DIY Truck Camper

I got tired of the limited lighting options in my little camper, so I finally went and got a 16 foot long LED strip with one of the remotes. I mounted it on the ceiling, running from the end of the sleeping loft, all the way to the back wall, then doubled back, into the bathroom, and ended it there. I can now choose my color and brightness levels. I didn't run the light strip into the sleeping loft as it already has a light and I like it dark up there. I found it quite handy to have the main light extend into the bathroom as well. No longer do I need to turn on the crappy old bathroom light at night, and blind myself. I can turn the main strip on red and lowest brightness and have a pleasant and consistent lighting throughout my living space. I still need plenty more lighting to film i the camper, but I at least have an every day light source I enjoy using. I got this strip from Home Depot for about $30. I wanted a custom controlled strip of NeoPixels, but didn't have the time or money just yet. I plan to do all custom smart home stuff in the future, and some of this equipment will end up unused. I can always find a use for things or just give them to people who need them more than I do. In the future I plan to add more lighting, and make it video recording friendly. For now, I will stick with my LED strip.

After months of using an old space heater in the camper, and it's loud fan keeping me up at night, I finally upgraded to a simple 1,500 watt electric radiator. I chose the cheapest one because I'm cheap, and also because it's the only one that was entirely mechanical. I have 3 computerized heaters that plug directly into a wall socket, but they shut off after 10 hours, regardless of settings or conditions. I hate this fact, as I'll go to work my 10 hour shift and come home to 3 heaters that have been off, and a cold home. This radiator has all mechanical controls and just stays on until you turn it off. I really enjoy such simplicity, and find it hard  to find these days. This radiator is also nearly silent. I run a small blower fan to circulate the warm air coming off the heater. It seems to heat better than the old forced air heater, and I suspect that this has to do with the thermal mass of the heater and that it radiates heat in all directions, as opposed to just forcing it out of the front.

I was hesitant to buy another 120 volt AC heater as I plan to go off grid, but there will be times when I will be at a camp site and would appreciate the silent gentle heat. If I end up never using it, I will simply give it away to someone who could use and appreciate it.

Overall I do recommend the radiator type heaters, as long as you don't expect it to heat instantly, it's a great choice. Slow, gentle, quiet heat that fills a room. Much like the old radiators. So far so good.

I love cooking. It saves me money, and I can make whatever I want and have full control over the quality. I use a portable induction cooktop and cast iron to cook with. It works very well for me. I even make hot drinks in a stainless steel french press on the induction cooktop. Cooking makes heat and vaporizes water. Makes everything hot and moist. In the winter I don't mind so much. In the summer it makes me not want to cook inside. The 1973 camper I'm currently staying in used to have a working range hood, but there's an electrical problem now,and I haven't felt like tearing apart the ceiling to figure out why. Bummer. It's winter so I don't mind so much. Except when I burn stuff...

For my upcoming camper build, I decided I want a proper range hood. Seeing as it needs to perform many jobs, as I ask of most of the things in my life, this means it won't be like a normal hood. I'd like it to be powered by 12 volts DC directly so it can run from the battery bank. That means either buying anything RV or marine specific hood, buying standard AC hood and replacing the fans, or building custom. As I enjoy building things and being picky, I'll go with the custom option. For this I'll likely go with aluminum or copper sheet metal and rivet it together with nice copper rivets and solder the joints. For fans, I'll go with small car radiator fans for power and reliability, and run them through a motor speed controller for precise speed control. I'll mount the entire thing with noise and vibration in mind to make the whole thing less annoying. I want to use it as a general ceiling vent fan, so I will likely mount the fan/s as high up as possible and add a vent to the front face that can pull air right off the ceiling and vent it out. I do like the idea of using standard parts, so I'll try to write instructions for installing normal stuff. Should be as simple as changing some cabinet dimensions and morning points. I still need to sort out filters for grease, but I've got an idea. I can just take some steel screen door material, make a few layers with the mesh rotated, and sandwich them together in a simple frame. This should stop everything being coated in a gross layer of grease. Using copper, radiator fans, marine grade electrical connections, and waterproof electronics would actually allow me to rinse out the entire thing. Maybe I'll just spray some soapy water up in it and power wash it it? Maybe not, but building it with that in mind would leave me with something I'd never have to worry about getting water damaged. I'll tie the hood into the smart home system and allow control of fan speed, direction, and the lights. For lighting I want to go with some sort of color changing LED strip lighting. As I plan to use the entire camper as a filming studio, lighting is important to me. I'm also considering fire suppression controlled by the smart home system. I'd integrate the hood as well to turn off the fans if there is a fire. Best not to fan the flames. For the vent itself, I think I'll go with a solid copper drain pipe if I can find it, and a standard cap for something like a house roof vent or wood stove vent. Or I may make my own from copper sheet. I love copper and want to use it wherever I can. I'll make the camper shell first, then when the hood is done I'll cut the hole in the roof and install it. I'll be ok the roof fairly often as I 0lan to build a deck up there, so I don't want a bunch of ugly cheap plastic. 

That's my current plan for the range hood. Overbuilt, over powered, overly bright, smart, safe, practical. Probably going to be a massive pain to build, but I suspect I'll be able to pull it off. The single most expensive part is likely to be the solid copper if I go that route. 

Overwhelm is something I struggle with regularly. I always have. It's something I need to actively manage to avoid stalling out on projects. This camper project is the design and building of a very specialized home, on a small scale. The small scale helps with reducing material costs and labor, but creates its own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is just in making the countless decisions needed to complete even the simplest of steps. The first decision was to make a truck bed camper in the first place. This took me years to come to, as I was not sure how I wanted to live my life. I did not want to invest in something that I wouldn't enjoy or use. The decision to make a truck bed camper opened up many smaller decisions. What materials? How to work with them? What brand and quality level of tools needed? Corded or cordless? Heat sources? On and on it went, for a few years now, and on and on it shall go. 

Now that I've decided on PMF(poor man's fiberglass), which is canvas and wood glue, I can start planning out all of the other features of the camper. Even deciding what color to paint it is taking a while to make. I'm quite good at coming up with many ideas, just not as good at narrowing it down and committing to one. Knowing I hate being too hot, I've decided on lighter colors and large shade awnings. I'll likely paint it white and silver. The roof will have a sitting area, which will have solar panels to cover it when not in use, and some sort of pop up shelter when in use to keep the sun off the roof. Easy enough. 

Historically I've been terrible at both decision making, and long term thinking. Lately I've been really focusing on the long term outcomes and it's helped me tremendously. There's the impatient part of me that just wants the camper done as fast as possible. That means a bare bines camper just so I have a place of my own and the freedom to travel. The long term thinker in me wants to take my time and do it right. This led me to another realization: I'm so far behind on technology, yet I love and use it regularly. The newest game console I've ever owned was a PS3 slim I bought new in 2013. My laptop is the same age. My tv is from 2006. I've never had anything nice in my life, until I recently started buying myself new tools. While watching a video on smart home technology, I realized that I will eventually want to implement proper smart home technology in my camper. I may spend years living in it, and may keep it for decades. I might as well build it exactly as I want it. This decision has got me thinking about smart home technology in a way I never have, and immediately overwhelmed me. I'm not sure what all I'll use, but I'll likely start by making the camper easy to modify and repair. I'll build wall panels that mount to 1x2 inch wall studs that will be built onto the shell walls. This leaves a nice gap behind the walls for cabling and pipes. It will take longer to design the various panels and cabinets to accommodate this, but ensures I can upgrade later as I go. I've never seen a camper with easy access to things in the walls and ceilings, and it really bothers me. They're built fast and cheap, with repairability as an after thought. I plant to run extra wiring in the walls for things like high speed networking, door, window, and hatch sensors, various indoor and outdoor environmental sensors for things like light, temperature, humidity and sound. It would be quite nice to decide I need to run cabling for another solar panel and be able to unscrew a few panels and oil the wiring through, instead of destroying half the camper. The decision to run extra cabling everywhere leads to another important decision: what type of cabling to run? On the old camper I rebuilt and updated, I used a 7 conductor sprinkler cable to hook up the trailer lights. These ran through the ceiling and were subjected to possible water and abrasion. They're direct bury cable meant to be underground. Thinking ahead, I added a connector at the end of the cable on the rear fiberglass cap so that it could be unplugged and the cap removed. I'm quite glad I did this later as I actually had to remove the cap for something later. Just the small decision to include a connector saved a ton of frustration later. This is the guiding principle on this build. Design for the future. 

I'm at the point where I have made enough vital decisions to start working on the camper at last. The truck will be paid off in a few weeks, and back on the road shortly after that. This enables me to put more money into the project, as well as haul the materials and test fit the shell onto the truck. I've chosen the vehicle, many of the tools, a workspace, the main materials and methods, and the base infrastructure. Once the shell is built, the rest of the decisions can be made and the project will fall into place. I've been paralyzed with overwhelm for years on this project, and the only thing that got me unstuck was just doing the research and thinning through it as I go. I'll start building the shell and figure the rest out as I go. I don't recommend this method for anyone who is not extremely handy. There are times where it creates large and complex problems that the average person may not be able to solve. I'm not too worried as I have the skills to make up for most mistakes, and I have backup plans for nearly every step of the process. I can always weld together a steel frame around the corners if the foam is too weak, which is my main concern.

So, after years of thinking, the time is nearly here to start doing. In a month or two I'll start buying materials and building the shell. After the shell is built and canvased, I'll install the internal wood frame for mounting things to. After that I'll design the interior, which will tell me how to design the various systems such as water, AC power, DC power, waste water, heat, cooling, and ventilation. The infrastructure for this systems will be put in and tested, then cabinetry can begin. Once rough cabinetry is completed, the finish work can begin. Things like hooking up outlets, faucets, vents, smart devices, mounting monitors and speakers, and various fixtures. Once all testing is completed, the final step will be to furnish the camper and move in. Having this plan laid out is vital to avoid wasting resources, and reminds me that this project is easy to break down and work through. I'm no longer overwhelmed, but I do understand just how much work it's going to take to build this. The workload will be increased significantly by the documentation process and designing for easy replication.these are worthwhile though, as I may build a business out of these campers, and would like to give other people an easy and clear path to building their own. 

Everything is a process. I envision the end goal, and work backwards from there. 

I've been thinking on this for a long time. When I was planning on working with wood it was fairly simple. Make a curved frame and bend thin plywood around it. 2 inch thick foam is different. It won't curve so easily. I've got to decide on methods for getting nice curves without weakening the foam too much. 

The first thought was to use a knife and straight edge to cut partially through the foam and remove the material between the two cuts, which opens a relief that should allow the foam to bend. This would require the cheapest tools, and should work fine. My next thought was to get a pottery tool that would cut along the bottoms and sides at the same time, removing the entire strip at once. I doubt such a tool is robust enough for the task, but I could make my own tool from steel, make it height adjustable, sharpen and harden it. Adding a heating element to this would also help it get through the foam, but would likely ruin the temper on the blade. I would likely go this custom route for a production setup, running many hot cutters side by side to make all relief cuts at once. I prefer to use standard tools and methods when possible though. My next thought was to just use my circular saw to cut shallow lines into the foam. This should work just fine, but due to the thin kerf of the blade, it would likely take many cuts. On the nose cap, which might be 5 foot wide or more, this would mean many little cuts and likely dull the blade rather quickly.

My very next thought was to get a small cordless Ryobi router and a straight cut bit and just carve a big channel out using a straight edge as a guide. I could clamp the straight edge down, run the router along it really fast, and get a nice wide channel of any depth I want. The router is already on my list of tools to buy and will be useful for many other tasks. I could use it to cut channels for wiring and plumbing, cut window and outlet holes, square up or round edges, and carve various recesses for things like switch panels and hinges. This is the route I will go when I start construction. I can get a router bit that carves angled sides and glue the channels shut to hold the bend. This assumes a suitable router bit can be found, but I suspect it won't be too difficult. I'm quite excited to own my first router, even if it's just a tiny hand held battery powered router. 

That covers the bending of a large panel quite well. As for getting rounded corners, I may just start by cutting them off with a knife and sanding until they're round. Being such thick material, it should be easy to carve and shape as needed. I have worked with foam and carved it before. It goes surprisingly smoothly once you have the process down. 

The more I think about how to work with this foam, the more confident I become in the design. This will also take me one step closer to working with fiberglass, as it's the precursor to fiberglass. I will likely make another version of this camper with foam and fiberglass in the future. Either to live in as an upgrade, or sell. I've had a dream of starting my own camper company for a while now, and this is the first step. Campers are a fairly easy stepping stone to boats, which is where I really want to be. I've already rebuilt a camper, I'm designing a custom one here, and I have sailed a very small sail boat already. I plan to build to marine standards as much as possible on my campers to get practice before I move to the west coast and start looking for boat work. 

The next big challenge facing me is how to make the cab overhang strong enough. I'll do a separate post on that one. I've got some interesting ideas to ponder. 

I know I just added a log a few seconds ago, but I've got another topic I can cover here fairly easily. The tools required to build this camper should be easily accessible, multi purpose, inexpensive, and easy to use. This is a project for those of fairly low skill levels after all. The shell will be made of foam board, covered in canvas, wood glue, and paint. Working with these simple materials is quite easy if done properly. I suspect the most intimidating part will be cutting and securing such large panels. Most people do not work with 4x8 foot panels of any material. The foam is one of the easiest sheet materials to manage. 

Foam cutting is quite simple. Ideal tools include a tape measure, circular saw, large straight edge for the saw to ride against, chalk line to mark the lines, shop vac for cleanup, safety glasses, carpenters square, and a dust mask. The absolute simplest toolset I'd consider using is a chalk line, tape measure, carpenter square, foam knife, safety glasses, dust mask, and shop vac. I have a everything listed above already, so I'm ready to go there. 

For working with the canvas fabric, I'd go with a rotary fabric knife(disc shaped blade that rolls over the fabric for a clean cut), chalk line, large straight edge of some sort, and a very large table. I'd build a table especially for this project and just use it for other things in the future. Full sheets of MDF with 2x4 legs, held together with pocket screws and wood glue would give you one gigantic table with a smooth surface for cutting the fabric. Another option. Would to be lay it on the ground, hit it with a chalk line, and either cut with scissors or a utility knife. I'll build a table or two as I'll need them later, and I already have a rotary fabric knife in my leather working kit. The point of spending the extra time and effort on these tools is to make the work as easy and pleasant as possible. I don't like working with massive sheets of fabric, so it's worth it to make an 8 foot by 8 foot table with a super smooth top to work on and buy a special knife. The Fabrice could also be hung upright and a knife drawn down through it for an easy cut. Or scissors while it's hanging. Many options. I highly recommend running all the canvas through a commercial washer and dryer at the laundromat to get it nice and clean and remove folds and wrinkles. The fuzz that I've pulled out of the rough canvas could cause adhesion issues with the glue, and the wrinkles and folds will be ugly. 

For working with the wood glue, I recommend some sort of paint roller. Not sure what kind yet, but I suspect a foam roller would work well here and leave a fairly even smooth finish. To prep the foam panels, there exists a special roller tool used by bee keepers that has little barbs on it that would rough up the foam very nicely. The tiny holes in the foam allow the wood glue to get into the foam and act like tiny nails to bond the canvas to the foam. A good bond is very important to ensure strong and reliable panels. As the building materials in this construction method are an environmental nightmare, it's important to build it to last. If it has to be disposed of some day, it should be built to last many decades and earn it's keep. By that time, it may even be possible to safely recycle the entire camper. 

To hold the panels together and enforce them, I suspect bamboo skewers would do nicely. Shove them deep into the edge of a foam panels, leaving enough out to be pushed into the other panel where the two meet. Perhaps some wood glue on the skewer to hold it tight. The majority of the strength will come from the canvas and wood glue, but have the frame strong enough to hold it's shape during covering is important. I'll have to do testing and research to find a good way to hold everything together. 

For the covering and painting, I'd use standard exterior paint, paint rollers and trays, Titebond 3 wood glue, and heavy canvas drop cloth. Rough up the foam, sand it lightly, apply the canvas, roll with wood glue, allow to fully dry. Sand the outer surfaces smooth and wipe away the dust. Apply another layer of canvas and glue if needed, allow to fully dry, sand, clean. Paint, allow to dry, sand, clean. Repeat until you've got a nice surface finish. 

The tools and methods here are very simple, and cheap. Compared to wood or metal framing, this technique is ridiculously cheap and easy. It's time consuming and does require patience and care, but will provide better end results when insulation value, and weight are considered. Being essentially one giant piece, water resistance is excellent, and it will not rot easily. Before fiberglass boat building came about, canvas was the material of choice, and it's held up very well in the harshest conditions out there. 

The goal of this post was to simplify the tools and methods used, and eliminate any hesitation or intimidation related to the process. I'll include further detail and research in a further post, as well as cost breakdown and tools used. 

I've been thinking more about this project lately. Mostly because I'm currently renting a truck camper and love it, even though it's stationary. Partially because I want to stop renting a truck camper and start owning one. One I built exactly as I want. I've started a new job that will have me restoring antique tow trucks for a private collection. It's pretty nifty, much like the trucks. My first project is to rebuild an old dump truck bed that's been sitting in the shop for a year and is in the way. I need to finish it so I can pull a truck in and start restoration. I've learned and practiced many hours of grinding, welding, basic steel fabrication, and project management. All good skills to have. It's given me the confidence to really start tackling bigger projects as I know my methods are good and my ability to learn new skills is where it needs to be. 

Working with steel made me want to build a steel framed camper until I watched a camper build series by one of my favorite internet folks Robert Dunn over at Aging Wheels. His series playlist can be found here. It's a fun series where he builds a terrible camper and immediately shows me exactly what not to do. It's all good though, as he freely admits it's terrible and eventually tears it apart. Well worth the watch for anyone interested in building a camper. His main complaints were water damage, weight, poor aerodynamics, it being hideous, and it being too small. I thought about all of these points for about 10 seconds before deciding I just need to do this right, instead of being lazy like I wanted to. I was going to build it out of 2x2 construction lumber, pocket screws, 1/8 inch plywood, and wood glued canvas covering. This would work, but would also rot over time, be heavy, require many fasteners, and be rather expensive. I'd also need to buy a ton of insulation anyway, so why not cut out everything but the insulation? I had already bought many of the tools and fasteners to build such a camper, but I can use them for other things later. Tools like my cordless circular saw will be useful for the new design though. 

For this new design, I decided to go with something incredibly light, strong, fairly cheap, and that can be made entirely water tight. It's a foam board composite made with solid foam board insulation covered in heavy canvas drop cloth, which is then coated in wood glue, then painted with exterior paint. I've actually seen a teardrop camper built like this that looks like it came straight from one of them big factories that makes the over priced campers. The difference between home made looking and professional looking was mostly in the finish. She had sanded every layer and did everything right to leave a clean smooth finish. Looking professional is very important as many campsites have rules against older and home made campers. I'll still run into the problem of my truck being nearly 40 years old, but I'll be restoring it as I build the camper. It will look very good. I plan to put a strobe light on the roof, reflective strips on the bumpers, utility lights, and a winch that can be mounted front or rear to turn it into a proper service truck. This would let me take road side assistance calls for extra money and fund travels and adventures. The goal of this project is to make something affordable, using common tools,materials, and methods, that can be built by fairly unskilled people. PMF(poor man's fiberglass) is a proven system for making lightweight and strong shelters. Foam board with canvas, wood glue, and paint. It's surprisingly durable and very light. I've watched a series where a man made a few test pieces and torture tested them. The results were incredible. He'd only used thin foam, bed sheets, and Titebond 2 wood glue. I plan to use 2 inch foam for the floors and walls, with 4 inches of foam for the ceiling, with a curve in it so I can mount solar panels on the roof and walk on it. I'll also use the Titebond 3 wood glue for it's better thermal performance.  I'll buy all of the materials up front from Home Depot, document the cost, then weigh all the materials to get a rough idea of what it will weigh in the end. In the video series above, his camper ended up weighing 1,100lbs. Too heavy for his truck and it's 5.5ft bed, and too small for full time living. This camper is designed for an 8 foot bed, on a 3/4 ton pickup truck. Being made of foam and fabric, this design should weigh a fraction of what his steel and wood camper did, while being far larger and more aerodynamic. This is important as my old truck has a small engine and poor fuel economy as it is. The lighter the frame, the more equipment I can install, and the greater the chance of mounting a motorcycle to the back of the truck. 

I haven't set a weight goal yet, but I'd like the entire camper with food, water, batteries, solar panels, and all of my tools and belongings to weigh under 1,500lbs. The truck will handle far more than that if needed, but I'd rather not push my luck. I'll install airbag suspension if needed in the rear. 

For the electrical system, I want solar panels, power from the engine, and maybe a small generator if needed. The goal is to have enough battery power to run a small air conditioner or mini split system if needed. I've got an idea to mount solar panels on the roof that will have more surface area than the actual roof, while still being able to use the roof space as a porch. To do this will mean having the panels stacked in layers, on sliding rails that will extend out over the sides of the camper to form large shade awnings. Doing so would raise them up off the roof enough to ensure I could actually cover roof vents without it being a problem, as I could park, slide the panels out, secure them with support posts to the truck frame, and open vents as needed. I may actually skip roof vents and mount side vents as high on the walls as possible. I really want my rooftop porch. I estimate the roof will be about 14 feet long by 10 feet wide. Quick estimate is that I could fit nine 300 watt solar panels on the roof without double stacking them. That's 2,700 watts of solar power. 2.7Kw, which is a significant amount of power coming in. I doubt I'd do that as it gets expensive fast. Two 300 watt panels would be a great start. This is the set up I installed in my ex's camper and it supported us, cooking, and an electric water heater on sunny days. I have induction cooking now, and would make the water heater controller far more efficient. With only myself using hot water, it would go further as well. 2.7Kw would be enough power to run a small air conditioner, charge the battery bank, heat water, and cook all at the same time. The initial system will be small and cheap, with a clear upgrade path in the future. I plan to add a 200+ amp alternator to the truck engine and a dc-dc lithium battery charger. This would let the batteries charge directly from the alternator when the engine is running. I'll include a shore power hook up as well. Renogy makes a solid all in one system that offers 3,000 watt inverter, 120 volt ac input, 75 amp battery charging, and controls for an external generator that I could tie into a custom engine starting system I'm designing for the truck. I could plug in when needed, run from batteries when needed, or let the charge controller start the truck engine as needed. With dual 20 gallon fuel tanks and a small inline 6 cylinder engine, I could run the truck as a generator for a very long time if needed. Electronic exhaust cutout valves could switch over to super quiet mufflers in generator mode to give me a reasonably quiet generator that wouldn't disturb me or others as much as these obnoxious little portable units people insist on running 24/7. 

For heat I've decided on a 12 volt diesel heater, which I ordered the other day. I went diesel as it's efficient, quiet, has automatic and remote controls, and comes in a portable unit that I could take out as needed. The one I ordered is a 5Kw output unit, with 4 outlet ports. I have a 1.5Kw(1,500 watt) electric space heater in this drafty old truck bed camper now and it cannot keep up on days approaching freezing temps. I dread to know what it's going to feel like in here when we get the Ohio below freezing days and the wicked wind. 5Kw should be plenty. I almost ordered the 8Kw unit, but that's far too much for a small camper like this. I could also put the heater in a different vehicle and run it from any 12 volt DC power source. I plan to get a dedicated battery for it so it can run independent of location or the power situation in the camper. I had a fun thought of setting up 4 tents around it and running a heater hose to each tent for some cozy winter camping. It will make an excellent addition to my current life, as well as any other places I need heat. I'll post an update when it arrives and I've had a chance to try it out. I also really want a tiny wood stove in there, as it's my favorite heat source. I could run a fire when I'm home and awake, then let it die out and just let the diesel heater take care of the heat while I'm out or asleep. I've watched someone struggle with wood heat in a tiny camper. It sucked. He was up every few hours to restock the wood stove. Never a full night sleep. Not cool. 

As for lifting the camper up to slide it out of the truck, I've yet to figure that out. I'm going to worry about it later and just start on the design of the main body. If needed, I'll build some sort of solid frame underneath it and use that to lift it with. I may set up a hydraulic system with a small cylinder on each corner to lift it up evenly and quickly. Commercial lift jacks are way too expensive for my taste. I have already replaced a hydraulic power pack in the previous camper build for its lift system, and I know what it entails. It was a 12 volt pump that drew 140 amps under load. I could set it up to run other implements in the future as well. If I don't go with that, I'll likely do one of those scissor type jacks on each corner and use my drill or cordless impact to lift it little by little on each corner. This is a problem for future me to tackle. 

The water system will be pex tubing with crimp rings, and the strongest 12 volt water pump I can find. There are marine units that come with a built in accumulator tank. I'll install a small reverse osmosis water filtration system to produce my own drinking water. I'll install a 6 gallon residential electric water heater and convert it to 12 volt DC power with a standard heating element that I used in a previous project. It actually boiled the water once, so I know it's good enough. I'll install outdoor faucets for use with things like an outdoor sink, shower, and hoses. A city water connection will be added as well. I'll likely go with a 15 gallon fresh water tank, and another of those tanks for grey water collection. I plan to install a small bathroom that is completely waterproof with a shower. This camper has one and it's worth every square inch of the space. Cleaning it is very easy as well. I spray it down with the sprayer and scrub it with a scrub brush that hangs on the shower wall. I'd like a foot switch for the kitchen sink that turns the water on and off so I could set the temperature and conserve water at the same time. I'll be installing a large sink as I enjoy it. 

I plan to build a composting toilet in the bathroom that doubles as a sitting and storage bench. I enjoy sitting on the toilet in the shower to scrub my feet. It's pretty awesome. There's an RV waste dump site right by where I work, so grey water disposal will be very easy. I plan to use non toxic cleaners as well so I could safely dump that water in many different places. Maybe not always legally, but at least I wouldn't be poisoning anyone, like many RV people are these days. 

I've already lived the tiny Offgrid camper lifestyle, and I'm currently living the truck bed camper lifestyle. I'm finally ready to finalize these designs and get to work. The next step is to secure a workspace and start setting aside the money. I have a friend who will rent me his heated garage this winter to build and film in. First I have to buy my old truck back. I owe $800 on it, then it needs a few minor repairs and upgrades, insurance, and new license plates. Once all that is done, I'll finish the frame design, cut the foam panels, test fit everything together, then start the canvas and glue process. I'll build the entire frame first and worry about various cut outs later. I'd like to build it in stages, documenting them all, and drawing up diagrams with detailed instructions for easy duplication. I'll leave the plans open source, but I may build and sell these as a side business if anyone ever wants one. I'll be setting up a new business entity here soon for a few other things, and will just build my camper under that business name. If I can do it properly and get it certified, I can avoid the campgrounds telling me they don't accept home made campers. I'll be able to say it is a 2022 Hot Garbage Special, and show them the certificate and such. I think this conversation alone would be worth the hassle of setting up a business for this. I'll need a good looking "Hot Garbage" decal and metal badge to mount to the camper as well. It's got to be at least a little silly. The end result should look good enough to pass as professional. Judging by my usual quality of work(when I actually care) this shouldn't be a problem. 

Before I forget about this part, I'd like to mention that this first camper will be my full time home, office, video recording studio, electronics lab, and home theater. This means I have to plan it out very carefully and the final design will be far different from the standard design I'll publish for the average person. Main differences will be that I will be using far higher quality materials such as solid copper sheets, hard woods, nice trim, and specialty materials for optimizing lighting and sound performance. I'll be installing studio lighting of some sort, sound dampening panels and materials, such as foam, furs, thick carpet, and extra cushions, as well as high end electrical outlets, covers, switches, door handles and hinges, and kitchen faucet. I want a very comfortable home that I will be quite happy to spend most of my time in, as well as show in my videos. I don't think I'll have windows in this camper. I don't care for them nor do I use them. My surroundings are often hideous, and it ruins sound isolation, water sealing, and thermal insulation. They also add significant cost to the build. These walls will be designed so that I could cut window holes in the future if needed. Until then, I'll likely buy a few HD computer monitors, take the cases off, and frame them like windows on the walls. Then I can choose my scenery as needed for videos or mood. I could also put a live video feed from outside on them to act as windows. I think I would enjoy this far better than windows that idiots could look into. I enjoy my privacy these days. I also just enjoy having displays all around me for things like video editing, watching TV, watching YouTube videos, or displaying project lists and such. My personal camper will be far different from my final public production design, but both will create a very comfortable and functional camper. 

The next big update will likely be the diesel heater, as it should arrive between December 30th and January 4th. Hopefully I haven't frozen solid by then. 

Lately I've been listening to music constantly. I have an old Vizio sound bar that a neighbor gave me that I use for music in the camper I'm currently in. It's ok but not great. It's got Bluetooth and is also hooked to my TV which is run by a Raspberry Pi 400 running OSMC. I love it. It's helped me decide on the infotainment system for this build, after a few years of debating. For the audio, I'll be going with standard car audio equipment. I wanted to run a proper surround sound system, but don't want a system dependent on an inverter. Car audio is all 12 volt DC and tolerant of weird voltages. Inverters are another point of failure and I want my music to go on uninterrupted. I'll likely get a 4 or 6 channel system and place speakers in different areas like the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and outside. I'll use a marine grade speaker for the bathroom so I can listen to my music in the shower. I also want individual volume control on each speaker, which I have to sort out still. I may be able to find a system that would let the main computer control that. Speaking of which, I've decided on that as well: Seeed Studios reTerminal. It's a Raspberry Pi Computer Module 4 powered industrial all in one terminal. It's got GPIO, so I can design hardware for it based on my PiCarts project. It's got a nice 5 inch touchscreen, which is perfect for running OSMC. With HDMI output, I can also connect it to the main tv. Having a media center always on and ready just makes me happy. I know there is Home Assistant integration, but I haven't played with it yet. I may go with Z Wave and just use the reTerminal as my entire central control hub for the camper. I'll route it's audio out to some sort of nice care audio receiver, which will power the speakers. This would give me the option of hooking whatever I want up to the audio system as well. The reTerminal should also be getting a battery pack add on, which would make it portable so I could use it anywhere I've got the camper's wifi. I could unclip it from the wall and take it to bed with me to watch a movie. I think it's an excellent device and can't wait to get one. It's nearly $200, which I can't spare right now. I'll need 2 of them as I plan to install one in my old pickup as well. I'll likely run Android Auto on it or a full OS if I need it to integrate into the custom truck controllers I plan to build. Either way, I've decided on the main platform and can start designing the camper with that in mind. It feels so good to just know what I'm doing and not have to be making the decisions all the time. I like the freedom to make my own decisions, but it gets exhausting and slows things down. 

I found myself rather chilly in the test camper with it being 22F outside tonight. I made tea before bed time and remembered the steam was quite nice and really warmed the place up. I have an induction cooktop in here and a stainless steel french press I used daily for heating water. I ended up filling the french press, setting the desired temperature to 260F, and putting a fan in front of it, to blow the steam into the sleeping loft. It's gotten quite cozy in here now, but the moisture is bringing out the smell of "old" in this camper. It's nearly 50 years old now. Sturdy, but a little bit crusty. 

In addition to wood, electric, and diesel heat, I think I'll add a bit of steam to the equation. With a cast iron kettle on an induction cook top with automatic temperature and timer controls, I can just fill the kettle, turn it on, and go about my business. This will work best with wood and electric heat sources, but I could also force the hot air from a diesel heater through the water before it enters the room. I just also realized that I can capture the waste heat of the diesel exhaust by submerging the pipe in water and heating the water. Perhaps a copper coil and a radiator are in order. It's a shame to waste the immense heat of the diesel exhaust, so I will have to try it out down the road. 

I've accidentally solved a few of my heating problems today, so I'd call that's good day. One step closer to a better life in a home built with my own hands. 

Climate control is one aspect of this project that has proven very difficult to finalize designs for. There are two extremes, and countless options in between. The first extreme is doing nothing. No active heating or cooling. The second extreme is to add all the usual energy hungry appliances and rely on them year round. Having lived with both, I prefer to have full climate control. That being said, I understand exactly how much energy that requires, even for a small space. Having built an off grid camper already, and designed the solar system, I know what it took to hear and cool that thing. The energy requirements were immense. In Ohio we have extreme weather. Winters can be well below zero for days or weeks on end, with power outages lasting as long. Summers are quite hot, but the humidity makes it dangerous when your body just can't cool down. 

Im currently living in a truck bed camper to prepare for this camper build. I've had air conditioning the entire time, and it's the only reason I could be in here when it was hot. It's dangerously hot without it. This camper was built without AC, but it's still dangerously hot without it these days. I have a propane furnace, but don't use it because it needs a thorough cleaning and is expensive to run. It also outs so much moisture into the camper that it runs the risk of rotting from the inside. Still, it's nearly 50 years old and going strong. I just wouldn't want to be without a power hookup in this thing. 

Dealing with cold weather is easier for me than hot and humid. Heating is going to be a combination of electric space heaters for on grid backup heat, a small wood burning stove for off grid heating, and a diesel heater as the primary. As much as I hate burning fossil fuels, I do know that a diesel heater is quite efficient and effective. They're also cheap at under $200 USD for an 8Kw(kilowatt) portable model with 4 outlets and 12 volt DC input. It can be run in or off a vehicle and moved as needed. It has a thermostat and is fully automatic. In comparison, electric heat is expensive, and puts a massive load on the electrical system. I can't cook and heat at the same time, even with my induction cooktop and cast iron. The maximum energy I can get from electric heat on a standard household 120 volt outlet is 1.5Kw. it barely keeps up with temps above freezing. Compared to the 8Kw of the diesel heater, it's quite anemic. Diesel has the advantage of being able to run extended periods of time on battery power. Even if all power goes out, I could take the starting battery from my truck and run the heat to get me through for a while. 

My favorite heating option is wood. I love a wood fire and the nice dry heat. I've heated a very large home with wood and it's just the most comfortable and comforting. For this reason I will be sign for a wood stove in my camper. When all other systems fail, a wood stove is still an option. The problem I have with this is that the fuel takes up a significant amount of space and can be hard to find out in the desert where I plan to go soon. I'm considering looking for wooded land near the mountains, which would solve my wood problem. I'll carry a small stash of emergency wood with me as I travel. 

I want to mention heating from battery power. Unless you have a collosal lithium solar battery, it isn't viable, even in the sunniest of locations with massive solar panels. If money,weight, and space are not limited, it can work very well. I created a 12 volt DC furnace on the off grid camper build. It was a metal pipe housing two 300 watt solar dump load air heaters. They could heat that camper, on slightly chilly evenings, but drew so much power as to be a burden. The battery bank in that camper was 300 amp hours, or about 3,240 watt hours of usable capacity, if memory serves me right. Let's call it 3,000 watt hours. That means it could supply 300 watts, for 10 hours on a full charge. That's plenty to run half of the heater through the night. The full 600 watts would deplete the entire bank in 5 hours. Less with the blower fan running. 600 watts is not enough to heat that tiny camper in winter conditions. It wouldn't be comfortable, and you'd wake up with no power left at all. The solar bank couldn't run the furnace either. That solar system cost nearly $10,000 after everything was said and done. $3,000 in batteries alone. It was not cheap. There want enough roof space to out enough solar panels to charge a battery bank large enough to heat the camper. There wasn't enough room for batteries either. As much as I would have loved to heat it with solar, it was too much.

There is a way around this that's cheap and easy, but it has other drawbacks. Thermal mass. If I could use the sub to directly heat enough thermal mass, that heat could be pumped directly back into the camper at night. Something like a large tank of water would have been perfect. Considering this camper was being pulled by a Tesla and weight was a serious limitation, this wasn't an option. I did install a 6 gallon solar water heater though, but that drew 600 watts and became a problem early on. My truck could handle extra weight for batteries and thermal mass, but then fuel gets expensive and the extra load in the truck racks up repair and maintenance costs. 

So, for heating I'll be going with wood, diesel, and electric. 

As for cooling, I'll either install a mini split unit or a heat pump if I can find something suitable. I'm planning to design the camper to stay as cool as possible without active cooling, but there will be times when it won't be enough. This will be a full time home for me, so I need to make sure I can actually stand to love there. Things like skirting, putting an awning over the entire camper, parking in shade, and insulating the camper proper will help dramatically. If needed, I can always run the trucks engine to generate power for the cooling. I can also carry a small generator. I'll likely do this as they can be converted to propane, which means they can be run on biogas,which is a sustainable resource. The truck engine itself can be converted to biogas or wood gas, which are long term goals. When I have land of my own, I will build up a large biodigestor and biogas reserves to fuel lights, heat, vehicles, and electrical generators. This camper and truck are a small test platform for a much larger project. 

Anyway, I think I've covered everything. Electric, diesel, and wood for heat. Electric AC or heat pump for cooling, run either off grid power, truck engine, or generator u til something more sustainable be be acquired. I'm gaining very valuable experience in this current camper and gathering the tools and materials for this project. I should soon have a garage to work from if all goes well. More updates to come soon.