I’m back!
What a wild trip! Just to remind you all, for the past month I was traveling around the US (car-camping in my Element, which worked out great) interviewing Tiny House people and doing tiny house stuff. In the coming months (it takes so long to edit this stuff!) you’ll see my interviews with Laura Lavoie of Life In 120 Square Feet, Dan Louche of Tiny Home Builders, Alex Pino of Tiny House Talk, Sicily of Le Petit Maison, Steve Harrell of Tiny House Swoon and Tiny House Listings, Andrew Odom of Tiny (r)Evolution, and Hari and Karl of Tiny House Family. What an awesome community of people we have! Turns out everyone lives in a tiny house for very different, unique reasons, and it was amazing to see so many people who had really found a sense of fulfillment through small living. More on all this later!
Also, Kent Griswold told me that I had a video up on YouTube, maybe some of you have already seen it? I just found out about it while I was away, and I’d love it if you guys checked it out and “liked” it if you feel like it! Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uKCnIBOhpw
I’m getting excited about Tiny House Fair in June. Matt and I have one month to complete the COMET. I anticipate 12 to 16 hour days and lots of exhausted yelling! Haha! If I’m absent for the next few weeks, you’ll know it’s just because I’m working my butt off to get this hunk of vintage metal ready for it’s big debut.
I have an article coming out in a regional magazine called Spirit of Change soon, so I’m looking forward to that.
Here’s some photos from the trip for you to look at:
At the tiny house workshop in Wilmington – Steve Harrell had this awesome sign, I want to make one now too!
Thanks for reading! Talk to you all soon!
The Comet Camper 
I love your site and LOVE the little RV! Mines is Curiosity cause THAT is my driving force. I too am cruising the USA in my mobile unit. Check out my website!!! I have fallen in love with the tiny house movement and follow it but my focus is on farming, food and health with a dose of culture thrown in. Right now I am in OK and have decided to head north. Where are you??? Would you be interested in sharing tips, meeting…..????? looking for like minded connections………………………and you seem to be so open, positive and inspiring. Let me know, Alicia Cotilla http://www.gogreen101.com
Where Inspiration, Education and Action live
I loved your video! Good on you for shaping how you live and choosing simplicity over the status quo. Great pix of the tiny houses, too! I think the tiny home movement is fantastic and I really like how each place is a little bit different. I’ll certainly be adding your site to my RSS feed. I also see you follow Brenda and Cece, too! Their story rocks and I’ve been following them for the last 2 years.
Take care and I look forward to seeing more!
I loved your video! Good on you for shaping how you live and choosing simplicity over the status quo. Great pix of the tiny houses, too! I think the tiny home movement is fantastic and I really like how each place is a little bit different. I’ll certainly be adding your site to my RSS feed. I also see you follow Brenda and Cece, too! Their story rocks and I’ve been following them for the last 2 years.
Take care and I look forward to seeing more!
Thank you! tiny houses are definitely self-portraits in house form – which is so cool. Thanks for reading. Cece and Brenda are so rad!! They were my first sponsors and have always been really supportive of me since I started this project 🙂
Hi Mariah
Your site is great & I love the Ritz sweater. As you are a student of sustainable design and architecture & restore vintage campers! The COMET & an avid Tiny House advocate and participant, you may like my current CRAZY project called
” OverTheTopCargoTrailer ”
In an ideal world I would like to have a tiny house ALSO, but after thinking about that for some time and great detail I came to this project instead as a tiny house on wheels has some design & actual use limitations.
You gotta remember Most folks just want to camp or live in their trailer or tiny house on the weekends or a few weeks – months per year, mostly at the same location, In weather that is 30-80 deg.
My design goal is to live in the thing 24 / 7 / 365
I want to drive around the country and put 100,000+ miles on the trailer.
I want to be able to do some mild off road travel.
I want to be able to live 100% off the grid for 30+ days.
I wanna hang out where its -10 or -20 below and up to 100+ deg.
I would like my Solar – A/C to cool 7 x 18 with under 500 watts = 5,000 Btu
I would like the Insulation to be so I need zero heat ( except body & appliances ) down to 32 deg F – freezing.
I can also use my 80 gallon water tanks to actually heat the trailer when it gets down to -10, also keeps my water from freezing.
I don’t wanna pay campground parking fees of $35-$50 a night.
I dont wanna have LEO – knock on my door after midnight.
So i’m pushing the envelope pretty hard. Much harder then a Tiny house trailer or most RV’s / trailers could do.
The general RV or trailer is designed for 30 deg to 85 deg & be connected to the GRID !
– 13,000 btu a/c and a 20,000 Heater will work great to keep it warm or cool.
AS MUCH AS I HATE TO ADMIT IT !!!
being a former insulation contractor < 1980 SHAME – SHAME – SHAME
I had rivers of condensation on every metal surface of my first trailer & that was only with 25 deg outside & 50 deg inside…
The condensation started forming at 50 deg – when humidity was over 50% outside in winter
SURE – Ventilation can help, but your also getting rid of the heat – as you ventilate enough. So what is the point ?
LOOK at wood frame RV's – even after 20 – 30 years the frame is ROTTED – OUT, people assume its LEAKS
But based on my experience & observations its also very much condensation.
NOW…. I don't wanna swear that I have the perfect solution this time around ?
but I will get very close to my goal… I promise you.
only time will tell ?
This time around I have a mostly wood wall cargo trailer & 100% alum seamless roof…
ZERO- RUST !!, No metal studs – one problem solved. Dependable to drive 100,000 miles & won't attract LEO or subject me to ever increasing RV parking fees. Project cost over $30,000 in materials only- BUT when done it will be ONE-OF-A-KIND !!!
When i'm done with Version 2.0 , its going sorta slow "as i'm getting old" – I would be more then happy to send you some of my left over stuff for your project. If you don't get bored and read all my 200 posts – you should get about 1 years free architecture, insulation, solar, AC & DC wiring training, everything I do, can also be done inside a tiny house or trailer such as yours. If you can think of something crazy to try that I missed let me know – I'll try it if possible.
keep up the good work
http://overthetopcargotrailer.blogspot.com/
Jerry