What’s Next: The Kampereen K4 Utility Trailer Camper

I like the K3 design enough that I’ve built a couple of them and it checks all the boxes for weight, ease of setup and roominess. But there’s still room for improvement!

For one, I’ve found that the camper tows well behind four wheel vehicles, but behind a two wheeler it can be tippy when loaded. That’s because a bike can make a much sharper change in direction and when faced with a sudden change, the camper lifts too much to one side.

With the current design, widening the stance of the camper would interfere with the way it opens on the side. For example, if I put the wheels to the outside of the box, I would lose the ability to drop the left side for the entry. If I raised the box to clear the wheels and restore the ability to drop the left side, that would raise the center of gravity and I’d be back in the same position as before. It would also make that first step into the camper too tall.

So my plan for the K4 is to turn the box 90 degrees and put the opening at the rear. This accomplishes several things. First, it allows me to move the wheels out to the edge of the box, increasing stability. Second, it places the wheel wells to the sides of the standing area, instead of taking up the middle. That will increase the usability of the standing area. Moving the opening to the back also reduces exposure to road spray and will make it easier to achieve a water tight seal.

And finally, it paves the way for me to build a camper box that could be mounted on a standard utility trailer frame. I have a few half axle pairs laying around that I plan to use for the first couple of builds. If those work the way I hope, then I’ll try building one for one of the kit trailers available from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight.