Tom, if you’re reading this comment, make sure you give us an update on how your trailer is holding up. And if I didn’t remember to say it in the video, Tom, thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!

This is what the tear drop trailer market needed. We don't all have $29,000 to make our camping dreams come true.

This may have already been pointed out in the discussion stream, but Tom could have a tidy side business offering his CNC files for sale. His build is pretty impressive.

Boat builder here. Sometimes foam needs to release gases. I would recommend doing the interior fiberglass first. Make sure to use a metal roller to saturate all of the fiberglass. For the outside after glassing Then wipe the whole thing down with acetone, so long as there is no external foam. Then spray on the outer coating. Do the coating in an area without humidity. Dont spray it on an 80 degree day.

Many schools are adding CNC routers (ShopBot trade name) to their Fabrication Labs. If you don't have access to one you may want to check the schools in your area. Teachers are always looking for projects the students can use to learn the design process and equipment setup. Many labs need revenue to keep them going since most were initially funded by seed grants. Offer to pay $100-$200 and they'll probably be very interested. Thanks for bringing this project to us and thank you Tom for sharing with us!

Hey Drew... I have made a few changes to the camper... I changed out the cork ceiling with a carpeted one, i think it makes it a little quieter inside and seems to be holding up better. I also added a wire shelf inside, it gives me a lot of space to put things that I like to have handy like my phone, change of clothes vs having a lot of that stacked up along the sides. I can't remember when I did this, but I took the whole thing off the trailer and fiberglass the camper to the floor. Before that I had the camper foam glued to the floor with "great stuff" and strapped it down to the trailer in fear that it would break free and fly off on the road.

Another thing that cut the price down is Tom knowing a guy that just happens to have a CNC, willing to play around with Tom's project. Nice work, too bad we cant buy the pre cut pieces to assemble in a kit or a template.

We just “finished” our foamie and love it! No fancy cnc machine but we got it done. Get 21 miles to the gallon and stay comfortable in all weather. Foam all the way!

I was one of the first foamie builders. They said that a trailer made of foam would blow apart going down the freeway. We proved them wrong. I really wanted to push a foamie to the limits. I have been beating on a square drop that I built in 50 hours for over 4 years in the back country. It is still going strong. Can't go wrong with a foamie.

Try diamond plate for the front cap. The extra weight would actually help at highway speeds.

I had the best time of my life camping from 15-21 yrs old. When I was homeless. You'd be surprised at how little you need to feel safe and comfortable.

So I’m sitting on my sofa sketching plans to convert my utility trailer into a camper. I’ve been watching KZfaq van life videos for ideas and came across your video! Talk about perfect timing! Thank you SO much for sharing this video with us.

You dont need a cnc machine to cut these, a custom hotwire cuts foam cleanly and quickly, good luck on your builds everyone!!

I have a total 37 yr. career working with composites. This procedure used on the trailer is sort of the same kind of thing but not exactly. anyway, i think that the builders idea that the blistering on the front of the unit was caused by heat from the sun coupled with poor adhesion with the foam. It might help to cover the front with thin plywood glued to the foam with foam adhesive that is available at most lumber yards & big box stores. This will provide much better adhesion than trying to glue the glass directly to the foam. Also, just abrading the foam with 36 grit sand paper that is hand held ( no machine sanding) might give the foam enough "tooth" that it will adhere to the overlay. Good luck.

Creativity never ends! Just loved it. 350 pounds = 158.76 Kg, are you kidding me? Super impressive. How good will this go into a truck bed camper? Into raining? Into hot weather. His way is just awesome! Thank you for another great find Drew! I bet you got impressed, didn’t you?

Just about to wrap up my foam bicycle camper. Mine will only ever see 15kph, so I was able to keep it well under 100lbs. I am disabled, so I also added an electric motor to my mountain bike, but if I ever end up on a mobility scooter (that would be modified by me of course lol) one day I wanna still be able to pull it around. The frame is made from a steel tube bedframe, and the bent plywood slats, with a 1x2 frame holding it all together, and a laminate floor which is also partly structural. I insulated the floor and poor man canvases the entire underside, and then shot it with bedliner spray. I did test the bedliner over glue/canvas/latex lamination weeks in advance and there were no reactions but we will see over time. I put in a braking system that ties into my bikes brakes and also has a locking "emergency brake" lever that locks the brakes on. I havent done the interioe yet, but the plan is to build all cabinetry with the same foam board laminated in veneer wood though instead of canvas. Havent tested yet but think it will work if laminated on both face sides. I found a cheap window frame on Amazon but will have to cut my own glass.from old aquariums or something.

Thanks for the overview of this amazing trailer, Drew. It would be wonderful if someone produced these commercially to give a low-priced option for those that are not able to build a DIY version. It would also be great for someone to host a workshop/course to build these together, like those that offer courses to build canoes or kayaks... Foamy Farming 101! 😊

At Lowe’s or home depot or any large store like that you can buy sheets of pvc, that would probably be a great fix for the front. It’s light weight and pretty sturdy to hold up against rocks, wind, weather, etc. and it can probably just be glued on

Good job. West Systems Epoxy does not melt foam and is SUPER strong. It's not cheap but it would really make this indestructible... (realitively).

Awesome! Love seeing people build their own travel trailers. We just got into teardrop trailers a little over 7 months ago and love seeing how other people take on the small trailers. Wants me to make my own.

The weight savings is amazing. I would have never thought of a form teardrop camper.

Tip: if you first prime foam with KILZ brand latex based primer, the foam can then accept any kind of paint without melting.

Thank you for a mature and thorough presentation. No goofy crap, no smashing any buttons.

I saw one going down the road yesterday. Going north in Illinois. I searched KZfaq to find exactly what I saw yesterday! I was traveling north on 57.

I'm building a full size living quarters complete with kitchen stove, sink, and refrigerator with a stand-up shower and toilet. I am using carbon fiber as my skin with the foam as an insulation. Both, interior and exterior will have carmbon fiber skinning. That gentleman did a great job on his unit. I reallu enjoyed watching this video. Thanks for making this video.

$25 a sheet for the foam?!? Where's he getting it at that price?!? It's $60 a sheet here in Tennessee. I have plans to make a 6x12 foamie teardrop similar to the Bend Trailer design. So wish it was $25 a sheet here. Love that he had someone with a CNC machine to help him do the puzzle piece construction.

He is an inventor who is diligent in making it real. I am very happy that it exists. I have a pop up trailer with a lot of things inside. I have not used the sink, the stove, etc. I always hope that they make simple trailer that is light that you can pull with any car. It will also be green (gas efficient) as heavy trailer takes a lot of gasoline to move.

That's Pretty Ingenious Actually!!! The Fact that you can Choose what type of trailer you want to put it on is a Great Seller as well....Me Likey🤙🏽

Drew, Great job on the video again! Thanks again for taking an interest in my Foamie... It was a great project and looking forward to what I might come up with next!

The way it came out, wow. Foam is such a good isolation material too. If done properly, no wood is truly needed. Busy designing my first trailer and Foam panels are playing an integral role in it. Combining Foam with other composite materials (to keep it water tight) to build a 1 piece trailer shell.

Check out the fire rating for foam board insulation. Residential building code requires covering it with fire rated dry wall. Never smoke in bed.

Along with what i had in it, I also built an ammo can propane firepit which was easy and fun to do... no more worrying about getting to a wet campsite with wet wood for a fire, this really does the trick!

Airplane pioneers like burt rutan have been making planes out of fiberglass covered foam for years, theyre far stronger and more durable than their aluminum counterparts the g loading on a velocity is greater than 9 g's

Great project! For the front, you might want to consider bed liner or automotive stone guard paint. Both can be mixed to any color. It would help with road hazards when towing and be more durable. Thanks for sharing - again - great project!

Bears will love the way foam insulates and preserves the goodies inside . 😅

When we use foam for RC planes, we first have to lightly sand the foam to make it *rough* before putting on either paint or another Fibreglass layer. This ensures proper adhesion!

I think what’s neat about the foamie, is this video just barely scratches the surface about what you can build for low coast. Their are a lot of low cost rigid foam products out there, that have specific architectural applications. It will be neat to see what the community does.

My initial guess is there were some small amounts of moisture under the paint. Any trapped moisture will expand (1600x) as it vaporizes. I also suspect these bubbles will worsen.

Economical, inexpensive, light weight, ease of construction, minimal amount of materials = Go out and enjoy the great outdoors without taking a second mortgage out on your home in the process. What not to love? Enjoyed the vid, here's one for the little guy! 👍

10 hours is how long it takes to figure out the tools I need.

Next time you could try using epoxy on the fiberglass cloth instead of latex paint. You could paint after but the epoxy would make it more waterproof, hard, less chance of detachment of the cloth, it’s much better.

... Ok this is FUNNY. Drew, you realize most bike campers are made like this LOL. either no frame or a very light frame of wood or aluminium tubing, foam then an outer coating of either plastic, fiberglass, or other "thin" skin for water resistance and such.

Thank you for a no-nonsense video! Camping stuff is often loaded with clickbait, but this had no fluff and just the info I wanted about construction, weight, price, and a features overview.

It's a beauty! I need to make one for my E-bike😃👍🏼

You did such a good job fitting it all together, why not just use resin over the glass? The structure would be so much stronger and last longer. On a small build like that the cost is not that much more. Regardless, nice job! Love it!

OMG!!! I absolutely loved Tom's trailer. As a single lady who would have to hitch and maneuver the trailer alone, this is a fantastic solution. Is Tom planning on bringing this foamy into production? I would be customer Number 1.

Few notes on this after having a client share the link with me. Weight is probably not 350 lbs. Might not be fully 500 lbs, but there is more non foam contents than Tom originally mentions at 3:30. Things like the stabilizers, the doors, fan, lights, paint, storage box on the tongue, etc that he goes on to eventually talk about. I believe the trailer itself is a touch over 275 lbs, each door is probably easily 30 -40 lbs. So close to the 350 lbs without any wood or anything else yet. All to say if you're really counting on 350 lbs and something like 400 lbs is going to be the line on make or break ( say you plan on towing with an ATV safely ), I would look into the weight of all the materials a bit more before starting the build. 10 hour assembly is something that comes from many hours of trial and error with the glues and fitting Tom talks about, as well as the trial and error from it seems other builds if you've gotten to a point of using a CNC machine. If this is your first build, expect in the range of ~40+ hours. If this is your first build, also expect a higher budget. Last I saw those trailers I think was ~$500+ not $350, and if you don't have any bigger tools like a circular/table saw, etc you will find you could easily spend another $300-$500+ in tools. Also, the doors I've seen recently are closer to $400/each. So you can obviously save by maybe just doing one, or possibly sourcing some of the items used, but it seems that maybe these supplies and their prices were purchased more than a year or two ago as all the ones mentioned seem to be what these items cost new a couple of years or more ago. This is all to say that in the end you can definitely have a lightweight trailer that's easy to tow and possibly store, but if you're going into something like this with a hard budget and hard expectations on weight, especially doing it for the first time, do as much research as you can ahead of time to avoid situations like having to buy materials again from measurement or cut mistakes, and possibly having to deal with having a finished project that simply ways too much for what you had in mind.

What a great build! Tom Mesi, from Mesi Madhouse Outdoors, is the King of the Foamy!!!

I got to tell you, initiative some people have. That was pretty cool. Yes, my vote would be there was some contaminants on the insulation before the paint. Could have been even been oils from your skin or moisture. I would bet a precoat would work well. Would love to get updates on that throughout time. And distance traveled. Great job!

Really love to hear from anyone with one of these after a couple years of use.

This opens up a whole spectrum of new ideas !!. Thanks. I can do this

This is super cool. I actually just got a harbor, freight trailer myself. I’m thinking about putting some sort of removable camper on the back of it. That way I can still utilize the trailer for things.

I love the creativity. What is it like to tow? Is it flying around behind you? Highway speeds? Semi passing? What about rocks flying up on the front end? I would have stopped at the campground and asked for a tour.

I built an airplane oujt of foam and fiberglass. I used Epoxy adhesive which is designed to adhere to the glass cloth and the foam so it sticks so well it is stronger than the foam itself and will not delaminate. It also cures extremely hard so provides puncture and abrasion resistance. It IS more expensive than other adhesives but the advantage is worth it. You can then paint overe the surface for UV protection and esthetics.

I just love that you work so hard to bring us the latest and best teardrops. Thx

I would suspect that the bubbles in the paint might be spots where the foam may have had grease or oil on it or where it got heated a bit and melted a bit. I'm leaning more toward contamination though. I agree that priming it first might have helped to prevent it.

Would love to see his CNC files for cutting the pieces. What an awesome job. If he does any kind of formal plans, I hope you will post a link to it.

That's kind of a genius idea! I'm just a bit curious of the structural integrity of it. Like, what happens when someone accidentally stumbles and falls into it? Would the foam and joints be strong enough to keep it from collapsing?

Very interesting but I wouldn’t be surprised that the foam and glue off gases for years. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable having my children sleep inside, but I would sleep in it. Of course, the RV 😢industry is full with materials that aren’t safe for humans. One question, how much of this trailer is recyclable?

Hey! I watched a guy make his camper using garage doors, which are basically Phone board on the inside and then on the outside they may have some metal. As a matter fact, I’m gonna attend to similar Build to that.

I just ordered a tow package and I'm hunting for a trailer right now to do a build like that! Very inspiring video and I can't wait to get started 🙌🏾

Hey all, someone asked how i attached the camper to the trailer... great question because I struggled with that for a while. I started by using great stuff canned foam as an adhesive to the attach it to the floor. it sealed it all around and on the back interior wall. I also has 1 piece of the 2x4 uses to frame in the back galley so I screwed that down as well. That was my only positive attachment to the floor. After I painted it, I then fiber glassed the camper to the floor wrapping it from the bottom sides to the bottom of the plywood for the only idea that I could come up with for a solid attachment. Once that was completed I did my best to sand it down and make it look good, then I bolted the floor to the trailer frame using galvanized carriage bolts from the inside out. I then covered that with some foam squares I bought from Harbor Freight for the final step in the interior floor. That gives me some insulation from the wood floor and a bit of padding to crawl around on. I hope that helps..

If you take your pick (ex. Jayco) built this for mass market it would be 15-20K. You would think a major manufacturer that buys in bulk could produce this for $1000.00 and sell more than they could produce. This is what is wrong with all the builders large and small they have no sense of budget / affordability.

I would love to see a set of plans for his trailer. The link to the instructables above is for a full curved teardrop. I love his simplified design with no curves.

Smart, simple, and lovely.

Looking into building possibly such a trailer and a foamy boat in the future. I work too many hours working for this so I will wait until I retire to do anything. I am building and testing samples and hopefully a garbage can house out of foam construction panels. I have found that painting the roughed up foam first ( basically use sand paper to remove to smooth surfsce) first and then applying the burlap, old bed sheet, or fiberglass window screening and then immediately painting the reinforcing media produces better bonding & strength to the foam than using wood glue on my samples and foamy winter air conditioner cover I built. I found that after drying that another light coating of water based exterior paint improves the surface finish and weather resistance of the samples. I have place these samples outside during the winter and freeze and thaw weather that exists in Ohio. I have wanted make some samples up with fiberglass cloth from a boat building supply store and exterior paint like in this video. I am looking for a surface with fairly good impact resistance ( toughness verses just structural strength) and decent strength to the structure. My best sample so far has been the fiberglass window screening ( which will break when impacted with my hammer) with a canvas or old bed sheet painted on top of it. Could you be so kind as to comment on how the fiberglass cloth holds up to impacts as in my hit it with a hammer test? Perhaps you or the builder of the foamy trailer haven't tried this. If so please respond by commenting; " You don't know how well it holds up to impacts".

We have a full tour of a Tearjerker director with a foamie on our channel. These are very cool campers and surprisingly durable. Easy to fix or modify. Think a bit more than 10 hours and $800 but still economical. Another great video, thanks for sharing.

I would like to know if it floats! 🤔 Thanks for the vid Drew! Very interesting indeed! Have a great 4th!

Foam container? This is just Uber Eats for bears😂

Wow, gr8 DIY trailer. A custom insulated economical lightweight teardrop. Best part is the camper can b upgraded w/ new & improved feature as the person continued camping. Thx 4 sharing on Utube.

I am not DIY savvy, but I have been looking for a low cost, light weight trailer like this. I don't want water hookup, I don't want a stove....I have all these things I just need the trailer itself (must have lights for transport though lol.) I would purchase if it is commercially sold !

ET's Foam home!

Glidden Gripper Primer is a great product to laminate flat material to this pink foam. I made some doors for a shed this way and it was sweet. You can use Fiberglass panel and laminate it to the foam core board.

This is super practical. I like it

I think something like this would be great as the light weight would make it easily towable by a Subaru (like a Forester or Crosstrek) with a 1500 lb tow limit. My concern is that foam has no strength so I wonder how these would hold up to regular use and towing on our “less than ideal” roads.

Clever. I'm wondering if, being so light, how much does it bounce when hitting holes in the road or going over railroad tracks. And wonder if the foam helps with sweating inside. My brother would have had ideas, he built his own Fiberglas cars. Maybe this will catch on.

LOVE IT ! But I have a question. How is it anchored to the trailer? Why doesn"t the whole thing blow off in one piece? Thanks for taking the time to put up the video!

I love this build! Thanks for showcasing it here.

Really like the whole thing and thinking about making one myself! But one concern I have is...yeah it's light, but that might be to light! Only 350lbsgoin down the road and you hit a nice crosswind, that might not end well😮 Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't hurt to see how my brain works.

Cool build. I have never heard of a foamy. The CNC definitely helps with the cutting of the panels. How is the durability of these foamies? I wonder how the exterior would be if the applied Raptor (or some other bed) liner. To me it would help with chips, waterproofing, and a little bit of structure. Foamies, who knew?

Great idea, it took me two years off an on t I finish my build. I used PMF and skinned in aluminum. I didn't cut any corners but I have about 6k into it. Next build is going to be a foamie

Believe it or not but I have used PVC pipe ( one inch ) filled with sand to add weight to many projects. Any configuration almost. I painted the pipe black and it blends in with many projects-- fences, gates, and supports. Built a lean too for my mower. Very versatile.

Very interesting... kinda makes ya think. I'm curious about how it is attached to trailer. Also, are there commercial facilities where you could get the foam cut?

I would gladly pay double your cost to have one of these built for me.

Great DIY build. I have a buddy who works in a machine shop, I would probably get some 1/16 sheet steel cut and bent to fit on the front of the trailer to protect it from rocks and move some weight closer to the tongue.

Looks like a great build. I was wondering about building out of foam myself.

Is there any way to get the cnc plans he used or maybe we could pay a small fee to access? I'd love to have a starting place for the plans and i also have a friend with a cnc machine. This would be a fun summer project!

I need to make something like this to avoid paying rent. This is less than one month's rent!

A most excellent informational video. Thanks to you both.

EVERYTHING IS SO DAMN OVERPRICED!!! Beautiful build...❤

The best method for the fiberglass cloth is to use epoxy like used for boats. It adds waterproofness and the rigidity. As long as the foam is clean of any residual and dust.

Sweet

Like contact cement, roll on a layer of tile bond and let it dry. It acts like a primer and a bonding agent when you lay up the glass mat.

Elkhart Indiana Will steal the design then patent it. Nice work.

I wonder if you covered the outside with a vinyl or some other sheet to provide protection from rocks and bumps, plus I'd imagine it would greatly increase the overall strength. Edit: I just saw that it's covered w/ fiberglass cloth. Excellent!

I wonder about the reliability of the harbor freight trailer. I read some less than glowing reviews of them. Also, don't they only have a maximum speed of 50 mph?

The bubbling surface with fiberglass underneath, I used to do fiberglass work, you need to gel coat over it with an epoxy resin and catalyst. It will harden like a boat surface.

this is AWESOME!

I'm always surprised that people are surprised, that you can make stuff out of fiberglass covered cloth. They've been doing it with boats for decades.

Very cool. I just did 2,200 miles pulling my toy hauler across the country from Oklahoma to Utah. Once I was in Utah, I wish I had the Jeep. Plus no wife and kids so I didn’t need all the amenities. Small trailer imminent.