Our Journey from Tent to Customized Utility Trailer

I’m so delighted to offer this guest post from my brother, Mike. Follow his family’s camping evolution over two decades, exploring breathtaking locations and how they upgraded to a DIY customized trailer. 

Guest post by Mike Steins

Our Love for Camping

Twenty-three years ago, my pregnant wife and I headed out for our first family camping trip with our then-two-year-old son. Little did we know what a journey camping would take us on. We started by hitting every campground we could up the coast of California from San Diego to Jenner. 

We’ve set up camp in deserts like Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego, Mojave, Bryce and Zion National Parks, and The Grand Canyon. We’ve endured the cold waters of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite, Glacier National Park, The Grand Tetons, and Big Sur. We’ve been sprayed by the sulfury waters of Old Faithful in Yellowstone. We’ve hit the peaks of San Jacinto and the shores of Catalina. 

We’ve been through at least 10 different tents and finally settled on a durable and reliable Kodiac Canvas tent that has been through just about everything over the past seven years. As our camping equipment inventory grew (along with our three mostly grown children), stuffing everything into minivans and SUVs and attaching roof bags and hitch racks became too big a chore.  

Time for a DIY Trailer

In 2022, we decided it was time to think about a small trailer – something we could store our camping gear in so it was always ready and we could sleep in if need be. We had an all-in budget of about $4,000.

We looked at small teardrop-like trailers that would be easy to tow, but alas, cost always got in the way. A quick search on a local consumer-to-consumer marketplace called OfferUp for an affordable trailer yielded a promising result. 

Enter a 1950s Powers Service Masters utility body that had been removed from a 1959 Chevrolet Apache and converted into a little hunting trailer. It needed a lot of work, but at $1,000 and with new tires, it fit the budget. We checked it out, hooked it up, and drove it home.

Customizing the Trailer

Unfortunately, the easy part was over. It was now time for the hard work to begin. 

With the help of our three children, we removed the top, sanded down the steel body, and primed and painted it to match the bottom half of our house. We then built a new top that matches our home so it wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb in the driveway (a requirement from the get-go). After framing out the top, we skinned it with ½ inch CDX plywood and felt paper and then topped that with the same Trex decking material we used to upgrade the dated siding of our house. We topped the trailer with several coats of elastomeric roof coating.

My eldest son, a mechanical engineer, designed and drafted a back door that used hydraulic lifts. With his plans, I built the door, hung it, bought the lifts, and he installed them. More paint, LOTS of caulk, new lights, and it was time to hit the open, well, let’s be honest, trafficky Southern California road.

Waterproofing the trailer has been our biggest struggle, and with this being one of the wettest years on record in California, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to find out where the leaks were. More caulk, elastomeric roof coating, and trial and error have taught us to leave the trailer at a slight angle (using our trailer jacks) so the water on the roof drains to a designated corner. I’m sure we’re not completely watertight yet, so thank goodness it’s summertime!

So Many Benefits

What we had been storing in our Camp Chef Sherpa, we were now easily able to fit into one of the locking storage compartments of the trailer with room to spare. 

The other compartments hold a 20-pound propane tank for our propane fire pit (because in California now, many campsites won’t allow wood fires) and our camping oven (yes, I said oven), camping chairs, portable table, canopy, propane tent heater, and assorted tools to make sure we can face most of the little challenges that arise while camping. 

But perhaps the nicest feature of this trailer is that it affords us many of the luxury items one must usually forgo while camping. 

Our Solar Power Approach & 80-Quart Electric Cooler

The rooftop boasts two 100-watt Renogy Solar Panels that power our 80-quart dual-zone electric cooler (so we can enjoy smoothies and ice cream while camping) as well as other small equipment and chargers with a Renogy 2000w inverter. And when the energy draw is low, we’re storing all that extra power in a 12v 100ah LiFePo4 battery for later use. 

We use the Renogy Wanderer Charge Controller with the Bluetooth module for remote monitoring from our phones when we only need a general idea of how the battery and panels are doing. The module is not a very accurate indicator of the battery charge, so we have also installed a Renogy battery monitor and shunt that provides far more accurate and reliable data points. 

For those days when our electricity use is higher than usual or the days are more overcast, we have a flexible 100-watt Renogy solar panel that we can quickly add to the system to help it keep up.

Some of you may be shouting that there is no need for all that electricity just so we can have an electric cooler. I hear you, but here’s the data: We tested a few higher-end rotomolded coolers of similar capacity and went through all the hassles of precooling the inside day before, and while they’re far better than our Kelty soft-sided folding cooler that we use for day trips, we still needed to refill the ice during our 4-day camping trip. 

So, all told, we spent about $30 on ice for that one trip alone (and there was no chance we would have any ice cream!) We also had a fair amount of food waste, as water always seems to find its way into food containers. We’ve tried dry ice on the bottom of the cooler covered with newspaper, but that only led us to have frozen items on the bottom and somewhat cool items closer to the top. Furthermore, dry ice is rarely available near most campsites. We’ve used frozen water bottles instead of ice, and while that avoids a few issues, we still need to refill during trips longer than 3 days, and we also needed to prep those bottles ahead of time. Multiply that over a handful of trips each summer for 2-3 years, and you’ve basically paid for the electric cooler.  After that, you’re saving money (and the environment). 

On a side note, we have the added benefit that during a power outage at home, we have a power source for necessities, like keeping the house fridge cold longer.

Towable, of Course

Last but certainly not least, no special vehicle purchases were needed to handle this trailer. With a tongue weight of about 350 pounds and a towing weight under 2,000 lbs, fully loaded, it is lightweight enough that we can tow it with the Subaru Outback and Toyota Highlander vehicles we already drive. We cannot, however, pull it with our Prius, so there’s that.

Pack Up Your Gear & Hit the Open Road

Our love for the outdoors and desire to explore new places has led us to invest in the perfect camping companion – our customized utility trailer. This labor of love has not only provided us with a practical solution to store our gear, but it has also enhanced our overall camping experience by offering us the convenience of home amenities while still immersing ourselves in nature. With each trip we take, we continue to learn, adapt, and make improvements to our setup.

We hope that sharing our story will inspire other families and camping enthusiasts to think outside the box, explore the beautiful landscapes that surround us, and create their own unique outdoor experiences. Whether it’s a weekend getaway or an extended road trip, there’s nothing quite like the joy of connecting with nature and your loved ones under the stars. So, pack up your gear, hit the open road, and let the spirit of adventure guide you to your next unforgettable camping experience.

Travel smart. Live better.