≡ Menu

DIY Micro Caboose Camper: The Loose Caboose


This post contains affiliate links.

This is a DIY micro caboose camper that one our readers, Glenn Wallin Sr, built for himself. Thanks so much for sharing your project with us, Glenn! If you’d like to share yours, submit it to us here.

Inside you’ll find a full bed, air conditioning, kitchenette with 3-burner stove, pressure water and sink, port-a-potty, flat screen television, and lots of built in storage throughout.

You’ll even find a solar panel on the roof that’s hooked up to battery. The entire cabin weighs only about 1,600 pounds. It’s sort of like a teardrop trailer, isn’t it? It’s definitely something I’ll file in the micro house category, too.

Glenn built it for about $3,000 in material costs and it took him about 4 months to finish it. And it’s the 12th trailer he’s built. Pretty awesome, right? Please enjoy and re-share below. 🙂

DIY Micro Caboose Camper

glenn-wallin-sr-diy-caboose-micro-camper-001

Images © Glenn Wallin Sr.

glenn-wallin-sr-diy-caboose-micro-camper-002 glenn-wallin-sr-diy-caboose-micro-camper-003 glenn-wallin-sr-diy-caboose-micro-camper-004 glenn-wallin-sr-diy-caboose-micro-camper-005 glenn-wallin-sr-diy-caboose-micro-camper-006

Images © Glenn Wallin Sr.

Video: The Loose Caboose Micro Camper

Our big thanks to Glenn for sharing his Loose Caboose with us!

You can share this Loose Caboose Micro Camper with your friends and family for free using the e-mail and social media re-share buttons below. Thanks.

If you enjoyed this loose caboose micro camping cabin you’ll absolutely LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with even more! Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links.

The following two tabs change content below.

Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 26 comments… add one }
  • Lynnette
    April 15, 2015, 7:34 am

    Adorable. Love the little train curtains too! Great use for all those in needed cabooses!

  • Greg Burns
    April 15, 2015, 10:38 am

    To paraphrase Glenn Miller’s 1941 Gold Record: “Pardon, me, boys, is that the Tiny House new Choo-Choo?” ;-D Really LOVE this concept! AWESOME! Many happy days “riding the rails” and having “Happy Trails”! Greg

  • carrie
    April 15, 2015, 2:15 pm

    Hard to get a perspective with these photos….cute from the outside though.

  • Doris
    April 15, 2015, 3:55 pm

    Oh my, that is too cute! My nephews would fight over it. My family has a long history with the railroad and this would make a fantastic guesthouse. Thanks for sharing it, Alex, and congratulations to the builders for thinking outside the box, literally.

  • Dixie
    April 15, 2015, 6:58 pm

    Very cute!! Just wish he had told us the size, etc.

  • D. E. Myers
    April 15, 2015, 7:19 pm

    I Love it !!!!
    Good looking and good use of space and imagination.

  • Linda Cline
    April 15, 2015, 10:19 pm

    I think these tiny houses are AWESOME!! I have been homeless for 2yrs, waiting on housing list here in roseburg, Oregon. My health condition is what led me to be homeless. Ever consider giving one away ,out of the kindness of your heart. I wanted to purchase one when my disability comes in, who knows how long that will take. Any way cant hurt to ask, been doing alot of asking, and praying. keep up your good work, you will be blessed for it. Thanks for listening, Linda Lee Cline, customer one day. I enjoy your news letters!

  • Chris
    April 15, 2015, 11:20 pm

    Clever…..

  • Karen R
    April 16, 2015, 12:28 am

    More photos needed, but it is cute! You can find some decent RVs and tiny houses under $10,000 – sometimes in the $5,000 range – when your money comes in, Linda. God bless and good luck.

  • Stuart Joseph
    April 16, 2015, 6:21 am

    great job! This is a lot better than some of those fiberglass or aluminum monstrosities out there. is there a way to get plans or at least measured drawings so I could build one myself? what type of trailer was it built on? Thanks again and happy trails

  • treehouse in paradise
    April 16, 2015, 7:24 pm

    I lived in a boxcar in the early 40s. I always wanted a caboose. So cute. Would like to see more of the inside.

  • April 17, 2015, 11:38 pm

    Sweet!!!

  • Alex
    April 18, 2015, 10:30 pm

    Just in case you were wondering, I asked Glenn a few questions and updated the post by adding this info below to the article,

    “Glenn built it for about $3,000 in material costs and it took him about 4 months to finish it. And it’s the 12th trailer he’s built.”

    🙂

    • Alex
      April 18, 2015, 10:31 pm

      Hopefully I’ll get to share more of his previous projects with you soon 😀

    • Roger
      April 28, 2015, 3:46 pm

      I hope to get the Whole detail plan and construction procedure, and the cost including interior appliances or facilities. It’s really cozy and another American dream of freedom fulfilled. 100% love it.

  • Zetta Clark
    April 25, 2015, 3:14 pm

    where does the guy live that built the Red Choo Choo travel trailer? I wonder if I paid him for his time and the materials I could get him to build me one?

  • Barbie Lockett
    May 1, 2015, 12:08 pm

    I just love the tiny houses,I am disable with a very bad back, 3 back surgerys. “2 bars and one plate””..I live in an RV.and it is easier to walk for me, because it is small. layed out well but never have have enough space. I loved the way they design the tiny Houses… for things to be hidden. I like the caboose. These tiny houses is the way to go for a lot of people, imagine having a Tiny House Village, One for singles, one for people with kids, and big play ground, and one for us Senior Citizens…. Disable people who don’t have family should be taken into consideration with much through…I love the shows, I tape them an keep them for ideas. I need a ramp and hope someone would build me a ramp for my hub around to go up and come down…Thank You much…Keep up the good work, You are AWESOME….Love Barbie…

    • Adriane Harrison
      January 3, 2016, 6:46 pm

      Barbie Lockett I have been trying to get a project off the ground much like what you were mentioning! I wanted to create a village type of environment with Tiny Homes built & modified for people with different types of handicaps, from blindness to wheelchair bound. I havnt been able to even begin the funding for it, though. Nobody seems to be interested!

  • Grant
    January 1, 2016, 11:08 pm

    I saw this camper at Big Bend National Park on 12/31/2015, very neat camper. Current owner was more than happy to show it off.

    • Alex
      January 1, 2016, 11:36 pm

      Awesome, Grant, I’m glad you got to see it and hang out with the owner for a bit. 🙂

  • Wayne Pedelty
    January 3, 2016, 2:42 am

    I love it! Would like very much to see the plans as it appears to have 3 doors. Is one of them a dummy?

  • Glema
    January 5, 2016, 2:05 am

    Hi Everyone, Glen that’s terrific! I love trains and to see that caboose as a camper unit is something I had thought of as well years ago. There is a caboose just sitting around in Paragould, Arkansas and I use to think I might see if they want to sell it or something. 🙂 I still haven’t done so but to make it a camper was the whole reason I thought about checking on it. Thanks so much for sharing yours! You did a fine job! Thanks for this article Alex I appreciate it more than I can say. God bless you all and Happy trails!

  • Kathy
    March 11, 2016, 7:20 am

    This must surely being a smile to everyone that sees it going by.

  • Gigi
    April 25, 2016, 10:03 pm

    Absolutely adorable!

  • Bob Markle
    April 23, 2017, 5:37 pm

    Neat RV. We have been thinking of building a micro trailer to tow behind our Subaru Forester and this looks great. My Brother in law has worked for the railroads since he was 16 and is just about to retire, and I have a large collection of N and Z scale model railroad sets. I was thinking along the lines of a bay-window-caboose or a mini Pullman sleeper car. I have a complete woodshop and have access to a commercial all aluminum trailer which is ideal as a base. I hope the plans or at least sketches with dimensions are available soon as I would like to build one this summer for some medium distance trips this fall. Great job-Bob M. P.S. if any build info is available please let me know. Bob and Linda Markle-Herminie, PA

  • Lizzie K.
    November 2, 2020, 9:24 pm

    Did the builder ever share plans? This is so cool! My husband LOVES trains and we’ve been dreaming about building our own little camper!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.