Ever thought of making a little cabin camper RV unit to tow behind you when you go out to the woods or the beach? That’s what Michael Hippenhammer did here, and he calls it his Kleine Cabine (that means “little cabin” in German/Dutch).
Here’s what Mr Hippenhammer wrote about his home made DIY camper:
“You are looking at a one-of-a-kind Douglas fir camper, pop top with ALL solid wood. Features are: 50 ft RV cable, 2-6 volt golf cart batteries, 50 Watt solar panel, upper cabinet space with storage under the bed, kitchenette in rear door with two door cabinet, counter top and drawer. There is a small 300 Watt inverter to give you AC for computer, lights, music, and phone charging. Length is 10 ft, width is 4 ft, height is 4.5 ft.
“It weighs close to 1200 lbs. and was coated with Watson’s out-door oil finish. Since I did not know about Instructables at the time of creating this camper, I do not have any videos or pictures other than the finished product. My hope is to make more of these “Little Cabins” (and sell them), and with those there will be steps and descriptions.”
So how much does an RV camper unit like this one cost to make yourself? Under $1000 seems to be a doable number. According to Hippenhammer, “It cost about $600. I built it this way because it kept the cost way down.
“Using 2×6’s gave me length that plywood couldn’t offer and I didn’t have to do separate sheets of exterior and interior ply wood for paneling. The solid wood worked for both. I milled each piece to the same dimension and screwed them together with 3″ screws and liquid nails. Next time I will use tongue and groove to make it easier. I just added trim to the outside to cover my board ends and it looks even nicer. The canvass is a painters cloth from Harbor freight on sale for $4.99. The same at a fabric store was $40. I had the solar equipment laying around from my work in the mobile solar business. It’s not as heavy as you would think, about the same as a small pop up tent trailer. I’m turning a school bus into an RV right now and am taking pictures as I go along. I also did a Ford van camper conversion earlier this summer that turned out beautiful. I should post those pics also.”
The man also said he was hoping to build another one similar: “I have a single car garage with a full wood shop so space is a problem. Looking into a tent structure to build it in so I have room to work in my shop. I will fully document the next one.”
