Behind the scenes of Their Dream Flat Bed build - custom
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Alright, here it is. The inside view of this custom flat bed truck camper build that everybody has been asking about. We dive into some of the build details in this video as an introductory to DIY and custom truck camper building! I hope you enjoy it!
For those of you who do not know, we build these custom truck campers here in Alaska at Cache Camper and have been since 1971, so we have learned a thing or two about what does and does not work for off grid and four season truck camper build setups.
This is going to build a fully off grid, four season camper. These folks have had one of our campers for the past 15-20 years and were ready to upgrade and have us do their dream flatbed build. So that is what we are doing! I love this setup. It is the real deal and is going to be nice and comfortable for them for a long time.
We discuss truck camper plumbing, electrical, insulation, structure and general design features in this video. I hope you enjoy and find real value here. Please leave your comments and questions. I am happy to keep making videos here for you.
We are working on a DIY truck camper build series. These are wooden truck campers. We also build a line line of aluminum utility truck boxes. There is a place for aluminum and a place for wood. Both are good build methods when done right.
Thank you for watching.
You can find out more about us right here cachecamper.co...
Our general website cachecamper.com/
Our Fishhook truck camper model cachecamper.co...
Our Aluminum Utility unit SUB85 cachecamper.co...
Keep ‘em coming! This is some of the most valuable camper info on TH-cam.
Wow! very nice! So refreshing to see an RV builder who truly knows his craft and has such a high standard. Very, very cool!!!
The pan should be code in every rv lol. So many awesome principles in your design.
We do so whenever possible
Thanks for taking the time to show the innards and the process, really appreciate it.
@@northstar8 you're welcome!
Hey thanks for making this video so quickly! Nice layout and thorough explanation. Excited to see the finished product so I can sell it to the wife! 😂
Hey, it was my wife who sold it to me!
I would like to see how the roof/ceiling is built.
I could add that to the list.
This is pretty awesome.. I hope it gets you more business.. seems like a great idea to drive to Alaska and buy a camper in the summer and do some fishing and drive it home.. and if that doesn’t seem like a good idea.. we probably wouldn’t be friends.
Also.. the build quality at every step of this is just stunning. You couldn’t shove a razor knife between the insulation and the framing. Nice job guys
@wnybricky1559 😅🤣🤣🤝 that's great. Alaska really is a beautiful place and the salmon fishing season makes it even better.
@@cachecamper I did my best…
Thanks for your very informative video on camper construction. You're a breath of fresh air, best I've seen. I've been to Alaska for fishing trips many times, but my ultimate goal is to drive up from Nebraska and spend most of the summer and fall there in my DIY truck camper build. I'm very interested in your upcoming videos on the skinning process, especially your input on securing the siding to the structure and any flexing issues that may arise. Appreciate it!
You bet. I'll get that video out soon
I just want to say thank you for sharing this with us.
You're welcome
I made my own camper 4 years ago… knowing all that would have helped a lot ! Thanks for sharing
Hey any chance you can describe the roof structure in another video ? you mentioned 1200 Lbs of snow load but also there is not structure ? only rely on plywood ? did you glue the plywood to the insulation ? did you install a vapour barrier ? Thanks a bunch
Really enjoyed your honesty, great information!
Thank you
Awesome explanation, and so excited to get the final product! 😊🎉
To those watching, this will be going to @AlaskaAmbers. Awesome folks. Too bad you are seeing this as its getting built. Perhaps I will wait to post the final video of the walk through until after you pick it up!😄
@@cachecamperIt is fun for us to see the build as it is happening, and we are happy to see it shared as often and as soon as you want!
Can’t wai for the series!!!
Very nice!, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Subbed from the Netherlands! Great informative channel.
Love it! I'll keep it up. We have a camper we sent to Switzerland last year. It was a long adventure for him but he came all this way for a custom camper. Not the same country, I know. But in the neighborhood
thanks for the videos show how you build campers/
Thank you, going to watch it later and the probably email you questions 😂
Will you be applying any sort of vapor or moisture barrier between the aluminum skin and the structure? I am currently in the process of restoring a 47 year old Alaskan pop-up and am putting new skin on it. I've found there are 10,000 opinions out there on how to insulate and whether or not to have a vapor/moisture barrier. I'm pretty sure you're gonna have a good bead on that question. Thanks again! your videos are awesome.
There sure are a million opinions on build methods. Many of them come from those who have educated in the physics but never built one or two or one hundred. So there are many educated folks talking but with a bias and not much experience in the trial and error (fisiks😉) side of things. This is the most misguiding type of content out there because it has merit and sounds right, but in practice it doesn't work or is just not at all necessary or economical. That said to say no. No vapor barrier between the framing and the exterior skin. This is because the wall does not breath on that side and a vapor barrier there will only contribute to speeding up the corrosion process on the aluminum sheeting. This is what we have found to be the case.
@@cachecamper Knowledge + experience + good judgment = wisdom. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Great work ! Love the videos!
Great information. Will you be following this particular build through the process? Would love to see the finished product.
I will be following it as much as I can. The crew does not diddle daddle around. So it is difficult to capture everything. With it being a production floor we also have deadlines. I will definitely capture as much of it as I have time for.
Wish you were located in lower 48 somewhere. Wassila is LONG drive there and back.
Sure is
Suweeet!!
When you make that build video, include sizes of everything, thicknesses of wood boards, panels, insulation, etc, and wall thickness if tubing, sheeting, glues, etc. etc. tks
I can do that.
What are the dimensions of this camper total length, flatbed size, and overcab length? If not to much to ask, your awesome for all this info basically answered or saw all the info that has kept me from moving forward with my next offgrid/tiny living addition ☮️
@mattmoehring9173 the foot print is 92.5" wide x 99" long (118" long including the departure angle. 82" ceiling and 81" c/o bed.
I’ve thought about making a wood frame that is stiff with all the joints glued. Sounds like you wouldn’t recommend making it that way
The way we build is with tight friction joints that are fastened with staples on both sides. Then the sheer panels have the snot glue out of them. Wood glue cannot be underestimated. Super strong. I do not recommend gluing the friction joints. Let the structure move. Rely on the glue on the sheer panel.
Could you share the one tool that puts in those cleats? I have never seen one
I could do that. It is called a wide crown staple gun. I can put that up in one of the build videos. Senco
This is a dumb question and I’m sorry, what size and gauge of staples do you use? Any size variation that is acceptable. Could you give a link to a good staple gun? Thanks so much
c est très bien fait mes mon problèmes a moi a Laval c est les température très froide pas Aser isoler
What are the large staples binding the wood together? Is there a staplegun that big?
Yes there are lots! Staples are a staple for building RVs. Wide thick gauge Staples are industry standard for framing RVs for a long time :) they hold up to the twisting better than nails. This trade makes me appreciate the variety of staple guns that exist out there for lots of applications
what @magpie_92 said.
@@magpie_92 What should I get if I want to build one myself in the garage?
@@cachecamper How big, what gauge are these RV staples?
@@mistercohaagen 16 gauge
I think it is all built with wood/studded out? Why not go with all aluminum 2x4 1 / 8 wall? My guess is due to it being used in Alaska it is a good thermal break and the lumber will last a long time? Im just thinking, studding it out with aluminum would be lighter and stronger, then work in thermal breaks from that point??? Great video's very helpful. Thank you
@F550-OVERLANDER you may want to watch this other video. "Better" is relative. All depends on the unit mission/purpose. We build with 1/8 tube aluminum as well. It has its place. But correct. Wood is not as conductive as aluminum and so is a better insulator. th-cam.com/video/fCFrsvYmGVk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FyFmO6TG794yfhBl
Taking thermal breaks into consideration along with material management and production process, 1/8 wall aluminum construction is both more expensive and heavier for the completed product and no where near as versatile.
What do you use for the bottom? If going on a flatbed I would think water would get underneath
@@spankybear hard to explain. I'll cover this in the final walk through video