How to Build a Lightweight Travel Trailer?

The available non-motorized RV is the travel trailer. You’ve probably seen one get hitched to a car or pickup on the highway. From tiny jelly bean-shaped models with a chuckwagon kitchen in the back to gigantic house-on-wheels with picture windows and a sliding glass patio door, travel trailers come in all shapes and sizes.

The modern travel trailer uses a hitch fixed to the frame of your tow vehicle, together with specialized hardware, to make towing safe and convenient. When they got popular in the early 1950s, they were attached to the bumper of the tow car.

Travel Trailer Features

Travel trailers are known for their convenience rather than their durability or efficiency. Most require an RV hookup and are more important than a camping trailer. Of course, this differentiation could imply a more reliable power supply, additional storage, and more oversized bedrooms.

Kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms are all well-equipped in many of the apartments. Some would argue that camping and travel trailers have some common ground.

On the other hand, a travel trailer is designed to give a living environment that is more similar to what you may have at home. The travel trailer provides modern living in a movable environment rather than immersing a camper in the woods.

Campers in travel trailers are protected from several factors, whereas those in camping trailers are immersed in it. Therefore, neither option is correct or incorrect. Comparing a camping trailer to a travel trailer, on the other hand, may throw light on the traits you’re looking for in your future vehicle.

You Can Build Your travel trailer

There’s no reason you can’t have your custom-built travel trailer if you already own a pickup truck. Many people choose the truck trailer because it allows them to visit the vast locations, including remote ones that an RV or a car carrying a camping trailer cannot. If you follow the instructions, you’ll have everything you need to build your truck camper.

Required Materials and Equipment

To create the cheapest travel trailer possible, try buying many building components from eBay through yard sales or online classified ad services.

Some of the camper products that you can normally get second-hand for a much lower price include:

A generator is used to power the travel trailer appliances.
A vent in the ceiling

Roof access by ladder
Nails and screws
Kitchen unit

Doors and windows
You should buy new goods to ensure that they are sturdy and good quality.
planking for walls

Roof planking and lumber
Siding for the camper’s exterior
If you wish one, a little air conditioner is available.

If you plan to camp in the cold, thin insulation is recommended.
Stove and refrigerator(optional)
Table for a little dinette(optional).

Portable toilet and miniature shower (optional).
Why would you want to build your travel trailer:
The following are the reasons:

They’re inexpensive to tow because they’re fuel-efficient and can be pulled by a car.
Build or purchase at a low cost
Small enough to travel on back roads

It doesn’t have any weight to be hauled by a four-cylinder car.
It’s just big enough for two people to sleep in.
They are much better than tents because they protect you from the weather and save time.

How to make a trailer of your own

Putting the Frame Together
Weight Issues to Consider
Organizing the Camper

Interior Finishing and Materials

Putting the Frame Together

When designing a truck trailer, you must consider the footprint of your truck bed and the amount of weight that your truck can hold. To build the frame effectively, you’ll need accurate measurements and careful cutting so that your camper fits exactly into the bed of your truck.

Weight Issues to Consider

When choosing which features to include in your trailer, remember that each addition, such as a toilet or stove, will add weight to the rear of your truck. Therefore, consider the following weight ratings before deciding which “features” to include in your new camper. For the following, check the factory-rated load capacity.

The tires on your back. Your trailer (and everything inside it) should not weigh more than 5000 pounds if each can hold 2500 pounds. It may not appear to be much, but it adds up quickly.

Shock absorbers and struts are two types of shock absorbers used in automobiles.

Towing capability of the rear axle

The maximum towing capacity for your truck’s engine and transmission should be listed in the owner’s handbook. You can begin designing your camper once you’ve determined the maximum weight your camper can carry.

Interior Finishing and Materials

2×4 or 2×2 studs, as well as plywood, are used to construct your camper. If you want a more sturdy camper that can endure wind, use 2x4s. The use of 2x2s will also suffice.

You may do whatever you want with the interior of your camper once you’ve built the side, front, and back walls into the bed of your truck and erected the roof. A few suggestions are below.

Place a thick pad on the floor of the “cabover” compartment and use it as your bed.
Install small, portable items such as a sink or a cooking burner that can be removed and used outside the camper to save space.
Use the design – the little bottom – to your advantage.

The following are some of the most popular travel trailer designs:
Bedroom on the first floor
Bedroom in the back

Bunkhouse
Contrary to popular belief, there are two types of slide-outs.
Back-of-the-house kitchen Back-of-the-house entertainment

Floor plans for rear storage

Conclusion

One of the advantages of a travel trailer is the cost savings! Travel trailers are much less expensive than Class A, B, or C motorhomes. These don’t need mechanical devices like motors, so you save a lot of money. Also, using your truck and only paying for the trailer saves you a lot of money upfront.