Community Forums

Bruster · 09-23-2011, 06:39 PM

Hi, Everyone.

I am from the Lower Main Land in British Columbia. I'm not new to camping, been camping all my life in one form or another. Mostly camping in tents, backpacking, canoeing, and in a converted van. After a recent gold panning trip, I decided to convert my 14x7 ft Hallmark enclosed trailer into a travel trailer. This came after waking up to a bobcat walking through the camp, and cougar prints 25 ft from my tent. Personally, I am more apprehensive of Grizzlies. At 51 years old, I can't run or climb trees as fast as I used to.

I plan on doing the conversion myself with 'off the grid' clearly in mind. So far, I have seen some great ideas from other posters. Thanks

MSHappyCampers · 09-24-2011, 08:37 AM

Hi Bruster! Welcome to the party! Good luck on your project!

frankdamp · 09-24-2011, 03:31 PM

If you put a propane heat source in there, make sure your living volume is vented well enough to avoid Carbon Monoxide poisoning. There have been a couple of accidents reported where people living in a converted box vehcle were killed.

sdennislee · 09-24-2011, 04:27 PM

Post pics when done. I always enjoy seeing what others have done.

pdq_bc · 09-25-2011, 06:06 AM

hi Bruster
and WELCOME to the forum

we're peter & larry
from vancouver, bc

Bruster · 09-25-2011, 11:51 AM

Thanks for the Greetings. I will definitely be taking pics of the progress. Right now I think is the hard part of the project, deciding what the configuration. I always want EVERYTHING, and not pay a dime for it. And then there is the limited space to factor in. HAHA.

Luckily, my wife and I are both handy with tools, and we are in no hurry (of course, I say that now). We are hoping to bide our time and look for the parts (stove, fridge etc) when they are on sale or when a great deal comes up for used parts. No matter how well thought out this thing will be, I know we will end up making revision changes along the way. My wife expects that from me. I spent the last year developing my "Squirrel Proof, Bear Resistant Bird Feeder. Revision 16 Bird Feeder seems to have all the bugs out of it, and has been tested by the local critters."

Thanks for the advise on the heater. That will definitely be one of our priorities.

j2m2 · 09-25-2011, 12:12 PM

Hi Bruster. We have been a member here for almost a yr now. We live in Nanaimo after moving here from MB. Good luck with your project, research is the key. If you have a mind to, take a look at the horse trailer conversions. They use limited space very well. Loving the RV lifestyle. Cheerio