THE TOUGHEST CASITA TRAVEL TRAILER on Earth

Getting ready for a trip into Northern Canada to do a seminar in Edmonton, Alberta and then up into the Yukon for fly fishing and photography. This episode is about the modifications to my Casita travel trailer (I call it my Wilderness Edition) that will make is possible for me to go to places that most travel trailers can't think of going.
Videos: www.hawkeyemedia.net
Blog: billhillmann.net

[@Tripsolo65]

That feller that did this is sharp as a tack! I love people that know what the heck they're doing.

[@pteehee5864]

Pretty awesome set up.

[@mattw8336]

Awesome build! Gives me Casita fever

[@thegadgetrulez]

They are pretty awesome little/big trailers.

[@aether5213]

Excellent build

[@lmlowe9100]

Wow...awesome rig...I 'm having trailer envy. :D

[@valeriechaffins4638]

I thought I would see the inside ☹️ also, did anyone notice that the trailer didn’t move when he stood on the back platform...amazing

[@Will-Parr]

I'm impressed.

[@bucktalesoutdoors7566]

Very nicely done. Although I might have done it a little differently to match my own needs, I can see this was a quality job, done right for Bill’s needs requirements. I would like to see how he has laid out the interior. Great video.

[@michaellauer3397]

Yeah, that gives me more confidence in building my own frame under mine. I already have the 2 x 4 rectangular tubing, just been delayed in pulling the trigger. Mine has so much tongue weight that putting a 240 pound motorcycle on the back still leaves me with enough weight with the spare of tire mounted up front. Just wish I could put a larger diameter tire in the wheel wells.

[@mrfrontranger7911]

I like the frame improvements My casita uses a 5200 lb axle with 4400 lb leaf springs and shocks, I only do minor offroad but the road ride is so good 12" brakes 16" 6 lug wheels Love it

[@SkylinersYeti]

Very well thought out upgrades, enjoy your time in the field.

[@bosse641]

Would be nice to see the inside of it also. Did you make a lot of mods there as well ?

[@maryvanessa9909]

Greg Vivek Bill, looks like an outfit I might could work for me, high on truck and trailer, love video

[@zarar7777]

May you live long with good health... Well wishes from Pakistan.

[@McGuireJJ]

Nice setup! Would love to see the interior.

[@redroofretriever]

Very cool, and nice custom work. Hope to see more of this in the future. Id say it falls into that category of ~The difference between men and boys...

[@mariannebutak434]

LHOTR...looks like you guys have some options in your possibilities. 'til I get a new truck, I will not be able to partake, but looks tempting...

[@bobbydaniel3787]

Great Job, Chris, if I pull the trigger on a Casita you will be getting a call

[@denishunter2151]

Beauty.

[@debrahayes2572]

Must of been very expensive!

[@dadventureisoutthere519]

Agree with JJ, would love to see how you’re interior is set up

[@TheHjkane]

I'm concerned about the smaller radius of the camper wheel wells than the upgrade tires, doesn't look like there's enough suspension travel before the tire hits the fiberglass on front and rear.

[@Donnachaidh07]

Yes and maybe he has bump stops. Looks really tight.

[@celebrating50yearsoftransc89]

thanks for the video, love the upgrades, but did not hear the name of the base model mentioned, that the modfications were made from like length, model etc, i would love to also get a tour of the inside if possible, thank you and God Bless !

[@mrfrontranger7911]

Casita liberty deluxe 17'

[@qwickening]

Bill or Chris - Two questions: (1) Is there any noticeable lag in the Boyo camera to the display? (I've heard this is a concern with wireless setups.) (2) Can you confirm that this is the Boyo model you have ? Model:VTC700R (Looks like it but it's hard to tell on KZbin.) . Many, many thanks in advance for your time! (I just purchased my first Casita, BTW. Happy traveling!)

[@NathanKHardenburg]

What happened to the first casita you owned?

[@dennym1172]

Very nice! Care to share what the price was for the upgrades?

[@christophermoore5190]

D M this job was around $13k

[@arcticwanderer2000]

Can you tell me what the weight of the trailer is now and the tongue weight? I am looking at having a Casita 17 Deluxe built and would be interested in taking it off road with my Prado.

[@yeahman1975]

I see that tall grass and i can feel my skin crawl from the chigger bites

[@thomascronquist1604]

What would be the estimate cost of all the upgrades?

[@dalephillips8250]

So what is the rim and tires size? I'd like to know as if I had one of these I would like to see if I could use 18" rims and put 32 inch tall tires on it.

[@UtahRoadbase]

What kind of solar panels did you put on the roof -- standard or flexible? Just wondering if you added any roof support for the weight.

[@christophermoore5190]

UtahRoadbase 15 watt non flexible. No need for additional support.

[@TheDUNLOP6]

Use found you this looks so interesting!

[@tompatton2086]

What?

[@MrGarydugger]

Nice rig...

[@rosm6621]

Casitas have a lower clearance black and grey dump tube. How did you adjust that for bumpy off road?

[@robfletcher3426]

Exactly what I am trying to figure out.

[@christophermoore5190]

Added 4" of suspension height plus the additional tire radius

[@salbers]

Bill, It has been very lucky for me to stumble across your Casita upgrade video because I'm in the midst of upgrading my 2013 Freedom. Some details would be helpful. How much additional ground clearance does your new suspension system afford? What size truck tire are you using? What material are you using for your rock guard? Tnx, Stephen

[@christophermoore5190]

Stephen Albers overall the lift height was close to 6". I do not recall the tire size exactly but was something close to a LT245/75/16 Toyo Open Country AT. The rock guard on the front is hunter green spay on bedliner with a gloss UV topcoat.

[@salbers]

Christopher Moore Thanks a bunch for the VERY helpful information. I'll put it to good use. I'm wondering why you found it necessary to increase the the frame strength? Does the existing frame deform under load? Do high loads pop rivets or produce stress cracks? Further, why increase the axle capacity which has existing additional load capacity of +1000 pounds to over 2,500 pounds? Appreciatively, Stephen

[@13Sala13]

Seems he's not answering.. It's not unheard of to find broken frames on Casita trailers that didn't go off road. They're built to be light weight so the frames are just adequate. The owner wants to put a motorcycle on the back which is probably 350 lbs, plus a 100lbs of big spare trailer tires. 100lbs of batteries. The generator could be 150lbs. Weight adds up fast. They said this was his second Casita so he probably tried this with the first one and broke it. Good luck with your trailer.

[@salbers]

VERY help insight. I'm an aviator. Overloading an aircraft is unlawful. So it did not occur to me people would overload their trailers. Apparently, RVers are more casual about such things. Bill's strengthening of the frame makes sense in his case.

[@arcticwanderer2000]

@@salbers It is not a question of him overloading his trailer, it is a question of a stock trailer, loaded correctly, not being able to go over the same terrain that your 4x4 can go over.

[@dominica2765]

Sweet

[@michaelsmith9308]

With that Raptor I would wrap the casita to match the truck at this point!!!!!!!!!!!!!Nice!

[@ratherbfishing455]

What truck? Is that a short bed? Thanks in advance.

[@13Sala13]

It's an old Ford Raptor. It has a really short bed.

[@lizchilders4154]

Fantastic upgrades. What size generator do you have?

[@christophermoore5190]

2000 watt Honda

[@lizchilders4154]

Christopher Moore that generator runs your air conditioner, TV and lights? We are trying to decide which size generator to get so we can boondock.

[@thegadgetrulez]

We used the Honda eu3000is. It would power everything with no problems, and had electric start super nice. Unfortunately, I let it go after we sold our last camper. We since have changed over to the Campion 3100W Inverter Manual start Model #75531i. It has a surge capacity of 3100 watts and a running watts of 2800. It runs the AC in hot temps fine. Not sure it could handle the Microwave and AC. Will find out soon. They have several models with electric start and dual fuel (Propane and Gas.)

[@lizchilders4154]

Josh Hymer Thanks for the info. Please keep me updated. Would love a Honda 2200i Companion, but is out of our price range. May go with Champion duel fuel 3500, but very concerned about lifting it in and out of our truck bed. We are no longer spring chickens. Could get a rack and box put above the propane tanks, but not sure if entire Casita would vibrate when on. Plus, how loud it might be there.

[@thegadgetrulez]

Yes, I understand. It is pretty heavy, I think ours is about 83 lbs. It only has an 8hr run time at 25%. I have a rack over our tanks as well. The box isn't big enough to hold the Champion generator. I am looking to replace it with a Contico Pro Tuff Box model number: 3725. It is large enough to fit the generator in and lockable. Zoro has them for $59. Tractor supply has them for $74. I was worried about the shaking also. The generator has built-in shock absorbers in the chassis. Hopefully they will be enough.

[@powderriver2424]

Brilliant, I’m a big fan of Australian off road caravans, as they call them, all it would take is a an entrepreneurial spirited guy to design and build an off road specific trailer to sell I’m positive their would be a market.

[@08FayFay]

😍😍

[@anthonyhitchings1051]

I would have opted for more ground clearance (speaking from experience)

[@OldMeanGeezer]

I am surprised you didn't go with Lithium Batteries.

[@bobbydaniel3787]

I pulled the trigger, Chris, and will pick it up around April, 15 and my son and I will get in touch

[@joelweidenfeld471]

Do not know what Billy Bob is rambling about but casitas main value is their toughness if your going to pull it around for thousands of miles ...that and the roof ..period and there are higher quality shells like the Oliver.... They are not good if your stable and will do better with a more residential trailer ...the casita literally has 0 counter soace for example, barely a kitchen barely a bathroom ......

[@stevecarr1992]

Don't forget the TINY refrigerator. Watch when someone opens the door, while doing a review. They're like, oh, look at that freezer, I can make some ice cubes. 🧊

[@cadenngo9019]

Hi what did the cost of the custom work?

[@christophermoore5190]

You can contact me at [e-mail] or 979-778-0626

[@pearll_abcdgarcia2906]

Nice job on the trailer.

[@patriciacharrier3620]

To much!

[@Donnachaidh07]

How about a lip on trailer so stuff could be tied down more securely. Maybe the customer didn't need that.

[@michaellauer3397]

Cool build. I have a Casita that needs similar suspension modifications. However I hate those obnoxious blue white lights. Give me a 2700K colored light. There’s something about those 5000K+ lights that just drive me crazy and I hear more more how it bothers other people. These kids and their stupid, bright ass lights… Don’t want to be blinded in traffic I want to be able to look and see that a vehicle is marked by its lights, not blinding me by its lights. It needs to be seen from an appropriate distance, not from outer space. I have both color lights in my Casita. The more “yellow“ lights in the sleeping area, and the more daylight looking lights in the cooking area. It is good to have a choice.

[@CasitaCmdr]

Very interesting vid, Bill. Thank you. My primary concern with taking a Casita over rough roads and outback terrain concerns all the aluminum rivet connections through the fiberglass. I would keep an eye out for micro-fissures and cracking - spider lines radiating around the rivet holes - this may lead to minor leaks into your trailer's interior, in back of the rug walls. I can't say for sure, this will happen... but it has been my experience that the glass is not really all that strong and is often under some form of a load from the rivets, a large jolt or two is all that is needed sometimes to produce a defect. Well, Just some thoughts. Have fun with your rig, and kindest regards. P.S. The Casita looks so much nicer without the tacky graphics! (I took mine off too...)

[@salbers]

My aviation background is sensitive to structural issues. I discussed this very point at length with Larry Gamble of Little House Customs, who has decades of Casita experience. He says that the frame DOES deform under stress. But it never causes molding damage. Instead, a rivet pops on rare occasions. Some owners have proposed replacing rivets with bolts. But if the bolt does not fail, the stress transfers to the molding which might then crack, which is your concern. It is MUCH easier to replace the occasional popped rivet than to do a fiberglass molding repair. The wing of an airliner is designed to bend to support the load. So bending of the frame is not necessarily a bad thing. Ideally, it would not pop rivets, though.

[@ronaldnoll9702]

Hi, I just found out that the deceptive ad practices by the Casita Enterprises, Inc. of Rice, Texas are against the law in Texas. So for anyone who went to Casita with an ad from RVTraders or someplace else; and Casita didn’t honor their ad discounts of extras like awnings, large water tanks or high rise packages. You may file a complaint with Texas Attorney General Office and collect your refund. Here is what to ask for Texas guides consumer protection from deceptive ads. Make sure you have a copy of that ad. I have copies of the March to May 2020 and the August to the September 2020 ad. You can reach me at Ronny Noll - FB

[@Captleemo]

I think this Scamp may have your Casita beat as far as being rugged. www.doityourselfrv.com/scamp-5th-wheel-trailer-might-just-ultimate-off-road-camper/

[@NathanKHardenburg]

How do I know I can trust you to care about what's best for me?

[@retrodog63]

The Russians use a tent.

[@vickyneale5216]

Non

[@samuelsepulveda9030]

Naaaa salesman

[@LeonAllanDavis]

Need a wrap around bumper on that rear platform. Attach the license plate to that. Put the batteries up on the front. Behind the LP tanks. Bad place for those spare tires. Out in the open. Looks stupid. The rear platform should be a box affair. With a lid that hinges up. Drop the tires in there plus emergency road equipment. Tow straps. Jacks. Whatever. Where those tires are, put in a water tank. Or a box for 5-gallon jugs. That compensates for the weight of the bike on the platform. Prevents "tail-wagging". The trailer should have a complete belly pan. Heavy gauge steel. With skids. The congenital defect of Casitas is that the fiberglass shell stress cracks like crazy. They do not like to be bounced around. I would have purchased a small Airstream. Maybe a 22'. Put in an airbag suspension that raises the chassis for off-road. And I would have a Toyota Landcruiser.

[@maryvanessa9909]

Leon Allan Davis 5

[@digyourrig3800]

... A fool and his money are soon parted......

[@tompatton2086]

Don't sugar coat it, Leon. Let him know how you feel about it.

[@oldschooldiy3240]

I guess you missed the part about wanting to carry his motorcycle, huh?

[@stillaliveandwell5291]

@@oldschooldiy3240 "The rear platform should be a box affair. With a lid that hinges up. Drop the tires in there plus emergency road equipment. Tow straps. Jacks. Whatever. Where those tires are, put in a water tank. Or a box for 5-gallon jugs. That compensates for the weight of the bike on the platform". First a box, then the bike is back, whichisit?

[@ulihanel7078]

great american design... quit braging its a joke Aussies do it all the time...and leaf spring .... welcome to the 21st century

[@BurtBowers]

Cant imagine pulling any rv trailer i would rather just pay extra have a mini rv motor home dont have no un hooking a motor home & no trouble backing it up like rv trailers, even just as important if person has back troubles leg knee issues who wants to be worrying bout hooking & un hooking these eye sore boxes... makes no sense a total waste of money & headaches...

[@larryfregin2859]

Well just setup get settled in and oh ya secure everything we need to run into town for a few grocerirs and more beer. Side trips are no... trailer is base camp...

[@Donnachaidh07]

RVs are way more money. So everytime you go into town, you have to drive the RV?

[@fade7755]

This is best product ever, but then I changed and rebuilt the whole thing now it is the best thing ever That is a pure logical fail ... no offense I think the rebuilt is awesome .... but the logic not so much

[@pearlcaster8287]

You have had Logic 101 (truth tables?); the narrator hasn't had Logic or Philosophy, or even CPN training (Critical Path Network) --- from engineers who built the submarine Nautilus.

[@fade7755]

@@pearlcaster8287 Even edited your comments does not make much sense. Maybe this will help ..... philosophy.ucsd.edu/courses/syllabi/17winter/phil010wi17.pdf

[@KuttersVideos]

Music ruins this.