Build a DIY camper for less than $5000

With bushfires and now COVID-19 putting a halt to family camping for the time being, Melbourne IT specialist Lewi Van Essen has scratched the camping itch and made good use of this mandatory stay-at-home period by undertaking a DIY camper trailer project.

Having previously owned a Jayco wind-up camper trailer, and with a wife and two young children in tow, he was looking for something user-friendly and compact that he could pull together on a tight budget under the carport at his Melbourne suburban home.

Inspired by the plethora of 'how-to' camper projects online, he decided on a lightweight, box-style camper with in-built side kitchen, unique rear fold-out dinette and sleeping up high in a family sized roof-top tent.

Using home power tools including a circular saw and welder and recycled building site scraps along with other affordable items like RHS steel and off-the-shelf electrical parts ordered online, Lewi says he’s now got the project to  ‘live-in-stage’ after about three months and “quite a few hours" of planning, preparation and trial-and-error construction.

Like many DIY projects however, there remains a few improvements he’d still like to make to his now very appealing DIY family camper…

Planning and online shopping

Lewi's first job was to source a suitable second-hand enclosed tradie trailer online that had the right dimensions and structural features like doors and openings in the right place, so he only had to make minor modifications to the trailer body before the internal camper fit-out could take place.

After sketching some design drawings for the fit-out, the heavy, bottom-hinged black rear tailgate on the original tradie trailer was removed and replaced with timber backing, including two new home-made timber/steel structures at the rear, that double as rear doors and fold-out picnic table.

The two bench seat frames were welded together using pre-cut RHS steel before adding the solid timber bases and caravan-style stabilizer legs. The same hardwood timber, also protected by a clear coat finish, was used for the table top that slots between the bench seats with another leg support.

“The trailer had a full steel ramp at the rear, which I cut off at the pins and then welded the seat frames on to the trailer and welded the legs on,” Lewi explains.

Before fitting the bespoke internal cabinetry including two slide-out rear drawers and side kitchen module, he placed boat trailer skid strips on the inside floor, to allow the cabinetry to easily slide and slot into place. Because the interior cabinetry isn’t exposed to the elements, cheap ‘formwork’ building off-cuts were used instead of more expensive marine ply.

The two large storage drawers slide out and are supported by the bench seats, but Lewi is planning to install a new rail mechanism for the tabletop so it will slide-out horizontally from within and allow easier access to the drawers.

Flatpack storage inspiration

Another fold-down timber benchtop was fitted inside the side lift-up door, which provides access to the kitchen storage module. There's enough room for the fridge as well as a modular Ikea unit with storage buckets that's normally used in a children’s bedroom, and can be removed for packing.

After modifying the existing roof platform to fit the 2.2m x 2.4m four-berth rooftop tent, some custom brackets allowed the fitment of a side awning that covers the side kitchen area when camping.

Also new underneath is a 50 litre universal modular poly water tank, which has since benefited from a supporting brace. A 12V pump feeds water through a small outlet but Lewi is planning to fit a fixed tap or shower hose at some stage.

Ready for painting

After a rough fit-out of the main components inside and all welding work completed, the trailer was pulled apart and exterior panels painted in two-pack ‘baby blue’, before piecing back together ready for final fit-out. Lewi also used POR 15 paint on the chassis including drawbar, for a nice, rust preventative finish.

The original small A-frame toolbox was also ditched for a larger, off-the-shelf storage box up front, which holds the 12V electrical system including two 100Ah AGM batteries, inverter, switchgear, fusebox and circuit breakers.

As well as running the 60 litre 240V  fridge and small induction cooker, the batteries power a number of magnetic LED strip lights fitted inside the tent and kitchen. In his quest to go 'gas-free', Lewi's also planning to replace a couple of portable solar panels with some lighter, slimline panels that can slot between the roofline and tent and slide out as required.

There's also an Anderson plug, with further power upgrades planned including fitting a battery charger. Most of the electrical items were bought separately online, but in hindsight he'd opt for an  ‘all-in-one' 12V camper kit and integrated wiring looms that are also available online, to make the job easier.

While admitting the camper fit-out is a “bit rough” in places – it’s not easy juggling a DIY project with parenting two pre-school children -- the overall result is more than satisfactory for fuss-free week-end getaways.

“We wanted the outdoor style of camper; it’s like a cheap Patriot camper. Looks cheap, feels cheap,” he says with a laugh.

Finishing touches

The trailer is currently rated to 900kg, but Lewi is considering uprating the single axle to better cope with a full load of gear. He’s also fitted more stylish white Sunraysia wheels to go with the freshly spray-painted duco, with a spare wheel stored inside the camper.

While the current camping restrictions have limited his chances to use it, on a couple of sneaky over-nighters it’s proved easy to tow behind the Toyota Prado family car, and required minimal set-up for a quick lunch stop or beachside stop-over.

It hasn’t cost an arm and a leg either: with the work trailer and Kulkyne roof-top tent the major expenses, material costs so far add up to around $5000. That’s pretty good for a unique Aussie-built camper!

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Should you build a DIY caravan?