We are no strangers to camping. In fact, we have been living almost exclusively on the road, frequenting BLM and national forest lands, since 2018, and have gone through four campsites at that time. After a special work that planted us in one place for three months, we set off (mostly indifferent to the horizon) just as the effects of the pandemic hit the nation and the world: March 2020.

But we wanted something better than the cheaply built, often problematic RVs we were used to. We wanted something with hard sides (for safety) but not too heavy and bulky, as that would be a burden to transport along the way and limit where we could go.

A generous pile of 2 × 2 wood – we end up buying quite a bit more

Having a truck already, we worked with what we had. One of the bigger lessons I’ve learned over the years on the road is not to focus on what you don’t have, but to work to the limits and “do what you can, with what you have, where you is. ”(This is a quote from varlet Bill Widener, often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt.)

Framing it

We recently sold our latest “camper van,” which was a basic fiberglass truck capsule designed for contractors and converted by us for camping. It was low profile and big enough for a bed and some storage.

Now is the time for something more suitable for us.

We wrapped the studs with aluminum flashing, a total of five rolls

The seams were taped with aluminum waterproof tape

What we have done is not perfect. We have not experienced builders. But my wife and I combined our knowledge of construction learned in part during our younger years by helping our parents with various home remodeling projects and building something we hoped we could make happy.

The circumstances in which we built our truck were not ideal … at least. We had no flat terrain.

Lightweight foam insulation was inserted and glued between each 2 × 2

Adding the bookcase; by that time, we had moved to a friend’s house to continue the work

It was north of Tucson, a BLM site with nothing but pale green, shrubbery, some well-chopped saguaros, and all dust. Military aircraft flew daily, along with some private gliders, which circled silently above; even the occasional parachute trainers fell at high altitude somewhere across Interstate 10, barely visible in the midday sun.

Here is the framework for our bench storage

The fifty watts of solar energy we got in wasn’t enough to power tools beyond filling up any 12V batteries for my drill that were old, tired, and barely charged. Naturally, all woodcuts were made by hand.

The 2 × 2 wood at Home Depot was curved, knotted and prone to splitting.

Our budget was very limited due to difficulties I was able to fill a book discussion.

We got this cool vintage door and I framed it to fit using stained wood from an old bed frame

But in the end, we got framed in the camper and had a proper shell. At the time it was light enough to get into the back of our old Ford truck.

Over time, people with materials and various aids (you know who you are, and we always appreciate your help).

A beautiful sunset captured during the construction

100 watts of sunscreen tied to our signature blue awning, made of metal futon, which we bought for $ 20

Finally, the pieces came together and we had something workable. We recycled a lot of material and took advantage of our limited resources, forcing ourselves to work almost exclusively with what we had at our disposal, only by buying things considered absolutely essential.

What you see in the video (link at the end) is a tour of where we are right now. We have plans for more, but the project has reached a point where we are happy to share it with those looking for ways to live simply and cheaply and build their own platforms with a very limited budget.

It’s always good to see free electricity coming in!

Eventually, the camper becomes more domestic; the left “wall” is the bottom of the folding bed

The sofa and roof

The “New” truck with a freshly painted wooden flat bed

Then we added some steps

We hope you can gather some ideas for your own built-in project, as doing it yourself will ultimately save you a lot of money, give you the personal nuances, and hopefully give you the longevity you probably won’t get from most anything on the RV market.

Wild horses visiting our back door

Camping in the mountains at a new favorite place

Another of the greatest lessons I have learned and paid attention to: the most worthy things are also the most difficult; realizing something good can and will destroy you until the desire to stop completely. I have felt that many times. But you go on, it’s over, and you’re glad (and probably amazed) that you did it. Make no mistake: living on the road is NOT easy. Behindus behind all the good sunshine, beach campfires, spotless RV interiors and bright Instagram smiles are perhaps a near-train wreck. Vehicles break down, curtains stain, finances run out, plans fail, people fail, the weather prevents everything (although these are things that happen in any life scenario). But van life, bus life and truck life can be a much simpler and cheaper way to live. And if nothing else, you can’t surpass the ability to change your backyard (and your neighbors) whenever you want.

Some perspective … a little life in a big world

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