The Hermit Crab
-NOMADIC LIVING IDEAS TO KEEP IT SIMPLE-
A Few Photos
FUN FACTS
Time working on project: One year
Total price: $1700
Weight: 55kg (121 lbs)
Dimensions: 1m (width) x 2m (length) x 1.3m (total height). This means 39 inches (width) x 79 inches (length) x 51 inches (height).
Materials: Aluminum (70%), plywood (15%), stainless steel (5%), acrylic glass (5%), heavy duty truck tarp (5%)
Insulation: None. I intend to migrate rather than freezing my ass off.
Weatherproof: Absolutely. Has stayed dry through many storms.
Comfortable? Very much, thank you. The inside carpet space is 2m (79 inches) long, 70cm (28 inches) wide, and 1m (39 inches) tall, making me be able to comfortably sit up straight. That applies to my height, but make sure you check yours!
Theft: The Crab can be locked, amking it almost impossible to steal, and difficult to break into. You'd need a big knife to tear through the truck tarp, or cable cutters to cut the steel cables.
Legality: The law doesn't regulate non-motored vehicles. Yay!
Electricity: Has dynamo generator and a solar panel.
What skills does it require?
Close to nothing. I never studing anything mechanically-related. I don't know how to weld and don't need to. Welding aluminum requires expensive equipment that would prevent this project from being accessible to anyone. Besides, nuts and bolts are great. It's like having an "undo" button to correct your mistakes. All I know how to do is drill holes, use a jigsaw, screw bolts, and think. I don't even have a driver's license and carried everything by train, or ordered online.
How long did it take you?
I started the project one year ago, working on it an average of one or two hours per day. Don't worry though, most of this was trial and error. I built a first one, not too nicely, destroyed it completely and rebuilt from scratch, this time armed with new knowledge. The second version is the one you see here. It's more aerodynamic, much tougher, easier to build, and has bigger wheels than the first one. But it's not perfect. If this project works out, I will build a third one, this time documenting everything from scratch and making it as simple as possible so that anyone can follow easy plans and build it. With plans, I estimate it would take one person a few weeks to build.
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An electric drill (the plugged-in type, not battery powered)
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A jig saw (for cutting wood and acrylic panels)
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A hacksaw (for cutting aluminum rods)
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A screw driver
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A nut driver / socket wrench
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A silicone gun (to make joints waterproof)
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A metal file (to smooth some edges)
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Sandpaper (to smoothen plywood panels)
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A big paintbrush (to apply weatherproof sealant on wood panels)
As you can see, these are all the most ordinary tools you can find in any workshop.
Tools Needed for Construction (same order as in the picture):
Keep in mind that this isn't an ultra-detailed instruction manual that include every single dimension of every single bolt. I didn't do this yet because as of now, the Crab isn't perfect. This is rather a compilation of everything I learnt in the building process of the first and second versions, so that you can stand on my shoulders and make something of your own even better.