Dirtco’s Camping Trailer - Version 1.2

[Dirtco]

The other light strip is placed on the side of the tent where I sleep (where my head lies). A switch in the tent controls this light, and I installed a dimmer in case it’s too bright.





The whole reason I took on this project was that I needed a 12volt power source in the tent, I have a 12 volt heated blanket that I use to warm up the bed on really cold nights. Since the mattress takes up the entire floor space, there was no place to install a dedicated panel. I decided the best way to handle this was to have something like a remote, but on a cord.

I went to Autozone and found a three port 12 volt power block with an extension cord, that also had a USB port. Three ports is overkill for me, so I used one of the ports to install the switch for the main tent light. I had to gut the unit to make it work, but so far it seems to work fine. The other nice thing is that it has an on/off switch. The USB port will be great for my phone, tablet, etc.

Here it is on the workbench after reassembly

 

[Dirtco]

I have a plug between the tent and trailer so I can remove, or install the tent on the 4Runner if I ever decide to.



An octopus of wiring, I had to give the wiring enough room to fold back up into the tent without getting pulled apart.

 

[Dirtco]

And here is everything all wired up, I still need to get the wiring into the master control box but the tent part is done.

Tent entry lights





Regular tent light with dimmer switch



12 volt panel and light switch

 

[4ever4running]

Man that is such a good idea! Having the lights available at the flick of a switch, so you don't have to fumble around with a lantern or flashlight, doesn't get much better than that.

 

[Dirtco]

So, I replaced the battery with a group 34 Die Hard Platinum. The old battery was the stock 4Runner battery that came with the 4Runner when I bought it. It served its purpose for the first season, but it was leaking acid from bouncing around on the trail, and this winter finally killed it. I will need to keep the trailer plugged in next winter to keep the battery happy, but the new battery is a huge improvement over that old thing.

Old



New - I had to modify the tray and the hold down since I built it around the old battery and this one is a little bigger, but it was worth the work.





I also got all the tent wiring ran into the master control box, and wired up. I can’t wait to take it out and see how the new additions work!

 

[Dirtco]

A few more things to check off the list…

I wired the charging plug for the solar panel, only to find out that the exposed contact is the positive terminal. The last thing I need is that bouncing around and shorting out on something metal.



So I wired in a weatherproof 12volt plug that I can plug the charger into, not only does it make for a cleaner install but it also gives me a 12 outlet that is hot whether the master power is on in the trailer, or not.

 

[Dirtco]

I also got the awning installed; it’s been on my list for a long time!

I started by building some brackets to hold the awning, and I drilled a bunch of holes in them to keep the weight down and look cool.

 

[Dirtco]

Awning installed

 

[Dirtco]

And open!

 

[BucknutBob]

Some great creativity and workmanship, and I love the way it looks, matching the stance of the truck. Nicely done!

 

[pickerdd]

Kudos Dirtco! Excellent work - very creative and an inspiration to us all. Great job!

 

[Stockwell45]

I'm making it my life goal right now to see this thing in person within the next year, it's got so much creativity in it and can obviously go just about anywhere. It makes me want to rip the tent off my roof and build a trailer of my own. That's a great idea about the power in the tent, I may have to steal that idea. The lights under the tent in the ladder area and the quick disconnect for power on the bottom of the tent are awesome, I would have never thought of that. Subscribed for more greatness.

 

[CGuava]

Jeremiah, I hope you don't mind, but I've been eyeing your trailer ever since showed it to me last year in BV. I decided after reading your thread that I'm also going to build one of these. Going to head out to find a yota frame to tear up and get going on.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of things do you think you would have done differently? I know after I built my buggy that I would have loved to change some things up, knowing what I know now. I'm sure you have a few changes you'd make.

Your 3rd gen inspired me to get back into a 4runner DD/camping rig last year, and now I'm going to copy your trailer. Thanks for the ideas man!

 

[Dirtco]

I'm making it my life goal right now to see this thing in person within the next year, it's got so much creativity in it and can obviously go just about anywhere. It makes me want to rip the tent off my roof and build a trailer of my own. That's a great idea about the power in the tent, I may have to steal that idea. The lights under the tent in the ladder area and the quick disconnect for power on the bottom of the tent are awesome, I would have never thought of that. Subscribed for more greatness.

Thanks Matt! We really should get together and do some wheeling/camping one of these days. I'm still figuring out my wheeling dates for the summer, but I plan to be at the Colorado Toyota Jamboree mid-August and would really like to hit Moab this fall if at all possible. With work and my daughter I don't see an Arizona or California trip in the immediate future. If there is something that works for you just let me know.

Having a trailer is awesome, especially if your wheeling in one area for more than a day. It's so nice to set up camp with all your gear in one spot, and not have to break down camp just to wheel your rig with everything bouncing around inside it all day long. Also, that camping gear adds a lot of weight when running harder trails.

 

[Stockwell45]

Thanks Matt! We really should get together and do some wheeling/camping one of these days. I'm still figuring out my wheeling dates for the summer, but I plan to be at the Colorado Toyota Jamboree mid-August and would really like to hit Moab this fall if at all possible. With work and my daughter I don't see an Arizona or California trip in the immediate future. If there is something that works for you just let me know.

Having a trailer is awesome, especially if your wheeling in one area for more than a day. It's so nice to set up camp with all your gear in one spot, and not have to break down camp just to wheel your rig with everything bouncing around inside it all day long. Also, that camping gear adds a lot of weight when running harder trails.

Well I'm moving to Colorado in 2 months, near Grand Junction. So I'm sure I'll see you eventually. If you do another Moab trip this fall hopefully I'll be able to make it.

 

[Dirtco]

Jeremiah, I hope you don't mind, but I've been eyeing your trailer ever since showed it to me last year in BV. I decided after reading your thread that I'm also going to build one of these. Going to head out to find a yota frame to tear up and get going on.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of things do you think you would have done differently? I know after I built my buggy that I would have loved to change some things up, knowing what I know now. I'm sure you have a few changes you'd make.

Your 3rd gen inspired me to get back into a 4runner DD/camping rig last year, and now I'm going to copy your trailer. Thanks for the ideas man!

[MENTION=70748]CGuava[/MENTION] - Hey Christian! No worries, it would be great to see you build a trailer! Aaron is also doing a mild build on his FJ, and Tim is building his 3rd Gen 4Runner; it looks like we might have a good group of guys to do some mild to moderate wheeling and camping.

There are a few things I would have done different, and while I'm making a list I also added a couple other points that seemed fitting:

First and foremost, watch your weight. It's easy to get carried away and overbuild stuff. I don't think my trailer is heavy (maybe 1200 - 1500 pounds?), but every little bit counts. I can feel the difference between heading out of town fully loaded, and coming back empty.

As for changes I would make to this trailer... There are a bunch of little things, but I'll cover the major stuff. The main thing I would change is the rear tailgate, I would have it fold down instead of out to the side. I made it that way so I could still reach stuff inside the trailer, but it would be nice if I could also use the tailgate as a table. I would have cables on it so I could also drop it all the way down to load / unload the trailer. Also, think about your gear and how it will fit inside, or attach to the trailer. For example, I want a fridge for the trailer, but my slide out will only fit the very smallest 30qt unit out there.

I also think I would have built my own frame, it was a lot of work to build the trailer around that frame and it adds extra weight. Starting from scratch gives you a lot more options, you just have to do more planning. If you look through the first Yotatech thread you will see some of the things I had to overcome.

Good luck with the project, I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[Dirtco]

Well I'm moving to Colorado in 2 months, near Grand Junction. So I'm sure I'll see you eventually. If you do another Moab trip this fall hopefully I'll be able to make it.

Awesome! We'll find a time to do some wheeling, let me know when you get moved in and we can go from there. You have a lot of terrain to check out!

 

[Dirtco]

Small update...

After I installed the awning I came up with the idea to install some lights on the underside of the awning. This is the main kitchen area of the trailer, and some extra light never hurts.

 

[martin.1991911]

Wow I wish I had the skills to build something like this great awesome work done there WOW

 

[EatonKyleH]

This is fantastic. Simply amazed by your creativity and execution. If you would ever be interested in selling something similar or just as a rolling chassis like this I would be all over it.