While I was waiting out the fly bomb inside my van the other day, I set up a small office inside my trailer so I could continue working. It was only supposed get me through a few hours when I couldn’t sit inside my van, but I liked this setup much more than I thought I would. The table gave me room to spread out, as well as plug my iPad into my MacBook to use as a second screen. I got spoiled by having multiple screens before I hit the road, but haven’t had room for them here. This way, I do. I decided to put in a little bit of effort so I can make this setup a regular thing, anytime I park the motorcycle outside.
I’m just using a folding table and camp chair that I already had. I’ve already set up my MacBook Pro to use my iPad as a second screen using the Duet app, though I had to install it on my new MacBook because I haven’t used Duet since my old one died. It worked well, but it would’ve been nice to plug things in so I wasn’t limited to about two hours or so on the laptop’s built-in battery.
On yesterday’s town run I picked up a two-outlet 12-volt plug unit thing, just like what I already use in my van. I mounted it high on the wall so that shifting cargo inside the trailer wouldn’t crush it, but close enough that all the cables will reach. I wired it directly to an available circuit in my fuse box, which itself plugs into the 12-volt outlet on my BougeRV FORT 1000 power station. I added a 10-amp fuse, and my laptop was charging, only drawing about 30 watts to run since it was already fully charged. The power station should last for several full work days running this setup. I can recharge it in the van during my next driving day. I also picked up a USB-C to Lightning cable, since my new laptop doesn’t have traditional USB ports.
It’s still pretty warm in Pahrump, so I grabbed the 12-volt fan out of the van, clamped it to the table, and plugged it into the other outlet. With that, plus both trailer doors open, I get great ventilation, and it’s no warmer inside than outside. Since it’s just a cargo trailer there’s no insulation or vents like the van has, but this works.
I also had big plans to build a wood or metal frame for my kitchen counter/sink, replacing the folding legs that it came with. But then I had an epiphany. My only problem with it was that over time it would slowly slide forward, creating a gap between the table and the bed that would let my pillows fall off. Why not just attach the table to the bed? I’d lose the ability to fold up the bed, but I never use that feature anyway. The only time I might want to is if I need to service my heater, at which point I can unbolt the bracket I added and fold up the bed. I also trimmed a leftover piece of angle iron to size to reinforce this side of the bed frame to help handle the load. I haven’t driven anywhere with this setup yet, but seeing as how it was only held in with a couple of bungee cords for the past 8,000 miles, this should work just fine in motion. It definitely worked fine as a headboard, preventing my pillows from dropping into the gap, because there was no gap. This has also widened my entry through the side door by about 6-8 inches.
Sometimes the best solutions are the simple ones. I could’ve gotten all the building materials I needed to build a new frame for the counter/sink at the Home Depot just a mile down the road from camp. I did pick up a few things there, like the EMT bracket I used here. But there was no need to fix what wasn’t broken. I just needed to attach some things together instead.
Smokey Da Van 