate from a company called cubic mini stoves. For my smaller trailer the cub size worked perfect. I didn’t care for their flew pipe so I opted for a different set up and I went to a local heating supply shop for help. We put a double walled 3” pellet vent in, and I used a 5” to 6” adapter as a makeshift wall thimble to create an air barrier around the vent as it passed through the ceiling. I used a few bolts to center the pipe in the thimble. I also packed around the outside of that adapter with rock wool insulation to help protect the wood and foam insulation. The stainless steel wall mount from cubic mini supports the stove and has a 1” air gap on the back side to help protect the wall from excessive heat, this is a must have. The pellet vent consists of a pellet vent adapter, two 3’ vent stacks, a 1’ extension with a spark arrestor. The pellet vent pieces connect with a 1/4 turn so with that I usually climb up and pull the 1’ extension with the spark arrester before driving. I cap the exposed vent stub out with a rubber cap usually used for capping off pvc pipes. As for other stoves out there, I’ve installed a different type of stove by a company called 509 stoves. It’s bigger more expensive and a self feeding unit that has a 12/hr burn time. Both are cool, and if you need the long burn time the 509 is the way to go. The cubic mini works good for my needs. As for more videos, maybe someday. I don’t have the cameras, editing software or the skills necessary to put out the high quality videos that so many others are. I just build fun stuff and sometimes record it. Thanks again, feel free to hit me up with many more questions.

[@dotjohnson231]

@@littlejoey22 wow. Thank you so much! The extra burn time is always great to have. I'm just thinking the smaller/simpler things are, the better for my purposes. Do you have any videos of either stove build? Lots of good ideas in your video here :-) I appreciate your quick response to my question.

[@littlejoey22]

@@dotjohnson231 I don’t have a video perse but there is a time lapse that kind of has some details you can get from that. It’s pretty easy. I leveled the trailer to the best of my ability and hung the stainless mount to the wall. I took into account where the roof framing members were to ensure that my stove placement wouldn’t hit a stud with the flew pipe. I then took a plumb bob and hung it on the ceiling (I had a finished ceiling at this point in the build). This gave me a point on the ceiling which corresponds with the center of the outlet pipe on the stove. I had a rough idea where the flew was going to go when finishing the ceiling so I didn’t put any foam insulation in the general area of where I thought the flew was going to go. I then used a long 1/8” drill bit to drill through the finished ceiling and then through the aluminum trailer roof. I then cut a 6” hole in the ceiling and 4” hole in the roof. Then, I back filled the space between the finished ceiling and the roof with rock wool. I took my pipe reducer I explained in the previous response and pressed it into place. It was a tight fight. Then I took the sections of stove pipe and fed from the top down onto the stove. I centered the 3” stove in the thimble and thread in some small bolt to keep it center and secure, kind of like a Christmas tree base holder. Then, with the pipe sticking through the roof all I had to do is add a collar and rain shield. I used an all metal collar but I think the rubber collar would do just fine. The collar is wet wet in sealant and screwed down to the roof with with self tapping roofing screws spaced 1” apart and have a little rubber washers on them. I slid the rain cap down over the collar and siliconed it in place with high temp silicone sealant. I also put sealant over the screws. Then at the top of the main pipes I have the 1’ section of pipe that has the spark arrestor on it which I take on and off. Like I said previously the dura vent pipe is a 1/4 turn connector. So it’s relatively easy to take that 1’ section on and off, though sometimes when it’s wet the soot and water make it a bit sticky. On my buddies stove, he left his spark arrestor permanent attached and it seems to work alright. He also mounted his stove lower and so he gets a decent draft without the added height to the roof or headache of taking his on and off. I don’t mind doing it, takes only a couple of minutes. With the added pipe and spark arrestor attached mine is mounted kind of high, about 3-4’ above the trailer roof height which I don’t like driving with that additional height and that’s why I remove it. Additionally I don’t like having the open spark arrestor because the one time that I did drive with it on it blew ash into the trailer through the stove damper. So now I only drive with the rubber pipe cap on the stack at the 1’ piece removed… After that no issues whatsoever.

[@dotjohnson231]

@@littlejoey22 Excellent! Many thanks for such detailed info. I do appreciate it

[@Dave-sw2dm]

I've watched a lot of these videos on converting cargo trailers into campers. I don't understand why no one posts the final weight and tongue weight after these builds. Seems very important to a safe towing experience.

[@littlejoey22]

Hey Dave I don’t remember the exact weights but somewhere way back in the comments they’re posted on one of the the comment threads. However I remember that it was was roughly 2200 lbs without water and ATV, 2400 with water and 2900 with our Polaris Sportsman 500. Hope this helps. If you’re contemplating something like this you’ll need to obviously consider your wants and needs. For us, with a single 3500 lb axle I wanted to make sure to save enough on weight that I could still put an atv in and not be over weight. Hope this helps.

[@MrBrianDuga]

Cool use of a french cleat

[@tonyvaldivia7300]

Is that a 4Runner hooked up to the trailer?? Great vid. Awesome work!

[@littlejoey22]

Yes sir! Tows it well. We did add air bags to the 4Runner however, keeps it from squatting as much.

[@rickyanderson1399]

What color and paint did you choose for the walls, and what type of wood is your trim? Thanks!! Very nice!

[@littlejoey22]

Sherwin Williams “quietude,” in satin sheen, paint number 6212. I believe we used their duration paint series? For the trim and cabinets we used Knotty alder and finished it with a couple of coats of Watco Danish Oil in light walnut.

[@micki777]

Nice job!

[@Misty3133]

Great job,enjoy!

[@megsmith596]

Nice job.

[@littlejoey22]

Meg Smith thanks!

[@chriswinner6229]

I'm definitely interested like the simple build. I'd like to do something similar. I'd love to see how it looks with the bed down and how you guys use the bench

[@littlejoey22]

Chris Winner the bench is more for storage. It’s broken into two compartments. The left compartment holds blankets and pillows. The right compartment houses the battery and the electrical panel. The top of the bench is hinged and folds up to give access to the compartments when the bed is down. Originally I was going to also make a table and use the bench for seating but that never came to fruition.

[@chriswinner6229]

@@littlejoey22 how high is the ceiling in your trailer and are you using a full bed?

[@littlejoey22]

It’s a 6’6” ceiling height and the bed is a Full. It’s a 5” memory foam pad. I boxed in the memory foam with the bed rails leaving and inch or so exposed, this helps when I latch the bed to the wall during transport, it puts pressure on the latches and it keeps from vibrating around. We also used 1” memory foam on the top of bench. It does a good job keeping the bed from sliding and vibrating there too that way there’s no wood on wood anywhere. It barely fit with the drop down ramp hardware. When I lower the back ramp down and the bed is stored I have less than a 1/4” gap of clearance between the wire and the bed frame but it works so no complaint a. I’m helping a friend build one right now, his ceiling height is 7’0 and it’s nice. He has the fold out barn doors on his it’s a much easier design process for that and he can maximize space.

[@arnbrhm]

My wife and I love your trailer conversion. You both did an awesome job. We have a trailer conversion of our own coming up. We really like your epoxy counter top. Can you go into more details on how you did that? I'm especially curious how you made it look all one piece (I assume it is 2 pieces). What wood type did you use?

[@littlejoey22]

arnbrhm Hey thanks for the compliment. We used the 1/2” cabinet grade plywood remnants from the cabinets, it was 3 pieces. I bonded them together using a festool domino and glue. There were some minor voids in the plywood joints but I mixed a slurry of fine saw dust and epoxy and spread it with a bondo spatula into the voids, let it dry and sanded it smooth. I pin nailed a 3/4 strip of alder on the front to thicken the edge. I painted the top surface with a matte grey acrylic and let that fully dry. I put three coats of epoxy onto it. When applying the first 2 coats of epoxy while they are still wet I dusted metallic spray paint on it to give it the granite-ish look. Stone coat epoxy counter tops has a KZbin channel that’s really good at explaining the process. As each coat dries take a torch and lightly brush the surface with the flame over the bubbles and it pops them creating a smooth surface. The last coat I just let set up with no paint. It cures to a gloss finish. If you don’t like the gloss finish you can buff down the shine or what I do is sand with a 320 grit sand paper then spray it with satin enduro var made by general finishes. For this project however I was fine with the gloss finish. I had the epoxy already and since I used the scraps the whole project only cost me a few cans of spray paint. If you’re cabinet design didn’t leave enough scraps I’d say it would be somewhere in the $150 range for epoxy, paint and a sheet or two of ply. Honestly pretty easy to do, hardest part is getting the angles right.

[@arnbrhm]

@@littlejoey22 This is very helpful! Thanks for the detailed explanation.

[@rjschneider85]

Great build, nice a clean, less is best. Who is the manufacture of your trailer?

[@littlejoey22]

Robert! Thanks a ton for the positive comment. The make is EZHauler. I think they’re out of Montana. I don’t really have any complaints with the make, I feel like overall they did a better job with building the trailer than most of what I’ve seen out there on the market. I’d say the only downside is when I built another trailer for a friend, we custom ordered a trailer directly from them and we were hoping to get torsion axles and thicker aluminum siding but they didn’t really want to deviate from their normal operations to do custom trailers, which I totally understand. So with that, the only complaints I have is that the aluminum skin is thin, and in my opinion independent torsion axles are the way to go for over landing. So if you can find somebody willing build that, I’d go that route. If not, the frames of these are solid and you can also can get windows installed by the company if you want. Hope this helps.

[@felixcat9318]

Your beautiful, light, airey travel cabin is elegantly simple and simply elegant!

[@laurirohr5364]

I love your build! I will be copying a few things, lol. Few questions: maybe I missed it, but what make is your trailer? I've been looking at a Haulmark, but like your aluminum one better. Did you do the epoxy countertops yourself...and what color did you paint the ship lap? Beautiful! Thank you! Safe travels.

[@littlejoey22]

It’s an E-Z Hauler aluminum trailer. I believe they’re out of Montana. An important aspect for us was weight and compared to a few steel trailers that we looked at the aluminum was nearly 400lbs lighter. Keep in mind that does come with a little added cost. Overall I’m happy with the build quality of their trailers, though there were a couple of minor things I would have liked to have seen. After tearing into the trailer I found that the rear floor area over the axle was reinforced and the floor was well supported but up front the floor was a bit spongy and could have used another supporting cross member. Along with that if I were to build it over again I would have just taken the floor out and used a 3/4” marine grade plywood. Instead I left the 5/8(?) osb and used deck paint to seal up the undercarriage, we’ll see if that holds up. I feel like OSB just shouldn’t be used there. The deciding factor to go with this trailer was that I liked that they used thicker gauge aluminum than a competitor. There’s also no exposed fasteners, it’s all sealed seam aluminum. We also got the 6’6” ceiling height The only thing I felt the trailer itself needed after the build that we didn’t get originally was trailer brakes, but they were easy to install and now it ties like a dream. Thanks for positive comment. If there’s any q’s you have feel free to ask. Good luck on your project and have fun with it. Oh.... one last thing, the cubic mini stove is cool and all but in retrospect I don’t think it was worth the cost. For us it turned out to be more of an expensive novelty. It works but takes work to keep the trailer heated with it. In the end, the stove, the stack, cap and flashing added up to nearly $1,000. I would have rather plumbed in a small vented gas heater that I could put a thermostat on and not had to worry that while I was sleeping or out hiking that my water lines would freeze.

[@littlejoey22]

Also check out stone coat countertops they have some good videos on doing epoxy counters. Super easy to do. Paint color is Schwerin Williams Quitetude paint code number 6212.

[@laurirohr5364]

Thank you so much! Appreciate the info!

[@mach2262]

What is the name of the little stove and any directions where I can buy one please. Just love your idea. Please and thank you 🤩🥰🙏

[@littlejoey22]

The one we have is the called the cubic mini stove. cubicminiwoodstoves.com/collections/cub-cb-108 Also check out 509 stoves. I installed one of theirs on a friends trailer and I like it more but it is bigger and may be space prohibitive. Only down side of the cubic mini is burn times are limited. I have the cub version and I get about 2-3 hours of burn time. The 509 is close to 12 hrs.

[@jimsteele7108]

I like it!

[@naya6593]

I’m had to watch this twice ❤️❤️❤️

[@Aprilforevergreen]

Nice design

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks! It was a fun project, well worth it

[@sethwatson8952]

I do like it! Very nice, clean, and something other than white inside. Would like to see the bed folded down, and trailer closed up. What is the matress?

[@littlejoey22]

Someday I’d like to make a follow up video and show the close up of the bed, we’ve had a lot of questions about it. It’s pretty simple, I did a French cleat the full length of the bed frame. It’s basically just a 1x4 piece of alder ripped down the middle at a 45 degree angle. I attached one half of it to the bed the other half I mounted it to the wall by by dirt tapping and threading bolts into the stud. The opposing 45 degree joints lock the bed against the wall. Then for the legs, they just swing down in place and have positive stops to set them at them at correct 90 degree angle. When stowed away the legs fuld up out of the way. The bed is held up against the wall by two decorative gate latches. To get them to hold tight the memory foam mattress sticks out an inch or two out past the bed frame so when the bed is against the wall the depressed mattress keeps pressure on the latches it doesn’t move or shake at all. If you’re interested shoot me your email address and I’ll send you some photos. So this all makes more sense.

[@sethwatson8952]

@@littlejoey22 Cool. What mattress is it? One of those thinner memory foam ones?

[@littlejoey22]

Seth Watson yes sir, 5” memory foam amazon, it’s a full, couldn’t quite fit a queen

[@momentumtintdetail]

Would love to see the bench pulled out

[@upaginit]

Good job

[@tammynorris3093]

How do you use the bench, the bed is sitting on it? I would have liked to have seen that.

[@littlejoey22]

Tammy Norris, fold the bed down to access it. It’s set up with two compartments, one houses my electrical system and the other has blankets and bed sheets. The foam bench top acts more as a cushion for the bed while driving.

[@johnhiser3995]

Just watched the video - Great job! What did you use to allow the bed to fold down? Also, how far is the end of the bed from the passenger side wall in the down position? Thanks

[@littlejoey22]

I installed a French cleat on the passenger side of the trailer, so when I drop the bed it falls into a French cleat rail which is screwed to the studs. The opposing 45 degree edges of cleat hold the bed firmly against the wall. In the down position the bed doesn’t rest on the bench, it has two legs much like a Murphy bed that fold out and support the other side of the bed. This allows access to the bench which is really just a storage area that is separated into two compartments, one side holds all the electronics and battery the other holds blankets for the bed. When in the stowed/traveling position the legs are folded up, and two hooks hold the the bed against the wall. The memory foam mattress adds tension to the bed against the wall and the seat cushions on the bench keep it from vibrating. It doesn’t move or vibrate at all. There’s some things I would have done differently with this trailer but the bed isn’t one of those. It’s comfortable, rock solid and easy to make. I saw a lot of elaborate and creative ways to make the bed, but in my situation the easiest solution worked out well. I will say though the clearances are tight and had we not gone with a 6’6” inside trailer with a flat roof my design may not have worked. If I get a chance a shoot a quick video about the bed. The one negative thing about my design is when going from stowed position to sleeping position it’s super easy with two people, a little more challenging by myself.

[@johnhiser3995]

@@littlejoey22 - Thanks for the response. I did a hinged Murphy bed using boat seat swivels that worked great, but you lose 2 - 3 inches of width because you need space for the swivel to turn. I'm doing a personal build in a 6 x 12, but I'm using a twin bed, so height won't be an isdue. A video would help a lot of folks see your vision.

[@peterwilliamson8721]

Very impressive.

[@littlejoey22]

Peter Williamson thank you sir!

[@bikeninja956]

can you shed some light on how you made those epoxy countertops, how did you get that "concrete" look. I'd love to do something like that...

[@littlejoey22]

Super easy. I used cardboard to make the template for the counter top. I then transferred that to two sheets of plywood scraps I had. I then cut out and joined together the plywood using dominoes to make one solids piece of 1/2” ply. I then trim nailed a piece of solid wood along the outside edge to hide the exposed ends of the counter top and to make it appear to thicker than the 1/2” ply, this also covers up the plywood layers. I then got a can of rust-oleum grey primer and rolled it on. I may have done 2 coats? This was my base color. I then took some epoxy (I use systems three medium cure) and rolled a coat on. Using a torch quickly run the flame over the wet epoxy to pot any bubbles, don’t burn it though. With the Epoxy still wet I had a few cans of spray paint, it was whatever colors I had in the cabinet, I believe It was a an oil rubbed bronze soray paint, black and white. Holding the can high-ish off the surface I started just dusting the surface. When you just dust the surface the paint hits the wet epoxy it spreads out into kinda crazy patters and doesn’t look like spray paint. I did a couple of coats of epoxy with this same process and then followed it up by one clear coat of epoxy. Usually I don’t like gloss surfaces but I didn’t mind it on this one so I was finished after that. if gloss isn’t to your liking I’ve in the past made it a satin look buy waiting until the epoxy was fully cured, then sanding with a soft foam pad at 220 grit, then I sprayed it with a water based polyurethane, I use general finishes high performance poly, the stuff is awesome. Anyway hope that this demystified the process a little bit. There’s a KZbin channel of a company called stone coat counters that does a killer job and have more more in depth designs and instructions. They also sell all the products if you want. So check them out. For me I just went cheap with all materials I already had and I’m pleased with the outcome. It’s held up fine for almost 3 years now.

[@bikeninja956]

@@littlejoey22 that's awesome. Thanks for the thoughtful response! I'm definitely going to experiment with this..

[@renesadventures829]

awesome setup. curious to how many showers you get of your 25 gallon tank?

[@littlejoey22]

Rene hard to say exactly. We’ve had trips where we’ve been really conservative with water usage and extended that 25 gallons for 5-6 days. On the shower head there’s an on/off valve so you can literally just spritz off and not let the water just run. Back when I was in the service we called those “sea showers” but they’re not quite as enjoyable. I think our average usage is 25gallons/3 days. That includes a shower each, dishwashing, hand washing and brushing teeth etc.

[@bikeninja956]

really nice, it's hard to anything with 6' wide but this is a great mini toy hauler for sure! that stove is so cool, they make them in montreal about 2hrs from where I live. Curious, are you running your propane line under the floor joists are does it go into a hole in the wall?

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks, it was a fun build, still enjoying it a lot. Ran black iron pipe along the aluminum frame rail and then up through the floor. I put a T fitting at the point where the line turns up through the floor that way I can add to it someday for an outdoor stove or heater. If you’re looking at building a trailer, check out 509stoves. The cubic mini is cool but in cold weather the burn time isn’t long enough. While I do use it as my primary heat source, during long days away from the trailer where I’m unable to stoke the fire it gets cold and I worry about water freezing. I helped a buddy build a trailer that he parks up at a ski resort and the 509 stoves are a self feeding wood stove with 12hrs of burn. Hope this helps.

[@bikeninja956]

@@littlejoey22 oh that's awesome information. Super helpful. Thanks! The iron pipe is a great idea, should protect it well.

[@littlejoey22]

I typed that last message on my phone and it was hard to read with all the typos so I edited it. Also I wanted to clarify a few things. I stubbed the black iron pipe out near the front of the trailer, then I ran a outdoor rubber fuel line from the propane regulator to the iron pipe. I got this rubber hose made for me from a local industrial hose shop called House of Hose in Spokane Washington. You’ll probably have a similar type of shop near you, they build hoses for hydraulics on heavy equipment. After the black iron pipe comes through the floor I have a shutoff valve and a reducer from the half inch iron pipe to a rubber line that hooks into the water heater. I’m thinking of adding a small fan in the space with the heater so that I can vent outside and pull air from the living space. Right now if somebody is using the shower I need to have the cabinet door open to get enough oxygen for the ventless water heater. Hope this helps and I’m sorry about all the typos on the last message.

[@brettm1118]

I came here to say what everyone else has said - - Nice Job! I'm getting a full education just by reading the comments.

[@littlejoey22]

Awesome man, thanks! You thinking of building one? I hope you do, it was such a fun build. The planning was more time consuming than I anticipated but overall not that hard and super rewarding.

[@MrBthames2000]

Anyway you guys could email me some pictures of the plumbing? Do you do any boondocking or is 100 percent of your “in” water coming from hookups? Did you just get the plumbing from your local RV store?

[@littlejoey22]

Here’s kind of a crappy video I made a while ago about the water system: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmazhqKNqdCZoJI Not the best video on the planet but you can see basically what we did. To answer your question we mostly boondock. We’ve added a solar panel that keeps our battery charged even on cloudy days. We installed LED lights to lower the energy usage, so most of our power goes to running a fan and water pump. For us it’s perfect, for those who like to hangout and run a bunch of amenities probably would have to look for alternative sources of power. As for water supply lines, I just used pex pipe which is available pretty much everywhere now. For the gas line, I used iron gas pipe outside and then I had a hose made by a local company called house of hose, they do most of the hydraulic lines and fuel lines for all the heavy equipment I work on at work. Most cities will have a shop that can make up hoses for you so you have all the correct fittings professionally crimped on. It was actually cheaper then getting the thinner hosing from camping world. The only challenging part was making sure that you had all the right fittings. Finding the right stuff for the water tank was a pain. The shower, the water tank, the heater came from amazon. The sink was a small stainless kit from lowes.

[@Lotuslaful]

Love it!!!!

[@gsp49]

Good one, why doesn't everybody go with tankless hot water and single axle?

[@littlejoey22]

Greg p both have pluses and minuses. We went with a single 3500 lb axle because we wanted my wife’s 4Runner to tow it easily when it’s fully loaded. Had we gone bigger we would have surely built more to go into it thus I think it would have been a bit heavy for the her SUV. We designed to fit our ATV and with that we were worried about weight. The manufacturer of the axle said that the max recommended haul weight was 2990 lbs. Fully loaded with water and an ATV the trailer weighed in at 2930 lbs. So we made it by the skin of our teeth. Had we gone a little bigger, like 7x14 which is what I’ve seen most we wouldn’t have even worried about the haul weight of the trailer but then we would have tow it only with my truck. As for the tankless water heater, it’s awesome. I have zero complaints about it, the only draw back is if we use the shower we have to keep the cabinet door open or it runs out of oxygen and shuts itself down. If you went with a vented one you wouldn’t worry about that issue but you also have to pop another hole in the trailer and run piping. So like I said pluses and minuses, just matters what works best for you. Once the weather warms up I’ll do a full review on it. Thanks for the positive comment, hope you have a great day.

[@infosociety2112]

That makes a lot of sense.

[@garytedlock7533]

How did you attach the shiplap to the walls? Nails or nails and glue ? Thanks great job

[@littlejoey22]

The faux “ship-lap” which is 1/4” utility ply ripped into 8” widths, is held up mostly by construction adhesive. I just back- buttered the shiplap with a 1/4 inch “V” notched trowel and then used 23 gauge pin nails to hold them in the right position. I used a handful of nickels as the spacers. If not using a real shiplap I suggest painting the wall behind it. For me that was the 1/2” osb that originally came with the trailer. For the ceiling I screwed 1x3 pine furring strips to the metal rafters. Then for the bead board I again used construction adhesive but I also fastened the wainscoting to the furring strips with screws hidden behind trim. Before screwing it in I tacked the wainscoting in place with 18 gauge brad nails. Hope this helps ya.

[@brettm1118]

@@littlejoey22 well done dude!

[@CarlFiocca]

Awesome job on the trailer! how deep are the cabinets along the wall next to the bed?

[@littlejoey22]

Thanks Carl! The base cabinets are 20” deep.The upper is 12”

[@mhelp9815]

What make is your trailer? It looks lilke it is a screwless skin and looks very smooth. Not like the dimples you see with screwed aluminum trailers.

[@littlejoey22]

M Help EZHauler.

[@brucenellis2780]

Where can I find a ventless water heater like you have, looks really 👍

[@littlejoey22]

Bruce Nellis the one we have is the excel ventless tankless 1.6 gpm hot water heater. You can get them several places, we bought from the manufacturer but I know they’re available from camping world and I think Amazon. So far it’s been great. The only learning curve we had to make with it has to do with the auto shutdown. If the system detects low oxygen it will shut itself off. Thus issue has only come up when using the shower. To rectify the situation we simply open the cabinet door to draw in fresh air. I’ve thought about installing a little fan and vent to circulate the air inside the cabinet and I think this would fix the problem permanently. Also you’ll want to be sure to pick a CO & LP dual function safety monitor. I’ve never had an instance in which it’s gone off but it’s always good to have just in case a fitting gets loose from vibration or something. Anyway I hope this helps. -Joe excelonlinestore.com/tankless-gas-water-heater-1-6-gpm-lpg-propane-ventfree-copper-heat-exchanger-231

[@freedomring4813]

I love the stove...I left a message sometime back when I already had my conversion done but didn't know how to put it on KZbin....if you'd like you can just search...Brian Swezey...theres a couple of Brian Swezeys but you should see my video. Your camper came out great. One thing about building your own camper...its your vision. Something's I don't like for in ones conversion but that's my opinion and if we all think the same life would be boring. Happy Trails. Any comments positive or negative on my build would be greatly appreciated. PS....never put the tank in your truck if anything put it in your camper tied down.

[@davidkozelsky]

Bad ass!

[@albertcassler8763]

I like it, but I think you should put the water heater outside or have a vent pipe for fire safety...

[@littlejoey22]

It’s a weird type of water heater in that it doesn’t have any place for a vent, it has a reburner just like a heater buddy does. I don’t %100 love it, I keep a close eye on it cause it makes me nervous but so far it’s worked as the manufacturer advertised. In addition to the onboard sensors it has I also installed inside the cabinet a CO Lp monitor. I shot it with a thermal indicator and it’s warm when that heater is cranking but it’s not crazy hot. I think the best thing to do with this type of heater would also have some sort of small fan to pull air through it cause it does shut it self off with low o2. Anyway, hope you’re having a good day.

[@albertcassler8763]

@@littlejoey22 Take it to a heating service have a metal container woth a 3inch vent pipe conector made, or buy a better one with the vent conector on it...I saw a youtube video how a guy made his own metal cover with a vent pipe on top...crusing castels.youtube

[@elizabethhall8254]

Did you make your cabinets or buy them? They are nice.

[@littlejoey22]

Elizabeth Hall, we made them. I’d suggest for people landing their project out that if cabinet making isn’t their thing then buy a trailer with a squared off nose and you’ll be able to pickup commercially made cabinet. I made mine primarily because of the “V” nose trailer also I used the interior wall board as some of the structural aspects of the cabinet. That way I could save on weight.

[@michaelrhodes6082]

Great job. Can you tell me more about the shower system? Did you put it together, or is it a commercial product?

[@littlejoey22]

Dura Faucet DF-SA170-BK RV Exterior Shower Box Kit with Lock (Black) www.amazon.com/dp/B004NBKNM2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ApcFDbPJ2BFEY

[@littlejoey22]

Since the video we have put together a shower curtain set up for it to make it more private, it’s pretty slick. I used boat Bimini hardware to hang a rod up that encloses the outdoor shower space. I wish I could add a photo to this link but I’m not very tech savvy. Feel free to shoot me your email address and can send you some pics of it.

[@michaelrhodes6082]

Joseph Nelson Thanks for the quick reply.

[@michaelrhodes6082]

Thanks for the quick reply.

[@jeffmoore9179]

How does the little wood stove do in a boondock?

[@littlejoey22]

I guess the real question is what your likely to encounter temperature wise. it heats the trailer really well, even in cold weather but it’s biggest limitation for me is that the burn time isn’t long enough because of its small size, a few hours at most before needing stoked again. for that reason I can’t really recommend it especially if you’re planning on frequently being in cold weather situations and counting only on this stove for heat. For instance last year I was hunting in Idaho during late muzzle loader season which is at the end of October, temps were mid 20’s and I was stressed that my water lines were going to freeze when I was out in the field. I wasn’t planning on it being that cold and didn’t make other previsions to heat the trailer while I was away. I had no major damage but I did pop the lids on a couple water jugs so it was definitely getting cold while I was out hunting. In a pinch I can just use the pilot light on a heater buddy and it keeps my trailer above freezing on moderately cold days. Right now I’m building another trailer for a friend and we installed a style of stove from a company called 509 stoves out of Rathdrum Idaho. we haven’t used it yet but it’s a really interesting and a cool design you may want to check out. It uses gravity to slowly feed several presto style logs into a small stove and in theory you can get up to 12 hours of burn time out of it. I’m really hoping it pans out. I’ll be making another video of that trailer in a few weeks and I’ll make sure to add my first impressions with that style stove as well. We went with the 509 because of the longer burn time and my buddy plans on camping up at a ski resort on the weekends but needs the trailer to stay heated and doesn’t want to run a gas heater all day. So check them out. With all that said if you’re not planning cold weather camping this cubic mini stove is pretty sweet. I hope this helps.

[@jesseburrows5595]

How does the bed work? Looks great.

[@littlejoey22]

I made a French cleat the length of the bed. I attached one half of the cleat to the bed and one half to the wall. When lowered on to the cleat the bed is kept in place and the weight is transferred to the metal wall studs. On the other half of the bed I have two independent fold down legs. Stop blocks keep them supported positioned correctly. I’ve had a lot of questions about the bed and so I think I’m going to make a video about it. I’ll try to post it in the next week or two. I’m also going to do a follow up on the cubic mini stove and also a video of the solar set up. Thanks for the positive comment!

[@jimsteele7108]

How's the trailer working out for you, have you been using it much?

[@littlejoey22]

tree feller love it! It’s so much better than a tent and not nearly as obnoxious as one of those 30’ monstrosities. We’ve added a few things since making the video like a 100 watt Renogy solar panel which is fantastic, an outdoor shower curtain I made using Bimini boat hardware and a few other things. So far it’s all held up great, the shop made cabinets are great, the bed is so much better than the ground, the trailer is awesome. If you’re thinking of building one, it’s not that hard of a project and extremely worth while. If I was going to change anything I’d get rid of the wood stove and come up with another heating source. Don’t get me wrong the cubic mini stove is cool but it’s more of a novelty than anything else and it was one of the most expensive parts of the build once you factor in the stove, the heat shield and the stainless steel pipe. It definitely heats the trailer up well but stoking it every few hrs on a cold night sucks. Last Nov, we were camping in the mtns in Idaho and went for hike during the day but the whole time I was stressing the pipes freezing. At some point one of the water jugs we had brought popped the top after it started to freeze so I think a dodger a bullet on that one not messing things up. So anyway I’d recommend something other than a cubic mini if you’re planning on cold weather camping, at least having something other than just that.

[@timothythomas1626]

Is the bed demo in the squeal

[@littlejoey22]

Timothy Thomas I need to make a two year follow up I’ll post a better demo of the bed. Not a super fancy design but functional. I made gold down leg supports on the side that sits on the bench and in the travel position they’re folded up out of the way. I have decorative gate hooks keeping firmly against the wall. Then when I lower the bed I simply drop the side opposite the legs into a full length French cleat that is screwed to the wall studs of the trailer. Hope this helps.

[@garytedlock7533]

Thanks that help a lot

[@ronniegillaspy]

Uh how do u use the bench? Beds in the way

[@littlejoey22]

Original idea was to put a pedestal table under the bed that popped up then we would fold the bed up to the other side of the wall and giving us a dining area. We haven’t needed that and thus the bench is basically just used as a support for the bed when traveling, it holds the battery bank and linens inside it with half of it with a dive rider separating it into two compartments. When the bed is in the down position it acts mostly as a bedside table, holds phones, etc, it has a USB port right there too. So basically the original idea I think is sound but having to put away linens to fold the bed against the other wall to use a table and bench is more of a headache than I thought it would be to use, so we scrapped the table idea. We mostly eat outside under an awning that we’ve added since making the video. So in short it’s basically a storage box with a padded top.

[@amcadams0606]

Could you post a link to your water tank? Thank you!

[@littlejoey22]

I couldn’t find my original order to see if this was the exact one or not but this one matched the size and holding capacity so it’s at least close: Class A Customs 25 Gallon Water Holding Tank NSF Approved T-2500 www.amazon.com/dp/B01B88UY58/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bXxJDb8W3GP9C