Report on my Bériault Bicycle Camper Performance
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- For info about my books about sailing: www.robertberiault.com
After having built and tested my Bériault Bicycle Camper, time has come to report on the performance of the trailer under a variety of situations..
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story and brilliant design, as well as showing us how to live more environmentally friendly, getting out in nature, exercising through bicycling and camping in nature with low cost materials! Our hats off to you Sir!
Thank you for your supportive words.
sir you are a genius and you have my full respect, very inspiring project!!!
Thank you
Thank you. Very brilliant design, thoroughly thought out & discussed.
I'm happy that you think so. Thanks
Wow buddy I love this thing , great build ! Thanks for sharing
Just saw your nice comment today, Oct 14! Have a great day.
Wonderfully designed camper - you've really considered all aspects practically in your build and choice of materials. Hats off to your spirit, too - I don't know too many senior citizens with health challenges who have it in them to get out there and live it up. I do hope to retain spirit and gusto like you when I myself hang my boots and set out on a life of yondering. Wish you all the best, Robert.
Thank you for the generous compliment. Wish you the best when you reach my age.
Thank you for posting. Really enjoyed your videos.
Glad you liked them.
I enjoyed making them.
Robert you are an amazing man that has gone through so much and I really enjoyed watching your video's of you and your small camper it's given me an idea of my bicycle trailer becouse i like to do a lot of fishing when I'm of work so thank you for sharing your video's i look forward to seeing your next video sir
I appreciate that.
Thank you so much for posting. I found it inspirational and hope to build one one day.
I hope life circumstances allow you to do it one day. Take care.
What a wonderful idea.
Glad you think so!
Great follow through with all the interesting whats, whys, and how toos.
Glad you enjoyed it
Very exciting! Thanks for the thorough review of your experiences this fall. I am a lifelong bicyclist, originally from Europe, now living in Vermont, where I bike all through the year. I don’t have a car any more, and am enjoying the freedom from having to maintain a car, and the pure pleasure and quality of life biking represents. Go, Robert! Well done! I am looking forward to your next video. Thanks!
I still haven't garnered the courage to shun the car in favor of the bike in the winter. I'm thinking of getting a fatbike with studded tires. Even that doesn't make up for the streets being narrower on account of snowbanks. Conditions in Vermont can't be much better than those we experience here, so I raise my hat to you. Actually, I noticed many more cyclists in Ottawa-Gatineau taking to the streets in the dead of winter, braving cold, snow, ice, sleet, slush, blizzards, arctic winds, road-salt and cars with fogged-up windshields. The National Capital Commission, which is responsible for many cycle paths in our region, plans on clearing some of their paths next winter. That should generate a lot of interest.
Yes, clearing paths is a huge step forwards. If I lived out in the country I certainly would not take the risk of riding on rural roads in the winter. The lanes are too narrow with the snow in the shoulder, and car drivers are unaware of bicyclists. I am lucky enough to live in Burlington, a forward looking city which is slowly instituting bike lanes and “streets for everyone” with protected bike lanes. We also have an advocacy group “Local Motion” , which represents our interests in government. We still have a very long way to go, especially compared to Denmark, Germany or other countries like Spain, but change takes time, especially in a culture so dominated by the car (industry). Personally I have studded tires, reflective gear, a powerful headlight, and even a loud horn for emergency situation (never had to use it, but a bicycle bell is not loud enough to project to a person in a car). Oh, and I make use of Vermont Car Share as needed, and borrow my husband’s car for shopping trips on the weekends. It’s a pleasure to talk to a fellow older bike rider, not too many of us are out on the streets.
I like the idea of a loud horn.
thanks for your posts very inspiring
Glad it had that effect. Best regards.
Wow! I’m sooo impressed. This awesome! ❤
Thank you! Cheers! Please share it with others.
Very well done, thorough video. Thanks!
Thank you
Kudos! My friend!!! I too am planning a ebike trip this summer. Am also a handicapped senior. I'm still putting my kit together. Since my disability involves my back a comfortable bed is of big concern.
I'm showing this to my kids to show them I'm not as crazy as they say!!!
What if I'm crazy?
@@RobertBeriault753 crazy like a fox my friend! Don't they realize it's doing things like this keep us in our youth! Good luck with your ailment sir....I believe you'll be fine because of your excellent life style!
I'v seen a few of these units built but yours is the first which has actually been used on tour. I'm coming up for retirement and have just started building my own solar powered version. I'm using four 80 watt solar panels which other people have got 200 to 300 kilometres a day out of. Look up 'The Sun Race' France to China Jack Butler.
I'm very interested in what you are doing. Do you have a website, a blog or a video channel I could keep an eye on? Four 80s will give you all the power you will need.
@@RobertBeriault753 Hello Sir. I have just built a basic website using Google sites. It has the basic concepts and materials I intend using. Everything is still very much in the design stage. I am in the process of buying the aluminium for the trailer and solar panel unit. I am happy to discuss any thoughts you may have on our projects: email at the bottom of the site.
sites.google.com/view/crack-in-norwich/home/dorma-bike-kayak
I clicked on the above link and when it didn't work, I copied the URL directly in the search line of my browser, but I get a 401 error.
Just tried something else. I removed everything after the word Norwich and it took me to your home page. Thank you. I will have a look at what you are up to! :-)
@@RobertBeriault753 I just got an automated request for permission for you to view which I granted.
Almost Speechless..... !!
But. Let me recollect myself and Congratulate you Robert !!!!
I am planning a US coast to Coast trip in May 2019. Thinking if I can incorporate your ingenuity into my plans.
Hope you haven't patented your design !!
😇
Later
Hi Prashant,
Thank you. I don't intend to patent the invention. It will be public property. I will publish plans when I have more time next winter and then I will reveal every minute detail.
Thanks for the follow up, this idea is fantastic!
My pleasure.
Hi Robert, nicely done! But there is one more risk for you however, and that is that when you leave the trailer and come back, you will find people trying to shop in it, bacause they think it's an Ikea store ;-)
One of the new features I added this winter is a full door that locks. This should keep the shoppers outside until opening time.
@@RobertBeriault753 Be sure to keep it closed all day on sundays! ;-)
I love the design and the idea of not having to keep paying for a hotel or motel room on a long trip is there any way I can get the plans for the trailer?
I will publish plans when I have more time next winter
I really love your design . I love doing research myself. Enjoy camping , the tiny home movement and would like to find a solution to end homelessness. Have you ever thought about resigning the camper and make it out of an aluminum or rolled steel frame with aluminum or steel siding like a airstream trailer. The reason is not to long ago I called volstruk a company the prints outs rolled steel frames for tiny homes and am.looking to design and build a 24ft tiny home. They said that on a 24ft foundation trailer that I would save 2,700 pounds of weight using a rolled steel frame for the home vs a wood one and it would be 10 to 50 times stronger. One neat piece of information you might find interesting is I've been testing tents to see how much the tent fabrics degrade over time here in Virginia. I found that all fabrics degrade and even the 63d to 70 d fabric will last 9 to 10 months all the time outside. I had my last tent a hyke& byke Zion 2p that was a bright lime green color on the rain fly go from lime green to white and very brittle fragile and ripping in 10 months. The rain fly took all the damage from.the elements. .the nice people at hyke&byke found my research very interesting , asked for pictures and gladly replaced my rain fly. . so as far as your 70D fabric you should get about 9 to 10 months of continuing use without needing replacement.
I'm presently camping overnight in a campground that caters mainly to seasonal campers who have permanently set up their ugly trailers and RVs in rows a few feet apart and I wonder why they don't use pretty tiny houses instead.
I am thinking about aluminum for the frame for the next iteration of the Bériault Bicycle Camper.
Interesting stats about longevity of nylon when exposed to UV. I used to run a nylon bag business and a store owner complained to me that my bags were no good. She had left one in her south-facing store window all year and with all that exposure, the nylon had lost most of its strength.
Thanks for your comment.
@@RobertBeriault753 your very welcome. I really considered emailing you for a copy of your plans for your first one to use it as a guide to see what other materials might be used . I know I would have to make it alittle longer and bigger I'm 6ft1 about 220lbs. One thing you might consider is using think dyneema . I haven't had a chance to test any dyneema to see how it's effected by UV.
Glad to see your trip went well your trailer design is very nice. Is there a way to add some sort of spring or shock for ruff roads? Paul Elkins has good ideas on his channel. Thank you for posting and shairing your adventure oh one more thing I have installed a cirrus body float seat post shock on my commuter bike for comfort on those bumpy roads it has worked well for me once you adjust it properly. Thanks again
A suspension system would certainly be better for the contents of the trailer. I don't know if it would be an advantage for the structure. The problem is that it would add weight and it would interfere with placing the camper down on the ground in camping mode. I'll have to get one of those float seat things.
Thanks for your comment.
This is genius and very inspiring!
Thank you
An excellent opportunity to get a great experimental camping trailer for a bicycle. 1 question: can you recharge the bike motor with solar power? With the trailer the flat top you could mount the roll-up solar panels and place your battery inside the trailer. Would that be feasible?
Thank you for sharing. Stay charged, healthy and go camping. Waiting for next adventures.....😇🤠🥳😎🙏🙏🙏
Yes it would be possible and it's something I'm considering doing. Keep in touch. You might see a video about a solar camper next year. Thanks for your question.
Very well thought design. Have you thought about adding a solar panel to the roof to charge the batteries and to have some light weight LED lights?
Good question. Since I have to have access to a serviced campsite every night for charging my batteries and to run my CPAP machine, I have plenty of power to run lights.
That’s really good. Do you book the camp sites prior to your trip in your planning or do you just pull in and take what’s available? My only concern would be there are no electrical sites available where you stop if not booked in advance.
I don’t know if this has been asked but what was the total cost of the build?
Sometimes I book in advance, but most times I don't and find that there's room for me with services. If there were no serviced sites left I would ask the office to let me charge my batteries in their facilities. The total cost was about CAN$1150 including many mistakes, retakes, redos, startovers, as well as a scale prototype. You might do it for 10% less if you don't make any mistakes. The most expensive single category was the wheels, axle and tow bar at CAN$312. You need easy to remove wheels for this design. These numbers include 15% sales tax.
I like it, my youngest son would too.
Children love it. They think it's a playhouse.
It’s like pulling a modified hand truck
impressive
Thank you.
Would love the build plans and try solar on the lid
Thank you. If you want the plans, read the instructions for obtaining them on www.robertberiault.com
Hi Robert. First I think your design is great. You ride with your ebike. Do you think your trailer would be able to be pulled with a normal non-ebike.
It all depends on how hilly is the area where you are travelling in and how strong you are. A good cyclist would have no trouble pulling the camper when travelling in flat areas with no hills. I've seen videos of people in the Netherlands pulling much heavier trailers with seemingly no trouble.
The main factor is weight. The basic camper weighs 63 lb (28 kg). The lighter your cargo, the easier it is to ride up hills.
Another factor is the wind. You would feel a strong head wind more with the camper than without it.
An electric bike weighs 50 to 60 lb, whereas a light weight road bike might weigh as little as 15 lbs and that would certainly help.
Another important factor, is how fast you want to go. And that depends on what kind of travel you are doing, what kind of surfaces you are riding on and where you are riding. In Europe, where villages are not far apart, you can take your time and see a lot in a short distance, so speed isn't as important as if you're travelling in Canada, where towns and facilities are far apart. Here you wouldn't be happy with travelling at 10 to 15 km per hour. To ride at 20 to 25 km/h would take a lot of effort.
For my part, I wouldn't think of parting with my ebike. Another factor: I'm 77 and will be 78 next cycling season 😊.
It's lower to the ground then a regular tent, less flimsy, I would think could hold up to stronger winds. Do you have mosquito netting on the windows??? I've heard they are pretty bad up there.
So far it has held up well in winds. You're right, mosquitoes are bad up here and we do need mosquito netting for a part of the spring and summer.
Great video, Robert. I am looking forward to your next (2019) bike touring adventure. Have you considered the Trans Labrador Highway?
Hello Michael,
No. I never considered the Trans-Labrador Highway. It would be a challenge to recharge my batteries every night. If I had enough solar panels, it might be feasible end of June, when the days are long. It certainly is something worth looking into. If you run into any information related to cycling on that road, please let me know: allorobert@gmail.com
Robert
When you stay in camp grounds I assume that you have to pay. If so did they charge you the tent camping fee or the RV camping fee? Thanks for posting!
I need a site with electrical service, so I have to pay the same price as an RV. And In Canada, it's expensive.
Nice design and great color choice. All that yellow aids in being seen. Do you know the empty weight of the trailer?
Hello Richard
Yes, that's the reason I picked yellow. Maybe my next car should be yellow!
The empty weight is 60 pounds (27 kg). I was trying to keep the weight down to as little as possible, and if I were to rebuild it I might be able to trim one pound, because when I built it I made mistakes that needed to be corrected by adding more wood
Thanks for your interest, and a Merry Christmas.
Robert
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120 lbs = 54.5 kilos. I wonder what weight you carried with your panniers?
About 20-30 lbs. A spare battery, water bottles, clothing for a change in weather, tripod.
What is your source of power for the bike, camera, c-pap, laptop and phone? Solar?
I have to find a campground with electrical service every night. I wish that weren't necessary.
@@RobertBeriault753 I'm not a solar expert, or even have a solar system, but I've researched it a lot. Solar has always fascinated me. In my online wanderings, I happened upon something that I think would work really well with your set up. Took me a while to find it again, but here's the RUclips review. It's only 11 pounds with an approximate 38 Amp Hour rating. I think that might be enough to give you a night's sleep on your cpap, depending on its power consumption. This is also a roll-up 60W solar panel. It could probably be DIY modified to replace your current awning. Anyway, I love your set-up. It appeals to me because I'm a hobbyist prepper. Keep on pedaling!!
ruclips.net/video/6rGSxbpU-_c/видео.html
The only problem I would have with your design is head room, you can not stand up in it. Mind you there are very few tents I can stand up in either. Will you be trying it out in Cold (below zero) weather?
Hi Steamboat
I don't know if I would very often want to stand up in my trailer if it was high enough. Maybe, when getting dressed. I find that its height. 54 inches, is much better than that of a two-man tent.
As for below zero weather, no, I wouldn't do that on purpose. :-)
Thanks for your interest.
Robert
Just thought of something. With design, there is no limit as to how high you make it. You could make it, say, six feet high (180 cm). All you'd have to do would be to make each section higher. The height of the collapsed unit would then be 25" instead of 19". The drawback is that it would add some weight, it would increase the drag because of the surface exposed to the head wind and it would also increase its exposure to side winds, making it more susceptible to capsizing. Nothing is free in this world.
Solar panels next?
I'm considering it for next summer.
32kph, is only 19.84mph. The metric system makes things sound so far away and or fast but actually it isn't. 700km is only 434 miles. Just my two cents worth. Nice outfit by the way. I ride a recumbent and I've been thinking about how to build a much lighter weight camper trailer. Keep on riding and stay safe.
Metric sounds big sometimes. But I'm really small. I'm only 1.75 m tall and weigh only 77 kg :-)
Recumbents look so comfortable. I hope my ideas can help you in building your camper.
Cheers