Camping at Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds

Nicky and I decided to take a trip to Arkansas to stay at an Army Corps of Engineers campground, Dam site campground near Eureka Springs Arkansas. We left home in Glenville NY and headed west, our plan is to travel no more than about 5hrs a day, so we don't burn ourselves out from driving too much. The first day we drove to Westfield NY and stayed at the local KOA campground it was nice and quiet, but most important was the fact that we had an electric hook up, so we could use our newly installed air conditioner. We stopped and got burgers at one of the rest stops along the way so we didn't need to worry about cooking anything for dinner. On arrival, I just pulled through the site, levelled the trailer and plugged in. Two seconds later the 5000 BTU residential window A/C was on and turning my 6 x 10 cargo trailer camper conversion into an icebox fit to store slabs of beef in. We took a brief stroll around the park so, Nicky could get her steps in before turning in. After a short learning curve, trying to teach myself how to use my cell phone as a hotspot, I was able to stream our favourite TV series off of Hulu "Sons of Anarchy."  

The next day we ate what we call our travel breakfast, diced cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries in a bowl, along with our bagel of choice and cream cheese, topped off with a nice big cup of coffee. The second night we stayed at a KOA  in Lebanon Ohio, nice little town, We pretty much followed the same routine as the night before.  Both KOAs were nice and clean with great facilities, showers, toilets, laundry areas with several washers and dryers. 

Day three we headed toward our first Corps of Engineers campground, located near Scottsville Kentucky, named Bailey Point Campground. absolutely beautiful! Large sites overlooking the water, nice bathroom and shower houses and even a camp store that sold firewood and ice. We stayed at Baily Point for two days, unfortunately, we were plagued by scattered thunderstorms for both days, but we still enjoyed our stay.

On day five we travelled to our final destination, Dam site campground, near Eureka Springs Arkansas. the first mistake I made was breaking our 5hr travel rule. the time to travel between Baily Point Kentucky and Dam site campground Arkansas is about 8hrs and 49 minutes as per Google maps. Google maps doesn't factor in that I was pulling a trailer and a lot of the roads are two-lane and much narrower than our wide northern roads. Ten hours later and Nicky not talking to me, we pulled into our site at Dam site campground. Once again a beautiful site directly on the water. The next morning after a good nights sleep and some breakfast, we were on speaking terms again. Note to self, do not break 5hr rule!

In summary, Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds are a hidden treasure for the camping crowd. I highly recommend checking them out.

Dam site campground next to our camper

Our site at Dam site campground, Eureka Springs Arkansas

Dam site campground

Our site at Bailey Point

Nicky and trailer at one of the rest stops 

Installing Windows

marking the location of the window

fitting window frame support

brackets holding window frame support in place

right side windows installed

left side window installed

 

 

First Things First

One of the first steps in a cargo trailer build is to pull out all the plywood / OSB wallboard the trailer had installed by the manufacturer. Once you have the plywood removed, you want to check for any gaps in the sheet metal or evidence of leaks. You can check for gaps by getting in the trailer on a bright day and closing all the doors; any gaps in the sheet metal should be easily seen with the light from outside streaming in. Leaks can be detected by looking the trailer over carefully along all the seams in the roof and sides. You're looking for water stains on the metal or signs of rust. Mark the areas with a sharpie and wait for a good rainstorm, or better yet, grab the garden hose and thoroughly drench the exterior of the trailer. Then go into the trailer and recheck the entire roof and sides, paying special attention to suspected leak areas. I sealed all my wall and floor gaps with great stuff foam, the smaller roof gaps I covered with Dicor self-leveling RV sealant. I then removed every exterior screw on the exterior skin (for good measure) and applied flex seal to the threads of the screws, and reinstalled them (sounds worse than it is). In my opinion, this is one of the most important steps you can take. If you're going to put a lot of time and money into a project, you don't want it ruined by water leaks.

Rust and water streaks on the wall next to the roofline

A gap in the front corner of the trailer at the wall and floorline

Trial Run

Nicky enjoying the campfire next to the trailer

Just after we purchased the cargo trailer, we took it out (as is) on a camping trip to get a better feel for the trailer and how we might want to set it up. We put two Coleman camping cots, a portable toilet, and the rest of our camping gear in the trailer and headed off to our favourite campground, Rollins Pond State Park, in the Adirondacks. The trailer towed great; it has a single 3500 lb Dexter torsion axle. We hardly knew it was behind our 2018 Ford Explorer; that being said, we still plan to add brakes to the trailer and an anti-sway bar for safety. Before this first outing, I had an image in my head of how I was going to convert our trailer into a camper; by the end of the weekend, Nicky and I had already started to tweak our original ideas. When we originally started looking into converting a trailer, we found many inspirational builds. Here are a few of our favourite builds: 

https://tinyhousetalk.com/couples-cargo-trailer-camper-conversion/.

                                           A solo lady camper with some great building skills (if  you're unable to see the video clip, scroll down and select "view web version" located below the "Home" tab)

                   

                   Kevin Robinsons's cargo trailer YouTube video build series,  (if you're unable to see the video clip, scroll down and select "view web version" located below the "Home" tab)

               This is one of about fifty videos Kevin has posted to YouTube about converting a cargo trailer 

Buying a cargo trailer to convert into a camper.

 

Bringing our trailer home

In August 2020, my wife and I purchased a 2016 6x10 enclosed Haulmark Transport trailer. Our intention is to convert it into a small DIY camper to travel around the country in during our retirement. Over the years, we have had a variety of camping setups, from tents to Class A RVs.  During that time, we learned how we travelled and camped as a family and wanted to make something that would allow us to accomplish that in the most economical way possible.  Why convert a cargo trailer? Well, first of all, they're readily available and affordable to purchase. It's a blank canvas; you can design the interior as basic or as extravagant as you would like and are able, and don't forget they are exceptionally sturdy; they were built to carry cargo after all.