fit-out of a box/cage trailer for sleeping in

G'day, had a trailer with a vinyl cover on it, the vinyl came down the sides, held in place with elastic rope and it never got dust in it.

Sounds like a good project.
For the roof if its going to be solid I would not use marine ply as it will add a lot of weight.
I would look at some of the composite panels that are available.
Ullrich make Aluwell an aluminium composite panel that comes in big sheets so no joins.
These are also good insulators. My cousin bought a full pack of these sheets and re lined the rusted outer skin of his motor home. They are not that expensive. Just glue on with a special sikoflex.
Cheers

Years ago my brother had a roof top camper he put on a metal frame above the trailer and then had the trailer and under the camper as extra storage /carrying space and it seemed to work well for him.

Alan

I've recently our 4x7 DuraGal Trailer to a RTT Camper. I've built a frame and then just used 5mm plywood to enclose it so the inside of the trailer is hopefully fairly waterproof but unsure yet as to whether its dust proof..... We took it up to Double Island Point the other weekend and it went quite well but do need a few improvements before we think about using it on our Darling River Trip

G`day,
Marine ply is heavy and expensive, try using ordinary ply or some other type panel board and paint it with "Bondcrete" to seal it and make it waterproof.

This works great for the floor of a tinny boat prior to gluing the marine carpet on.

You could glue Styrofoam sheet to the inside to assist insulation.

Scrubby.

Hi Mike, your idea is a great one. My thoughts though are stay away from the vinyl products, they may have the 100 % waterproof side covered but do not breath at all, in fact sweat is more the term. A good quality Australian canvas will last longer and has a side benefit of being easier to sew with longer lasting seams if made correctly.

I recently sold a ute with a P.V.C canopy and whilst it was perfect for what I used it for it was a heat soak, Even with all 3 sides up I would be loath to leave my dog in it during the day whilst doing a quick shop if it wasn't in the shade.

One more thing, regards covering the zips. Put more effort into the rear, that is where the dust seems to have a bigger affect due to aerodynamics bla bla. The sides while appearing to be a problem do not suffer as much.

I have a similar concept to yours built on a box trailer except it stands 1900 mm at its highest point. It has bungee loops every 20 cm or so around the perimeter of the 3 sides and doesn't appear to cop much dust.

Google " LIGHTWEIGHT CAMPERS BALLINA " for a idea of what I am on about. No longer in business but the concept is the same.

Hi Mike,
if you use marine grade (AA) or (AB), or Exterior grade plywood (BB) or (BC), you will achieve the benefits of using plywood. Don't get duped into using "marine grade" plywood as it is just overpriced. The (AA), (AB), (BB), (BC), refers to the quality (read appearance) of the surface veneers, and has nothing to do with the structural strength or durability.
Exterior grade plywood is used for boat construction (I'm building a boat at the moment using such material, with an expected value of about $50k, and the plywood is the least cost for the boat because that grade of plywood has the properties needed).
It has the waterproof adhesive and is generally constructed from hardwood.
For 2400 x1200 x6mm sheets, expect to pay about $20. It generally weighs about 600kg per cubic metre. A 2400 x 1200 x 6mm sheet weighs about 10kg.
Weight for strength plywood is stronger than steel and aluminium.
Epoxy resin will render it waterproof if a couple of coats are applied wet-on-wet. No paint will do this, and it must be epoxy resin. (definitely NOT polyester resin)
As for dust exclusion, I had a Kimberley Kamper, and that was dust proof. Didn't look too hard at how they achieved that, but I guess it's possible.

Hope this can be of help.
Cheers, Bob