A Shipping Container Might Be The Most Bizarre Thing To Camp In

Shipping containers have a lot of uses outside of getting goods around the world on the backs of ships, trucks and trailers. But I have to admit, I haven’t thought about the potential of using one as a custom camper. Now, you can have a 3.05 m container turned into a discount travel trailer, if that’s your jam.

I love the concept of using something for a purpose other than it was originally constructed for. I write a lot about old school buses, box trucks and transit buses now living new lives as homes on wheels. A similar thing happens with shipping containers. Some people repurpose shipping containers into stylish modern homes while other build storage complexes out of them.

But I hadn’t considered posting up at the local KOA with a tiny shipping container bolted to a trailer.

Photo: RVT, Other

The seller of this “2019 Custom Camper” on RVT says that this travel trailer would be perfect for weekend camping or use as a home base. It consists of a 3.05 m shipping container riding on a twin axle trailer. These are normally 3.05 m long, 2.44 m wide, and 2.44 m, 6 inches tall. The addition of the trailer frame makes this one a total of 4.57 m long and 3.05 m tall. Its dimensions are similar to that of a fibreglass camper, but that’s where the similarities end.

Inside, it looks like the builder took whatever they had laying around their basement and shoved it in.

Photo: RVT, Other

There’s a cabinet, a king-size bed and one of those propane heaters that you’d usually install in a garage. Amazingly, it has some basic facilities, too. There’s a cassette toilet, sink, shower and water heater. Onboard is also 53 l of fresh water storage and 102 l of grey water.

Sadly missing is any form of air-conditioning.

Photo: RVT, Other

The trailer it’s mounted to has brakes and a tire pressure monitoring system. It’s said to track straight, though I can’t imagine pulling a steel brick is good for fuel economy. It also weighs in at around 1,474 kg; three times as heavy as a comparatively-sized fibreglass camper.

They say that the camper turns heads and I bet it does. Imagine waking up and seeing this next to your campsite.

Photo: RVT, Other

I like the idea; shipping containers are a blank slate to do whatever you want. But the end result of this one leaves a lot to be desired. It would look so cool painted or wrapped to look like a Borg cube from Star Trek. But really, you’d likely be better off just shoving a bed into the back of a van.

If you’re undeterred, the seller listed it for $US4,000 after reducing the price down from $US7,500. A shipping container can be had for about half of this price on Craigslist or Facebook, so you’re basically just paying for the materials used to build the thing.

This article has been updated since it was first published.

shipping container camp