instructables

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo

by ganeshruskin

Well it is done. It felt like it would take forever, but it is I had to refit everything many times.
finally finished . And it has certainly not been one of Buy a quality trailer. Ours wasn't really up to the job it
the most profitable projects we have worked on, but it was rated for, cause it was affordable, and so it has
has also not been the least... been welded three times where it was breaking. The
This being the second of these bow top gypsy vardos tongue once broke clean in half actually. Now it is
my partner and I have made, everything had to be beefy as all get out, but possibly better to buy
done just right, and so it actually took longer than the something heavy duty with a box frame tongue or
first one. We finally figured out the optimal roof weld it before you use it.
design, including trailerablility, so now it has large A clear vinyl tarp will make a great roof, but it won't
eve's and a bonet for travel. The door latches took a breath, so sew vinyl to sunforger canvas and you will
little fenagaling, but the brass hardware is perfect and have the best of both worlds.
the cabin latch and turn latch are back woods class. That's all I can think of at the moment, it's been an
Some advice for whoever would build one of these: amazing traveling home for us, but we sold it to move
use stable straight grain wood for the door and to Maine, best of experiences if you build one
window batten material. I used salvage old redwood, yourself....
which is super beautiful, but it warped and bowed and

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 1

 1

1. lower door to access the hold directly

2. bolted to 5x8 trailer. easy to move to another trailer.

1. HD T&G boards only planed on one side, other side hand 1. Yes, hand saws still kick ass if you buy good 26in long Sharp Tooth ones, and
planed. learn how to use them...

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 2

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 3
Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 4
Step 1: Design Considerations and Materials

So, this wagon is bigger than the first wagon, 10 feet old salvaged redwood logs from where we live, which
long, v's 8 feet, 7 feet wide and tall v's 6' 6". I however do not recommend, as the wood lacks the
straightness or stability desirable in trim wood. Other
I could only get hold of ten foot plywood in 1/2inch trim used was some brazilian hardwood, species I am
thickness, so I glued and screwed two sheets not sure, but we already had it so it was free!
together, as I like my floors at least 1" thick. Most of
the materials I purchased at Home Depot, Lowes, or You can make this design with various widths and
a Local Hardware store in the North SF bay. The heights, so whatever size you decide on, measure it
framing material is 2x3's kiln dried from HD. The out on a flat surface, and use a string to arc it out.
tongue and groove (T&G) is also from there. The ply then measure up from the floor with board widths, 5"
from Lowes, but neither store stocks the inch & 5/8th in this case and mark them off, as in the picture. Then
star drive screws I love so much. you can measure the WIDEST part of each board and
make up an accurate materials list. The hardware
The EMT (electrical metal tubing) can be bought most stores near me only had 8' and 12' T&G so I had to
anywhere. The trailer was a China cheappy, 5x8 feet. work with that. I would however recommend ordering
The canvas was ordered online, as it is hard to find your material in the sizes you need from a lumber
locally. The vinyl for the roof was from Sailright and is yard. Also, the boards available at HD are only
UV treated for outdoor use. The trim wood was from planned on one side, so it was a lot of work

smoothing the other side, planing and sanding. And If you can find it order T&G with a shallower slot.
the groove is cut much to deep on these boards,
weakening the slot significantly more than necessary.

2
1

1. I made this wagon wider than I can reach and

taller too.
2. I made this wagon wider than I can reach and
taller too.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 5

 1 1

1. Glued 2 ten foot sheets with a caulk tube of construction adhesive, then 1. end walls silicone caulked then screwed up through 1 inch floor with 4
screwed with a screw about less than every foot around the edge, less in inch star drive screws into studs, and 3 inch screws into T&G.
the field.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 6

Step 2: Floor, End Walls and Cutting Doors/windows

I made the wagon first, on beams, and then slid it out on your own. I did and you can too!
onto the floor box. It was tricky. You can make it
much easier by building the floor box first and then So you should now have two end walls and one
building the wagon directly onto it. The box has middle half wall and you are now ready to mark and
another ten foot 1/2" sheet of ply under it, and 2x4's cut the doors and win-door. I chose the heights of
framing it out into 10 2x2' sections. Next build the these extremely useful cutouts by measuring my
walls by cutting the groove off of the first board so standing and crawling heights and ensuring that I
that it sits flush on the floor, then screw it flush to the could fit comfortably through them all. These heights
bottom of the studs, using the inch and 5/8th star have worked great for me, and I am about as large a
drive finish screws. These have a small head and human as you get these days, 6'6". Feel free to copy
have a subtle presence in the wood, while being very my measurements from the pictures, or use your own.
strong.
A pencil attached to a string works great again for
The studs have two feet between the center two, for making the nice smooth curves, and a decent jigsaw
the doors and windows, the next two are aligned with works great for cutting them. I cut these as a 45%
the edge of the floor, but with space for the side walls angle and i highly recommend this method. Before
to attach to the edge of the floor, and the last two are you cut, screw temporary braces to the door panels
placed closer to the side walls, to make it more rigid. and they will hold the cut pieces together and aligned
Look at the pictures if unsure, they are more accurate one with another until you frame them into doors.
then my memory. If you can't tell what I did, from the
pictures or my writing, then you will have to figure it

1. Box overhangs trailer for better exit angle out of washes and suchlike...
box framed into 2x2' boxes with 2x4s.
2. as you can see, we built the wagon first. we slid it onto the trailer, a lot of work. Better to build
it on the trailer...

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 7

 1

1. See....
I am 6' and 6" so....

1. Normal people can stand in the doorway, I poke my head out..

2. Hoogles, the reason things we start in July are unfinished in March....

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 8

Step 3: Side Walls & Bed

For the side walls, again cut off the groove, this time making a little enclosed porch which was matched by
at an angle so that it sits flush on the floor. Next pre- the roof.
drill and screw it up through the floor, with 3" screws
every foot or so. Then pre-drill and screw it to the end The bed is framed on 2x3's screwed to the studs, 4 to
walls and the middle half-wall preferably with wide flat be exact. A sheet of 3/4" plywood makes for a solid
headed 2.5 inch screws. sleeping surface. On this wagon we ran the side walls
up a board higher than the bed, which was framed
Because Home D only stocks 8' and 12' T&G boards, across at the widest point, as in the first wagon.
I bought 12'ers and overhung them around the door,

3
2

1. One of the tools I use, a lot 1. sides screwed on with 2&1/2" pan head screws, as many as practical.
....................................................................................... It is tricky 2. Until the sides are up it is good to have a board running the length of the wagon to
regardless, getting 3 inch screws into 5/8th thick material at an keep the walls spaced evenly. Square them up to and measure and adjust
upward angle. Have someone watch on the other side and everything frequently as you go.
holler if it begins to exit on their side. That way you can stop 3. Until the sides are up it is good to have a board running the length of the wagon to
before it shows and replace it with a shorter screw (2&1/2"?) keep the walls spaced evenly. Square them up to and measure and adjust
everything frequently as you go.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 9

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 10
 1

1. top board temporary keeping spacing.

1. wood-burning, time-consuming but it will last as long as the wood...

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 11

Step 4: Kitchen, Bench, and Wood Stove in the Hold

The kitchen is pretty straight forward. Counter and full-size oven rack to really dry wood quickly, such as
two shelves made with sanded and polyurethaned for kindling which needs to be bone-dry. We also
plywood, and framed with laminated 1x2's made from keep warm drinks up on this rack, to guess what,
pine and hardwood. For the extensive rounding done keep them warm!
all over this wagon I used an old antique jack-plane. It
is heavy, sharp and a joy to use, and it is silent. Another rad stove feature is one of those Coleman
camp ovens. $30 from Walmart and now we have a
I under-mounted the sink, for that modern look, and wood fired oven under our bed!
dropped a plum-bob down the drain to mark where to
drill the hole for the sink drain through the shelves Because the hold is such a small well insulated
and the floor box. We considered stoves extensively, space, when we hang a blanket down over the
looking into units mounted into the counter, but doorway with the fire raging it heats up to 160
settled on a two burner camping propane model degrees fast, making a little sauna for up to four
because of its ability to be easily removed and used people (two comfortably) with its own escape door out
to cook outside, as was the gypsy way in the past. the back.

The bench was simple, just make it a comfortable The stove making is its own instructable, or it will be
one soon. In brief, it is a design I have been working
Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 12
 one soon. In brief, it is a design I have been working
hight and width for sitting, maybe measured from your on since the first wagon needed heat two years ago.
favorite chair.. . Underneath there is room for a small In its current incarnation it uses two metal buckets,
pantry with a hinged door, or better two doors with used is great but make sure they are not rusted out,
magnets and latches. as that will shorten the stoves life, obviously.

We used a basket drawer under the counter for The first bucket has a door hole cut out of the front,
utensils and small things. and a hole cut in the top at the back for the chimney,
as the picture, using metal shears, aka tin snips. part
We bought a hose to connect the stove to a 20lb of the second bucket makes a door larger than the
propane tank, saving $30+ a gal on fuel v's the little opening in the first bucket with folded over double
green bottles. thick edges. The bottom of the second bucket is cut
out with a jigsaw, or snips if you prefer, then installed
Under the bed we installed a wood stove I made inside the first bucket as a baffle sending the
myself from mostly scrap materials. It has been an fire/smoke to the front of the stove before letting it exit
incredible source of heat in the winter and on cold out the back. This simple feature keeps a lot more of
mornings in generals. Due to the thinness of the the heat in the stove, and a lot less of the flames in
metal used, the stove heats up so fast I generally the stack.
don't even need to get dressed when I get up on a
California winter morning, as the initial radiation from I would never install a stove, even one this small in a
a blazing kindling fire keeps me warm until the tiny space as tight as the hold on a wagon, without a heat
space of the hold heats up to coziness. Soon the heat shield. And I recon neither should you. Luckily what
billowing out of the hold heats the whole wagon and I remains of the second bucket is just the right size for
start making breakfast. This stove design ejects the a heat shield for the sides and back of the stove,
smoke out the back, keeping the circular top of the where the stove gets close to the walls of the wagon.
stove available for cooking on. This is generally the Copper trim, slider air vent, and legs made of bolts to
stove I use to heat water for coffee or tea in the get it up off the floor are great, as is a sheet of metal
morning, and by the time the water is hot the wagon for under and around the stove protecting the floor. A
is often warm, at least standing in-front of the stove. circular piece of copper gets the stack through the
wall, using about a 1/4 inch thick layer of high temp
So for cooking and general easy access this stove is silicone stove sealant to insulate the wall from the
placed just inside the hold door. Next to it I attached stack.
vertical rails from the bed rafter to the floor to hold a
stack of wood. This stack of wood drys as the fires Any questions?
burn, a great feature when you can't find any fully dry
wood, a situation I loath. Also, above the stove I put a

Be safe, cautious, keep your eye on it and investigate

any strange smells. A fire extinguisher is most highly
recommended...

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 13

 1

1. 2 gal water jar with stainless steel tap and latching lid. lives
in sink when traveling, or in truck when off-road. I keep my
water in my towing vehicle where weight is needed, and carry
it in in 1 gal plastic jugs (Arizona gal jugs are THE BEST!)

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 14

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 15
Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 16
Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 17
Step 5: Rafters, Metal Paint, Doors, Copper Trim/banding Etc.

EMT makes excellent rafters, and at $7 a stick, you The doors were trimmed with beautiful dark old
can't beat it on price. Metal paint or similar will hoogle redwood, used because of its beauty and availability.
it up a lot. We mixed our own colors out of Rustoleum However, I recommend using a stable and straight
red, blue and yellow. The rafters are set into holes wood for this purpose, and also do it immediately as
drilled into the studs, using a 30 millimeter Forstner you cut the wood out of the walls, as it might expand,
bit. This was the closest bit I could find for a snug fit, shift or generally just get out of whack with time, mine
inch and 1/8th being a little too small, and inch and a did anyway. You won't find much in the way of hinges
quarter too big. at a hardware store, I recommend ordering online
from an antique hardware company.
Once you have mixed a range of beautiful colors, you
might as well paint all the rest of the metal on the Copper banding tacked and nailed around the
wagon, starting with the trailer, wheel wells, wheels, corners, and every 2.5 feet along the wagon will
the fire extinguisher, and propane tank..... protect it and make it stronger.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 18

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 19
 1

1. wood burned and then stained

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 20

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 21
Step 6: The Roofs, Trailering, and Where We Go From Here...

We ordered a vinyl tarp online, 12x14 feet to provide get it going.

plenty of overhand over both ends. It took a
LONNNNNG time to arrive, so plan ahead, but is a On the highway it slows my small truck down, I rarely
great transparent roof. We also ordered Sunforger use 5th gear due to the wind resistance and I intend
12oz canvas online and UV treated 20 mil vinyl for a to make a wagon shaped ferrule for the top of the
skylight down the middle. We used a temperamental truck camper shell to deflect the wind before we take
1918 singer sewing machine. To sew something this it over to the East Coast.
big you need a BIG table. We made one out of two
sheets of plywood, one with a section cut out to sit in. It was great to have in the desert, the rounded shape
The ply was screwed to 16ft 2x4s and they to two did well in the wind storms and having a quickly
burro brand saw horses (highly recommended). heatable space to come home to after walking in 15
degree nights was unlike any camping I have done
Happily, our table happened to be on a slight slope, before. I put up tapestries over the rafters under the
giving the material a super convenient out-feed vinyl in the day to keep the sun out of the kitchen,
feature, allowing one person to sew without help. A while leaving the bed skylight open to see the stars at
sleeve with a tube of EMT in it allows the roof to be night. Rolling a side up made for some epic views
fastened down (great in high wind) as well as giving and I was treated to a new-for-me experience of
something to roll it up around when you want to open sleeping on a heated bed with the roof rolled up in 25
one side up and let the view in unobstructed. degree nights. Warm, crisp, cozy and gorgeous.

The rafters are all removable, so the roof can come This is as far as it has gotten, due to us working on
off completely giving an unobstructed view of the sky. the little first wagon recently to get it ready to sell. But
I will post pictures as it is finished up and travels
Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 22
We made another design of roof, using separate across the country in the next few months (hoogle
longer rafters, ours made out of little fir trees, and time of course).
waxed canvas. A picture of this roof on the little
wagon is above. There are maybe more pictures and other information
on both wagons on our website:
The third roof design was just tested during the last
rain storm. The 14x12 vinyl tarp is help up away from www.hpwagons.com
the end walls with a 3/4" pic pipe bent into a hoop.
Pictures later. and the auction currently happening (it is the middle
of March) is on fb here:
I took this wagon to the desert recently, Saline valley
in fact. I didn't have a camera (sad) because I took it www.facebook.com/hpwagons
down some ROUGH roads. Rocks, ruts, 20 miles of
meaty washboards, I drove it by myself, mostly in low So, any building related questions in the comments
gears, with my little '89 toyota 4x4 truck with a 2.4l will be answered, I will pretend I don't see anything
engine. off topic.

Needless to say, I had as much weight as practical in We live in ours full time, in sunny California where we
the truck, I aired the tires down to 20psi and I crawled spend most of our time outside. Most people would
along whenever the road got rough. It held up to the probably use one more as an adventure wagon,
abuse without complaint. At the end of the trip I took it festivals, glamping, three season use, guest
down a few miles of the old wagon road in Panamint accommodations, etc. I know in this country big is
valley. The Nadeau Trail is one of the roughest roads generally seen as better, but even current 'tiny'
I have driven on, I had to get out and scout the road houses are far larger than what english gypsies
frequently, moving rocks and checking departure generally lived in, the canvas covered bow top
angles going into and out of washes, etc. At one point generally running about 10 feet long. How they did
I had to drag it over a ten inch tall rock (the trailer this with kids and all their possessions I do not know,
wheels are only 21inches). No damages sustained. but for two people who prefer spending most of their
time out of walls, toilet included, it works wonderfully.
I recon it weighs about 1500-1700lbs and I feel it on We bath with sponge baths and during saunas when
hills, sometimes on STEEP passes like the 155 up over-heated it feels good washing off outside.
from lake Issabella I got into low gears, all the way
down to 1st and it took all the power my truck has to For us in cold places two or more layers of roofs

maybe with polyfill insulation would keep it much

warmer, especially after the stove goes out.

BTW, the wood stove has been by far the most

reliable stove we have used so far. On cold mornings
the propane works sporadically, if at all. With dry
wood a wood stove will heat down to, I don't know,
maybe -200 degrees. OK, i have no idea and I am
tired of writing now so I am done.

Good luck, and remember, in life the only destination

is the journey.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 23

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 24
Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 25
Step 7: Some Improvements

These are a few things I have been wanting to finish The hoops are 1/2 inch PVC and hold the clear vinyl
up for a while. The copper lip around the stove stops out from the ends of the wagon about 22 inches,
the sheep fleece from sliding upto the stove, which should offer it ample protection during the
something I have never been totally comfortable with. sometimes long Oregon winters, where we are in the
The little shelf is for a dedicated space to charge a mountains it has been known to rain for 40 days and
tablet and phone so they don't get damaged on the 40 nights before.
bench or bed. It includes a 12 volt auto plug in the The clear vinyl is great for seeing the stars and trees,
wall with a triple USB charger. The plug is connected but in direct sun it is far to warm, and privacy is nill,
through a charge controller to a couple of 19Ah so I bought a bag of clips and hung fabric over the
batteries so they can only be discharged so far before rafters..
it cuts off. The same charge controller limits the We are off traveling for a while now, and may be
electricity coming in from the solar panel to a gone a year or more, so that is as far as it will get for
maximum of 14.4 volts to avoid boiling the cells. I a while. Good luck little wagon, see you when we see
figured a 50 watt panel would be good for my two little you!!
batteries, incase it is placed in a location without
direct sun. It is hinged for collapsablilty, but I ran out
of time so I screwed it in with a 45 for now.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 26

Step 8:

I made this and taking it on a 300mile trip. I'm having some issues with securing the cloth top
down. we have it bungeed and strapped but it's still billowing and unstable. any tips for highway
driving?

how is the roof secured?

How to estimate time for a project is.....work out how long you think it will take and then multiply it
by 3.14 and that will give you a more accurate time as to how long a project will take. Great wagon!
Nice! What is a hoogle?

Hmmm. A hoogle is a comfortable, natural, good feeling experience. Like when things flow, or are
allowed to happen. For me nature, food, affection, friends, animals and plants are all hoogly things.
The hoogle is also generally defined as the passive, feminine side of life, as apposed to the
poogle, which is the more active, masculine side of existence. So work is poogle and relaxation is
hoogle. Cities are predominantly poogle and nature is a balance of both, but it appears very
hoogly, in comparison to cities. Does that make any sense?
beautiful! roughly how much did this cost to build?

Hard to say. A lot of labour. Maybe three grand in materials, maybe...

so much fun! thank you for sharing

I'm so in love with this!! we are definitely building one when we get moved.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 27

Very awesome and beautiful.

Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo: Page 28