DIY Off-Road Mini Camper

I take a lot of trips all across the US. I have wanted a mini camper that was off-road capable to use on all of my adventures. I few days ago I finally finished my build. If you also want a trailer like this go build one!!! You don't have to spend $10k to have a comfortable bed while you're away from home.
Thanks for watching. If you have any questions about this build please don't hesitate to ask!!!
Here is the video showing the camper portion of the build from a few years ago.
• My Truck Bed Camper

[@JKUadventures]

Putting it on trailer really made it legit! The camper all by itself was just too lonely. Awesome job. Saved yourself several thousand.

[@robertb2350]

I would be inclined to move the axel back a few inches. I'm betting that thing sways going down the highway. I would also secure the sleeper box to the trailer with something more than a few small screws in aluminum angle. Bouncing around is gonna pull that right out of the flooring and if you ever were in an accident, it becomes a flying death machine.

[@w3tua]

I just watched this and said, "You need bolts on the frame." Good call.

[@gordongman3423]

Maybe painting the bottom of the trailer boards with roofing tar. Looks good and simple and it works... Yea !

[@KentuckyWoodsman]

This is by far one of the coolest custom camping setups I have seen yet. Reminds me of one of the military surplus trailers. Great Job!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Kentucky Woodsman thanks. I’ve actually done some more work/customizations to it. There is an updated video on my channel

[@bryanjones14]

I got a old trailer made from a truck bed and frame on a trade for a repair I made for someone .... I used it as the base for a overland camper build . Turned out pretty cool

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Awesome

[@briangeist6004]

Nice!! I built my own mini camper a couple years ago, I use it as much as I can. I just love seeing all the different campers just like yours! Very well done!

[@GwenMotoGirl]

It’s nice to have the ability to buy ready made, but the project is so much more meaningful and rewarding. Well done! I love it.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

So true!

[@brettrobinson5474]

Stumbled across this video and just realized we are in the same town! Awesome setup!!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

Sir that tailgate step is a genius idea. Very much impressed!

[@davidjohn9006]

Excellent demo vid... happy trails 👍🏼

[@sdnlawrence5640]

Nice job. Turning that tailgate into a step was a good idea. I remember watching the camper box build a couple years ago and then I helped my nephew build his. I know the box doesn't weigh much but I'd be tempted to add another leaf to springs or just swap out, with maybe some from 1/2 ton pick-up; justt because I know I'd keep adding stuff.

[@billydow1971]

Bearing buddies are a must !! Nice job

[@jasonmotorcycle8987]

Dude that was great. Awesome job explaining your process.

[@joeskinwalker7628]

Haha that's a good idea an job. Can you enjoy yourself makes me want to start on my trailer project. Good video and it was nice watching you working on that trailer project. just like a kid that's excited over a build

[@dreamcreationsadventures]

Love the upgrades and I can definitely see a lot of fun with that for many years to come

[@SClivingOutdoors]

DReam creationS & Adventures I think so as well!!!! Thanks

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Looks good. I like the way it turned out.

[@joesprague1464]

I have a similair trailer,broke the 2000# axle offroad because of 33" wheels need an axle rated 3000# according to offroad shop that changed it.Also the fender/tire clearance is not adequate for loaded use.I had same issue with mine and fenders rubbing on tires,offroad shop made aluminum plate fenders that are easily removed for offroad use.I have camped in mine on 6 month extended trips all over the desert southwest and west coast, good set up for BLM off grid (free) camping.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

I hate you broke your axle but I’m not sure why the shop said what they did. It’s hard to know without seeing your trailer (size, weight ect). The axle weight rating has nothing to do with the tire size bc it’s an idler axle so it’s just being pulled along. If it was a drive axle it would be a completely different story. My camper weighs around 400lbs. 1/5 of the axle rating. The only time that weight changes is when it isn’t moving and I’m laying in it. Now if I drove like a mad man off road I might need a heavy axle but I don’t (especially if I’m pulling the trailer). I also haven’t had any issues with the fenders rubbing bc the trailer weight doesn’t change. It sounds like you use yours a lot more then I do. I sleep in mine 20-30 nights a year. A 6 month trip would be pretty awesome!

[@joesprague1464]

@@SClivingOutdoors My fenders are fixed,when the axle moves independently up and down on the leaf springs it caused the tires to rub on the fenders.My trailer weighs 750 to 1000 lbs.The axle spindle snapped on the highway after hitting a deep hole while off road.My trailer is a Sherpa off road model made in Libby,Mt.You'll have a blast with your trailer,social distancing is a snap with a rig like that.

[@PaulsProTips]

@@SClivingOutdoors i thought this was a great video. I second the axle comment, and searched the comments before simply blasting my opinion in. I started a very small channel a year ago, highlighting some of my trailer mods. Chevy it out if you have the time. I think there are a few features you may like. I believe the axle you have, or more precisely, the bearing will be stressed beyond the 400lbs you are carrying. The weight of the new tires, multiplied by the size (much taller than stock) will definitely transfer more load to the bearing. This is then compounded y the 2" spacer. The trailer axle likes to have the load placed directly over the bearing. It is no mistake that trailer rims have neutral offset or maybe better referred to a zero offset AND symmetrical back spacing. I hope you get years of use out of it, just the way you have it. If you do have a bearing failure over the next 2 years- you may consider moving up from the 1-1/16th bearings to the more substantial 1-3/8th bearings on a 3500lb axle. It really makes a difference! Best of luck to you!

[@TRDGE]

This was really interesting to watch! Thanks so much for sharing with us, I may do something similar in the future for some overlanding :) Much appreciated!

[@teaneys1]

Super cool man. Turned out awesome! Let's see it in action.

[@jonathanbowser7343]

Thinking of doing the same thing for RTT. Great Job.

[@morganwadsworth9275]

Awesome work...super stoked for you!

[@jaredalexander3403]

Looks awesome man, the only thing I would do is move the axle about 10 inches back

[@runwfo]

Nice build!! One question; what did the fuel tank come off of? I'm looking for a tank about that size and capacity, but so far only finding plastic boat tanks.

[@gabyenusa2002]

@@runwfo You can get a fuel tank if you search for old car or old truck... Also in a used part

[@weyrunner2838]

You SHOULD be proud, that thing is BEADST! Love it.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Haha thanks. It’s pretty cool.

[@donzimmer4616]

Like the trailer build!

[@rwilcox_71]

Great job man! I love stuff like this! Good luck on your adventures!

[@OffGrid_office]

Great job on the step. I wish I would’ve thought of something like that before I cut mine all apart

[@jivy29]

Thats Awesome. Had the same kind of setup. I ended up having to move the axle back for the ride, it made a ton of difference. Just not enough weight in front when the axle is centered like that.

[@paulirwin5799]

Good project 👍. And props on the frontier. I'm also building a trail to pull behind mine.

[@M-to-the-J]

Great job dude! Keep on’ keepin’ on!

[@jimscott9036]

Very good video. I have a Jeep and need to make a trailer. This gives me the basic information I need to build one that will be meet my needs. VERY HELPFUL. Thank you.

[@PSYCHOPATHiO]

best idea by far, simple and easy to change up things. LOVE the extra gas tank, i will be building a camper soon the tank will have ur name on it lol.... NEVER say im finished as u know a project is never finished there will be always some minor changes and tweaks.

[@wat3rdog25]

Nice. I had been considering doing the same on my existing 6x10 Home Depot ramo trailer. Great ideas.

[@GearKnowHow]

Great job man, it's looking great!

[@overlandvoyager2780]

Good job.

[@georgewilliams6328]

That is real a cool idea my friend 👍 Great job!

[@joesimpson2788]

Dude love the idea. Also MTN OPS for life

[@ericnuchols270]

I have a 7 x 14 stealth utility trailer/camper. Seeps 4 in 2 bunks that fold up like cabinets. Flat screen tv, wifi, stereo inside and out, security light with motion detector, fold up table and a bar/ counter at the front of the v nose, porta potty, ac and heat. Removable back wall. Bunks are removable as well so you can still haul stuff if needed. No ac unit on roof, its inside and the air blows out the bottom next to the wire connector. No windows.Insulated too. I also just finished a micro camper build on a 4 x 8. It has a house window ac unit inside that blows out the front, but can be completely concealed by cover when not in use. On a 100 degree day it takes about 10 minutes for it to be at 70 inside with full sun. It has a flat screen, wifi, cable ready and a bluetooth stereo system. Sleeps 2. BOth have a solar panel and 12v/110v systems. Nice build. Look forward to the mods because they will be coming. I dig this kind of stuff! Enjoy!!

[@climmer7]

This is freaking awesome! Never occured to me to use spacers to put bigger tire on.

[@jacobbergen3586]

While putting spacers I would have converted to the same bolt pattern as the truck so they could share spares

[@TheTrakker]

Nice. If you find yourself needing a better departure angle you could relocate the axle to the bottom of the leaf springs. A cheap lift that helps in some situations.

[@joesixpack7551]

He should also either get larger fenders, else mount them to the axle, as there is going to be some major tire rash with as close as he has them mounted to the tread...

[@danmcelroy6584]

Looks good!

[@adventuringwiththekelleys]

Nice build. I enjoyed watching your simple build and learned a couple of ideas for mine. Thank you for the video.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thanks for watching. Hopefully you enjoy building yours as much as I enjoyed watching mine.

[@Crackdown77]

Incredible (or incredibly pleasant) how easy and road legal is to modify vehicles and chassis in some countries.. Here in Italy every trailer has its own papers and you can't even fit a different tyres size, we have to comply with what is written on its papers; of course here we can't modify cars/trucks chassis in lenght or other ways as well. Nice job, enjoy your trailer in the nature! Ciao!

[@chuckgillespie1]

What? You didn’t wanna spend 10k on a box to sleep in? Yeah me neither....Sweet man!

[@jaredalexander3403]

I was gonna say the same thing lol

[@tomone2656]

Awesome! Very nice work man

[@TheDIDSBIAK]

Happy trails

[@kathybowen708]

Don't forget to bring a couple cans of black paint for touchup . Very good ideas . Your a smart kid . Your good friend Vinny in good old Fla .

[@beardedseabee82outdoors13]

Looks like it turned out to be nice lil trailer

[@tippin.turtle]

Thats a pretty good DIY dog box Mr.!

[@alfredobatista9818]

Great job.

[@bradgreenstreet8090]

Great build! Definitely subscribing and adding more videos to watch!

[@miguelmendez931]

Awesome man thanks for inspiration ✌🏽

[@xsweetxvampirousx]

Nicely done

[@johnthompson5792]

good stuff,,! nice rig!

[@15roundchamp4]

That thing is freaken cool man!! You should add a wing on the back part of your camper to keep it grounded while going 80 plus on the freeways. Plus, it would probably look cool as well.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

15round champ I think I’m going to pass on the wing, lol. I don’t drive 80, haha. Whatever the speed limit says that’s how fast I go.

[@homelesstraveler75]

Thx bro I did the same thing for my mountain bike trips. Save a lot no more hotels ....

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Exactly. It makes traveling very affordable

[@jeffreywhite3318]

Clean and add polish to the dirty tires as all that work and the dirt on your tires brings it all down donwash and then add a shinning agent to make it look brand new. Add brake lights asap. Paint the camper door then add black trim.to camper windows and paint carpet door black and add more black color to the camper edges plus a nice new neat small logo. And a bracket for a small American flag. If you don't have a cooking place inside your camprt add one on top of edge on back. Good work and good job. Just a few small suggestions to make a great project even better. You rock! 🇺🇸

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thanks for all the suggestions, but pretty happy with how it looks looks, lol. Also, The camper already has brake lights.

[@harvmac69]

Good job man! Looks great!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thank you

[@mccaskillfarmstead4244]

Good stuff! 👍🏼

[@ppodhajsky1]

Looks awesome. I love projects like this. I have the same kind of trailer, which I had a guy weld on rectangle tube steel that fits a 2x4, I built 4' high stake side walls. I also took out the mesh floor and put in some 12 gauge steel sheet. It's awesome to haul leaves and brush, and great to haul things like appliances and furniture. I also have a rack I put on top of the walls to haul canoes. I can get 3 canoes pyramided on the rack. These little trailers are awesome. I'm going to upgrade my tires and fenders like yours! Thanks for sharing.

[@brookssalvador7888]

You prolly dont care at all but does someone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account? I was dumb forgot the password. I would appreciate any help you can give me

[@cameronjacob3736]

@Brooks Salvador instablaster =)

[@brookssalvador7888]

@Cameron Jacob thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@brookssalvador7888]

@Cameron Jacob it worked and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my ass !

[@anthonymurphy1624]

Sweet idea with the step:)

[@cwlark1]

Awesome trailer !!!! I from Spartanburg i do lot of hunting and fishing in the upstate.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Awesome. It’s a beautiful place to hunt.

[@williamfoster9024]

Thank you Mr. for showing us how to do this! I would love to have one just like it.

[@johnendlich6744]

Very cool!

[@brandansosebee6393]

Re check those spacers after some miles the lugs nuts will back out and sometimes break lugs if they get out of wack

[@hclan5876]

Put some 2x4s on top and just add cross bars for a roof rack! Super sweet and eat build

[@BrianHillmanFishing]

This is awesome! I have the same trailer I converted into a kayak hauler. I think I'm gonna do something similar as yours.

[@chadbutler7685]

Do both!

[@bcb2585]

That's awesome man! I bought a trailer with all the fixings; but I would imagine that because you built your own, you will most likely have a deeper connection to your camper than I will. I do like to DIY many things, such as various furniture pieces in my home, and I know that the things I build I enjoy much more than the things I buy. I really hope that you continue to tinker with your setup and get more and more enjoyment out of the build process and the outdoors. Best wishes.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

I just finished some upgrades today. I love that little camper. I’ll post a video in the near future with the upgrades

[@tysadventures1]

Awesome build. You have a huge workshop for projects!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

I think it turned out really nice. It’s actually not my warehouse but I have access to use it.

[@tysadventures1]

SCliving Outdoors It’s awesome to have space like that!

[@jenwallace1766]

Awesome job, looks great!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thanks a bunch!

[@willduke69]

I like it.. Good job man

[@subdawg1331]

awesome , well done I had made a truck pod... hmmmm now the old trailer has a use

[@sorenandersen2159]

Great video

[@Michaeldckry1]

This is awesome

[@dicasolrac]

good job man!

[@allflavornoseasoning6345]

Great job man I don't know why but I always get in the camping mood when I watch videos like this lol great idea about the step idea I wouldn't have thought of that I would have used it as a rock guard up front to protect the front of my camper from rocks lol might have been a wast but everyone has ideas 😁

[@jamesbushy9031]

Mint build mate Love frm australia

[@patrickjobling8676]

Mighty fine build pilgrim ..and guve us an update on the tyres . .be interesting to see which ones last longest ..😁pip pips and carryon

[@Masontylerco]

Nice job man!

[@CarsonLewisJones]

Spartanburg SC here. Great job!

[@SuperMegaSammy]

Greenville SC here. I agree 😃!

[@cicibradley2809]

Here in the Pee Dee.

[@ArmTheCreative]

LOVE IT!!!!

[@choppersrule1]

That's a great idea mate your camper looks good on there will be good to see how your road trip goes. I lost my truck and camper in the floods here in Australia one day i will build another one. Have a great day Choppersrule1

[@SClivingOutdoors]

I hate to hear that about your truck and camper. The camper did great. I drove it all across the country and it performed perfectly

[@mountaindewdude76]

Very cool build, man! It sure looks great!!!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thank you

[@garybalanesi610]

Good tires, never have enough.

[@labcoattheater6161]

Nice job.

[@yodahdog5500]

COOL BUILD 🖒👍👌

[@deepsouthNZ]

Great effort mate so simple it's beautiful

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thank you!

[@onofframp]

very cool!

[@joshs199]

Nice build... really like it...you have plenty of room for some solar panels. On the roof of your camper..! Might come in handy with a charge controller and a spare battery. You can power a lot of small appliances fans and lights...and for charging laptops, cell phones. cameras etc. Hope you have happy journeys. 👍

[@briandavidstine4312]

i like it nice set up

[@m.3591]

This fantastic

[@lesterpace5625]

Spacers change the load area of bearings now they can pull away from trailer and tear up. Fenders have no way to rid of mud on tires and need flaps. Sharp front buffs wind and can make trailer weave on road. If unsafe is what you were going for you did it. Have someone drive ahead and you follow to see how it tracks. Stablizer bars on hitch will help along. Lite means easyier to become air born. 60 per cent weight in front of wheels. So many things wrong will keep you busy for 6 months to corect. Good luck. I built same thing cross bed like semi sleeper with tent cover so no wind resients on hwy. Be safe change or lengthen axcel.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

I’ve done some upgrades. There are a couple videos. This camper is gone all the way across the country twice. It did great on both trips. Thanks for watching.

[@hearttoengine9044]

looks cool

[@matthewhoopes4440]

I want to make a correction here. If you can afford to buy a one, then take that money and save it and then go build one. That's what I did. Man, I need to start making some simple you tube videos. This was good stuff.

[@JB-ne3wp]

Bro that thing is sweet!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

J B thanks

[@mlangfordcamper]

Really nice build brother I would like to change my little rims for bigger ones to match my 2019 f150

[@geographyinaction7814]

I would have bolted the ramp on the rook, and made a carrying rack! Awesome buddy!!!

[@SClivingOutdoors]

I decided not to do that because it would seriously take away from my departure angle when I’m pulling the camper off-road. Thanks for watching 👍🏻

[@journeytoliving7344]

Pretty Sweet

[@chucktaylor4384]

Dude...... That's kick-ass.

[@SClivingOutdoors]

Thank you. Its been across the country 3 times now.

[@TheRumpledOne]

Would love to have a building like that to work in.

[@mackg92usmc]

Get a city job like this guy.