Custom camper project part 1: spec and design

[natjwest]

I bet there's some reason why, with a rear-entry door (making the camper symmetrical), the appliances are traditionally on the driver side. I'm just curious why -- doesn't matter really...it's just an obsession to know now.

Nah, I don't think there is, other than filling up and plugging in, etc for the systems on the exterior. I used to have a hard-side big camper and it had fridge on driver, oven/stove on passenger, water tank in the middle below the pass-through window. Some friends have an Alpenlite and it has fridge on passenger side, sink and stove on driver side. Keeping plumbing all on one wall makes sense, but isn't a "reason why".

 

[natjwest]

Here's a design thought for you DD and pods. On my old POS hard-side camper, there was a "step up" to sit in the dinette. Where you put your feet when sitting was 8" or so off the bottom of the camper - the bed of the truck. It was built this way to clear the wheel fender, but I think that's a fantastic design idea regardless since you could put some drawers under the dinette platform without a reduction in usable space. Any under-seat storage could be deeper also.

Sure, you'd be sitting up higher to the roof when seated at the dinette, but that's fine, since you'd be seated, i.e. 4 feet tall. When I do my Grandby dinette remodel, I'm going to do this for sure, maybe even a two-step. The table-top height might be similar to any counter heights. Kitchen counters are high, tables are less.

LMK if I'm not making sense and I'll put it in sketchup.

 

[DirtyDog]

Here's a design thought for you DD and pods. On my old POS hard-side camper, there was a "step up" to sit in the dinette. Where you put your feet when sitting was 8" or so off the bottom of the camper - the bed of the truck. It was built this way to clear the wheel fender, but I think that's a fantastic design idea regardless since you could put some drawers under the dinette platform without a reduction in usable space. Any under-seat storage could be deeper also.

Sure, you'd be sitting up higher to the roof when seated at the dinette, but that's fine, since you'd be seated, i.e. 4 feet tall. When I do my Grandby dinette remodel, I'm going to do this for sure, maybe even a two-step. The table-top height might be similar to any counter heights. Kitchen counters are high, tables are less.

LMK if I'm not making sense and I'll put it in sketchup.


I thought of that and it makes sense in a hard sided popup as you can have a nice big window in the upper section so that if you have a dinette you are at window height with the upper window. My construction is going to be very similar to FWC which means a big window low and a small window in the canvas up high. I'm not sure adding that height just to be placed at about the height of those small canvas windows is worth it.

 

[pods8]

DD, Had another thought this morning. The front corner cabinet area under the counter, are you going to have stuff like water tanks, etc. mounted in this area? Otherwise you're going to get into a corner cabinet situation like in a kitchen there. Just something to think about in case it hadn't crossed your mind.

Let me correct myself. the stocks mounts are used without any mods to them, you just install a small spacer. The UTE rep was very interested in how this was done, he just couldn't figure out how to do it.


Basically you gave the bed a body lift (that is how body lifts work, you put pucks between the body and frame), so the intent of what I was saying is still accurate. But we're splitting hairs at this point. The main thing is each person needs to decide what is more important, a drawer or lower flatbed (assuming tire articulation isn't an issue).

Here's a design thought for you DD and pods. On my old POS hard-side camper, there was a "step up" to sit in the dinette. Where you put your feet when sitting was 8" or so off the bottom of the camper - the bed of the truck. It was built this way to clear the wheel fender, but I think that's a fantastic design idea regardless since you could put some drawers under the dinette platform without a reduction in usable space. Any under-seat storage could be deeper also.

Sure, you'd be sitting up higher to the roof when seated at the dinette, but that's fine, since you'd be seated, i.e. 4 feet tall. When I do my Grandby dinette remodel, I'm going to do this for sure, maybe even a two-step. The table-top height might be similar to any counter heights. Kitchen counters are high, tables are less.

LMK if I'm not making sense and I'll put it in sketchup.


Its a back of the mind thought for me until I figure out what the camper's top down profile will be. It is a high design goal for me to be able to comfortably sit at the dinette with the top down. Raising the floor of it up and keeping that goal might require increasing the top down profile which is also a negative in my mind. But if there is room I'll be circling back on it.

 

[DirtyDog]

DD, Had another thought this morning. The front corner cabinet area under the counter, are you going to have stuff like water tanks, etc. mounted in this area? Otherwise you're going to get into a corner cabinet situation like in a kitchen there. Just something to think about in case it hadn't crossed your mind.


I plan on putting all the appliances there - water tank, propane tank, furnace etc.

 

[pods8]

I plan on putting all the appliances there - water tank, propane tank, furnace etc.

Kinda figured but just was making sure. As for the furnace though, are you doing one of the ducted models or just talking about putting it next to that boxed in space w/ no front face access (which the basic furnaces need to blow out the front)?


BTW, sounds like you're doing soft sided pop up? I'm browsing door latches right now for the overlapping hard wall design I want to do, didn't know if that was something you're looking into or looked into already too.

 

[DirtyDog]

Kinda figured but just was making sure. As for the furnace though, are you doing one of the ducted models or just talking about putting it next to that boxed in space w/ no front face access (which the basic furnaces need to blow out the front)?


BTW, sounds like you're doing soft sided pop up? I'm browsing door latches right now for the overlapping hard wall design I want to do, didn't know if that was something you're looking into or looked into already too.




Not sure what you mean about front face access?

Yeah I'm doing a soft top. I have yet to see a 2 part door for a hard topped popup that anyone likes.

 

[pods8]

Not sure what you mean about front face access?

Yeah I'm doing a soft top. I have yet to see a 2 part door for a hard topped popup that anyone likes.


The area of concern I was talking about before is the square of cabinet area that doesn't have any cabinet face exposed to the inside of the camper (that part make sense?). That area would work good for the tanks you don't have to access as you mentioned. But the smaller model furnaces need to have the front of them exposed to the camper interior. The furnace could go right next to that square space but not in it. I think you might have just broadened your area of discussion to that dead space and the surrounding area where as I was focused on just the blocked in space. Follow?

That is one area of concern to me since I haven't really had first hand access/experience with these types of doors. But I really want the thermal aspects of the sliding hard sides.

 

[neil]

DD - Did you draw these with Google Sketch?

You might take a look at the Provan Tiger RV for layout ideas too. Their owners love the layout. A bit bigger than your proposed design, but might be worth a look. Also for SMEV appliances, try http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/ to see if they can order them for you. Check out the Seitz windows too!

 

[DirtyDog]

You might take a look at the Provan Tiger RV for layout ideas too. Their owners love the layout. A bit bigger than your proposed design, but might be worth a look. Also for SMEV appliances, try http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/ to see if they can order them for you. Check out the Seitz windows too!


I am a fan of the Seitz windows but I won't be using them this time due to the cost. Thanks for the other suggestions!

 

[jcfly]

pods8: Ever see a Trailmanor hard side pop-up trailer? Maybe that door would work for you. Just a thought.

 

[pods8]

pods8: Ever see a Trailmanor hard side pop-up trailer? Maybe that door would work for you. Just a thought.


Nope but I'm googling it.

Edit: Okay, so I checked it out but don't readily foresee it being workable but I'll dwell some more. Even if the folding panels on that camper weren't in the way it still wouldn't allow you to open the door from the inside when it was down (or at least I'm not seeing it).

 

[HIKEMT]

I don't have a good source and I'll need to order it from Europe. Not sure which one yet. It's expensive but it's just so much better than whats available in the states I think I'll do it anyway.



The flush-mount SMEV/Dometic appliances look very nice but are getting tough to find. Anyone know what it would take to do something like this, but with a pop-top type faucet, and avoid the SMEV sink altogether?

 

[pods8]

Dunno but I'll likely dabble in trying to make a molded epoxy counter top with cover and inset shurflo faucet, basically a build in molded smev deal. Seems good in my head at least. In reality a lot would depend on how well an initial layer of pigmented epoxy w/o reinforcement forms a counter top surface and sink (obviously backed by reinforcement).

Lots of ideas... planning to order some test supplies next week.

 

[brianjwilson]

The euro stove/sink combo wouldn't be a bad idea. I saw one at the Travel Lite factory when I was poking around there a few weeks ago, it was nicer than I expected. You might even call them, when the time comes, and see what they would sell it for.

I would probably be embarrassed if I knew how much time I spent playing in google sketchup. I am always on call but work very little, so I have spent a lot of time planning out a few different pop-ups and small hard sides. So many campers out there make such poor use of space, so I kind of enjoy drawing plans out and seeing how much I can do with a small space.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I would probably be embarrassed if I knew how much time I spent playing in google sketchup. I am always on call but work very little, so I have spent a lot of time planning out a few different pop-ups and small hard sides. So many campers out there make such poor use of space, so I kind of enjoy drawing plans out and seeing how much I can do with a small space.


I would be really interested in your interior layouts, could you post them? Maybe in a new thread?

 

[brianjwilson]

I would be really interested in your interior layouts, could you post them? Maybe in a new thread?



I'll have to look later, and see what I have on my desktop computer. I got a virus recently and had to reformat the hard drive, so I doubt I have any pop-up drawings on there now (don't believe they were backed up). Most likely just one or two 7' hard side drawings.



Aaron do you know what your bed to truck roof is going to be yet? Are you planning to be have the ability to sit in the dinette with the roof down?

 

[ntsqd]

Thinking on the entry (re: post in Soneke's thread); could you notch the bed and do a semi-enclosed vertical entry at the side or the rear? What I'm envisioning is a short side door and a trap door. The trap door pulls up to form a stand-on-able floor when latched, but by a parallelogram the flooring becomes ladder steps when the trap door is open. If the trap door is of sufficient size then the short exterior door need only be opened for convenience (e.g. not wonking your head), not access.

 

[DirtyDog]

Aaron do you know what your bed to truck roof is going to be yet? Are you planning to be have the ability to sit in the dinette with the roof down?


not sure yet I'll have to get back to you on that.

 

[pods8]

Thinking on the entry (re: post in Soneke's thread); could you notch the bed and do a semi-enclosed vertical entry at the side or the rear? What I'm envisioning is a short side door and a trap door. The trap door pulls up to form a stand-on-able floor when latched, but by a parallelogram the flooring becomes ladder steps when the trap door is open. If the trap door is of sufficient size then the short exterior door need only be opened for convenience (e.g. not wonking your head), not access.


Wouldn't be enough room on the side of a short wheel base truck (unless you're doing a long overhang camper). On my truck there is less that 2' before the tire, then a 34" tire, so all that is left is after the tire. At that point doing a rear access offset to the side would likely be easier, then you could slat the rear like sonke which would allow ducking under.