Trailer Upgrades
Last year during the height of the pandemic we decided to purchase a camping trailer. We wanted something that could sleep all five of us comfortably, and that could follow us off road. We love the experience of sleeping in a tent but not necessarily on the ground. We decided on picking up a really cool tent trailer. We purchased a 2021 Viking 2107ls. It is a 10′ box with 2 fold out queen beds. It has 2 couches that fold down into another queen bed. This trailer sleeps all of us comfortably and keeps us connected to nature in a great way!
Trailer Tour
The trailer uses a cable system that raises the roof and provides an anchor point for the outer beds. The beds can support more than 1000 pounds each and they dont any support bars. This is a very secure system that provides a stable and enjoyable experience. The gauchos paired with a freestanding table provide a fun place to eat or play games if the weather is less than friendly. There is ample storage for our camping gear even though some of it was used for the battery (more on that later). The sink is great for doing some dishes and water is provided by a small 12v pump that pulls water from the onboard 23 gallon water tank. There is a 2-burner stove top and a refrigerator that are powered off the propane. The fridge is a 3-way power and can be run off 12v or shore power if available.
The Modifications
Battery
After using the trailer a few times we discovered the stock battery was not going to cut it for our power needs, even with our 100w solar panel charging up throughout the day. The standard lead-acid battery was rated for 80 amp hours which realistically gave us 40ish amp hours. We decided to relocate the battery and replace it with a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery.
The battery we chose is a 200ah (amp hour) lithium iron phosphate battery. We relocated the battery inside the trailer to provide better thermal protection. We added an MPPT solar controller and connected two Rockpals 100w panels that consistently provide 150w+ on a sunny day. We put together some PVC solar panel stands and connected the solar directly to the controller by re-wiring the solar wiring built into the trailer.
Propane
The trailer has a small heater, refrigerator, and a quick disconnect for our 2-burner cooktop. A single propane tank is plenty for a weekend trip with little heater use. We found that on cooler, longer, trips we needed a bit more gas. We chopped off the single tank mount and added a new brace and a dual tank holder. Now we can cook and run the heater for a week without issue.
Bedding
A simple addition of some foam mats under the mattresses provided a nice barrier between the mattresses and the plywood base. We highly recommend this simple and inexpensive upgrade! We purchased some foam floor tiles from harbor freight and cut them to size. The trailer mattress is 4″ so having a layer of foam between the plywood and the mattress is great.
Additional Storage
Since we relocated the battery we had some space available up front. We decided to replace the battery box with a tool box. This is a perfect place to store all of the trailer accessories such as wheel chocks, hitch lock, ramps, and the jack blocks. All of this equipment sort of free floated around the back of the truck, so its great to have a place for everything.
More to Come!
We have more plans for the trailer including some axle modifications coming in the future. We love this thing and have enjoyed making it our own! If you have any questions about this build, or are interested in learning more about camping gear, hit us up! Get up, Get out, and create adventure!
