DIY Feature - Robert Riedijk
For Robert, camping was something he and his wife always enjoyed, but packing up for tent trips eventually became more work than it was worth. They wanted a simpler way to get outside without the hassle of loading gear every time they planned a weekend away. Building a teardrop camper gave them exactly that: a comfortable, ready-to-go setup that makes spontaneous adventures possible. Now, instead of spending time preparing for a trip, they can hitch up and hit the road whenever the urge to camp strikes.
Robert build his camper using the DIY Renegade plans in West Bend, WI.
Q: What made you want to build a tiny camper?
A: My wife and I wanted to get out camping more, we would do a few tent trips a year, but the logistics got to be a hassle. Having the camper ready to go at a moment’s notice makes getting out and traveling more much easier, not to mention more comfortable!
Q: What was your experience level with the skills required to build a camper (wood working, electrical, metal work, etc.) when you started?
A: I’m generally pretty handy and have some electrical and metal work experience, but still learned some new things while working on the camper. I had the least experience with woodworking so having the instructions/videos and Facebook group to reference was super helpful.
Q: What was the first step in your build?
A: Getting the trailer built and making garage space to work on the project.
Q: What was your favorite part of the build?
A: The day the walls went up! Really went from a pile of wood and parts to looking like a camper that - that made it feel real and motivated us to keep going.
Q: What was the most difficult part of the build?
A: Some of the finishing work like trim, waterproofing and sealing was time consuming and a bit of a pain, had to be patient and make sure we were doing it right to protect what we had just built.
Q: How long did it take you?
A: Start to end was about a year, but we only worked on it intermittently and took the whole winter off (too cold to get out and work on it!)
Q: If you're comfortable sharing, what was the total cost of the build?
A: Around $7,000
Q: Would you do anything differently?
A: Hindsight is always 20/20- Now that we’ve used the camper I think we have a few small tweaks we would have made like added a few shelves or positioned lights differently and wish we had spent a little more time considering this during the build.
Q: What has been the best part of owning a tiny camper? Or what are you most looking forward to?
A: The trips we have been about to take! Roadtripping is so much easier, less stressful and more comfortable. Being able to pull up to the campsite and not have to spend a ton of time setting up is amazing and allows us to spend more time enjoying ourselves and exploring.
Q: Any tips for someone that wants to build a tiny camper but doesn’t know where to start?
A: Get started! The best way to learn is to get into it and start figuring things out, there are resources and a good community of others who have followed the same plans, so plenty of knowledge and advice is available - don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Q: How did using Wander Tears DIY plans and having the resources provided help your build process and time?
A: Without the plans we would never have undertaken this project. A camper is an investment for sure, so knowing others had successfully built from the same plans took some of the fear out of it. Having videos and notes to reference saved me a lot of time while I was teaching myself new skills. The community online was also super helpful for getting questions answered and learning from other’s experiences.
