#1 get a decent awning. it will double your space put an awning rail along the top edge of the rig http://www.rvawningsonline.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=95 and then get a pole and rope awning http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Vintage_Awnings_p/vts-400.htm corrado can sew you up one much cheaper and use mine as a template as we are locals to each other http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=487221 #2 cook outside as much as you can have fun awning set up on mine [/
We use an E-Z-Up type awning (the 10' x 10' kind...like the weekend vendors use), but we have the zip-on walls on ours. It's like having an entire cabin you can bring along. It sets up in minutes, and folds into a bag the size of a lawn chair. We absolutely love this set-up!! (ours is a 'Quik-Shade' brand) http://www.quikshade.com/ (you can see our Kwik-Kamp trailer hiding on the other side, which opens into the cabin...so it's like we have a cabin with an add-on bedroom!) (this pic is from us camping at Glacier N.P. last year.) We camp up with this idea when we had our teardrop, so this would work great for you!! Set this up over the picnick table. Your food stays dry from rain and dew, and cold stuff won't melt cause of the sun. Also, the little critters of the woods are less likely to mess with yer stuff. oh...and you can park your bikes 'inside' your mobile garage!! Also, like Hodag said...don't cook inside your camper. The steam, heat, and smells will overwhelm you in very short order...and you are living in a very small living space. btw...you can see I also have a 'clothesline' set-up over on the right. Hang up your sleeping bags on a clothesline to air-out EVERY DAY if possible. They'll stay much fresher and nicer to sleep in. oh yeah.......HAVE FUN!!!
+100 The awning on my Casita is key. The camper is pretty small inside for more than one person and so we basically leave the bed made and "live" outside. To me the camper is like a hotel room in Paris. You only need it for bathing, sleeping and whatever else you manage to get into... Otherwise you're not going to be just sitting around in your room.
Pennytech awning.... A piece of webbing looped around a steel pin will slide into an rv awning slot. The webbing is tied to any tarp and staked out with wooden poles for the front. We used this method on our Scamp for years.
What I used to use for a very convenient portable toilet was a 5 gallon bucket with one of those toilet seat lids snapped on the top and used scoopable kitty litter to absorb the moisture and odor. Just dust a little bit more in after each use. When the bag is ready tie it shut and dispose of in any dumpster just like you would a bag of cat litter. (If you use cheap bags you might want to double-bag it to avoid tearing/spillage to be polite to the garbage man...) No water sloshing, No dump stations needed, No rinsing/washing of the loo. For more compact storage you can also sometimes get a bit shorter 3-3.5 gallon bucket from a bakery. They get bulk frosting delivered in them, and the lids are the same size as the 5-gallon version buckets, but take up less storage space in your rig. The scoopable litter comes in screw-top jugs for easy and secure storage as well. (It also worked well in the litter box for the cats when I brought them along...)
Thanks for all the suggestions. keep em coming. I have been pondering the awning question for a while. So the back of my trailer goes up like this... I was thinking I could use this to my advantage and kinda get some type of awning going out the sides and front to really make huge area. I may be up in Northern NY where the bugs are really bad, so I was also thinking of getting mosquito netting and making some kind of porch/ 3 season room/ sun room out the back of my unit. I was thinking just because of price that a cheap walmart canopy tent with optional side walls would work for my side awning. I have two doors, so one door is going to have a privacy shower tent that will become my bathroom/shower (as I have an outdoor shower right next to the left side door). The other side will get the canopy tent, and the back will get some form of awning based off the raised door. Any ideas on how I can make some awesome awning/mosquito proof area behind my unit? There are two poles that are to be placed underneath the rear door to provide it support if it is staying open for long periods of time.
Do you think that corrado could do something with the back of my unit? Do you think that the price reasonable enough that getting a legitimate awning from corrado will be worth it vs. getting a canopy tent from walmart?
i think he could... i've talked with him about a tent set up for the back of the cruiser and he thought he could do it. like this: shoot him a pm... I could see doing an awning tent set up off the back, and also have a tent door (no see um netting with a zipper, and tent material for blocking light) between the rig and the awning tent.... does that make sense? i think you'll save money in the long run getting something made for the unit, and be happier.
Yeah. I have some ideas for what I can do. I sent him a PM to look into different ideas. Thanks for the help. I think I could end up making this unit really big if I expand outward.
use the inside for bunk space, and you'll be happy. that little camper of mine sleeps a family of four, and we love it
find a sail maker ... he may laugh but if he is any good he can make you what you need.. sail cloth is very good awning material... attaching it will be easy. depends on how tight you want it.. rope channel pull thru works good.hook and loops will ork good to.
I'm not really sure where to look for sail makers.....especially small business types that would do something custom like that. Is there some type of sail maker database that I can tap into? haha
google pulled two up in rodchester... although the one is probably not interested. look for boat canvas makers to .. ask them to do sail cloth for you... local top and trim shop here loves making this type of stuff.. there are a lot of options .. I suggest sail material because it is lite, strong and water proof. wind proof to... cheap too..easy to work with .. you could do this on your mom sewing machine ... but I would not suggest it...
Actually call Wes Holiday at Holiday canopies he is Ohio ... he ill build you a really nice piece to your measurements.. http://www.canopyguy.com/index.cfm
and twice as expensive as a good heavy sail cloth... even the really trick sail cloth is 3 dollars cheaper per square yard.
I too want to put an awning on my Microlite Vymeron but after several emails to the Microlite people, it is not to be done. The top structural member is also the path of all electrical wiring. No drilling is allowed. I have a First Up canopy and that is what I'll use.
I would think a local awning maker would do this for you. After all, nearly everything they do is custom to some extent.