About The Squidget and Squidget PT

From the mid-‘60s through the early ‘80s, I was an avid camper, first in tents, then in both soft and hard topped pop-ups and finally, a pick-up camper. In 2005, I decided I wanted to try camping again, but I didn’t want the hassle of having much se-up time (tent or pop-up) or be restricted to the camp site after a pickup camper was set up. On a retiree’s budget, a motor home was definitely out. That left the "hard-shell" tiny travel trailer (TTT) as the only option that I’d consider and my return to camping needed to be done at a reasonable cost. Being handy at woodworking, I considered building my own camping trailer as I love to design and build things.

I first considered the Teardrop Camper as I've always been intrigued with them as my Dad had one when I was just a kid. But, the teardrop wasn't quite what I needed. As I was already in my late 60s, I wanted something a little larger with room to stand up in it. After viewing many designs for small campers, I couldn’t settle on just one as several had features I liked. So, I decided to design and build my own.

I spent 4 or 5 months working out the design and creating a set of plans. I finally started to build the Squidget in late January, 2006 and finished it 5 months later. Since you won't have to go through the trial and error periods that I did, your build time may be much shorter.

I received many questions over the past few years asking if the Squidget could be stored inside a garage, and the answer basically was "not without a lot of modifications and sacrifices". In 2010 I began to visualize a version of the Squidget that can be stored inside a garage and the Squidget Pop Top (PT) was born. I began constructig the PT in January, 2011 and finished it five months later. If you are considering the Pop Top, then please read this information about the construction and operation of the pop top.

I want to stress the fact that I am not a carpenter or cabinet maker and had never built anything this complex before I built the Squidget. I did build a jon-type fishing boat some years ago, and since it was very sturdy and held up very well, I employed similar techniques and materials in building my Squidget. I consider my woodworking skills to be at an intermediate level. What I do have is the determination to do anything that I decide to do, and, if necessary, to learn what I need to know to finish what I start. You can see the results of my efforts in the photos on the Galleries pages.

I had to start from scratch, with only some ideas to guide me, but, you have only to follow the detailed, illustrated plans that I've created. If you have average woodworking skills and woodworking power tools, you can build one of these trailers. The Other Builders' Photos page has pictures of Squidget or other tiny travel trailers built or under construction by other buyers of my plans. Also, Check out the Features page for more information about the Squidget and the Squidget PT. If you have questions, the FAQs (frequently asked questions) page should answer most of them and if you don't find your answer, send an email to me with your quetions.

 

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