Here is my list of essential features:

• A full size bed (75 x 54 inches)
• A place for a 70 quart (2.34 cubic ft) ice box.
• A place to store dry food and cooking & eating utensils
• A large work area to prepare food
• A small sink for washing things (hands mostly)
• A two person dinette
• An emergency toilet
• Space to store clothing and gear
• Lots of windows for ventilation and light

Before looking at possible layouts, it’s worthwhile to look at each of these individually. I’ll start with the bed because it is the largest and the most important item.  Without a comfortable bed, you might as well be sleeping in your car.

Bed:

I chose a full size mattress as the best compromise for space and comfort to sleep two adults.   The only two options are to put the mattress across the trailer or along its length.  Across the trailer makes the most sense as it allows for more use of space around it.  Virtually every layout I found has the bed going across the trailer so obviously others found it the best use of space too.   The other choice concerning the bed is to decide if it is going to be a permanent bed or if it is going to convert to a dining area.  Here are the pros and cons of each option:

Permanent Bed:

• Pro – Always ready to sleep on without having to make/unmake the bed every day.
• Pro – Allows for more storage underneath
• Pro – The surface serves as a storage area for coats, pillows and other items when not being used.
• Pro- You can use a dedicated mattress instead of cushions that slide together.
• Con- Takes up more space than a combination table/bed

Convertible Bed:

Is the exact opposite of the permanent bed.   It makes the most sense if you are really trying to keep the trailer as small as possible and you don’t mind the reduced functionality of storage space and daily setup.

I felt very strongly about having a permanent bed.  The extra storage space, not having to make and unmake the bed was worth the extra size and weight of the trailer.  Functional space shouldn’t need to be setup every time you want to use it.  Having a permanent bed kept it functional and simple. I can’t stress enough how a nice memory foam mattress REALLY adds to the sleeping experience.

Ice Box:

I chose to use an ice chest instead of a propane or electric refrigerator.   This was one of the easiest choices to make as far as keeping things simple and functional.   Propane refrigerators are wonderful devices but considering how readily available ice is and how well insulated modern ice chests are, it is really difficult to make an argument for using the propane fridge.   I have a Coleman Extreme 5 day chest that keeps ice for 5 days in 90 degree heat.  If I’m out in the woods for 5 consecutive days, I’m already starting to get low on food that requires refrigeration and I need to make a trip to the store anyway. I can pick up ice while I am there.   The advantages of the chest are numerous;  no moving parts to break, no need to provide ventilation for the chest, no need to get the trailer level, it’s 1/20  the price of a fridge.  The chest can be taken with you down to the river or wherever you are going.   The inconvenience of melting ice can be mitigated by putting your ice in water-proof bags or using frozen gallon jugs of water.  I keep a couple of gallon jugs in my freezer so that they are ready for camping and they have the added bonus of keeping my freezer cold during power outages.   The ice box is simple, functional, inexpensive and versatile.

Storage for dry food and cooking and eating utensils:

One area needing improvement in modern (and vintage) travel trailers is functional storage space. They have opted to use cabinets and drawers like a traditional house.   This does make the trailer interior look neat and makes it feel more like home but the doors and drawers add weight without adding functionality.  It’s easy for items to get lost in the back of the cabinet or drawer which may not be well lit or even at the correct eye level.  I chose a slightly more utilitarian choice of having shelves with “Goldilocks” size baskets (not too large, not too small) on the shelf.  It is simple and functional version of a drawer.  It allows you to grab the basket and search through it after setting it somewhere with better lighting and at a better eye level.   It may not look quite as nice as having things tucked away behind a door but if you select a nice basket it can still be attractive.   Another advantage is that you can take the entire basket to where you need it.  If you are eating on a picnic table outside, you can take the whole basket of dry goods with you to the table.   It’s a solution that is functional, inexpensive, versatile and light weight.   I’m very pleased with it.

A large work surface:

This is another area which is sorely missing in small travel trailers.   They are trying to pack so much into a small space that there is no room for counter space.  This quickly becomes very frustrating when trying to do the simplest of tasks.   Try making a sandwich using only a small cutting board as a countertop and it becomes very clear how important it is to have adequate work space.   But the work space isn’t just for food.  In a trailer this size, the counter is also your bathroom counter and your workshop counter.   I kept the counter as large as practical and I have never regretted having the extra space.   It’s one reason why I chose to NOT build the stove top into the counter.  I use a small portable butane stove and that allows me to take the stove outside if I am cooking something messy but if the weather is bad I can still heat up a kettle of water inside.  I’m happy I kept the counter area functional and versatile.

A small sink:

The sinks found in small trailers are too small to wash dishes the way you do in a sink at home.  Instead, they serve as a place to wash your hands and a place to drain the water from wash basins.  I found the best way to wash dishes is to use two wash pans.  One I fill with hot soapy water for washing and the other with clean water for rinsing.  A third can be used to hold the dishes until you get a chance to dry them.   I heat the water in a tea kettle on the portable stove.

Using a pan full of soapy water you can wash yourself pretty well too.  Not quite as well as a shower but you can still get clean.

Initially, I planned to use a jug with a spigot and allowing gravity to dispense the water.  Once I put the jug on the counter and saw how much space it consumed, I decided to use a foot pump and put the jug under the counter.   I chose a foot pump instead of an electric pump for its simplicity and because, when you pump it yourself, it keeps you more aware of how much water you are using.   The sink drain can be switched to dump the dirty water into a grey water jug or it can be routed to a hose outside.

Two person dinette:

A place to sit and eat for two people is straightforward but I considered not building the chairs and table into the trailer so that they could be taken outside.  The disadvantage to doing this is the loss of storage space under the chairs and the loss of an extra sleeping space that can be made by converting the dinette into another bed.  Ultimately I chose the extra storage and sleeping space.  The only tricky part about the dinette was determining the appropriate dimensions of the seats and table.

An emergency toilet:

I call it an emergency toilet because it is meant for occasional use and in emergencies. Sometimes another toilet isn’t available or is very inconvenient and it is nice to have a backup option.

The choices are to use a permanent toilet (one built into the trailer) or a portable toilet.  The permanent toilet needs a holding tank, venting and a water supply.  Often it is combined with a small shower.  The portable option works just like the permanent option but on a smaller scale.  Instead of having a 10 or 15 gallon waste tank, they commonly have a 5 gallon tank. The permanent toilet because of its need for plumbing and venting adds complexity and weight over the portable toilet.

The toilet is the hardest item to fit into a small trailer.  The problem is that most people are used to privacy in the toilet and there needs to be space to stand up and sit down.  That space becomes dead space because it can’t be used for anything else.  It’s a large amount of space for an item that isn’t often used.

I chose to combine the needed dead space in front of the toilet with the existing dead space of the entry way.   It makes sense to try to combine as many dead spaces as possible.   This decision meant that the toilet could not have a compartment or at the least it could not be permanent.  A curtain would have to be used for privacy.  The truth is that in a trailer that is less than 80 square feet, there is no privacy.  The only real privacy comes from being the only occupant in the trailer.  If you need to use the toilet you have to kick everyone else out.  That is why I call it an emergency toilet.  It’s not meant to be used like your toilet at home.

Space to store clothing and gear:

Clothing:

I chose to create 2 shelves that accommodate carry-on size luggage.  I am used to packing and traveling with one and it works like the storage baskets for the dry food.  If you need to look for something, you can take it off the shelf and place it on the bed where you have more space to fold and unfold clothing.  When you are done, it can be placed back on the shelf.

Additional storage is found under the dinette seats, in two compartments beside the cooler under the bed, on a shelf under the counter and finally in the large cargo compartment that is at the rear of the bed platform.

The cargo compartment is meant to hold larger items that would normally be used outside such as chairs, awnings and grills.  It is best accessed using the two doors on the outside of the trailer.

Lots of windows for ventilation and light:

The windows make the space more inviting.  I chose 7 windows not only for the light and ventilation but because I felt that number looked the best.  That’s the most window space possible in my configuration without putting windows in the front and rear of the trailer.  The shape of the walls on the front and rear of the trailer would make it difficult to put a window in those locations and windows in those locations have the greatest chance of leaking.