Home / Decisions
Decisions
Every design choice stays here, including choices that later change.
| Date | Decision | Why | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 | Build in four phases. Phase 1, "Usable camper": everything that is hard to add after the walls close — frame, shell, door and windows, all three tanks, all plumbing, the wet bath (sink, toilet, shower), the water heater on its electric side, all wiring, shore power, the battery and the roof air conditioner — bought in build-step order, ending with the first trip. Phase 2: heat and propane. Phase 3: interior finish. Phase 4: off-grid, later. See Phases. | Nathan's rule: "consider what would be more difficult to build later and what would be easier to build before walls or up. I think sink, toilet, shower, ac all go in phase 1." Paying in build-step order spreads the money over months. | Decided |
| 2026-10-12 | Every part and tool was re-researched for the cheapest new option that keeps the design's function, fit and rating (the "Buying" pages). The picks live in build/prices.js, the one source of every price; the build pages render from it. Picks that changed brand inside the chosen class: Thetford Aqua-Magic VI gravity toilet (same class as the Dometic 310), a Progressive Dynamics PD4045KV power center in place of a separate converter, breaker panel and fuse block, a Safe-T-Alert dual propane + CO alarm, Foamular XPS foam, SurePly 1/4 in lining, an AP Products entry door and a MaxxFan Plus vent. The Coleman Mach 3, the Suburban SW6DE and the Dometic DF12 furnace stay. | Nathan asked for the most cost-efficient option without giving up quality, and for tools that can be rented. Some lines went up: the real price of .030 white aluminum ($70 a sheet) and the welding gas setup, which had no price before. | Decided |
| 2026-10-12 | Picks are new parts with a maker warranty. Used, salvage and reclaimed parts are savings leads only, listed on the buying pages, never in a total. | Nathan chose it: the totals stay reliable, and a used part has no warranty. | Decided |
| 2026-10-12 | Build site and shopping base: Nathan's parents' place in Denton, TX. Stores in Denton first, then Dallas and Fort Worth. See Where to buy near Denton. | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-12 | Open for Nathan: the window sizes. The 40 × 18 in rear and 26 × 16 in front openings are not standard RV window sizes. A priced set of two 30 × 20, one 36 × 15 and one 24 × 15 in windows costs about $787 against the $1,000 allowance. Changing the openings changes design/trailer.js. | From the buying research. Nathan decides; Claude then updates the openings. | Open |
| 2026-10-11 | Design C — Bath 18 approved. Step 2 is closed. Step 3 (tools, materials, price) starts. | Nathan approved the 18 ft × 8 ft layout with the parts below. | Approved |
| 2026-10-11 | Toilet: gravity RV toilet (Dometic 310 class) over an 18 gal black tank, with a roof vent and a 3 in dump valve and hose. A wheeled tote tank if the lease has no sewer. | Nathan asked for the normal RV routine: empty with a hose at a dump station. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Heat: propane forced-air furnace, Dometic DF12 class (12,000 BTU). | Sealed combustion, a thermostat, and it uses the propane already on the tongue. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Air conditioner: Coleman Mach 3, 13,500 BTU roof unit with its ceiling kit, from United RV in Fort Worth (about $870, pick up to skip freight). | The lease has camper power outlets, so a roof unit on shore power is the normal answer. Cheapest complete roof unit found on 2026-10-11. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Hot water: 6 gal gas and electric tank heater, Suburban SW6DE class. | Cheaper than tankless, and it heats for free on shore power. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Power: 30 A shore power, a converter/charger and one 100 Ah battery first. Solar, MPPT and the inverter are the last priority; roof space and wire runs are reserved. | Nathan: the lease has power and is the main use; "it will be a while before we truly go off grid". | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Power system size is open again. Claude recommends medium (400 W solar, 200 Ah battery, 2,000 W inverter). | A computer work day uses most of the small system's 1,280 Wh battery before lights, fridge and fan. | Superseded |
| 2026-10-11 | Draft C grows from 16 ft to 18 ft × 8 ft ("C — Bath 18"). The desk sits on the road side over the wheel well; the wardrobe moves to the curb side. | A 56 in desk did not fit the 16 ft plan. Nathan: build bigger when a requirement needs it. | Approved |
| 2026-10-11 | Requirement: a desk and computer station for two 27 in monitors | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Tow truck: 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4, 5.0 L V8 | Nathan. Ford's 2026 towing guide rates it for 9,100 lb or more on a ball hitch, far above the 3,700 lb draft. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Electric brakes and a breakaway switch on a 5,200 lb axle. GVWR 5,000 lb, limited by the tires (5,080 lb pair). Texas title required. | Nathan: "if it can with brakes then add them". Ford says use trailer brakes above 1,500 lb loaded; Chevrolet and Ram require them above 2,000 lb. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | New working draft C — Bath 16: a 16 ft × 8 ft box, wet bath at the front, galley and bench seat in the middle, queen bed across the rear. See Layout options. | It puts all of Nathan's new answers into one layout. The axle sits 106 in back from the box front, so the tongue weight stays inside 10–15 %. | Grew to 18 ft |
| 2026-10-11 | Layouts A and B set aside | Both are smaller than Joe's trailer and have no bathroom. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Larger than Joe's trailer, still a bumper-pull on a normal ball hitch | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Inside: a shower, a toilet, a sink, heat and air conditioning. The cook stove stays outside. | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Main use: both hunting camp (no hookups) and campgrounds (hookups). The trailer gets a 30 A shore-power inlet. | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Small power system: 200 W solar, 100 Ah battery, 1,000 W inverter. The air conditioner runs only on shore power or a generator. | Nathan picked small. The battery cannot run a roof air conditioner. See Heat, air and propane. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Angled front, not Joe's curved front | Nathan. Straight cuts are easier for a first build. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | No trailer brakes. The design keeps the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) at 4,000 lb. | Nathan. Texas requires brakes above 4,500 lb gross weight. Claude recommended brakes. | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Title and plates in Texas | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Draft B changed: two kid bunks at the front instead of a front bed and rear dinette. Both drafts moved the battery near the axle. | In the first draft, B's door hit the wheel well, and the tongue weight of both drafts was over 15 % when empty. The off-grid note says to put the battery low and near the axle. | Waiting for Nathan |
| 2026-10-11 | Two draft layouts, A (12 ft, sleeps 2) and B (14 ft, sleeps 4) | Starting points to react to | Waiting for Nathan |
| 2026-10-11 | Off-grid power: solar, battery, inverter | Nathan's change from Joe's build | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Different size and floor plan from Joe's | Nathan's change | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Budget: under $5,000 target, $10,000 cap, tools included | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Tow vehicle: full-size half-ton pickup | Nathan | Decided |
| 2026-10-11 | Base the build on the Homesteadonomics DIY travel trailer | Nathan | Decided |
Claude adds a row for every decision. A changed decision gets a new row; the old row stays.