Squaredrop Camper Mistakes, Learnings and Improvements

Hi, I'm Elvis Svonja, and in this video I talk about various mistakes that I made during the build of my first square drop camper. This video also covers various learnings and improvements on this trailer that have improved our camping experience.
Feel free to provide constructive comments with any questions or suggestions. I acknowledge that there are things that I could have done differently and better, but after all, this was my first trailer. Thank you for visiting this channel. Wishing you good vibes and stay tuned.
Elvis Svonja
Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Axle, hubs and suspension
03:51 Towbar coupling
04:21 Galley hatch door height
04:54 Solar panel
05:28 Weight distribution
06:10 Fridge location
07:04 Kitchen bench space and Cabin
07:48 Exterior Cladding
08:23 Interrior issues and fixes
10:40 Trailer bike rack
10:23 A-Frame accessories
12:07 Water tank, outlet and tap pump
14:00 Fire extinguisher and awning
14:52 Trailer weight vs building material
16:20 Size
17:12 Outro
Full build video of this trailer: • DIY Squaredrop Camper ...
Timelapse video of this trailer: • Full Tiny Camper (Squa...
Timelapse of making the frame: • Teardrop trailer - bas...

[@morrisg5060]

I just want to say thank you as well. I am going to build a camper like yours 2 weeks from now and will incorporate your tips.

[@wildeight3846]

Great update and tips Elvis, really appreciate you taking the time to share your learnings.

[@user-tv7us5kr5f]

Thank you Elvis for your advice. It is very important for Squaredrops builders that those who have already done it have the courage to talk about their mistakes and how to fix them. Greetings from Argentina

[@pringlized]

So appreciate you. I'm still planning my build after so much research. But I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for the great video. Top shelf build share.

[@nasigoring1525]

Brilliant video

[@BenMitro]

Thanks for sharing some really useful tips.

[@frankttt604]

Appreciate your points - good advices for when I start building mine!

[@KazeNoTaniFarmHakuba]

Thanks for the update and letting us know your experience Respect

[@4RunnerDuck]

Great considerations you have mentioned. I am planning to take these into consideration as I plan to build a trailer in the very near future.

[@colinmackie5211]

This was good follow-up to your build video. I'm about to rebuild a purely built camper that was all rotten. I got some good tips from this video. Lateral balance and others. O hope to build pullout drawers inner the kitchen bench, one drawer being for the simple cooker like yours, so bench stays clear

[@WaveformV1.0]

Nice build. Looks great, cheers

[@riccardo213]

Thanks for the tips! Great lessons learnt

[@tom1966mac]

Thanks your insights are extremely helpful

[@waynem6504]

Very helpful. Well done

[@garym51124]

Great tips

[@waynem6504]

Very helpful and informative

[@carlbillingham2670]

Some great lessons there Elvis, thank you for sharing 👍

[@ChilledBeans]

Hi Carl. Thank you for being the first to drop a comment. Much appreciated.

[@BonesFPV]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@TCOverlandAZ]

Good info, Thanks 👍

[@GJ-bf7rs]

Thanks for another great video. I’m currently in the process of designing/building my own camper trailer. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. Your camper trailer looks great.

[@ChilledBeans]

Thanks GJ. All the best with your project. It's a very exciting thing to make.

[@Ohsage1111]

Thx for the tips 🙌

[@quietprolink5322]

Thanx, good info.

[@stephenfielding7165]

Very honest video, i have built a camp trailer, im going to build a tear drop trailer next ( should have in the first place ). little mistakes you have made, believe me, i understand. r and d the professionals spend a lot of money on, where the home builders go suck it and see.

[@astrawally8448]

The movement of the wheel is a common issue with leaf springs. Another is left-right loading imbalance, which causes excessive left-right tilt in the trailer, causing the inner tops of the wheels on the heavy side to tilt in towards the the trailer frame. The rear door on these less tall campers can be improved by creating an L shaped (viewed from the side) rear door and hinging from the top side of the camper (just under your rear roof rack). It is more complicated but gives you a lot more head room. Keep up the good work.

[@michaelatkin2562]

Nice update with some great tips! I would suggest you cross over the safety chains when hitching up the trailer. The crossed chains will catch the tow hitch if it was to ever release from the tow ball.

[@ChilledBeans]

Ah, yes good catch. I should definitely start doing that. Thanks Michael.

[@cooltrainervic4563]

First video I saw of yours, loved all the advise. Very informative and gives me ideas of what to do or look out for. 1 thing I liked and also disliked, I loved the idea of a gazebo to fully enclose the camper from mosquitoes, that being said now you’re also not receiving any sun for your solar panel. Wouldn’t it have been more beneficial to just install a mosquito net onto a awning itself?

[@ChilledBeans]

Hello. Ah, great question. The thing is I don't put gazebo over the camper... but right next to it. So the solar panel is not covered at all and still gets sun. By "fully enclosed" i mean the gazebo's inner mesh makes gazebo area fully enclosed. Another big problem I found with fold out flat awnings is the condensation due in the mornings. Because it's flat, I always had issue with water forming on the inside, and since I"m tall I always scrape it with my head when I walk around. It also drips over the furniture. Further more, if it rains, the fold out awning sags in the middle and doesn't have good drainage. So yes, one could install side walls/mesh on the fold out awning too, but so far I found gazebos much better. They are raised in the middle, and have better design for water overflow. They can be also setup higher than awning, as awning height is restricted by your trailer height too. Another thing is we recently learned that you can't always put the camper in the same position to have your outdoor living area next to the same side. Sometimes the camping sites are narrow or restrictive, and you realise you want to keep your table/chairs on the other side. So when that happens, fixed awning will be of no use again (happened to us two weeks ago)

[@marcofidelvargasrodriguez7206]

What kind of teardrop camper build would you recommend for a hot tropical weather like Costa Rica? It has to be something light, that is basically a fridge to have an ac with propane or gas, and it also has to withstand heavy rains. What is the best option for the body of the camper. Epoxy Fiber with a foam or some sort of Styrofoam and a light wood or aluminum inside? I was thinking I only need it to be rigid on the outside so i could use something light to give it the finish for the inside, but not sure if that s a good idea. Thanks!

[@ChilledBeans]

Hi. Well, I think the best material to use is composite panels with foam inside like this: styromax.com.au/products/styropanel/. THey are the best of balance of light weight and strength. If you watch videos on youtube how they are assembled, you should be able to get it water proof. Main thing is to use high quality glue as recomended by manufacturers of these types of panels. You will need to find a supplier of similar type of panels in your country. Usually they are aroudn 28-30 mm thick. The best thing with these is that they are easy to assemble, and you don't need to put any additional interior panels. The only thing is they are more expensive than using wood. Hope this helps.

[@danemmerich6775]

Thank you for your insight. This was helpful. What size would you have wanted it to be? In feet please.

[@ChilledBeans]

Well I'd aim for the box to be approximatelly 5.2 wide, and around 10ft long. This is just approximate... when I design my next one, I will break it down... For example i'd want sleeping cabin to be no less than 6.6... kitchen depth ~1.9. .. and the compartment inbetween 1.3. So when you add thickness of the walls, you are at around 10ft. Of course nothing is stopping you going even a little longer if you really want.

[@danemmerich6775]

@@ChilledBeans thanks for those dimensions. I am going to build one 69" wide x 10' long.

[@mikekmalick]

What are the dimensions of your trailer? I was going to build a square drop trailer like yours but 5' wide x 10' long x 4' high! I am going to use a Timbren suspension.

[@gustavocorrea4017]

I'm going on same direction

[@janettebeck1120]

WOW great job! I'm looking for advice! I bought a SQUARE DROP trailer "project" for my 65th birthday... I may have bit off more than I can chew! lol I live in San Diego so I have a few month b4 wheather become an issue lol the trailer has good bones but the man who started the build passed away... so the universe thought I should finish it! anyway ... I'm currently researching what is best way to seal exterior? also original builder framed and cut 1 window 26x32 in door in rear of trailer and just framed not yet cut 2 16x16 in windows in sides ideally I'd like to put a galley hatch in rear and doors on sides ? I'm currently looking for any advice or help anyone can offer 😁👍 I dont want to get out my violins ... I have some skills the reason I'm doing this is because I am shooting survivor I actually stayed so busy b4 I I retired I didnt give myself time to think bout it lol but bcuz of progression in my injuries... to eye and face I now need a way to get out and battle my PTSD in a positive way 👍😁 any advice you or your peeps can offer would be VERY APPRECIATED ❣

[@ChilledBeans]

Hello my friend. Please go to my channel page (kzbin.info) and click "About" tab, then below in details section, you can find my contact email (you will need to be logged in with your google/youtube account to see the email). Send me an email, as I would like to see some photos of what you are describing here, and then I can give you advice based on my experience so far. If you have any issues finding my contact details, just reply here.

[@user-gr8wf7rm8g]

15:39 where did you get the numberplate surround…. Is it an online job or from a store. I am in oz.

[@ChilledBeans]

It's DIY job. Two layers of marine plywood glued together, the top layer routed out. Then painted. 😊

[@chrisjessup7744]

Where did you buy your hatch doors for storage compartments?

[@ChilledBeans]

Hi. Try this: www.theboatwarehouse.com.au/deck-fittings-hardware/storage-hatches/europa-access-hatch-no-lock-375-x-280mm/?sku=SAW-38243&gclid=CjwKCAjwwqaGBhBKEiwAMk-FtIvObtY0KVSItKeebuiwU_nxqBvAlYQYrkoIzhUuXM9lNEHqnRACtRoCQ7MQAvD_BwE

[@danielbichokov1340]

It's not the problem you used second hand part for the suspention , problem is they are not the right parts for your trailer....

[@aarefi14]

How I can contact you

[@stumpgrinder13]

This is a video of the comedy of errors. 😂😂 It's great that you learned from it, but man 😂😂. Let this be a lesson kids do your research first.

[@mrmister1948]

or dont use car rims and tires on trailers or the other way around