Building a Gypsy Wagon

For many years I have been interested in Gypsy Wagons or "vardos" and western sheepherder wagons. As it isn't practical for me to have an authentic, horse-drawn lifestyle I decided to make a version towable at highway speeds. After reading just about every book I could find on wagons, caravans, old-school RV construction and trailers, a model began to take shape in my head. For me, it needed to be short and maneuverable, sleep two to three people, and still have the air of old world craftsmanship. This meant not looking like a modern RV. My secondary goal was that it should cost as little as possible without sacrificing sturdiness or basic comfort. Finally, I decided on wood as the primary building material as that is what I am familiar with and is definitely a very cozy and comfortable medium for a living space.

Most of the actual work was performed with a table saw, band saw, drill, and a slew of hand tools as I found time around my day job. Although I don't really consider it "done", it is complete enough to use and is currently on the road.

Step 1 The Mock-up

After about fifty sketches and lots of graph paper renderings, I decided I needed to visualize this in three dimensions. Here is my cardboard mock-up of the final design. An earlier version is visible behind it but this one had a lot of appeal for me. My requirements were 7' width for sleeping cross-ways, 8-10' long, and enough height to stand up in. A collapsible bed and table allow for a shorter overall wagon. The first drawing above probably gives the most accurate dimensions for the final product. You can see some changes in design even as I approached the final product.

Comments

[Gearz]

would you be willing to send me the drawing for this? It is exactly what ive been looking forjust made plans to get a trailer

[paleotool]

The only drawings are those posted in Step 1 here or on the blog page. I have a goal to make a nice set of line drawings available for a small fee in the next month, but really, those posted are all you probably need to figure out the plan.

[Funky Chicken]

Hi George. I've admired your vardo for quite some time while we have been designing our own. Ours has a lot of similarities to yours with inspiration directly from yours and other sources.
I like the way yours is laid out very much. We have to consider hot temps more than cold, so we have to figure the bed situation to not cook someone in a box on the floor with no ac.
We have embraced your ideas for building no complicated systems into it. Thanks for that. Sure simplified the build. We also have a metal frame welded up with an aluminum skin from the get go so it will stay light weight. The wooden parts are being painstakingly pieced together by us now.
Thanks for your blog and instructions. It sure helps when we don't have to reinvent things.

[Delirieuse]

What size trailer did you use? Was it a standard 6' x 4'?

[paleotool]

No, I forget the actual measurements but it is about 4'8" x 6. It was custom built for a specific hauling job and, as I understand it, essentially cut down from a larger size but lifted to ride level with a land cruiser.

[Delirieuse]

Neat, good to know. Thanks.

[Broberg]

Coming from the wilds of Wyoming, this is very close to the sheep herders agons all over. Some of the differences include the Stove pipe is inside the wagon for more heat; there are 4 wheels instead of the 2 and most of them are made completely out of the corrigated tin and left that beautiful grey color!

Awesome project! I wanted to build one for years and use it while traveling and if possible live in it while I was a Park Ranger in Kansas... I also wanted to take my parents 16' Lakota tipi and live in it for the 5 months I was there but both fell through mainly cause I was there was from January to May! My family wouldn't want to see me freeze on the Kansas Plains!

Thanks again for sparking that intrest in me again!

[jessyratfink]

I have always wanted a windstream... but this is several steps above that. I love everything about it. You did an amazing job!

[GlenfinnanForge]

I love it. Unique, beautiful, cozy and homey. Such a fantastic change from all the white plastic boxes being towed all over the country.

[samgroce]

WOW, and I thought teardrops were the coolest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[paleotool]

Thanks! They are second coolest for sure. Standing up is awfully nice. And you can't play the fiddle in a teardrop.

[charmrus]

what if you can't play the fiddle at all? Will this make me "fiddlerable"?
just wondering ;>

[olmon]

Most people do tend to think of teardrop trailers in the context of only having 40 or so inches of interior height, but that isn't necessarily so. The teardrop shape is equally well applied to a mobile dwelling with standing space and can have either an interior cooking space or the traditional teardrop exterior kitchen. There are even plans available for that style. http://www.mikenchell.com/VintagePlans/14%27caravan.pdf

[TheZuke!]

Nice!
To make it look a little more "authentic", maybe paint the wheels with
"wooden" spokes?

[paleotool]

I don't intend to make it look like something its not but I do intend to paint the wheels red.

[TheZuke!]

Red will be fine,
The "sporty" looking wheels it currently has just look a tad...
anachronistic?

[zapskate]

love the choice of words!!!! that word needs to be used way more often!

[Azizas Place, Cambodia]

Cool.

Very, very, Cool.

[Bubbler]

Fantastic work and ideas. I have planned a box for my trailer, but your work has now transformed any ideas I had.

I was also pleased that you did a reasonably long trip for the test as well.

Great stuff.

[paleotool]

Thanks. About 9000 mile of testing so far. It works!

[jukeyjean]

Wow all I can say. Very beautiful.

[paleotool]

Thanks a bunch. I love it.

[HI-WAY MAN]

AWESOME, IDEAS A PLENTY. GREAT FOR A BUG OUT SHELTER.COULD BE REALLY SELF SUFFICENT WITH THIS TRAILER. INSULATED PANELS FOR YOUR WALLS AND ROOF WOULD HELP IN THE COLD.PERHAPS A VENT JUST BELOW THE PEAK ,OVER THE BED & TWO SMALLVENTS IN THE FLOOR {UNDER THE SHADED TRAILER WOULD HELP COOL THE TRAILER}FOLD DOWN PORCH WOULD BE COOL.

HAPPY TRAILS

[wizard124]

This is definitely one of the coolest instructables I have come across. Awesome job! Like everyone else here I wish I could climb in and leave the real world behind.
Keep up the good work.

[MDisdain]

There aren't enough ways to express how much I love this project. I grew up road-tripping and moving often and always dreamed of a gypsy wagon. Now I just need to find the space to start one of my very own. Thanks for posting this!!

[paleotool]

Thanks so much. I wanted this for a very long time although the plan kept morphing. There was almost nothing available on the web when I started planning so I wanted to post mine to inspire others. Now, it seems there are many underway or being planned. Good luck on yours.

[billbillt]

THIS IS WONDERFUL!! I am tempted to build one of these and run away from it all...

[paleotool]

Thanks! Dive in and don't look back.

[love4pds]

This is AMAZING!!! Have you figured out how much it weighs?

[Dea della Luna]

This is incredible! Definitely a project I am interested in! Thanks (=

[Karentoo]

Brilliant!

[rusheggie]

beautiful

[Dusty82]

Nice job and an excellent build! I do have one thing to address though - secondary egress. I just finished designing a sheep wagon similar to the old horse drawn type and it will incorporate a wood stove like your vardo. I'm going to start my build next month. The problem that both sheep wagons and vardos have is that the stove is right next to the only exit. I would STRONGLY urge you to consider changing the window above the bed to the type that can be pushed open completely to be used as an emergency exit should, heaven forbid, something go wrong with the stove and it catch fire. I too am putting heat shields around the stove like you did, but the thought of being trapped in a burning trailer just makes me sick.

In some states, it's also the law to have an emergency exit in a trailer designed to sleep in. Again, I would strongly urge anyone considering a trailer build, involving a wood stove especially, to add at least a transom type window big enough to crawl out of to the front of the trailer to give you an emergency exit. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

[BGreenHVAC]

If you follow manufacturers instructions, local building code, and a little common sense, you shouldn't have any issues with the wood stove. People have used these types of devices for thousands of years. Many of my neighbors, plus a lot of my child hood was around wood stoves.

I would still install at least one alternate escape route, but wood stoves are as safe as gas burning heaters. I would connect an emergency electric heater for when the coals burn out. I live in the mountains, so I built an electric furnace to automatically turn on if the main heater drops below 50 degrees.

My neighbor installed a wood-burning stove in an old camper. It works good for him. I offered to make a sheet metal covering with weather guard. If I can get his permission, plus make a weather guard, I would post it.

I like your build. Nice job.

[paleotool]

Thanks for the kind words. Agreement all around.
I don't trust the stove to run unattended. Heat in a small space is a dangerous thing and I think it would be great to have a second egress. I keep fire extinguishers nearby and even in the cold I have avoided sleeping with a roaring fire. Honestly, in such a small space, I actually am at least as concerned with CO buildup or smoke inhalation in a fire. My ideal is using more blankets and no night fire. I have only broken this rule once during an extremely cold night this winter. Generally a morning fire takes only a few minutes to heat up the entire wagon nicely with a handful of wood.

Otherwise, for me, I use the wagon more like regular camping and less like a modern RV which is treated like a house. I have spent enough of my life sleeping in the open on the ground in all weather that I don't really expect or need the air temperature to be in the 70s all night long.

I hope you put up some images of your design/build when you get to that phase. I look forward to seeing your wagon.

[paleotool]

Addendum: Having never used an RV park prior to having the wagon last year, I never considered the wonders of electricity on the road in quite the same way. After this winter, I decided to run an outlet into the wagon to run a small ceramic heater for cold overnights. Also allows for charging the computer. RV hookups are very cool.

[steveastrouk]

What a great piece of work, and a fine Instructable. Beautifully done.

Steve

[craftyv]

Absolutely Brilliant work. You are obviously very meticulous and the results show why.
I noted your comment somewhere in Forums about how to "Flag" someones off topic remarks. Please don't be distracted by "off topic" comments they are not worthy of your time. Simply ignore and they will die away. Great job.

[paleotool]

Cheers,
Thanks for the kind words. It is still a work in progress but has made a cozy part-time home and travel companion for a while now.

[frazeeg]

Just a little nitpick - you can spruce up that pan image and remove that break by using a free software called Autostitch.

Other than that, nice looking project.