Finishing cargo trailer interior

[MuleyFever]

I'm considering a cargo trailer purchase. Main use would be for hauling SXS and makeshift camper. I'd like to make the inside nice. What products should I be looking at for finishing the floor and walls?

 

[nodakian]

I lined the walls and ceiling between ribs with 1" Styrofoam then mounted 1/8" white hardboard over that. In the top front where that stuff wouldn't work due to curves, I filled the gaps with spray foam. I'm considering get some low pile carpet to roll out on the floor and back door for insulation. Heat is a small propane stove. We keep a broom for dust removal. If I did it again, I would add a few 1x4 blocks between ribs for mounting screw eyes for tie down straps.

Nothing fancy, but it sure is nice to get out of the non stop wind.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

How about a used toy hauler. Save yourself some work.

 

[displacedtexan]

LVP/LVT (same product, different marketing) is waterproof and almost indestructible.

That small of an amount would be easy to find on closeout, since I'm guessing you're not going to be super picky about the exact color.

I'd add an RV window for a little light as well.

 

[camelcluch]

Look at Enzy trailers. That should give a good idea on a finished look.

 

[MuleyFever]

How about a used toy hauler. Save yourself some work.

I dont plan to build anything into the cargo trailer. It will be a place to set up a cot to stay out of the elements.

I have considered the toy hauler option. We went and looked at a nice used toy hauler last night. We sold ours 2 years ago and havent really missed it though. They are also just too big for what I want. A 12' cargo trailer is all I need, although I will probably get a 14'. If I go the toy hauler route I am looking at min 20' to get one that fits the SXS. Then there is all the upkeep I dont want to deal with.

 

[AndrewD]

Food for thought: Cargo trailers are designed to protect the inside from the weather and dust with minimal aesthetics and no insulation. The framing is not designed to provide a base to mount insulated and aesthetic interior cladding to. You can certainly do it by doing a van life hackjob and just mount pallet wood to the interior framing members after slapping in some R zero shiny bubble wrap and it will probably work ok for leisurely urban driving. Or you could build in a complicated framing system and do it a little better at the cost of some interior space. But if you plan on leaving the pavement, you will probably have long term problems because cargo trailers are super flimsy on bumpy roads, and a bunch of stuff mounted shoddily to the interior will probably rattle apart after a while.

Not to mention, cladding over sheetmetal exterior walls with anything other than a complete sprayfoam job on the inside of the sheetmetal, then camping anywhere where the temperature inside is warmer than the exterior temp enough to cause condensation, is just asking for long term mold/fastener rust issues unless you are able to vent behind the cladding enough to consistently dry out the condensation.

If I were using a cargo trailer for a tent, I would probably find a cheep or discounted vinyl flooring product that can be adhered to the deck, and for the walls I would leave them be other than mounting (securely) a few cabinets, countertop/sink/bed platform/etc. You could build a "floor pack" with 3/4" or 2" framing on the floor, fill the voids with rigid sheet foam and gaps with cans of spray foam, then sheet over it with 1/4 ply and glue down vinyl over that. The problem is that an insulated floor is not going to do a lot with uninsulated walls/ceiling.

Then you get to the ceiling. Most cargos have some sort of arch in the ceiling, which also illustrates the minimal wall framing. The arch squeezes enough strength out of the minimal wall framing to resist snow load sufficiently. If the walls were stout, the arch would not be needed. But the arch severely limits how you can clad the ceiling as you either need to frame in a square drop ceiling (suspended from the flexible, minimal framing members) or uses a flexible cladding material that can bend to the arch of the ceiling.

Don't mean to rain on your parade, and I've never converted a cargo trailer to a camper, but I do have a decent cargo trailer that I purchased new. Did two loads in it on our 1000 mile move a few years ago. The first load was mostly heavy stuff, including numerous tools and a 700# safe with 300#s in it. I installed tie down hardware on the interior walls and used tie down anchors and shelf brackets to make an extensive system to keep everything secure, including building a large cargo shelf around the safe once it was loaded. Cargo straps designed to mount to the cargo rails were used as well. As soon as you put any tension on the straps, you can see the whole wall/ceiling structure racking. This is fine for transporting cargo, but it is not a stable base for finishing out a camper space, in my opinion.

More food for thought: When you see people on social media/youtube going through their "builds" for van life or cargo campers, try to find one where they do an update after 1 year of heavy use and are honest about the drawbacks of their DIY project. Most of them will have "upgraded" to a different rig for unknown reasons, on others you will see their DIY rig suddenly disappear from the channel. Occasionally you will see one of the more honest ones go through all the bad things about their build, but that is rare. The problem here is that the content creators get positive reinforcement for their build through channel growth, sponsorships, thumbs-up dopamine hits, etc. Then they spend the next few months putting out content extolling the virtues of what they did, riding that dopamine wave. They answer questions from viewers who are so inspired by them and are now spending their own time and money to do the same things because look how great it is. After months of this, if they start having problems or realizing that their build sucks, they will never talk about it because of the feared backlash.

 

[packer58]

Iv'e built two enclosed trailer conversions and have learned a few things along the way, the biggest deal with a metal framed / skinned trailer is moisture / condensation control. Read up on (Thermal Break) and you will understand what happens. Moisture from any propane appliance and or moisture from just you being in the trailer will condense on most of the metal surfaces, mostly the roof. Not trying to scare you from your conversion but it is a real thing. My current build is a 8.5X16 V nose with a 7 foot roof, plenty of room for my Pioneer 1000 and storage boxes up front. Has full lower cabinet with counter top, two power vents, insulated walls and fold down cots that i fabed out of 1" emt. Its a sweet setup but a lot of work. Again, the biggest deal is condensation, I installed a 30,000 BTU RV furnace in this build and it works fantastic. Draws combustion air from outside and exhausts to the outside and leaves nothing but DRY heat in the trailer with no moisture with it. Last winter while coyote hunting it was in the negative numbers at night and I had zero condensation on metal surfaces while keeping the interior at 55 deg at night (my choice).

Shoot me a PM if you like and I can give some more details and ideas ...........

 

[MuleyFever]

Moisture from any propane appliance and or moisture from just you being in the trailer will condense on most of the metal surfaces, mostly the roof. Not trying to scare you from your conversion but it is a real thing.

Not doing a conversion. I want to put something on the floor and paint the walls. Looking for ideas on what products to consider.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

I’ve had buddies spray or roll trailer floor with Rhino Lining type products


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[MuleyFever]

I’ve had buddies spray or roll trailer floor with Rhino Lining type products


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How does it hold up being applied to wood?

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Seemed to me that it was good. And was on there for a while by the time I saw it.

Prob should research application “do/don’ts”. I know it’s gotta be clean of dirt/dust so it applies properly.

And maybe certain brands bond to wood better.

Can’t hurt to apply on one small section to see how it does and then IF it meets your needs, do the remainder

I did a quick YouTube check and there are a few videos out there on it.


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[packer58]

Not doing a conversion. I want to put something on the floor and paint the walls. Looking for ideas on what products to consider.

Gotcha, if thats the case i would just apply a decent flooring vinyl product with a good non water based adhesive. Easy to sweep and clean .....

 

[Customweld]

How does it hold up being applied to wood?

It stress cracks after a while. I did the same thing you are describing with a 7x16. Kept it simple, put ez track on the walls and used 2x4 pockets for a removable bed frame. I used a Mr Buddy propane heater when it was cold, but just enough to take the edge off. Cargo trailers work pretty well if you go into it with minimal expectations. A couple of points. Roof vents and a side door that has an rv style door latch. Look for those. I don’t know what utv you have but my 7x16 was fairly tight tight with my Pioneer 1k5

 

[Red Letters]

Trailer Dealer in Castle Rock, CO | Colorado Trailers Inc

Colorado Trailers Inc is a trailer dealer in Castle Rock, Colorado specializing in selling all purpose custom and off-road trailers.

www.coloradotrailersinc.com

 

[MuleyFever]

.

Trailer Dealer in Castle Rock, CO | Colorado Trailers Inc

Colorado Trailers Inc is a trailer dealer in Castle Rock, Colorado specializing in selling all purpose custom and off-road trailers.

www.coloradotrailersinc.com

They have cool trailers. Guy down the street has one. The Look Moab trailer is cool too. Those are pretty expensive for what you get though.

 

[displacedtexan]

Food for thought: Cargo trailers are designed to protect the inside from the weather and dust with minimal aesthetics and no insulation. The framing is not designed to provide a base to mount insulated and aesthetic interior cladding to. You can certainly do it by doing a van life hackjob and just mount pallet wood to the interior framing members after slapping in some R zero shiny bubble wrap and it will probably work ok for leisurely urban driving. Or you could build in a complicated framing system and do it a little better at the cost of some interior space. But if you plan on leaving the pavement, you will probably have long term problems because cargo trailers are super flimsy on bumpy roads, and a bunch of stuff mounted shoddily to the interior will probably rattle apart after a while.

Not to mention, cladding over sheetmetal exterior walls with anything other than a complete sprayfoam job on the inside of the sheetmetal, then camping anywhere where the temperature inside is warmer than the exterior temp enough to cause condensation, is just asking for long term mold/fastener rust issues unless you are able to vent behind the cladding enough to consistently dry out the condensation.

If I were using a cargo trailer for a tent, I would probably find a cheep or discounted vinyl flooring product that can be adhered to the deck, and for the walls I would leave them be other than mounting (securely) a few cabinets, countertop/sink/bed platform/etc. You could build a "floor pack" with 3/4" or 2" framing on the floor, fill the voids with rigid sheet foam and gaps with cans of spray foam, then sheet over it with 1/4 ply and glue down vinyl over that. The problem is that an insulated floor is not going to do a lot with uninsulated walls/ceiling.

Then you get to the ceiling. Most cargos have some sort of arch in the ceiling, which also illustrates the minimal wall framing. The arch squeezes enough strength out of the minimal wall framing to resist snow load sufficiently. If the walls were stout, the arch would not be needed. But the arch severely limits how you can clad the ceiling as you either need to frame in a square drop ceiling (suspended from the flexible, minimal framing members) or uses a flexible cladding material that can bend to the arch of the ceiling.

Don't mean to rain on your parade, and I've never converted a cargo trailer to a camper, but I do have a decent cargo trailer that I purchased new. Did two loads in it on our 1000 mile move a few years ago. The first load was mostly heavy stuff, including numerous tools and a 700# safe with 300#s in it. I installed tie down hardware on the interior walls and used tie down anchors and shelf brackets to make an extensive system to keep everything secure, including building a large cargo shelf around the safe once it was loaded. Cargo straps designed to mount to the cargo rails were used as well. As soon as you put any tension on the straps, you can see the whole wall/ceiling structure racking. This is fine for transporting cargo, but it is not a stable base for finishing out a camper space, in my opinion.

More food for thought: When you see people on social media/youtube going through their "builds" for van life or cargo campers, try to find one where they do an update after 1 year of heavy use and are honest about the drawbacks of their DIY project. Most of them will have "upgraded" to a different rig for unknown reasons, on others you will see their DIY rig suddenly disappear from the channel. Occasionally you will see one of the more honest ones go through all the bad things about their build, but that is rare. The problem here is that the content creators get positive reinforcement for their build through channel growth, sponsorships, thumbs-up dopamine hits, etc. Then they spend the next few months putting out content extolling the virtues of what they did, riding that dopamine wave. They answer questions from viewers who are so inspired by them and are now spending their own time and money to do the same things because look how great it is. After months of this, if they start having problems or realizing that their build sucks, they will never talk about it because of the feared backlash.

So first of all, he's said several times that he's not wanting some Instagram van life conversion.

Quite a few bird dog guys have done something in between what he's wanting, and what you're picturing with great success. I might be doing one this winter.

 

[packer58]

It stress cracks after a while. I did the same thing you are describing with a 7x16. Kept it simple, put ez track on the walls and used 2x4 pockets for a removable bed frame. I used a Mr Buddy propane heater when it was cold, but just enough to take the edge off. Cargo trailers work pretty well if you go into it with minimal expectations. A couple of points. Roof vents and a side door that has an rv style door latch. Look for those. I don’t know what utv you have but my 7x16 was fairly tight tight with my Pioneer 1k5

Good points for sure, they are an oven during summer months even with 1" insulation, without roof vents it would be horrible. I offset my P-1000 just a bit in the trailer so access is pretty good .......8.5' wide ...

 

[Zeke6951]

Our family bumper pull camper came back from a pheasant hunt very dirty and muddy a few years back. My wife had a fit. I bought a 16' X7" V-nose cargo trailer and converted it to a hunting camper. I insulated the floor, walls, and ceiling. I put in folding bunk beds, cabinets in the front, camper style windows and an exhaust fan. I wired it for 120ac and 12 volt. I put a sink and water lines that I can hook to water at a camp ground or a 12 volt pump for off grid. We can camp at a campground and hook up or go off grid and still have what we need. I also have a 2000 watt Honda generator that will run everything. I don't know how long it is going to last but it worked great for a bird hunt with my son and grandson last December.

 

[MuleyFever]

Our family bumper pull camper came back from a pheasant hunt very dirty and muddy a few years back. My wife had a fit. I bought a 16' X7" V-nose cargo trailer and converted it to a hunting camper. I insulated the floor, walls, and ceiling. I put in folding bunk beds, cabinets in the front, camper style windows and an exhaust fan. I wired it for 120ac and 12 volt. I put a sink and water lines that I can hook to water at a camp ground or a 12 volt pump for off grid. We can camp at a campground and hook up or go off grid and still have what we need. I also have a 2000 watt Honda generator that will run everything. I don't know how long it is going to last but it worked great for a bird hunt with my son and grandson last December.

How hard was it to install the windows? Did you have to cut through one of the structural beams?