New Hunting Trailer / Camper / Toy Hauler build - Follow along!

buckbull

Veteran member
Jun 20, 2011
2,124
1,293
I would have the walls and ceiling spray foamed. Not only provides insulation but seals all cracks and holes and provides alot of rigidity in the structure. Along with spare tires mentioned I would also have spare bearings. Keep an eye on your weight since its only a single axle.
 

GOSHENGRUNTER

Active Member
Jan 8, 2014
439
127
Clermont County Ohio
Had to slow down on the project a little bit this week. Work and play got in the way. Still made some progress while im waiting for parts to get delivered though. Oh...and I snuck away to take little man on his first hunt. He's been with me for the last 2+ years but this was his first time pulling the trigger. 10 yard recovery after a heart shot...not bad for 4 years old!28011
Anyway, Got both windows installed and insulated. Cutting the windows in was by far the most stressful part so far. Kind of a one shot deal. I taped up the walls and jigsaw to avoid scratches. They turned out pretty well!
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I'm running plywood up 30" on the walls. This will eventually get coated in lightweight corrugated metal. This will help radiate heat or AC and will keep the lower half waterproof so i can spray it out if I want to. The top will be done in knotty pine boards. I caulked every stud and seam in this thing for waterproofing and put 1" pink foam insulation between all the studs. Then I spray foamed all the seams. Should be sealed up pretty well.

Waiting on my batteries to be delivered. I'll end up having 200 Amp Hrs of stored power. Pretty happy with that. MPPT charger is showing 41.2volts coming off the solar panels, so they should stayed charged with a moderate amount of sun. Hooked up this tiny 12v to the system to test my wiring while I wait. working like a champ!
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Oh, and here is the final view of the rook after the second panel got installed!
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This week I hope to get the plumbing done. I traded for a very small instant water heater so I'm pretty excited about that. Wasn't going to have hot water but now I'll be in good shape! Walls, cabinets and lights are about all thats left on the inside.
 
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dirtclod Az.

Veteran member
Jan 26, 2018
1,637
444
Arizona
Cool,looks like things are moving right along.Keep at it,eventually it
will all come together.Just like our Cabin and House.30 plus yrs.
later and still adding on."The Never Ending Story" :cool:
 

Celtic Clamper

New Member
Jan 28, 2016
24
5
Central California
Your build is looking pretty sweet. I really wanted to do this also. I have built alot of trailers because I have so much fun building them. I wanted to build an enclosed, but with 3 kids and everything we wanted we ended up just buying a toy hauler. I still will build one because I have a trailer fetish.
 

Celtic Clamper

New Member
Jan 28, 2016
24
5
Central California
One thing I recommend when converting or heavily modifying an already built frame, is to wait until you are almost complete before getting tires and wheels. If you get about 90%, then go get the trailer weighed. Add 1,000 lbs of gear weight. Then select your axles, hubs, and springs. Its amazing how weight just creeps up. Select the hubs in the appropriate weight catagory, but select them to utilize your tow vehicles bolt pattern. I have scrapped new wheels and tires just because they didn't match the bolt pattern of the main tow vehicle. This has saved my bacon because it allows use of any tire in any location. It also allows you to run your vehicle take offs on your trailer. Then when you replace your vehicle tires, you can mount your better tires on the trailer. This doesn't make sense if you just run load range C. But in my case, one of my trailers runs 33" load range D or E A/T's. My trailer bolt pattern matches 2 of the tow vehicles, and they all run 17" wheels.
 

Celtic Clamper

New Member
Jan 28, 2016
24
5
Central California
Also, as someone else said, I integrated reciever tubing into my frames to use for tools and spares. If you rig up a spare mount using reciever tubing, mount a spindle inside the tubing. Then install a hub assembly, and bolt the spare to it. One of the big trailer accident causes is losing a wheel bearing. And it is a terrible feeling knowing you have to leave your trailer somewhere while you run for parts.

One of the handiest things I did was to mount a vise onto a 2" frame. It slides into the reciever tubing so I can do work or repairs or whatever.
 

Celtic Clamper

New Member
Jan 28, 2016
24
5
Central California
Sorry to be a post hog. Last thing for today. If you are installing solar, you probably aren't an electrical rookie. That said I have made a lot of money fixing people's trailer wiring. I highly recommend that you secure all your wiring. Then sketch the schematics of the trailer, showing where exactly everything runs. Guessing later sucks, especially if you are trying to tie in. Make sure your grounds are terrific. Add a junction box that is capable of handling 30% more than existing, and uses terminal strips and fuses. Throw in a copy of the schematics inside the junction box. That's it, I swear. Keep up the posts!
 

ore hunter

Very Active Member
Jul 25, 2014
699
114
looking good,,ive been building mine on a 7x14 stealth double axle and am near completion,,bathroom,w rv toilet and holding tank and shower was about the toughest part,,i used herkuliner bed cote on the floor than added aluminum diamond plate on top of that,,built my cabinets and used midwest racing cabinet fronts,,propane heat,water tank and heater and 3 way fridge finish mine out pretty much,,it was alot of work,but its nice now,,if you have any questions id be happy to help.could post pics if youd like.
 

ore hunter

Very Active Member
Jul 25, 2014
699
114
I just added a hqst 3 panel solar charge set up with a 30 amp controller,{amazon}whole thing around $300,,when sunny,im getting 15+ amps out of it,,seems to keep up w my inverter and 7 cu ft chest freezer now for the most part,,2 panels wouldnt keep up.
 

gutshotem

New Member
Jul 8, 2013
11
1
USA
I'd def put a window on both sides. You should have an escape on both sides in case the trailer is somehow turned over. More air flow as well. Something I never thought about but I've seen brought up on some youtubers builds is the amount of VOCs in such a small confined space. The paint, epoxy, spray foam and insulation heated up in an air tight 12' container sounds like a good recipe for a brain tumor.
 
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GOSHENGRUNTER

Active Member
Jan 8, 2014
439
127
Clermont County Ohio
Still pluggin' away on this thing and just realized I haven't updated here in a while! Got all my electric and water hooked up before I started hunting this past fall. Didn't get everything totally finished, but it worked out well because 26 days of living in this thing showed me a few things I need to fix.

1- Carpet. I bought a thick carpet that goes to the door. The floor was so cold with the air blowing under it, it pretty much made my small heater useless
2- Heat- again, brrrr! Gonna add a propane heat system
3- Plumbing- on a cold 7 degree night at about 10,000ft in Colorado, the line to my water heater exploded. Thankfully, I packed plumbing tools. going to install a bleeder line in the plumbing system so I can drain it after every use.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with it. It survive a monster wind storm in Wyoming that was blowing over semi trucks. Having running water is an insane game changer on these extended hunting trips, although the outdoor shower is pretty darn chilly!


308213082230820
 

BrandonM

Active Member
Nov 9, 2011
193
215
I've been toying with the idea of building or converting an enclosed trailer into a hunting rig for some time. Finally bit the bullet and started the project today. I'll post updates as the project continues. I'm really looking forward to this build!

Rewinding just a bit, I was up in the air about continuing to tent camp, buy a camper, or do this build. With my son approaching the age where he will begin traveling with me more, I wanted a safe and comfortable shelter for him. Also, I wanted something I could use outside of hunting season. There are several other reasons that I'll get into as we go. I settled on building out a custom trailer instead of buying a camper for a few reasons:
1- Cargo trailers are typically better built than a camper.
2- I can customize it however I want.
3- Even though I don't own an ATV, in the future I want to be able to haul one (and my ebikes ;-))
4- The final value will be much greater with a custom build.

Anyway, here is the trailer I chose- an EWI 6x12 V nose. This one happened to have a camper style door already on it so that's one less task I'll have to hammer out.View attachment 27801
View attachment 27802
View attachment 27803

Upgrades and customizations I plan on doing are (not in order):
1- Sealing and insulating the floor
2- insulating walls
3- 200 watt solar electric system with shore power hookup
4- Running water (cold only- I'll explain why later)
5- Roof fan/vent (Maybe add an AC next summer..I want to see how the fan alone does)
6- interior/exterior LED lights
7- Bathroom (50/50 on this one. I have the space but I can't decide if its worth the trouble)
8- Front sink, cabinets, power
9- Wall cabinet
10- Floor Vent and tie downs
11- Etrack Hammock for my kid (this is gonna be cool)
12- Windows

I'm sure there will be plenty of other odds and ends I decide on as I go. Please feel free to offer suggestions and give feedback. My goal is to be done by October when my western hunts start!


.....here goes nuthin'!
I can't wait to see how this transpires!!!!! I've had thoughts of doing this for years. I kinda did it with an old trailer I used to have but I've had other ideas since then. Thanks for posting this up so we can all follow along!!!!!
 

BrandonM

Active Member
Nov 9, 2011
193
215
Still pluggin' away on this thing and just realized I haven't updated here in a while! Got all my electric and water hooked up before I started hunting this past fall. Didn't get everything totally finished, but it worked out well because 26 days of living in this thing showed me a few things I need to fix.

1- Carpet. I bought a thick carpet that goes to the door. The floor was so cold with the air blowing under it, it pretty much made my small heater useless
2- Heat- again, brrrr! Gonna add a propane heat system
3- Plumbing- on a cold 7 degree night at about 10,000ft in Colorado, the line to my water heater exploded. Thankfully, I packed plumbing tools. going to install a bleeder line in the plumbing system so I can drain it after every use.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with it. It survive a monster wind storm in Wyoming that was blowing over semi trucks. Having running water is an insane game changer on these extended hunting trips, although the outdoor shower is pretty darn chilly!


View attachment 30821View attachment 30822View attachment 30820
Lookin' good! Do you have pics of the hammock hanging inside? We use hammocks a lot and I've use them in an enclosed trailer, but not off of the e-track...sweet idea!
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,073
4,300
82
Dolores, Colorado
There is a thread we started in 2012 on this subject too. ( pages long & lots of pictures.)
General Hunting - Enclosed Cargo/Hunting Trailer Conversion Jan 25, 2012
 
Last edited:

mosquito

Active Member
Nov 1, 2012
305
422
NE ohio
I will do this one day. Colorado cowboy ive looked all over for that thread. I found a link to it but it says it cannot be found.
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,073
4,300
82
Dolores, Colorado
Go to Search in the upper right hand corner of this screen. Open and check titles only the type in the title: Enclosed Cargo/Hunting Trailer Conversion. Click on search and it comes up. I just did it.