Having a cabin in Alaska is the dream for many of us, even moreso if it's one you build yourself. Tim Johnson made it a reality with one small tweak: He built a log cabin on wheels so he has the joy of the cozy home on the road. And it is truly one of the best builds that we have ever seen.
Wanting to build something that was fun, unique, and that he was proud to own, Johnson designed and built his "cabin on wheels" that fits on the flatbed of his 1996 F350. The truck uses a 7.3L Powerstroke engine to pull the weight of the camper along with some umph left over to haul a trailer.
Johnson points out that truck-bed campers take a lot of abuse as they rumble down the road, withstanding road vibrations and pot holes. This can be an issue with a lot of pre-made campers. Johnson's number one goal in the construction of his own was durability. He reinforced the corners and floor—the places where the camper is most likely to fall apart—and shaved weight on the walls by using 2x2s to compensate.
He chose to keep the natural look of wood both for a unique aesthetic and to make it easier to repair (though he put a waterproof varnish over the whole outer).
This cabin on wheels has everything for comfort and practicality: 100-watt solar panels on top, a wind-directional rotating chimney cap so Johnson can actually have a fire going while he drives down the highway, even a mailbox by the front door.
Three and a half years later, the cabin camper is still going strong with Johnson happily living on the road inside it. He regularly posts updates for his home on wheels, including sharing how he sands and re-waterproofs the outside.
There are probably hundreds of tiny cabin build videos on the Internet. Ever since smaller homes and living on the road came into style, people have been coming up with their own unique builds for tiny living.
However, this is one of the best builds we've ever seen. From both a style and ingenuity of design standpoint. There is no wasted space and the logistics of having so much weight in the bed of the pickup are taken into consideration thoughtfully here.
The interior also just looks downright cozy. Winter camping is a lot of fun, but this would be a way to truly do it in style.
If you check out some of this guy's other videos, you'll find that he lived in a Toyota camper for six years before building his cabin. It's a good way to save money, but you have to endure a lot of cold and long Alaskan winters in a small space like this. He was able to take what he learned from that experience and use it to build a better camper.
We'd say he definitely succeeded.
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