Finally! Someone who is conscious of weight and not using ten tonnes of plywood and house framing that needs to be waterproofed wth another ten tonnes of something!!!!! Where are you? I am in BC.
Thank you! Glad you were able to watch along. We are very happy with it so far. I am on the opposite side of Canada in New Brunswick. We would love to venture out to BC with it someday and visit family there.
I’d love to use all aluminum but I don’t know how to weld the stuff, refuse to pay someone else, and it’s too expensive for the 1-2 night camping trips I would do anyway. 😅
@adamjohnson5307 It's tricky and expensive to weld aluminum. It's a few hundred dollars just for an argon bottle. And as a DIY project. It should be fun not stressful. So learning a new skill and spending a grand just to weld is a bit of a tall order. Welding steel is a much better way to learn to weld.
I mean I guess there's nothing at all wrong with welding the joints after riveting but as a mechanical engineer in the business for 37 years, the welding seems redundant and potentially adds stress to the already riveted joints by over-constraint of the joint. Don't forget, entire airframes for large commercial aircraft are held together by rivets only without the added complexity of welds, principally because of the additional uninspectable variation introduced to metal to metal joints by welding. Having gotten that off my chest, this is still a beautiful, meticulously refined piece of work and kudos to your build skills.
Thank you for the comments. So far I have been fortunate to not have any cracks in the welds or any rivets pop/tear out, and after two years the aluminum has really kept its shine. It sure catches a lot of attention everywhere I go.
@@rilijn In aluminum framing, use larger aluminum rivets (vs steel) so as to avoid galvanic corrosion potential between dissimilar metals and at every connected joint (and of course space permitting), would aim for minimum 3 rivets per connection.
Nicely done man! Having been mulling over building my own collapsible slide in camper for weekend race getaways with the family and came along your channel. I was thinking along similar lines with construction method so nice to see yours turn out so well. Great job!
Thank you. I am very happy with it. I am hoping get the interior finished up a little more this spring, I was in more of a rush to get out and use it and the finishing slowed way down. I hope your build goes well, ours works well for quick getaways and still allows us to tow a trailer which might help for your race weekends! I’m no expert but if you have any more questions I’d be happy to share my experiences building.
I had to watch a lot of peoples videos to try and figure things out. Happy to hear I could help! Let me know if you have any specific questions on how I did things.
Thank you. I had it weighed early in the build but aiming to weigh it again once I get it back on the truck this spring/early summer. Roughly in the 1500lbs area would be my rough guess but I will post the real weight in a future video.
that's a very interesting and unique design. I built one using Dave the sign guy's method and it worked out great, but I like the internal skin idea and you save a lot of money not using tubular framing.
Thanks, it has worked quite well for our family. I saw how Ambition Strikes built their camper and then added a few changes of my own to make this. The interior finishing has been a slow process but we still use it as it is for now. Few thermal bridging issues to fix with the screws that hold the paneling sweating during winter camping and I have changed my mind a few times over the layout.
Thank you. I need to weigh it again now that I have made some changes. My rough guess is around 1500lbs but when I go to the scales again I will post it in a future video. As for the cost I haven’t added it up to an exact total yet but it is easily under $10,000
So did you just skin a regular RV door in aluminum? I like the build. Everybody has their own ways of doing things. People don't realize how many hours go into something like this. Then when you aren't working on it you're thinking about it and trying to work on your next problem. I have ADHD so I hyperfixate and then quit before everything is actually finished, once I solve the problems. I got on a mild medication which helped that a lot. Still have hyperfixation but I see projects through for the first time in my life. I'm planning to build my own truck camper in the next few years but I want it to be like a toy hauler truck camper. Big king bed over the truck cab, and an open floor on the bottom part, with a small couch on one side and small kitchen on the other. Still not sure how I'll do the door as a ramp door will be necessary but that won't be practical for tight parking spots. Maybe do a hinge on one vertical side and a heavy duty hinge on the bottom edge and have three or four pins you can use to lock into place one hinge or the other so the door can be used two ways.
Omg that looks awsome and MASSIVE! Which pickup did you use for it? Sorry im new to all this and im concerned my future oickup choice will have a bed to small for such projects
Thanks for watching! I started with a 2020 F150 and used it for the first year of camping and this past summer I purchased a 2011 F350 at a local auction to convert into our camper hauler. I have more details on this in my recent videos. The F150 had approx 1700lbs payload capacity and now I have around 4000lbs payload capacity with my current truck. The F150 handled fine, 3.5 eco boost, 10 ply tires, and load lifter 5000 air bags in the rear but the payload was not enough to do what we wanted
Thank you. We really enjoy it and I had a lot of fun building it. I am right in Fredericton. If you see me around with it stop and say hello I’d be happy to give a tour. Will be spring again before I have it on full time, right now we just load up and go as we need it.
Yes I did. The 4x8 sheets were purchased at Best Metals in the industrial park. The rest of the aluminum pieces were either from Best Metals again or Greers Mountain Salvage.
The issue I have with this camper is how you did the exoskeleton with the inset panels. Do you really trust that it is waterproof or to stay as sealed as it is? Water is a creative force and will figure out how to get into anything. I see you did the double sided tape and then some sort of glue or caulking. Do you mind sharing what you used? I just don't see that being a wise idea. Cool looking, yes. Waterproof, no. Unless I missed something.
Thanks for the comments. So far it is holding together well although every seam has caulking over it and inside of it. On the roof I did self levelling lap sealant over every rivet and seam. As for why I did it this way…no real reason it just made sense to me when trying to think how I could put it together using the space and tools that I had. I may eventually cover the roof in one piece of material but for now we are just enjoying it as is. Inside each seam prior to installing the panel I put caulking and then a row of double sided foam tape.
My build is similar, and I am using VHB double-sided tape by 3M. This tape is used in the aircraft industry for wings, it will not fail. Also, I am using ABS haircell instead of any other type of sheeting to save weight.
I have been wanting to build one for a couple years now and this video makes it seem more plausible. Prefabbed campers just don’t use the space like i want to. I have been living in a remodeled 25 year old wooden one for almost 5 years now and i love her but she’s warped and probably rotting. About how much did materials cost for just the frame and shell? And how much is there to the floor? Subfloor or just foam/ plywood? Can’t tell. Thank you!!
That’s awesome that you’ve been it it for 5 years. This was the first one I’ve built so I’d say anyone can do it if you set your mind to it. I didn’t have any fancy tools or a special workspace. I haven’t added up the total yet but my guess for the frame and she’ll would be under $6000. The aluminum was the biggest expense. The floor is a regular insulated panel like the rest and then has an extra 1 inch of foam added on the top to make it 2 inches total (same under the bunk). Then on top of the foam it has a 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood secured with floor board screws to the aluminum square tubing frame
@@SEAKAdventures Thank you! I'll be watching and rewatching your videos this summer as I build. I'm thinking of adding a fiberglass roof as well. I'm so sick of caulking and re-caulking my old camper.
@@SEAKAdventures …. How is the PL Premium holding up? I am comparing different glues for foam to wood and foam to canvas contact. Not very impressed with anything so far.
Just found your channel. Awesome build. Any chance you have a list of the type of aluminum you used, how many of each, how thick, type of rivets, etc. I'd like to build something similar for our pick up but I don't have much experience where to buy this stuff or building for that matter. You should work out a deal with the company you bought the supplies from and provide a link on line. I tried to find it in your previous videos but didn't have any luck which is why I'm commenting. Thanks.
Sorry for the delay getting back to you on this! Angle- 2 inch x 2 inch by 1/8 thick Corner angle- 3 inch x 3 inch by 3/16 thick Square tubing- 1 inch x 1 inch by 1/8 thick Flat bar- 4 inches wide by 1/8 thick Sheets of aluminum- 4x8 but I’m not 100% sure on the thickness. 0.030 possibly?
I just bought everything from two local shops. It was much cheaper than shopping at the “big stores”. I do not really have a list of the amounts that I bought because I made so many trips to get more at different times. Everywhere there is square tubing I have flat bar riveted over it to attach the panels. Approx 2500-3000 rivets. The size depends on how think of material you are attaching together and then add a certain amount. I found some easy formulas online to calculate mine and then ordered aluminum rivets.
Would have been nice to have another window on the other side. Also on the front. Any reason you didn’t to that? Just curious I would love to do something like this
Hey thanks for watching, we are planning to install two more windows eventually but they were very expensive at the time. We also have not fully decided on an interior layout so it is tough to know where to place the windows.
Thank you. I think around 1500lbs but I haven’t weighed it since I started the interior buildout. I am hoping to have a more detailed weight video this spring. I currently have + or - 1000lbs of concrete on my truck for winter weight so I have to wait until that’s off or it will throw my numbers.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I would say it went from 20mpg (12l/per 100km) empty down to 12mpg (19l/per 100km). This could vary a lot due to speed and hills. The best I ever got with the camper on was around 14.5mpg.
Hey Andy thank you! Roughly about $3000 CAD in aluminum, although the aluminum prices were a little higher at that time. Not sure what the prices are on aluminum now. For the weight my best guess is around 1500lbs but I haven’t weighed it since I started building out the interior. I should have a more detailed video of the weight this spring.
Finally! Someone who is conscious of weight and not using ten tonnes of plywood and house framing that needs to be waterproofed wth another ten tonnes of something!!!!!
Where are you? I am in BC.
Thank you! Glad you were able to watch along. We are very happy with it so far. I am on the opposite side of Canada in New Brunswick. We would love to venture out to BC with it someday and visit family there.
It is beautiful here, but I would move back to Southern Ontario if my wife said yes.
Most people have to work with the skills and tools they have and the materials they can afford. I applaud anyone who actually builds anything.
I’d love to use all aluminum but I don’t know how to weld the stuff, refuse to pay someone else, and it’s too expensive for the 1-2 night camping trips I would do anyway. 😅
@adamjohnson5307 It's tricky and expensive to weld aluminum. It's a few hundred dollars just for an argon bottle. And as a DIY project. It should be fun not stressful. So learning a new skill and spending a grand just to weld is a bit of a tall order. Welding steel is a much better way to learn to weld.
Wow, that's a seriously serious build to take seriously!
Thank you. I’m very happy with how it turned out considering it was designed on a couple sticky notes!
I mean I guess there's nothing at all wrong with welding the joints after riveting but as a mechanical engineer in the business for 37 years, the welding seems redundant and potentially adds stress to the already riveted joints by over-constraint of the joint. Don't forget, entire airframes for large commercial aircraft are held together by rivets only without the added complexity of welds, principally because of the additional uninspectable variation introduced to metal to metal joints by welding. Having gotten that off my chest, this is still a beautiful, meticulously refined piece of work and kudos to your build skills.
Thank you for the comments. So far I have been fortunate to not have any cracks in the welds or any rivets pop/tear out, and after two years the aluminum has really kept its shine. It sure catches a lot of attention everywhere I go.
That's good to know! I daydream about making my own aluminum cabover and if rivets are good enough, it makes the whole project seem more feasible.
@@rilijn In aluminum framing, use larger aluminum rivets (vs steel) so as to avoid galvanic corrosion potential between dissimilar metals and at every connected joint (and of course space permitting), would aim for minimum 3 rivets per connection.
What a great looking camper! Looking forward to seeing more this season, brother
Thank you! Looking forward to getting it out again. Might have to seek you out for some kitchen planning in a month or so!
Looks really Good!! Glad I had a chance to help on it!!
Thanks again! That was a great time. Have to get at something again soon!
Great job? This is one of the best I've seen!
Thank you. I really enjoyed building it, and now get to enjoy using it!
Fantastic camper build
Thank you, I appreciate it! We really enjoy using it.
Nicely done man! Having been mulling over building my own collapsible slide in camper for weekend race getaways with the family and came along your channel. I was thinking along similar lines with construction method so nice to see yours turn out so well. Great job!
Thank you. I am very happy with it. I am hoping get the interior finished up a little more this spring, I was in more of a rush to get out and use it and the finishing slowed way down. I hope your build goes well, ours works well for quick getaways and still allows us to tow a trailer which might help for your race weekends! I’m no expert but if you have any more questions I’d be happy to share my experiences building.
WOW!! AWESOME!!
very good your videos. I'm building a camper and the information is very important.
I had to watch a lot of peoples videos to try and figure things out. Happy to hear I could help! Let me know if you have any specific questions on how I did things.
Hmmm, I'm thinking we are seeing the start of a new Camper manufacturing Company. :) Nice rig!
Thank you! I think I would need a bigger shop at the least haha. We have had a great time using the camper though.
@@SEAKAdventures it's a great concept.
Very nice build. Well done
Great video SEAK Adventures! Very cool!
Thank you Ryan! You’ll have to stop by this summer and check it out.
Beautiful build.
Thanks for watching!
Very impressive, have you had a chance to get it weighed ?
Thank you. I had it weighed early in the build but aiming to weigh it again once I get it back on the truck this spring/early summer. Roughly in the 1500lbs area would be my rough guess but I will post the real weight in a future video.
@@SEAKAdventures thanks for getting back to me, weight is definitely an issue.
Nice job !!!!
Thank you!
Dude Awesome build 😎👍 enjoy it mate 🤘🤘
Thank you!
that's a very interesting and unique design. I built one using Dave the sign guy's method and it worked out great, but I like the internal skin idea and you save a lot of money not using tubular framing.
Thanks, it has worked quite well for our family. I saw how Ambition Strikes built their camper and then added a few changes of my own to make this. The interior finishing has been a slow process but we still use it as it is for now. Few thermal bridging issues to fix with the screws that hold the paneling sweating during winter camping and I have changed my mind a few times over the layout.
Would you be able to share weight and cost? Looks fantastic btw, great work!
Thank you. I need to weigh it again now that I have made some changes. My rough guess is around 1500lbs but when I go to the scales again I will post it in a future video. As for the cost I haven’t added it up to an exact total yet but it is easily under $10,000
So did you just skin a regular RV door in aluminum? I like the build. Everybody has their own ways of doing things. People don't realize how many hours go into something like this. Then when you aren't working on it you're thinking about it and trying to work on your next problem. I have ADHD so I hyperfixate and then quit before everything is actually finished, once I solve the problems. I got on a mild medication which helped that a lot. Still have hyperfixation but I see projects through for the first time in my life. I'm planning to build my own truck camper in the next few years but I want it to be like a toy hauler truck camper. Big king bed over the truck cab, and an open floor on the bottom part, with a small couch on one side and small kitchen on the other. Still not sure how I'll do the door as a ramp door will be necessary but that won't be practical for tight parking spots. Maybe do a hinge on one vertical side and a heavy duty hinge on the bottom edge and have three or four pins you can use to lock into place one hinge or the other so the door can be used two ways.
DIY top gun
That's a great job on the build. How much does it weigh? How much was the materials?
Omg that looks awsome and MASSIVE!
Which pickup did you use for it?
Sorry im new to all this and im concerned my future oickup choice will have a bed to small for such projects
Thanks for watching! I started with a 2020 F150 and used it for the first year of camping and this past summer I purchased a 2011 F350 at a local auction to convert into our camper hauler. I have more details on this in my recent videos. The F150 had approx 1700lbs payload capacity and now I have around 4000lbs payload capacity with my current truck.
The F150 handled fine, 3.5 eco boost, 10 ply tires, and load lifter 5000 air bags in the rear but the payload was not enough to do what we wanted
@@SEAKAdventures geez here I am wanting to start smth with a 2000 F-150 😅
It can definitely be done just have to be mindful of the weight. It sure adds up quickly
Excellent work. Really like it. The door looks fantastic.
Did you gut out a factory RV door and then put your aluminum on the door?
Thank you. Yes I bought a used door, removed it from the frame and then added one of my panels into the frame.
Oh my. I love your camper. It’s such a great build. And, I am in New Brunswick too. We are close to Fredericton, you?
Thank you. We really enjoy it and I had a lot of fun building it. I am right in Fredericton. If you see me around with it stop and say hello I’d be happy to give a tour. Will be spring again before I have it on full time, right now we just load up and go as we need it.
We are in Burtts Corner, just 25 minutes from Fredericton. Perhaps we'll run into you and your beautiful rig this spring. LOL!@@SEAKAdventures
Excuse me, can I ask where you get those aluminum sheets? Did you get them here in Fredericton? Thank you.
Yes I did. The 4x8 sheets were purchased at Best Metals in the industrial park. The rest of the aluminum pieces were either from Best Metals again or Greers Mountain Salvage.
@@SEAKAdventures Got it, thank you very much for your info.
The issue I have with this camper is how you did the exoskeleton with the inset panels. Do you really trust that it is waterproof or to stay as sealed as it is? Water is a creative force and will figure out how to get into anything.
I see you did the double sided tape and then some sort of glue or caulking. Do you mind sharing what you used? I just don't see that being a wise idea. Cool looking, yes. Waterproof, no. Unless I missed something.
Thanks for the comments. So far it is holding together well although every seam has caulking over it and inside of it. On the roof I did self levelling lap sealant over every rivet and seam. As for why I did it this way…no real reason it just made sense to me when trying to think how I could put it together using the space and tools that I had. I may eventually cover the roof in one piece of material but for now we are just enjoying it as is.
Inside each seam prior to installing the panel I put caulking and then a row of double sided foam tape.
My build is similar, and I am using VHB double-sided tape by 3M. This tape is used in the aircraft industry for wings, it will not fail. Also, I am using ABS haircell instead of any other type of sheeting to save weight.
HIW MUCH WOULD YOU CHARGE FOR A CAMPER LIKE THAT??
Not sure what it would be! I think it would be more fun as a personal family project for me
I have been wanting to build one for a couple years now and this video makes it seem more plausible. Prefabbed campers just don’t use the space like i want to. I have been living in a remodeled 25 year old wooden one for almost 5 years now and i love her but she’s warped and probably rotting. About how much did materials cost for just the frame and shell? And how much is there to the floor? Subfloor or just foam/ plywood? Can’t tell. Thank you!!
That’s awesome that you’ve been it it for 5 years. This was the first one I’ve built so I’d say anyone can do it if you set your mind to it. I didn’t have any fancy tools or a special workspace. I haven’t added up the total yet but my guess for the frame and she’ll would be under $6000. The aluminum was the biggest expense. The floor is a regular insulated panel like the rest and then has an extra 1 inch of foam added on the top to make it 2 inches total (same under the bunk). Then on top of the foam it has a 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood secured with floor board screws to the aluminum square tubing frame
@@SEAKAdventures Thank you! I'll be watching and rewatching your videos this summer as I build. I'm thinking of adding a fiberglass roof as well. I'm so sick of caulking and re-caulking my old camper.
Nice job! Wish I learned to weld.
Looks great.
Thank you!
hi is there update on this one what inside like tv bed you know !
I’m working on that video. Eventually it will be on here with a full walk through. Thanks for watching
What did you use to glue the pink foam boards to the aluminum ??
I just used PL Premium glue from the local hardware store. Then I had 10 patio stones to keep pressure on it to hold it together for a few days.
@@SEAKAdventures ….
How is the PL Premium holding up? I am comparing different glues for foam to wood and foam to canvas contact. Not very impressed with anything so far.
@@wesleypipelayer7627 try an epoxy or they have specialized foam glue
Just found your channel. Awesome build. Any chance you have a list of the type of aluminum you used, how many of each, how thick, type of rivets, etc. I'd like to build something similar for our pick up but I don't have much experience where to buy this stuff or building for that matter. You should work out a deal with the company you bought the supplies from and provide a link on line. I tried to find it in your previous videos but didn't have any luck which is why I'm commenting. Thanks.
Sorry for the delay getting back to you on this!
Angle- 2 inch x 2 inch by 1/8 thick
Corner angle- 3 inch x 3 inch by 3/16 thick
Square tubing- 1 inch x 1 inch by 1/8 thick
Flat bar- 4 inches wide by 1/8 thick
Sheets of aluminum- 4x8 but I’m not 100% sure on the thickness. 0.030 possibly?
I just bought everything from two local shops. It was much cheaper than shopping at the “big stores”. I do not really have a list of the amounts that I bought because I made so many trips to get more at different times. Everywhere there is square tubing I have flat bar riveted over it to attach the panels. Approx 2500-3000 rivets. The size depends on how think of material you are attaching together and then add a certain amount. I found some easy formulas online to calculate mine and then ordered aluminum rivets.
Is your metal frame made of aluminum wanting do something like this for my gmc Sierra 1500;
What does your slide in camper weight.
Yes everything is made from aluminum. I am not 100% on the total weight at this time. I am still working on building out the interior.
Awesome job. Was it hard to register at DMV or did you have to register it?
Thank you! I did not have to register this. Not required where I live as it is removable.
Would have been nice to have another window on the other side. Also on the front. Any reason you didn’t to that? Just curious I would love to do something like this
Hey thanks for watching, we are planning to install two more windows eventually but they were very expensive at the time. We also have not fully decided on an interior layout so it is tough to know where to place the windows.
@@SEAKAdventures did you have any prior experience with this sort of thing?
@@Wellh0wrya no I did not. This was a lot of firsts for me! A lot different working with aluminum rather than wood.
@@SEAKAdventures yes buying one of these is stupid money
beautiful build! how much does it weigh?
Thank you. I think around 1500lbs but I haven’t weighed it since I started the interior buildout. I am hoping to have a more detailed weight video this spring. I currently have + or - 1000lbs of concrete on my truck for winter weight so I have to wait until that’s off or it will throw my numbers.
Nice built! what is the weight?
Haven’t had a chance to weight it lately as I’m still slowly working on the interior. Best guess is around 1500lbs
Does anyone know the thickness of the aluminum being used for the frame?
Thickness is 1/8 inch
great
Thanks!
I know it isn't all important but what kind of MPG penalty is the camper?
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I would say it went from 20mpg (12l/per 100km) empty down to 12mpg (19l/per 100km). This could vary a lot due to speed and hills. The best I ever got with the camper on was around 14.5mpg.
Hey there, really nice work. How much did you spent on alloy ? How heavy is it? Best regards
Andy
Hey Andy thank you! Roughly about $3000 CAD in aluminum, although the aluminum prices were a little higher at that time. Not sure what the prices are on aluminum now. For the weight my best guess is around 1500lbs but I haven’t weighed it since I started building out the interior. I should have a more detailed video of the weight this spring.
Thank you for 👍
Have fun with it, looks really good 👍
Heck yeah 👍
Thanks for watching!
👍👍💪🙏🍾🥂🇨🇵🇨🇱🐻
8k worth of rivets lol
Haha not quite that much thankfully, but it was surprising how many I had to buy!
Aluminum is very expensive, and i am not sure why weld it after using the rivets. All looks good but very expensive.