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Amazing Cargo Trailer Conversion

Looking to build a one of a kind camper? A cargo trailer conversion might be the perfect solution! In 2018, my husband and I converted a 7×16 cargo trailer into a tiny home on wheels. And for the last 3 years, we lived and traveled in it full time! But back then, there were not many resources for this kind of DIY project.

More recently, there has been a growing trend of people converting cargo trailers into their own custom camper. And I can attest, this type of conversion offers a number of advantages.

First, it can be significantly cheaper than buying an RV. Second, it can be much easier to tow and maneuver than a larger RV or trailer. And third, it allows you to custom design your own space to perfectly suit your needs. Although you’ll need to get creative with the layout to make the most of the limited space. But if you’re up for the challenge, a cargo trailer conversion can be an rewarding experience!

So if you’re looking for an affordable way to travel in style, a cargo trailer camper conversion might be the perfect project for you! Keep reading to see how we transformed a 7×16 enclosed cargo trailer into our tiny home on wheels.

For a more detailed step-by-step guide to converting your own cargo trailer into a camper, check out our guide on How to Convert a Cargo Trailer into a Camper to help you purchase an enclosed trailer with confidence, design the right floor plan for your lifestyle, and suggest materials needed to build your own custom RV camper.

Why Convert A Cargo Trailer?

One of the most popular trends in travel today is converting a cargo trailer into a tiny home on wheels. And it’s easy to see why- cargo trailers are relatively inexpensive, they can be towed by most SUVs, and they offer a great deal of flexibility when it comes to design. But what are the other benefits of converting a trailer?

Cargo trailers are easier to maneuver than RVs and travel trailers, making them ideal for exploring tight spaces and getting into remote areas. Plus, Cargo trailers offer a level of independence that RVers can only dream of. With your own place on wheels, you can go where you want, when you want – no reservations at RV parks required.

By starting with an empty utility trailer, you have a blank canvas where you can add in only the features and amenities that you need, resulting in a personalized camper that perfectly suits your needs. What’s more, converting a cargo trailer is often much cheaper than buying a new RV or used trailers from a retailer.

Beginning Our 7x16 Cargo Trailer Conversion

When Jake and I met for the first time in 2018 and he showed me the inside of his 7×16 cargo trailer camper, it had a bed, a small table, and a shower that worked.

There was no running water for the kitchen sink, no fridge, and hardly any storage space. Jake only had the basics. And when you’re a guy, I guess that’s all you really need. But I knew if I was going to see myself living full time, off the grid with the two of us, two dogs, and a rapidly growing wolf dog, we needed more room.

So after we got engaged, we contemplated what to do about the converted camper. Do we renovate? Should we sell it and buy a new RV? We had a really small budget and didn’t want to start our marriage in debt. So we decided we would renovate the enclosed trailer and make it custom to our needs.

I sat down, drew up some plans for what I wanted the new camper conversion layout to be, and we began the renovations. Here’s a picture of what the cargo trailer looked like before. We had a murphy bed that folded up against the wall.

7x16 Cargo Trailer Renovation

To start the cargo trailer renovation process we took everything out. That included tearing out the murphy bed, cabinets and anything that was attached to the walls.

Then, we filled in all the holes on the shiplap walls with wood putty, sanded the imperfections and applied a fresh coat of paint (I think the color we used was called Panda White). It did wonders for the inside of the trailer, making it so light and bright.

Next, it was time to mount the bed. We decided not to do a murphy bed this time to make more room for the dogs to be able to sleep underneath us.

So we raised it up 3 feet from the floor and threw a full-size mattress on the bed frame. And for the dogs, we used a memory foam mattress. By cutting 2 feet off one end of the memory foam, it allowed room for extra storage space underneath the bed (and the dogs still have plenty of room).

At this point, we were anxious to go on a few weekend trips and spent a week in Telluride. We didn’t have any running water and just put a few storage tubs on the floor to bring the items we needed. But it was a much-needed camping trip.

The Cargo Trailer Kitchen

Our next DIY project was the kitchen. Jake had only one cabinet, but I decided that we should keep it, and just find a couple more cabinets the same size and refinish them.

After searching a few thrift stores in town, we found 3 used cabinets from habitat for humanity. They were all different shades of brown so I took on the laborious task of sanding them all down and painted them all a beautiful teal/grey.

It took me a week to complete and had a few bumps in the road with raising one of the cabinets to be the same height as the others, but they turned out great and it saved us a lot of money. We installed new drawer handles so that they all matched and it gave them all a finished look.

For the counter space, we found a beautiful 6ft slab of unfinished butcher block countertop for just shy of $200.

Luckily, my dad builds homes for a living and had the tools we needed to cut a hole in the countertop to fit our bar-style stainless steel kitchen sink.

The first week we had the butcher block in the trailer I was paranoid about staining the countertop and decided we needed to seal it with epoxy resin. It came out beautifully and is still in good shape!

Next, we installed the faucet to the kitchen counter and got to work on plumbing the kitchen sink.

Since we decided to leave the shower the way it was, we simply added another water line from the tankless hot water heater and ran it under the shower, over to the kitchen sink. We love the on demand hot water and just used regular fixtures from the hardware store for the sink faucet.

I knew I wanted a fridge in the trailer because tiny living full time out of a cooler is not ideal. You always get water at the bottom of the cooler that gets into all of the condiments and ends up being a total mess.

At the time, my parents had just purchased a brand new RV and told us they weren’t going to use the second outdoor fridge and told us they would love for us to put it to use in our cargo trailer. (Thank you very much, mom & dad). It runs great off of our 12 volt RV batteries.

I added peel and stick tile subway style backsplash from Tic Tac Tiles and I love it. I played around with a darker shade I found at the local hardware store, but I ended up really hating the way it looked, so I tore it out. It was really easy to install the peel and stick tiles and made the kitchen area look complete. Plus food splatters wipe off effortlessly without having to scrub.

Because our Cargo Trailer Conversion is a small space (only 112 sq ft), we decided to not install a stove. Instead, we have a 2 burner Propane Cooktop made by Camp Chef that I can use inside or outside. We also have a propane grill and a Coleman Camp Oven that can sit right on top of the propane cooktop for baking all kinds of dishes (highly recommended for all your baking cravings). So cooking a delicious meal in our trailer conversion hasn’t been an issue.

Bathroom & Shower

I originally didn’t include photos of our bathroom area when I first wrote this blog post because it was the least aesthetic part of our build. But, I’ve had a ton of requests to see what we did in the V(nose) of the camper conversion.

One half of the V of the trailer has our shower, hot water heater, and our toilet. We installed a low flow shower head to help conserve water when we are camping. There are a ton of different brands of shower heads that are low flow, but we went with Oxygenics because many campers have attested that it is a high quality brand.

The other half of the front of our utility trailer has extra storage. We custom-built storage cabinets for all our towels, toiletries, and medicine. And on the other half, it stores our power source for the batteries and electrical panel. We wired our camper conversion to be able to hook up to shore power when we are at an RV park.

Storage, Storage, and more Storage

At this point, the cargo trailer conversion was really starting to shape up and the DIY projects were coming along. I was really happy with the progress we had made so far. But I knew we still lacked storage space. We stacked 2 cabinets for our clothes next to the bed to save space. Their height worked out perfectly and doubles as a nightstand.

Next, we deconstructed an old dog kennel and installed it underneath the bed to keep the dogs from wandering around the trailer for the rare occasions we have to leave them home alone.

I also painted a mural on the cargo trailer ramp door (previously, Jake would walk all over the back ramp when it was down which resulted in 1,000 ugly footprints.) And guess which one of us got to sleep next to the wall? Yupp, it’s me. So I painted it and told him he was not allowed to walk on the top half of the ramp anymore 😉

We knew we needed a table to work and a place to sit and eat when it is too cold or rainy to go outside. We found the plans for a simple murphy table, adjusted a few measurements, and built a multi-functional drop-down table.

I found a bench that could be pushed up against the wall underneath the murphy table that also doubled as storage for books, and had cubbies for our socks and undies.

Finishing Touches on our 7x16 Cargo Trailer Conversion

To make sure we we’re all set to be completely off grid in our cargo trailer conversion, we added 400 additional watts of solar on the roof (600 watts total). We went with the Renogy Solar Panel Kit. Then we cut holes out for 2 more windows to allow more fresh air inside the camper, one in the door and the other by the bed. Learn more about how we set up our cargo trailer solar system with batteries and inverter.

Next, we installed a 16ft awning made by ALEKO which has literally doubled our living space. Seriously, it is amazing for sitting outside on sunny days, and it actually helps keep the trailer cooler. It’s has also been great for rainy days when the dogs want to be outside, but have a place to stay dry.

I reluctantly agreed to let Jake install a Senville Mini Split AC Unit (i think it’s ugly) but I will admit, the air conditioning has been useful on hot days. We can turn our Yamaha Generator on and it cools down the trailer in about 30 minutes.

There was enough space in the front of the trailer to mount two propane tanks next to the mini split which we use to work our tankless hot water heater and our wave 6 propane heater.

We added a cell phone booster to help us get better signal when we are boondocking away from towns. It is especially useful for days when we have to get work done, we are not slowed down by the internet speed.

The final step was to decorate with a few accessories. I wanted to make our Cargo trailer feel like home and be welcoming and comfortable. So I added a few extra pillows, some blankets, a faux eucalyptus plant, hung some pictures with command strips, added storage hooks for backpacks and installed curtains.

Cargo Trailer Conversion Frequently Asked Questions

I do get a bunch of questions about how much the renovation cost, how do we store water and what toilet do we use? So I’ll answer those here:

How much did the cargo trailer cost and how much were the renovations?

The cargo trailer bare-bones cost $6,000. It was custom built to be 7ft tall. Jake installed all the windows and roof fans himself. The renovations cost roughly $6,000. Keep in mind our biggest expenses was the Solar Panels ($1200), the AC unit ($1000), The bed ($800) and the awning ($1000). Everything else was done as cheaply as possible.

How do you heat the trailer?

We have a Wave 6 Propane Heater. It uses radiant heat as a result of a flameless catalytic combustion process. We use it on crisp days and cold nights. It keeps the trailer at a comfortable temperature running it on medium and low when the temp gets around 30 degrees. It uses propane very efficiently and we have it hooked up to a 20 gal propane tank on the hitch of the trailer.

Please make sure you open a window when operating this or any other propane heater. It can pose a carbon monoxide hazard when used without adequate ventilation.

How do you store water in your 7x16 cargo trailer? Do you have grey and black tanks?

For water, we have 30 gallons of water and store it in five 6 gallon containers that we fill up at ranger stations, campgrounds, rivers, anywhere that we can get water for washing dishes and taking showers. We do not have fresh water storage tanks, black or grey. The water from the sink and shower drains into buckets that we place under the trailer (which would be considered greywater).

We use all biodegradable soaps so we can dump on the ground when they are full. No, it is not illegal to dump grey water on the ground in open, public BLM or National Forest areas, where dispersed camping is allowed. As long as your grey tank contains water that was used for washing, it is legal to dump it on the ground. The reason we don’t have a black tank is because we have a mini porta potty toilet. So there is no need for a black tank.

How do you go to the bathroom in your cargo trailer?

As briefly discussed above, we have a mini porta potty toilet that we use. We use these holding tank deodorizers to keep it from getting smelly and dump at an RV dump station once a week (which you can find on campendium.com). We do hope to get a Nature’s head self-contained compost toilet in the future. These toilets are great because they don’t have the foul odors associated with all other holding tank systems and compost your waste without much effort.

7x16 Cargo Trailer Camper

We are so pleased with how our little 7×16 cargo trailer conversion into tiny home turned out. It has everything we need for off-grid adventures while still having the comfort of home feeling.

If you have any questions about our cargo trailer or the building process, leave them in the comments below or send me a message on Instagram. If you would like to learn more about how to Boondock in your RV, click here.

Thank you for following along with us on this journey. Be sure to save this post so you can find it later when you go to create your own one of a kind camper conversion.