How to Build Travel Trailers From Plans

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Building your own travel trailer will be a large undertaking, but one that yields pride in ownership and a job well done. You will need a very large workshop, preferably an automotive shop stocked with the necessary tools for constructing a moving vehicle. You will need skills in welding, brazing, carpentry, wiring and plumbing to complete this project. Plan on this being a long-term build, with at least two months to work on it during spare time. If building straight through, count on needing one month to build your travel trailer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

Acquire your travel trailer plans. Consider looking at such travel trailer plans as the Squidget or other plans that include all the needed materials and instructions. Lay out the travel trailer plans. Read them once completely and then shelve it for a day or two. Go back and read the plans twice more before building. You should be able to gain knowledge of the procedure and have memory retention from these reads.

Step 2

Gather the materials the travel trailer plans say are needed for the building of the travel trailer. If you are on a budget, consider going to RV junkyards and buying some of the parts second hand and refurbish them. Check the RV dealers for used RV kitchen equipment.

Step 3

Organize your travel trailer materials into sections. Place the kitchen items in one area, the frame and axle materials in another, bedroom materials and others in their own separate areas. This helps you maintain a clear vision of what you have and where you are in the building process. Check off each item you use off a list of materials so you know what has been used and what has not.

Step 4

Ventilate the workshop when using the welding torch or cutting torch as these will draw oxygen from the room and may lead to asphyxiation in the shop. Wear the appropriate safety goggles, gloves and mask when welding and using the torch.

Step 5

Check with your local law enforcement agency or your local DMV on the legal requirements for a home made travel trailer and make sure your plans adhere to these. It is a terrible thing to finish building your travel trailer only to find out it is not up to code for legal registration, causing unwanted grief.

Article Written By Eric Cedric

A former Alaskan of 20 years, Eric Cedric now resides in California. He's published in "Outside" and "Backpacker" and has written a book on life in small-town Alaska, "North by Southeast." Cedric was a professional mountain guide and backcountry expedition leader for 18 years. He worked in Russia, Iceland, Greece, Turkey and Belize. Cedric attended Syracuse University and is a private pilot.

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