The humble cargo trailer is such a simple, yet practical tool. Everyone from the home DIYer and motorsports enthusiast to the trades worker can find infinite uses for these things. But what might be even cooler is when someone turns one of these trailers into something more glamorous. Someone turned a two-decade-old cargo trailer into a camper that’s honestly rather stunning. Perhaps even cooler is the price, but we’ll get there.
As some of you already know, some of my favorite RVs are the ones built by the hands of creatives, craftspeople, and dreamers. Tired of RVs being the same boring boxes built by the same boring manufacturers? Maybe a custom-built rig is more your speed! The creativity in custom builds is off of the charts and we’ve seen everything from transit buses with slides and wine cellars to airport catering trucks turned into treehouses. There really is no limit here.
A cargo trailer can make an interesting base for a build. These trailers are built to take a beating and they’re a blank canvas to let your ideas run wild. Plus, it must be a bit fun rolling up to a campground with what looks like a landscaping trailer and popping open that side door.
Old Things Made New Again
This cutie was built by a firm that calls itself Quest Camper Renovations. The mind behind the design and renovations is Elizabeth, and they’ve made a career out of art. Elizabeth’s portfolio includes quite a lot and I’ll let them do the speaking here:
I ran an organic soft toy business from 2011-2018, taught industrial sewing classes at community colleges, instructed on other industrial machines at a hosiery company, have taught private sewing classes and camps, built mini campers from scratch, co-ran a music and craft show, and have renovated many tiny homes on wheels in addition to a myriad of other creative endeavors.
According to a 2018 feature by Domino magazine, Elizabeth dreamed about living in a tiny house, but was disappointed by how much they cost. But, when Elizabeth moved to North Carolina, they didn’t let cost stop them. Elizabeth picked up a fixer-upper camper, moved in, and made it their own with a little help from YouTube tutorials. Elizabeth loved the end result so much they decided to turn it into a business, creating Quest Camper in 2019. Now, Elizabeth takes everything from vintage RVs and things that aren’t RVs and gives them a new life.
Domino notes that Elizabeth isn’t like many custom builders out there. Some folks will build campers that look great in photos, but are a mess to actually use. Elizabeth builds their campers around practicality. They’ll think about the type of person who might own it. For example, if the trailer’s owner uses it as an actual roadgoing camper, then Elizabeth isn’t going to fill it with open shelves. I mean, who wants to deal with a pile of plates and pots on the floor when they get to their destination?
Likewise, Elizabeth likes to think about how a person goes about their day. Stuff like trash cans, wet shoes, laundry, and stuff like that all need places to go. You can’t just omit them unless you want to frustrate people.
As of November, Elizabeth says they’ve renovated 13 campers, including the wonderful Ramblenook Camper cargo trailer.
The Cargo Camper
In 2024, Elizabeth embarked on their dream build, turning a cargo trailer into a micro camper that was also spacious. For this project, Elizabeth sourced a 2003 Cargo Express 5×8 cargo trailer.
In describing the build, Elizabeth noted that they had some goals including building this camper out of second-hand materials, repurposing what they could find, and making something that would not only last, but be environmentally-friendly. So, this camper looks like a lot of the builds you’ll see on Instagram, but there’s a little extra detail going on here that’s pretty sweet. A lot of folks, my wife included, love to upcycle items discarded by other people, so I totally get this.
Starting from a 21-year-old cargo trailer gave Elizabeth a blank canvas, but also brought its own challenges. The metal skin had holes in it from its previous life as a work trailer, so Elizabeth had to patch those up. The trailer was also in desperate need of some natural interior light and a fresh coat of paint.
Inside, you get 5 feet by 8 feet of living space with 5’4” of headroom, which is just barely standing room if you have the height of the average American woman. As for the rest, Elizabeth lists it out:
– Tire Health: Brand new + spare
– Trailer Lights: 4-pin
– Gray Tank: 5 gallons
– Fresh Water Tank: 5 gallons
– Framing Material: Steel and wood
– Side Material: Aluminum
– Awnings: One over kitchen, 4’x6’
– Sleeping space: 1 bed slightly smaller than queen size
– Flooring: New, LVP
– Propane stove included
– Emergency camp toilet included
– Electrical: 200 watt solar battery system including back-up 120v battery charger, Renogy deep cycle AGM 100ah battery, Maxx Air Fan, space heater, multiple 12v outlets and one 120v outlet included (120v outlet requires external hook-up).
Elizabeth also says that you also get a removable oak table that you can use as part of your bed or you can hide away when you don’t need it. The cushions you see in the camper are also sewn by Elizabeth, which is pretty neat, too.
You get all of this in a trailer that measures 12 feet total once you toss the tongue in there. Elizabeth says the completed trailer weighs 1,740 pounds, which means mostly any car or crossover with a tow hitch can pull it. Even the price seems pretty reasonable at $11,000. Usually, custom builds are way more expensive than this.
Elizabeth describes this as a “Tiny House on a Trailer” but also as a “micro-camper.” I would say it’s definitely closer to the latter. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the 5-gallon tank capacity and would probably blow through it in a day or less. However, adding more water stores to a trailer like this isn’t an insurmountable challenge. That aside, I could see the little Ramblenook Camper as a pretty neat way to sleep at a state park or similar. It’s not really something you’re going to park at the top of a mountain after thundering down a tight trail, and that’s fine.
If you’re interested, reach out to Elizabeth at Quest Camper Renovations.
I’m just in love with that interior design. This trailer started life as a work vehicle, now it looks better than some of the stuff that rolls out of Indiana. I think whoever makes the trip down to Sedalia, North Carolina, is going to get something they love. I know I’d like to sleep in it over a cozy weekend.
(Images: Abigail Kooiman of Abigail Kooiman Photography)
I always read about these, so I guess I am interested. But I see zilcho practicality here. cabinets you have to access from the rear hatch? no room to stand? A bed you have to make every day? Natural light being two Foster’s-can-sized portholes and two tiny windows? Climate control is a fan?
Put a mattress in a van.
You could pretty much fill in an influencer bingo card with this trailer alone. Looks nice but I’m not a fan of the aesthetic.
Buddy of mine has a 5×10 v-nose. Built some shelves in the V, with a bed along the side that’s cut on an angle to have enough room to back a motorcycle in on the other side. A few more shelves, some tie downs, roof vent, battery box and a solar panel. It’s a nice little setup, I borrowed it for a run down to St. Louis to pick up a moto I bought this summer. I’m planning on doing the same, but with a 6×12 for a bit more space.
I think this has some nice packaging for a 5×8, with a main hurdle for most being a convertible bed. I’ve read a lot about people doing it (start with a memory foam mattress, cut it up, sow on covers, etc) but it seems like something that’s easy to screw up without a couple tries. A bigger trailer would obviously make for a more spacious and flexible rig. My in-laws have a 6×12 that’s tall enough to stand in and great for bringing a couple of kayaks along for a week of camping. At some point it became easier to just setup a cot in there than drag their old 27′ travel trailer around and deal with the shit that comes with a 20 year old travel trailer. But they have an F-250 so pulling a 6×12 isn’t an issue.
I went a similar-ish but much more simple route with my cargo-trailer-turned-camper build. Mine has a couple of windows added, a vent at the top, some carpet (removable), and a fold out bed. Built a fridge box for the front tongue area that is solar powered. Also hung some awnings on the side and back. Works great! The beauty about not building out the inside is that I can still use it as a cargo trailer when I need it (which has been supremely useful as of late).
The Mason jar with two unused wooden spoons in it is just kind of influencer icky and makes my eye twitch. No one is using any wooden spoons in this thing.
Otherwise, pretty sweet little setup!
All part of the grand quest to look like an image in a Pottery Barn ad.
Yeah, seconded on both. I mean, the design, the practicality, the build quality, and especially the price are intriguing enough without Instagram-ing it up with the decor. For roughly the same money as an overpriced teardrop trailer (I seriously don’t understand where they get off asking so much for what amounts to an aluminum bivouac tent on wheels with a decent kitchen out back), I’d much rather buy one of these, even if I had to replace or remove the more Joanna Gaines-looking stuff. Could they knock five hundred bucks’ worth of ‘flair’ off my ticket?
The rear door could use a drop down table top for food prep, outdoor eating.
Otherwise this is really pretty impressive to me.
Looks very well done. She should do a horse trailer, bigger. I knew some folks in Santa Monica Canyon who used them as guest houses. Because on wheels no permit needed at least there then. They didn’t go anywhere.
Very nice looking, I would rather have more standing space. Also, cargo trailers seem a bit expensive to start with compared to a used actual camper.
I think part of the draw if the cargo trailers is they are generally far better made than RV trailers. A cargo trailer is made essentially for work and the construction reflects this. RVs… well, we all know how cheaply most of them them are made.
Also, I think some people like the stealth aspect of the cargo trailers and there is also the ‘blank slate’ appeal as well.
I’ve seen a number of cargo trailer to camper conversions over the years, and this seriously blows all of them away, they’re usually very hacked together and unfinished looking, and people still have inflated ideas of what they’re worth, this is really beautiful
Subaru of camper trailers. Sorry 5:4 height no deal. Recycled materials you can’t rely on quality recycle materials being available. Small homes need to meet codes so the owners don’t die from disease or in a fire. A good history of building codes might convince buyers they don’t want to die so buy stuff that passes code. It seems this Elizabeth is building the equivalent of a mystic crystals travel trailer.
say what you really think… On wheels, most area’s don’t require any code compliance. There are many great recycled products in this industry. Should I go on? “don’t die from disease or in a fire” let go of your pearls honey
This isn’t a “small home.” It doesn’t need to meet Building Code any more than a tent does. “Quality” recycled materials are incredibly easy to find. To say otherwise suggests you’ve fully bought into our throwaway culture. The Earth would like to have a word with you out back. And I like my Subaru, thanks.
Like any DIY project, a certain amount of common sense should be used. Don’t use the can of lead paint your neighbor offered. That asbestos insulation probably isn’t a good idea either.
I work in the building industry. I’m a huge supporter of the IBC (International Building Code). But your post… is just weird.
If you are that scared… you might want to rethink your fondness for old Fiats.
My brand new Aspen Trail camper was built to the RV Industry Association standards, and had a multitude of quality and safety issues from the factory. Not sure if Elizabeth is doing any better, but the factory built ones aren’t necessarily good or safe either.
Seems like a reasonable deal for someone who lacks the tools or skills to build their own. And even if you are capable of modifying a cargo trailer, this one doesn’t seem to be priced a whole lot higher than just the materials would cost you at retail.
Having built out a cargo van into a camper, I know first hand how much time and energy goes into it. Researching every component, figuring out which of the 15 ways you found online you want to do it, considering upfront cost versus dependability – it adds up fast. I enjoyed most of it, and as an engineer who couldn’t help himself I know I went way overboard on the planning but probably saved a lot of time not having to redo anything. That said, I probably spent 2-3x as much time figuring out how to do things than the 40-50 hours of actual time I spent doing things, all to come to a point that didn’t look as nice as this.
Spending the money on something like this lets you go out camping day one, and lets you tweak a few aspects to suit you best. That’s what a lot of compact trailers offer, but at 2x the price point of this.
Cargo trailers are an ideal place to start a customer build because they usually have metal walls as opposed to the laminated composite panels which always get water in them. The structure of the enclosure is also often more sturdily built that your average travel trailer which makes them nominally more durable. If you have the skills and the time, this is the way to go. You can build a sweet ass trailer on the relative cheap.
One thing I love to do to any new cargo trailer is buy some cheap water borne polyurethane, shake the shit out of it until there’s bubbles galore, and then slop that stuff liberally all over the floor. Once it dries, your OSB floor will be extra tough, water resistant, and non-slip. It’s awesome and I would do it even if I was going to cover the floors with carpet or tile. Frankly I wish the manufacturers would do this at the factory.
huh. you floor covering sounds interesting. maybe ground up cork sprinkled over the bubbles? the new composite campers are the way to go, no thermal bridging, true 4 seasons. Light for what it is. Not hard to construct at all, but prices on materials have gone way up. https://shop.offgridcustoms.com/product-category/campers/