26-05-2025
Why Buy A Camper When You Could Build A Stealthier One Out Of Pallets Yourself?
There's just something about hitting the open road with no need to book a hotel or stay with a friend, because you're hauling your own place to stay for the night. Sure, current hashtag vanlife trends may be motivated by how ridiculously expensive housing has gotten, but even before Reagan voters set the U.S. on a path to ruin, Americans loved their RVs and travel trailers. The biggest problem, though, is that travel trailers are also ridiculously expensive.
Want an Airstream like you see on TV? Well, the least-expensive Airstream costs nearly $50,000, and the Pottery Barn Special Edition will run you an eye-watering $171,300. That isn't even the most expensive Airstream, either. At that point, you might as well buy one of those stationary condos with an HOA and zero wheels. Wait, actually, I just checked, and the wealthy NIMBYs just blocked the new condos that were supposed to get built. Can't risk their property values, after all.
So if you want a travel trailer but don't have six figures to throw around, are you out of luck? Nope. Just build your own like our friend Steve Wallis did here. It isn't pretty, but that's actually the point.
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As we all know, the second-biggest problem with campers is that, even if you can afford one, everyone immediately knows what they're looking at. They all scream, "Someone's sleeping in here, and they probably have their stuff with them." And cops don't like it when people sleep somewhere without a foundation. Disguise your travel trailer as a stack of wood pallets, though, and there you go. Problem solved. Instead of everyone assuming you're a shifty ne'er-do-well, they'll just think you're headed to a bonfire or a Real American (TM) doing Real Work.
Sure, he could have probably done a slightly better job ensuring the entire setup was watertight, but it's not like the travel trailers and RVs people spend six figures on have the best reputation there, either. Plus, it has a skylight. And modern batteries mean it's possible to set up interior lights, an entire security system with exterior cameras and a slow cooker. Just don't let anyone from Louisiana see that Crock-Pot "jambalaya" he makde for dinner, even if it probably tasted better than the vast majority of camping meals. Does Canada have Tony Chachere's? Surely, you can at least get good ole Tony C's up in Canada, Steve.
What are you gonna do while the jambalaya's slow-cooking? Well, that's the great thing about campers. Just walk into a nearby corporate chain restaurant, catch the Canadian Ice Soccer game on one of the many TVs, sip a beer or two, and even if two turns into 12, you've still got a bed within stumbling distance and a pot of warm jambalaya to go back to. If that isn't luxury living, I don't know what is.
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