Tag: gypsy wagon

Casual Turtle Campers

~ George Crawford ~ 5 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIf you are looking for a topper or small camper with some class, check out Casual Turtle Campers.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAFrom the website:

The idea for Casual Turtle Campers was conceived by Peter Pavlowich in the summer of 2010. On a road trip to Colorado, he noticed an abundance of truck campers but a profound lack of variety or style.  As a Wood Construction and Design graduate from the University of Idaho, he believed he could design and build a simple and attractive alternative to the big, heavy, white boxes that he seemed to see everywhere. Over the next few years, Peter slowly and methodically brought together ideas and drew up plans for what would eventually become the design for Casual Turtle Campers. 

He very happily lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife, Lindsey, and their dog/shop foreman, Moxie.  We love when people stop by – just get in touch!

http://casualturtlecampers.com/

Jay Nelson’s Constructs

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

In searching for home-built campers, there were very few images on the web just a few years ago.  Jay Nelson came up a few times over the years due to his ingenious building of structures onto existing vehicles, compact car, scooter, boat, and now a truck.

CamperProfile

CamperOblique

CamperInterior

It’s my kind of work.  Low budget, simple, and highly functional alternatives to the mainstream consumption.

Honda Spree

But would I do this the the Vespa?  Maybe.

boat camper

Of course, my new truck is in sore need of a cool topper…

See more of Jay’s work on his site http://jaynelsonart.com/ or follow his blog on Tumblr.

Mike’s Gypsy Wagon

~ George Crawford ~ 10 Comments

Mike is finishing up his remarkable vardo in the great white north.  He included a mollycroft in the roof which not only looks cool but should add a lot of light and headroom.  The front storage is accessible from the outside like a sheepherder and it will have an enormous bay window in the front.  As it comes along I hope he’ll write up more about the design and construction of the wagon.  With this wagon and Jack’s build last year, I think I’ll add a page to the header bar for “other vardos” so that they are easy to find on the blog.

Enjoy!  Hopefully more to come…

Growing Up on the Range

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

A great story I read years ago about being raised in a family of six in a sheep camp measuring about 7 x 8′! (I think that’s the floor space).  I recently relocated the article in Mother Earth News.

Nice layout sketch of a sheep camp.

Here’s an excerpt:

“The canvas-covered sheep wagon was roughly about seven feet wide by eight feet long. On the front end a door opened out of the middle and you stepped down onto the wagon tongue and thence to the ground. From the inside looking out, the stove was on the left of the door. On the right was a small wash stand with several wooden drawers for storage of linens, towels and socks. A bucket of water and washbasin were on the oil cloth covered top and a small mirror hung above the basin for shaving. Soap, toothbrush, razor and essentials rested on top of the stand when in location or were stowed in a drawer when moving.”

Read more here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/sheepherders-wagon-zmaz70mjzkin.aspx