6x8 Cargo Camper w/ Murphy bed
Specs
6x8 trailer with 6’9” interior ceilings
1800-2000lbs loaded
Barn doors
Trailer brakes added
100 watt solar and 100 AH battery
30 amp hook up
2.5 gal Rheem residential hot water heater
Outdoor shower
Cassette toilet
6.5’ long Murphy bed
Fridge
Deep sink with 6 gal grey water
8x5gal container drawers
Fully insulated
8x10 awning
Two windows
12v vent fan
Portable AC with fresh air intake and plumbed in condensate line
Been slowly dialing in our cargo trailer camper build and it’s finally getting to the point where it actually works really well for both camping and work travel. Thought I’d share a few things that ended up mattering more than I expected in case it helps somebody planning their own build.
The whole setup is kind of built around flexibility. The cabinet system holds 5-gallon Lowe’s tubs so we can swap bins depending on the trip—food bins, clothes bins, camping gear, work tools, etc. Same idea with the Packout setup. I can reconfigure the whole trailer pretty quickly depending on whether it’s a camping weekend or a work trip. Dedicated Milwaukee bins for camping gear have made life way easier than digging through random totes.
A few things I’m really glad we did:
Deep kitchen sink instead of one of those tiny shallow bar sinks a lot of trailer builds use. Being able to actually wash larger pans is a huge quality of life improvement.
Cabinets are a couple inches taller than normal residential height. I’m 6’2” and it honestly feels way more comfortable to use daily. Bonus was it gave extra room underneath for drawers, the gray water tank, AC setup, deeper sink, and storage.
Murphy bed built from 1x6s so it could fit a real 4-5” camping mattress instead of those super thin cushions.
Outdoor shower + 2.5 gallon Rheem water heater. Sounds tiny but it gives enough hot water for a quick shower which is all we really wanted.
Portable AC with a fresh air intake through the side wall actually works surprisingly well.
Solar runs the lights and roof fan, while shore power is 30 amp for the AC and water heater.
8x10 awning ended up making the trailer feel twice as big when parked.
One thing I didn’t expect was how much the modular storage changed everything. Being able to pull one bin out and replace it with another in seconds has made the trailer way more usable than having fixed cabinets packed with loose stuff.
Still tweaking little things, but overall we wanted something simple, functional, easy to maintain, and capable of hauling tools for work while still being comfortable to camp in. So far it’s been doing exactly that. Took over a year to get to this point. Next addition is a shower shelter that deploys from the side of the trailer. Looking for suggestions and also open for feedback on potential additions. Really went back and forth on the water heater-instant gas heater, no heater, a cheap no name? Settled on the Rheem even this it was almost $300 because it is easy to drain and had one of the lowest profiles with best reviews. 1500 watts and replenishes blisteringly fast. Highly recommend. I believe they also have a 4 gal. In retrospect-I would have been able to fit it, but not I have gear room under the sink….