This story proves that you don’t need to spend a fortune on a new trailer when building your own micro camper. In fact, this builder used a 40-year-old cargo trailer that wasn’t in the best of condition. He tows his new tiny RV with a Nissan Xterra, and just completed a 2,400 mile round-trip journey from Colorado to Arizona.
Could this old cargo trailer turn into a usable DIY micro camper?
After removing the innards of the trailer, as well as the back wall and roof, he installed new framing.
2″ x 3″ studs ensure a rigid structure and easy assembly.
The framing rings the living space.
A simple raftered roof expanded the vertical dimension.
The outside of the camper, after the addition of retrofitted RV windows to the sides.
Some paint and a corrugated tin roof finish the outside.
He used another RV door for the entrance to his new micro camper.
LED lights make the interior glow, and the repurposed RV windows let in lots of natural light.
With curtains, some added shelving, and a portable storage chest it looks quite livable.
The finished camper took three weeks and only $800 in materials.
He said it’s lighter to tow than a normal trailer – and with tongue and groove cedar siding and a custom electrical setup – even better than a store-bought camper!
It’s nice and warm and you can bet with that roof pitch it wont have water sitting up there! You can go camping and have a real mattress to lay on at the end of a long days hike! And come on, it looks like a Tiny House…. just smaller!
To see the full build and more pictures, visit his instructables guide here.
