A mobile home is a type of vehicle that combines a means of transportation and living space. This type of housing became widespread in the middle of the last century.

The motorhome can accommodate up to eight people. Each inhabitant of the dwelling can sleep in a separately equipped sleeping place. There is also a small kitchen built into the mobile home. Of course, the availability of equipment and functionality varies depending on the model of the house, but many have:

• gas stove,
• oven,
• sink,
• cupboards for cutlery and dishes.

Interior layout and construction of a mobile home

In more luxurious models there is also a microwave oven and a grill.

Furnishing of a mobile home

A mobile home can be equipped with a bathroom. As a rule, it is represented by a dry closet, shower and washbasin. Later models of RVs are equipped with a separate shower cubicle.

In a RV, the driver's and passenger's seats have a movable base. Thus, during parking, these places become part of the living space. The RV can also accommodate a room, most often it has U-shaped upholstered furniture located in the “tail”.

Mobile home model with alcove superstructure above the driver's cab

Mobile homes can be divided into several types. For example, by the type of construction, they can be trailed, with living quarters in a van, or combined with the vehicle itself. They can also be divided into motorhomes that are used for travel or for permanent residence. Mobile homes are more equipped and comfortable. Travel homes rarely have built-in toilets and showers and are not subdivided into living areas and cabins.

A bit of history

The beginnings of a mobile home go back to the last century. Although, as the researchers believe, there were previously homemade versions of movable houses. These were mobile wagons in carts for people who were engaged in cattle breeding and horse breeding. In 1938, Jennings introduced the RV to the world by installing living quarters on the chassis of a conventional car.

Categories

Motorhomes can be roughly divided into 3 categories:

1. C-class.

These American mobile homes do not have a lot of space and are designed for short trips. They are produced on the basis of large SUVs. For example, the driver's cab transforms into a double bed during the night.

2.B-class semi-integrated.

The design of such a mobile home is very similar to the C-class. The berth is fixed and located at the rear of the vehicle. This mobile home is very popular among couples.

Shared body with cab (integrated)

3. A-class integrated.

This type of mobile home, which looks like a bus, is the most comfortable. It is built on the chassis of full-fledged trucks, and due to its large mass it is assigned to the transport category "C". These motorhomes are the most expensive mobile homes.

Read also

Projects and layout of houses with a stove

The house has a fixed driver's seat with a large windshield for a better view of the road and surrounding landscape. The inner walls can be pulled out, thus forming different zones or additional sleeping places.

Diagram of the device of the A-class mobile home

These mobile homes are autonomous and have large supplies of water, gas and a generator, which makes them a full-fledged living place for their inhabitants.

There are also:

• Hybrid trailers. Outside, they are equipped with retractable tents for resting or sleeping while parking on specially equipped areas.
• Trailer trailers. This is usually a small, drop-shaped trailer. The main advantage of these caravans is the ability to move the trailer with motorcycle equipment.

• Theveswil trailer. A trailer that is little more than a trailer trailer. Such a mobile home must be transported by a vehicle equipped with a special coupling device.

Other names for mobile homes

The term "camper" refers to the classes "B" and "C", and the term "mobile home" is used only to the class "A".

Campers especially popular in America

In some countries, the term "vinebago" refers to all mobile homes, regardless of their class or type.

Luxury mobile home

Exclusive models have no competitors either in comfort or in price. Their design has become a new concept, making this mobile home the most functional and most comfortable. Such a motorhome has a fairly spacious interior made from the best types of finishing materials.

Mobile home with all the amenities

In such a house, a handmade bathroom is covered with glass tiles. The plumbing is made of copper and the handles are made of crystal. The shower cabin is made of onyx. The ceiling of the driver's cab and the seats are covered with mother-of-pearl Italian leather, the dashboard is made of natural African wood. The living area has a sofa with two electrical modules. The salon is equipped with a bar. The dining area features a stunning onyx table.

In the residential part, there is a small office with a laptop, the monitor of which is a 17-inch wall screen. Also in the office there is a multifunction printer and a lot of boxes for various purposes.

The ceilings along the length of the mobile home are covered with all kinds of sculptures made of copper sheets, and the lamp is decorated with beautiful crystals, which is a nice addition to the comfort of the dining area.

To fully appreciate the exceptional character of this motorhome, you need to see it with your own eyes. The description simply cannot convey all its luxury.

The interior of these RVs

Making a camper with your own hands is not too difficult for an experienced craftsman. But the terms of such construction can be very delayed due to the constant improvement of the design. In order not to get into such a situation, you should think over the interior in advance, abandoning obviously unnecessary elements. This is especially important when equipping small cars, for example, when creating a home on wheels from a GAZelle with your own hands.

A mobile home has undeniable advantages - comfort, coziness and mobility. Moscow is a bustling city from which you sometimes want to leave. Trailer owners do not have to find a place to sleep, and travel becomes very economical. If earlier it was not possible to use this original housing, you should first familiarize yourself with their classification.

Types of motorhomes and their classification

When choosing the type of future mobile housing, you can be guided by its division by:

• mind - there are trailed, van or motor homes combined with a car;
• class - there are three comfort classes for motorhomes;
• trailer type - there are trailer trailers, hybrid trailers and fifth-wheel trailers.

If everything is clear with the trailed view of a mobile home, then the difference between a van and a combined caravan is not immediately visible. In the first embodiment, the living space is located in the van of the car and is separated from the driver's seat.

This option is suitable when traveling together, when no one stays in the "house" during the travels. Thanks to this design, it is possible to fit more functional furniture using a blank front wall.

Motorhomes converted from GAZelles or minibuses are exactly combined.

The comfort class can be called conditional. For example, class “A” mobile homes include spacious trailers made on the chassis of large trucks. Outwardly, they resemble a bus, they can have folding structures, but inside they do not differ in functionality from a small apartment.

It should be borne in mind that the driver must have category "C" rights to drive this vehicle.

There is much less space in it, but it is still convenient to travel in them. What is important - you can drive such a car with a category B license if the weight of the car or the total weight of the car with a trailer does not exceed 3.5 tons.

Class "C" indicates the simplest motorhomes. It can be a small trailer or a minibus converted into a camper. There is no separate sleeping place - its function is performed by folding sofas or armchairs. But by equipping such a mini camper with a roof rack, a folding canopy and a set of camping furniture, you can get a comfortable stay at a minimum cost.

Such construction trailers are also called hybrid trailers to distinguish them from simple trailers. Separately, it is necessary to note the Fiveswil trailers, the shape of which is designed for use in conjunction with pickups. Thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the length of the entire caravan, because part of the trailer hangs over the car body.

Mistakes when building mobile homes with your own hands

The prices for mobile homes are noticeably biting. Not surprisingly, the desire of the skilled heads of families to save the budget and do everything yourself. It is important to be wise and learn from the mistakes of others:

• you should not do everything from scrap materials - you will have to live in the house for at least a week and you want to spend your vacation in comfort;





• serious revision of the body, heating system, wiring will be required - you cannot do without the skills of an auto mechanic;



• if you still manage to fit a shower and toilet, do not forget about the drain tank - pouring dirty water onto the asphalt or lawn is extremely unethical;
• it is better not to forget to make a connector for connecting 220V at camping sites, well, and a converter for 12V from the car battery.

Making a trailer in-house

If difficulties do not frighten, and the desire for action is unstoppable, you can try your hand at building a house. And to remake a GAZelle or build a trailer-trailer from scratch - the choice is strictly individual!

DIY GAZelle mobile home

To work you will need a grinder, a welding machine, a hand saw for wood and a lot of patience. The step-by-step modernization of the car looks like this:

1. The seats are removed from the passenger compartment, the old trim is removed. All metal parts are treated with a special solution to prevent rust. The walls and ceiling are insulated with polyethylene foam, plywood sheets are laid on the floor. All wiring runs under the floor and wall cladding, this should be thought out in advance.



2. A frame for furniture is welded directly into the body. If it is impossible to set the car straight, you can use a pipe resting its ends against the lower edge of the window openings as a level. After the rough welding, the frame is removed and everything is welded, cleaned and brought inside again.



3. Window openings are pasted over with Carpet. Carpet-pasted ceiling panels are also installed. After finishing the interior trim, you can attach the slats under the mezzanine and mount the furniture frames.



4. For the front seats, you can make a swivel mechanism. To do this, you need a front hub, for example, from a VAZ and part of a pivot stand. The circuit is pretty simple.





5. The final stage is to install the furniture on the frame, connect the lighting, install a pump for the kitchen sink, lining the mezzanine and minor interior improvements. For cooking, you can put a small gas stove on one burner.



6. Instead of welding the furniture frame, you can use ready-made headsets, reinforcing them from the inside with corners and additional screws. You also need to fix the kitchen to everything - the floor, sofa, wall. This is to protect furniture from loosening when driving on bumpy roads.

It should not be forgotten that such a modification of the car requires registration with the REO. To do this, you need to write a statement and get a resolution from the technical department of the traffic police and the protocol of the authorized organization.

Stylish plywood trailer house

If the car has a towbar, it is a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not make a nice "drop" trailer for spending the night outside the city. For this:

1. The side walls of the future van are cut and attached to the base. All openings for doors and windows, as well as for lightening the frame, must be cut out in advance, so it is better to think over the drawing well.



2. Shelves are assembled from the furniture board and installed on the base. The same shelves will serve as the front and rear walls of the van.



3. In the shape of the van above the shelves, a plywood sheet is bent on both sides, and a load-bearing frame made of timber is fixed on top. One side is lifted, giving access to the kitchen.





4. The top hatch and skylight are cut out. The entire frame is insulated, the wiring is laid.



5. Everything is glued on top with veneer sheets. When the door and window openings have been cut out, you can proceed to the exterior painting and varnishing.





6. Doors, top hatch and supply and exhaust ventilation are installed. After securing all the hardware, side lights and wheel fenders, you can safely go on a journey!

And the video shows a detailed assembly of the motorhome with the installation of solar panels:

Some travelers and outdoor enthusiasts prefer DIY caravans to ready-made ones. The choice is explained not only by the lower cost of self-made structures - you can think over the layout and equip the interior as you wish. Before you build a house on wheels with your own hands, you should learn more about the process of making motorhomes, decide which option is better: a caravan or a camper.

Original motorhome

The device of a motorhome and a caravan

Regardless of the type, the motorhome should have minimal amenities: sleeping places for each traveler and an area for cooking and eating.

In addition, inside a minibus or trailer there may be:

• washbasin;
• gas stove connected to the cylinder;
• shelves, lockers and other storage systems.

Mobile homes for long travel usually have a bathroom with a small shower.

Making a motorhome for yourself, with your own hands, you can provide for the presence of a bathroom and everything else that may be required on a trip.

DIY motorhome making

A home on wheels with their own hands is made on the basis of a van or trailer. Buses are suitable for this purpose - a spacious cabin, a high roof make it a good contender for remodeling.

Before converting a trailer or van, find out the conditions for registering caravans with a traffic police.

Motorhome bus

The construction of a mobile home consists of several stages:

• drafting a project;
• carrying out external and internal work;
• communication device;
• placement of furniture.

First of all, you should decide what to take as a basis: a trailer or a van. The first option is more labor-intensive - the van already has walls and a roof, and in the trailer they will need to be built independently.

DIY motorhome based on a car

To create mobile housing, a car or, for example, an old bus is used. A vehicle for conversion into a house is chosen based on financial capabilities and the number of people who will live inside the building.

Depending on the number of residents, they think over the design of the mobile home, as well as its filling. To make it easier to work, make a plan.

Truck van based motorhome

Before making a motorhome, you need to stock up on materials and tools necessary for work:

• grinder;
• car paint;
• screwdriver;
• welding machine;
• thermal insulation;
• materials for finishing (plastic panels, lining or other);
• moisture resistant plywood;
• carpet;
• fasteners (screws, nails, dowels);
• polyurethane foam;
• primer;
• paint brushes;
• sealant;
• metal brush.

Outdoor work

When the drawing is ready, the design is thought out, they proceed to external work. Required:

1. Clean the car body from rust and other damage. If paint on surfaces is loose, clean it off.
2. Make several holes in the van for the windows, if they were not there initially. At the same time, cut out ventilation holes.
3. Determine the location and cut openings for exhaust gases, drain holes and other communications.
4. Coat cut areas, areas where paint has been removed with a primer to prevent rust formation. Wait until it is completely dry.
5. Paint the exterior of the van.

RV based van

Internal work

If you plan to separate the cab from the living compartment. Then the partition is mounted either with fasteners, or the metal frame is welded to the body with a welding machine.

First, the body is covered with heat-insulating material. Any insulation designed for residential premises is suitable. To fix the material on the walls, ceiling, hardware is used made of the same metal as the body - this technique will help protect the car from rust.

If the selected insulation does not tolerate contact with water, it will be necessary to additionally lay waterproofing.

Insert windows. Move on to wall decoration. For cladding, we choose moisture-resistant plywood. The sheets must be quite thick to withstand a serious load - they will subsequently be used for attaching cabinets, shelves, and furniture.

Work starts from the ceiling. Having fixed the sheets there, they sheathe the walls. Further, a wooden beam with a thickness of the height of the heat-insulating material is attached to the floor, insulation plates are laid between them. The floor is covered with plywood, fastened to the timber with self-tapping screws.

The salon in which the kitchen is located, and the shower and toilet should be separated using a frame partition.

Plywood can be painted, varnished, or carpeted. The latter option also serves as additional thermal insulation. A special glue is used to fix the carpet.

The next step is the device of communications in accordance with a pre-drawn scheme: electricity, heating and ventilation. The cable, water and gas pipes are laid either on top of the inner lining, or they are mounted simultaneously with the installation of the insulation inside, making holes for the outlet of communications.

Furniture

The furniture for the motorhome is selected individually. The necessary furnishings include:

• table with a bench for the dining area;
• bed or folding sofa;
• hinged shelves and lockers for storing supplies, clothes, bedding;
• washing.

Since furniture is subject to increased stress while the mobile home is in motion, it must be of high quality, strong, have reliable fittings and a minimum of moving elements. Make sure that the cabinet door will not open during a sudden turn and the contents will not spill over the cabin.

All furniture must be firmly fixed, it is desirable that it be fixed at two points: on the floor and on the wall.

Interior solutions in a motorhome

DIY motorhome from a trailer

Making a mobile home from a trailer is more difficult than remodeling a car. In this case, you will need to build the base of the floor, walls, roof from scratch.

For the construction of a camper, single-axle trailers are most often chosen that can withstand a load of up to 1 ton. Therefore, it is necessary to select materials for the frame, taking into account the weight of the future structure.

A camper trailer is erected using a frame:

• metal;
• wood;
• sandwich panels.

The most affordable and relatively light material for making a house on a trailer is wood. It is easier to work with and does not require special tools to connect the elements.

DIY vintage camper trailer

Frame

To make the frame you will need:

• timber 50 * 50 mm;
• moisture resistant plywood 10 mm for walls;
• plywood 12 mm thick for the floor;
• fasteners (screws);
• screwdriver;
• drying oil, brush;
• galvanized corners;
• jigsaw;
• metal profile for the roof;
• galvanized steel (for external cladding);
• silicone sealant;
• insulation.

A preliminary drawing of the future caravan-trailer is drawn up, only after that they purchase building materials for the manufacture of the facade and roof of a house on wheels.

The minimum parameters of the motorhome are 230 * 160 cm. The height of the building is from two meters. With this size, inside the living compartment, you can organize 2 berths, a dining area and a sink. If there is a need to equip a full-fledged housing with everything necessary, then the size should be increased by 2-3 times.

RV trailer manufacturing process

Work order

1. Remove the side from the trailer.
2. They clean the chassis, paint it with an anti-corrosion compound.
3. If there is a sufficiently strong base, the logs and the lower frame of the frame are fixed directly on it, if it is absent, then the frame is welded from a metal pipe 50 * 25 mm.
4. The lower strapping is carried out from a bar of 50 * 50. The side elements are connected to each other using lags. Lags are placed at a distance of every 20 cm. Metal corners are used to connect them to the timber.
5. Cover the wooden elements with linseed oil in 2 layers.
6. Insulation plates are placed in the space between the lags.
7. The base is covered with 12 mm plywood, fixing it with self-tapping screws.
8. Go to the frame racks. The beam is connected to the lower strapping using corners and self-tapping screws. After that, the upper strapping is performed.
9. Cover the entire structure with linseed oil.
10. In places where the windows should be according to the plan, beams and racks are installed from a bar.
11. The sheathing starts from the inside. Plywood is attached to galvanized screws every 25 cm along the perimeter of the sheet.
12. Grind the inner surfaces using a grinder. Cover with varnish.
13. Outside, the sheets are treated with linseed oil.
14. Insulation is laid in the cavities between the frame racks, the frame is sheathed with sheets of 10 mm plywood, which are pre-coated with drying oil on both sides.
15. The door is made of timber and plywood sheets. The door is installed on galvanized hinges.
16. Insert windows. A simple solution is Plexiglas sheets.
17. A self-made mobile home is sheathed with sheets of galvanized steel. Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, they are screwed along the perimeter at a distance of every 10 cm. The corners of the trailer are sheathed with a corner.
18. The joints of the sheets with each other and the corners are treated with a sealant to prevent water from entering the structure.
19. It remains to make the roof and roof. It is necessary to cover it with corrugated board, fix the sheets on galvanized screws.

Internal layout

The walls, ceiling and floor are already sheathed, so all that remains is to paint or varnish them. If the size of the building allows, the shower and the bathroom are equipped with a separate room. They erect a frame partition, hang a door. All the remaining space is divided into zones: a sleeping area, a recreation and eating area, a kitchen. You will need to install sockets for electrical appliances, it is important not to forget about high-quality ventilation for a mobile home.

Furniture

To save space, transformable furniture is installed inside the trailer. For example, they do it on their own or purchase a folding table, a sofa bed. In the upper part of the walls, shelves are mounted in which things, kitchen utensils, and clothes will be stored.

Useful little things

What else is worth knowing before you start making a mobile home:

1. For the outer sheathing of the frame of a trailed motorhome, you can use not only galvanized steel, but also a professional sheet.
2. If you cannot organize the ventilation system, you can cut small holes in the doors and close them with a mosquito net. If there are drop-down windows for ventilation, then this is not required.
3. In order for the mobile home to serve for a long time, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the casing, paint the metal if necessary.

The process of creating a mobile home on your own is quite laborious, it requires financial investments, a waste of time and effort. Therefore, proceed with it with complete confidence that you will be able to independently develop a project and bring it to life.

Many leisure enthusiasts dream of traveling in a mobile home, so as not to be dependent on purchasing tickets, booking hotels and being tied to one point during the entire vacation. A mobile home is both a home and a vehicle. It allows you to go on a journey with maximum comfort and stop wherever you want on the road. In addition, it can be used as housing in the country or during the construction of a house.

A mobile home today can be purchased ready-made, although it is quite an expensive pleasure. But it is much more interesting and cheaper to make it with your own hands from an old vehicle, re-equipping its interior or making such a motorhome practically from scratch, not counting the basics. For this, in addition to the "wheels" themselves, you will need not only funds for re-equipment and a variety of tools, but also certain skills of such work, as well as a lot of effort and free time.

Attention! Before investing in the re-equipment of a vehicle, you need to find out all the nuances of its registration in the relevant authorities in order to avoid any problems during registration. Otherwise, it is unlikely that it will be possible to use such transport for travel, and it will settle as a dead weight somewhere in the country.

A decent-sized mobile home can come from a large van, but such a mobile home is too expensive a vehicle. Among the budget options that are quite suitable for those who like to craft anything with their own hands, there are three most convenient ones. So, a mobile home can be made from:

• Gazelles;
• old bus;
• trailer with a sturdy chassis.

House from the car Gazelle

To implement any of these three options, in addition to the presence of the vehicle itself, which will be taken as a basis, a plan for the future motorhome will be required, at least in a schematic form. Such a plan will take into account all the design features and plan a living area with maximum comfort for finding there. It can simply be drawn on paper or done on a computer, if that's more convenient.

Internal communications of a mobile home

Without electricity, water and gas, life in a mobile home can hardly be called comfortable. A rechargeable battery and a charger are usually used to provide the room with electricity. The wiring inside must be thought out in advance. Do not forget about the external connector to charge the battery, which are of different capacities. The most suitable battery capacity must also be calculated in advance, taking into account the load and the travel distance.

Interior design of a mobile home

Gas cylinders are often used to heat a room. Gas will also be convenient for cooking, which is much more profitable in terms of consumption than a stove from electricity. The presence of a kitchen in such a house implies the installation of a hood above the stove in it and the organization of a general ventilation system, which is especially important when using propane.

Council. You should not undertake independent gasification and power supply of the premises in the absence of the necessary knowledge and experience, it is better to entrust such work to professionals. The safety of people in the motorhome directly depends on how well they are carried out.

The kitchen will not be able to function even without water, which is usually stored in containers where a submersible pump is lowered to supply it to the tap. To drain the used water, a reservoir is also used, which is attached either indoors or outside. If desired, the mobile home can also be equipped with a small shower. But the usual bathroom in a mobile home cannot be made; a dry closet is used in this capacity.

RV kitchen area

As for furniture, it is better if all of it in a mobile home is practical and compact, because there is not too much space for placing it. Variants of reclining berths, sliding tables and the like organization of space can be used. And all this must be securely fastened to the walls in order to ensure safety when moving. Furniture for arrangement can be purchased ready-made, but for a person with hands it is easy to make it yourself, taking into account the size of the room, and make a sofa and chairs, for example, from car seats.

It is quite possible to arrange the interior space in a mobile home, and all this can be done independently. But before that you need to prepare the room. Depending on which option is taken - a minibus or a trailer, there will be differences in the stages of work required for the conversion.

Mobile home from Gazelle or old bus

Re-equipment of a minibus begins with cleaning the body of upholstery and seats, after which various holes are made - for windows, ventilation, for gas supply.

Mobile house from the bus

Then work on the arrangement of the residential area is performed in the following sequence:

• even out the dents on the inner surface, then primer all open metal parts of the body to prevent corrosion on them;
• the inner surface of the future house, including walls, floor and ceiling, is covered with thermal insulation;
• on top of the insulating material, starting from the ceiling, plywood, resistant to moisture, or carpet is laid.

Upon completion of these works, electrification and gasification of the premises, kitchen and bathroom equipment, furniture installation are carried out. For reliable installation of furniture, plywood of a larger thickness is attached to the walls than to the floor or ceiling, or separate reinforced strips are placed to fix it. And, of course, if necessary, you need to tidy up the chassis and engine of the Gazelle or the old bus, then such a house will become truly mobile.

Trailer-based mobile home

Here, in contrast to a house made from a minibus, the work is somewhat different. First you need to protect the chassis from corrosion by cleaning and painting them. Then you have to build the floor, walls, ceiling and roof, proceeding in the following sequence:

• put plywood of sufficient thickness on the frame, surround the outer edge with a bar and fasten with bolts;

Trailer-based home flooring

• lay the beams on the floor, fixing heat-insulating material between them and close it all from above with plywood;
• for the construction of walls, timber and lining are used, not forgetting in the process of work to make openings for windows and doors, as well as technological holes for the entrance and exit of various communications;
• for the construction of the roof, install the rafters, sheathe them with plywood, covering them with moisture-resistant material on top;

Building walls

• after laying the electrical wiring, make thermal insulation of the walls, then closing the fiberboard on top;
• to protect wooden walls, prime them from the inside and outside, and then paint them in two layers;
• install a door and windows, additional interior decoration may be required.

Upon completion of these works, you can also think about gasification, water supply, organizing a kitchen and a bathroom, installing furniture. Then all that remains is to put on the fenders and headlights that the trailer is supposed to do, and the mobile home is ready for travel.

Do not forget to obtain permits before setting off in your RV

Traveling in a mobile home, of course, is very convenient. However, before starting construction, decide for yourself whether you can independently master all the work, because they will require quite a lot of effort, means and skills.

DIY home on wheels: video

Let's omit, you do not need to drive straight through peat bogs, but it is quite enough that a trailer or self-propelled camper can withstand a multi-day trip on bumpy roads with half-wheel pits, bumpy graders and mountain dirt roads with boulders sticking out of the roadbed without any health problems. Alas, it is not easy to find such equipment ready-made ...

But there is an old principle: "if you want something to be done well, do it yourself." This is exactly what Ruslan, an auto-traveler and blogger known on the Internet under the nickname "Off-Road", decided. In principle, he had no experience: at one time he was the chairman of the club of auto-travelers "Argonaut", was engaged in organizing mass trips and already had a good idea of \u200b\u200bwhat, in fact, he needed. But it is not enough to understand that mobile housing should be able to move not only on the asphalt and at the same time not crumble. The agony of choice does not end there ...

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The agony of choice

Actually, all off-road mobile homes can be divided into three groups. Firstly, these are self-propelled campers on an all-wheel drive chassis. This opens up a huge window of opportunity. You can take a "loaf" (which is now called UAZ SGR) or Sobol 4x4 and work closely with their internal arrangement. Alas, the internal volume of these vans is rather limited, and the problem of being able to stand in full growth arises, excuse the tautology, in full growth.

You can take an all-wheel drive chassis - say, UAZ Profi or Sobol 4x4 Farmer and build a house on this chassis. Also, in general, it will turn out to be the "house of the Pumpkin godfather" - the size of the cargo area of \u200b\u200bthese cars is about 3 meters long and two meters wide, but you can use the space above the cab.

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Our popular mid-size pickups (Mitsubishi L200, Isuzu D-Max, Toyota Hilux) are not very suitable for such purposes: their cargo area is only 1.5 meters long and greatly limits the possibilities of camper builders.

You can, of course, find a full-size American pickup, but it's expensive ... Or you can swing at "large forms" and take, say, the medium-tonnage Sadko as a basis. By the way, its cargo platform has only slightly larger dimensions (compared to the UAZ Profi), but its off-road capabilities are at a height.

But all motorhomes have the same flaw. Just imagine: a person in a camper van goes on vacation with his family. We arrived, found a nice place on the shore of a taiga lake or with a beautiful view of a mountain valley, began to settle down, stretched out tents, laid out furniture ... And then it turns out that they didn't buy meat, the salt ran out, the beer was forgotten, in the end ... the owner of the camper what are the options? Either he gives the family chairs and leaves them sitting in an open field (tents and awnings, of course, will have to be unhooked), and he hurries to the store in the nearest settlement, or they turn camp and go to the store all together. The same collision occurs when you want to see the sights in the immediate vicinity.

But if you have a trailer, then you simply uncouple the tractor, lock the door and go light.

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My home is my castle

So Ruslan decided that he needed a trailer. But trailers capable of driving behind a tractor on the road are of two types. First, there is a tent trailer. As a rule, they are very compact, even a tiny Suzuki Jimny can tow them. By the way, such trailers called "Picnic" are also produced in our country, and they are relatively inexpensive, 250-300 thousand rubles. But ... Still, they are designed for operation in the summer: a kitchen module with a stove and a sink is usually made retractable, and the tent, the basis of which is the trailer, still needs to be set up: pull the stretchers, hammer the pegs ... And without supervision, such a camp is not leave, and the deployment of the tent trailer is time. If a person has spent ten or even more hours driving, he wants only one thing - sleep, sleep and sleep again!

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This means, Ruslan decided, that only a rigid trailer, in everyday life a "caravan", meets his needs. Moreover, even in ready-made trailers of this kind, with which he had to deal, in order to bring the house from the transport position to the "bedroom" position, it is necessary to do a number of operations - to lower the table, shift the back-pillow on it, get the mattress, spread it, make the bed ... This time. So the basic concept was formed, and Ruslan got down to work.

Sleep immediately!

Ruslan bought Rama ready-made, but altered the suspension in the most radical way. I installed a new, reinforced axle with hubs from Mitsubishi Pajero and hydraulic brakes from it. Equipped the brake system with a manual drive, with which you can block the trailer wheels. The axle is suspended on springs from the Gazelle, which can be found anywhere, in any region. On the rear wall of the trailer there are two spare wheels, plus one more on the car. All wheels are the same and interchangeable, even the discs are the same. A slave cylinder from the Volga is implanted into the drawbar, which drives the coast brake. As a result, the trailer really overcame very serious obstacles in front of my eyes, and in order to overcome them, Ruslan had to use both winches installed on his Pajero III.

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The frame is made of an aluminum hollow profile, inside which a sprayed polyurethane insulation is pumped. The same insulation is used for thermal insulation of the main living space. It fills all the cracks and even penetrates into the microcracks of the plywood from which the walls are made. As a result, the trailer remains as warm as a real thermos. It is cool in hot weather, but in frost it keeps warm for a long time. I confirm: while we were talking with Ruslan, the temperature overboard exceeded +26, but inside was cool. Considering all this, Ruslan did not bother with installing an air conditioner, deciding to rely on natural ventilation.

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Then it was time to deal with the main thing - that is, the internal arrangement. Based on the concept of "sleep - immediately!" Ruslan came up with a rather non-standard scheme for transforming a sleeping place: the bed is hidden behind the front inner wall. It turned out very conveniently: one latch, two latch - and the bed goes down, where the spring mattress lies. Please note: not "foam", not foam rubber, but a full-fledged spring mattress bought in a furniture store. And there is already a sheet and a blanket. You just need to take a pillow from the shelf and that's it, you can go to bed. In the morning I got up, threw the pillow on the shelf (by the way, this is not just a shelf, but quite a decent space in which you can organize another bed) and removed the bed along with the blanket, closing the latches.

Sometimes it's easier to carry cans

A folding table is attached to the same wall. It has two positions. The first is a coffee table, and its size is quite enough for two people to have breakfast. Well, if you need a dining table, then the table moves forward, a support is placed under it, and a table top is obtained. The inhabitants sit on two voluminous lockers, and inside they there are isolated volumes, access to which is carried out from the outside of the trailer. It houses "dirty" equipment: tools, a welding machine and the like. Another such container, larger, is in the front. In principle, it can hold four bags with inflatable boats, but Ruslan has a gas cylinder, a fuel tank for a diesel heater and a generator there.

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In the middle part of the trailer, on the left-hand wall in the direction of travel, an absorption-type refrigerator is installed, which can be used to supply 220 V, 12 V and gas. Ruslan bought it second-hand, and in fact he is not very happy with it. Like all absorption refrigerators, of course, it uses electricity very economically, but there is a nuance. The system is not filled with freon, but a mixture of water and ammonia, which gradually begins to crystallize in the coil. Ammonia in the system becomes less and less, and the apparatus ceases to perform its main function. The only salvation is to pull out the refrigerator, turn it upside down so that the water, flowing down, rinses off the crystals, And this procedure must be repeated ten times. In the new trailer, which Ruslan is building together with the Leroy Merlin company, he used a modern 45W compressor auto-refrigerator. This level of power consumption does not pose any particular problems: Ruslan installed two solar panels and a 200 Ah battery on the roof of the trailer. An inverter with a power of 3 kW (it is located under the surface into which the plate is embedded) allows you not to be especially nervous about the available power.

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Cans for clean water are located under the sink. Ruslan deliberately refused the built-in tank. He explains it this way: “Well, let's say there is a spring. I took the cans, came, filled them, put them on. And with a stationary tank, you will need to bring canisters, and then pour them into the filler neck. Pump it up? So it is not always possible to drive close to the water ”. But in the new trailer, which he is building with Leroy Merlin, Ruslan nevertheless hung a reel with a 20-meter hose and a submersible pump "Malysh" outside. This is all connected to tanks inside the trailer, and there is a filler neck.

Experience, son of difficult mistakes

Naturally, the kitchenette is equipped with a two-burner gas hob. But at first she had to perform not only the functions of a cooking device ... On his first trip Ruslan fell off with an unfinished trailer. He himself explains it this way:

All summer I was digging, building a trailer, and "the poet's soul could not bear it." It was so offensive: 9 months of the year you are waiting for summer, and now the summer has passed, and I did not see it. And then I realized that I needed to break loose and go. In fact, this is how the idea of \u200b\u200bthe project "From edge to edge" was born. The first stage, from November to March, I drove alone, with a dog, 26 regions.

On the trip, he broke off without installing the planned autonomous heater, so he had to heat the trailer with a gas stove, well, in order not to burn out, open the ventilation and leave a crack in the window. As a result, he still got mad, but that's another story ... And before that, on the very first cold night, he ran out of gas in the cylinder.

I woke up - cold! Overboard - minus twenty-five. My dog \u200b\u200bis freezing! I wrapped the dog up in two sleeping bags, took out a generator and a hair dryer, set it to 600 degrees, and we saved ourselves until morning.

The result of this adventure was the Planar diesel heater registered in the trailer, with which Ruslan is very pleased:

On the move, you lower the temperature to 5-7 degrees, 5-10 minutes before stopping you open the application in your phone, start it, set it to 22 degrees and press “start”. While you park, go in - and in the trailer there are already those +22!

Some options appeared in the trailer as we gained experience - the one that is "the son of difficult mistakes." For example, in the Caucasus, in Kabardino-Balkaria, Ruslan almost lost a trailer, and in the truest sense of the word. I set up a camp, went to the koshara to talk to the shepherds, and upon returning in the dark I could not see my "caravan" hiding in the folds of the terrain. I found it by the sound, because I left the generator working. After that Ruslan decided that the trailer should be autonomous in terms of lighting, and installed a five-contact relay with a switch. If you want - the dimensions are lit from the car, if you want - from the trailer battery. The side lights themselves in the form of LED strips, located along the edges of the trailer, are really visible from afar.

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The final stage of construction was legalization and official registration. It turned out that getting state numbers is quite simple: from the point of view of the authorities, a house on a trailer is just a load. Naturally, it is strictly forbidden to transport people in it.

How much does it cost to build a house

The work on the arrangement of the mobile home has not yet been completed. So, a flow-through gas water heater and a shower should appear in the trailer. The pallet is already there, but the drain has not yet been made to it. And Ruslan also wants to make an L-shaped bench, which can be folded back so that it looks like a desk. It will be possible to put a laptop on it and work while sitting right on the unfolded bed. An awning awning will appear above the entrance. Surely Ruslan will have to deal more seriously with the issue of protection from mosquitoes, horseflies and other midges, especially if he goes on a summer route through the eastern regions. For today, he has only mosquito nets on the windows, which are fixed on a temporary basis, with the help of double-sided tape and Velcro tape (in common parlance - "Velcro"). But the doorway has no protection from flying evil spirits ...

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Well, now the most serious question is about the budget for building such a trailer. The living module itself from the available materials will cost about 100,000 rubles, but this is without the chassis. Chassis - 25,000 more, windows - 20,000 each, heater 20,000, gas stove - about 5,000, sink - 600 rubles, marquise - 45,000, pump - 5,000 rubles, Barrier water filter - 6,000 rubles, solar panels - 15,000 each, controller - 4,000 ... Just about 350-400 thousand, provided that everything is done by hand.

Expensive? But the pleasure is worth it. Here's some simple arithmetic. Ruslan traveled from November to March ... Now let's calculate: 500 rubles a day is the cheapest hostel. For 4 months - 60,000. Eat in a cafe once a day - 1,000 rubles on average. This is another 120,000, and together - 180,000. But for 180,000 it is already possible to build a house on wheels, albeit with a minimum of amenities. And the most important thing is that where you are staying - there is a house, and with a hostel - whether you like it or not, you need to drag yourself to the city, and even find it, this hostel. Otherwise - either spend the night in the car, or sleep in a tent ...

There will be campers - there will be campgrounds

I could not help asking Ruslan: why, in fact, is he doing all this: he built one "caravan", is building a second, plans to build large houses on a semitrailer for a pickup truck and on a chassis of a heavy truck, maintains a blog, arranges master classes ...

According to him, with his projects he pursues three main goals. First, to popularize Russia as a vacation and travel destination. To make a feasible contribution to the development of such a tourist segment as auto tourism. And finally, to the extent possible, popularize “caravanning”, because we have a “loopback problem”. We do not develop the infrastructure providing for auto-tourism, because auto-tourism itself is not developed, and auto-tourism does not develop, because the infrastructure is not developed. Because, according to Ruslan (and I can only support them), we have practically no campsites.

How so? - you ask. In our south you drive, and along the road there are solid signs: camping "At Uncle Vasya", "At Uncle Petit", "At Tatiana" ... But they have nothing to do with camping. These are just paid parking lots. A real campsite is a cultivated area divided into blocks, where caravaners, campers, cyclists and tents stand separately. Because the culture of recreation is different for everyone. The camperist, as a rule, does not stay in one place for more than a couple of days. Caravaners, on the other hand, more often act according to the scheme "arrived, unhooked and hung at one point for a week." So you need to separate them: it's not very good when you have a bunch of children, a dog, everyone is running, playing, and the campers now and then ride back and forth.

Besides, camping is a service. This is an electricity connection, Wi-Fi, the ability to drain gray water and refuel clean. In any case, the camp should have a laundry room, showers, normal toilets. Then there are all sorts of spas, baths, saunas, etc., stationary barbecues and gazebos for relaxation ... There should be an entertainment program, a cultural program ... On the campground there should be an opportunity to hire a guide, rent bicycles ... But we have such campsites , consider it, and no, except for camping in Suzdal. The Moscow camping is just a staging post. There are showers, but this is just a very tight parking lot, literally side by side. You cannot stretch the awning, put the chaise longue ...