Trapper Cabin Ideas and Daydreaming

[2rocky]

Pros and cons of building a small (<200 sq ft) cabin vs buying an RV and leaving it at the property for an off grid hunting/summer camp
https://jamaicacottageshop.com/shop/bunk-house10x16-3-season-pre-cut-kit/
Cabin pros:
Building experience
Wood heat https://www.tinywoodstove.com/product/dwarf-cookstove/
Can do in stages (kits)
Material cost and Sweat equity
More Rustic and Simple


Cabin Cons:
Not portable
Not Resellable

RV Trailer pros
Use Immediately
Design is efficient
More Amenities : indoor plumbing and heated water

RV Trailer Cons.
Higher initial cost
Less appealing visually, less rustic
Dependant on 12V system, battery charging and propane
No Woodstove

 

[Dave N]

Plan on keeping the property for quite a while? Cabin makes sense. Comfort is relative and you would be surprised what you can do in a small cabin. Small generator will power about anything you have inside. Ours was 192 sf and worked well for us.

Not sure about keeping the property? Trailer is portable and can even be stored at home if not using it or taken somewhere else for a vacation trip.

 

[Dakotakid]

I just picked up 2 more windows for my shipping container cabin build.
Might be another idea.
My goal is complete mouse proof.
1 1/2 bath one bedroom and one living room dining room.

 

[SFC B]

I would also go for a cabin of some description. RVs are very vulnerable to weather (wind/ hail/snow load etc) and lack of wood heat would be the deal breaker.

 

[Moserkr]

Rv con: built like sh!t, expensive to buy and upkeep.
Cabin pro: built to your standards, cheaper to build and upkeep.

My vote, cabin all day long.

Curveball - tiny home. Heavy to tow, expensive to build, but functions as both cabin or travel trailer.

 

[Redman]

What about a mini barn that can be delivered to your site and moved of you want to? You can run electric, insulates, put in water, septic, and wood burner.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Depending on where you are, cabin still requires lots of maintenance- all the same maintenance that a small house would require really. My husbands family has one. Needs snow cleared off the roof several times each winter, which means snowshoeing in. Mice and packrats are a constant battle, and cause other maintenance issues that need fixing. Chinking, painting, replacing boards, fixing roof leaks. Plus it’s been broken into and vandalized numerous times over the years, so there’s that.

Sometimes seems like an RV would be simpler. You can take it home and do maintenance as you have time, plus not worry about people messing with it, vs making special trips or sacrificing your vacation/hunting time to work on stuff.

 

[Southern Elk]

If I was going to build a small hunting cabin, I would do it on the cheap. Salvage some materials. Find good deals on others. Piece it together. Give it some character.

 

[Southern Elk]

My son loves watching this guy’s videos. I have watched a few with him and it would be pretty cool to do something like these. There’s also a ton of other people doing the same thing on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/@Bushradical

 

[2rocky]

My son loves watching this guy’s videos. I have watched a few with him and it would be pretty cool to do something like these. There’s also a ton of other people doing the same thing on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/@Bushradical

YES, I too have been watching him and his wife...She has a video of her BIL's Off grid cabin that he has added on to over the years...

 

[noharleyyet]

Deer lease partners and I have kicked around the notion of a conex conversion for six years now. There’s a dilapidated camper trailer the previous lessors left behind…not usable and a good argument for a more substantial structure. We have all the equipment and intel to engineer a pretty slick set up.

 

[Wallydeuce]

My wife and I have both.

Our cabin is worth $150+k more than what we paid for it while our 31' 5th wheel is worth $25+k less.

If you love the location where the cabin will be, I recommend cabin all the way. The plus to the RV is its mobility. However, it's going to be worth less every year without even considering wear and tear.

Our cabin overlooks Zion National Park, averages 30 degrees cooler than our home in Las Vegas and is less than 3 hours away. We spend most of the summer there since we upgraded the solar to accommodate my wife's work needs.

If you plant your RV on your property, you'll be emptying holding tanks and hauling water and 5 gallon propane tanks every trip.

The not so great news about a cabin is the property taxes, insurance, $800 propane annual fill. We budget $5,500 annually now, up from $3,500 when we first built it.

Both will require upkeep but the cabin will increase in value while an RV will decrease to the point of being totally worthless eventually.

My $.02.

 

[Gellar]

Rv while you build the cabin.

 

[hank4elk]

I turned the dream cabin into the dream property I have now. Downside for me was the cost to replace it.
Dealing with rodents on a singlewide I got for free now. But I have a woodstove in it made for mobiles and that will save me tonight after the heater took a dump today. Most likely rodent related.....

 

[sierrahunter]

My wife and I had a 1,100 ft cabin built 14 years ago, pictured below in the Sierra Nevada. We love it. We don’t regret our decision at all.

The two biggest cons are maintenance and stationary nature of the home. As for maintenance, we apply a latex stain every three years. We have not had any vandalism, but we are located in a small mountain community. No rodent problems yet. Our street is plowed in the winter.
As for not being mobile, my mind is always working out the hunting options within the area. I rarely consider hunting away from it, which precludes new opportunities.

Not sure why you would rule out indoor plumbing and heated water for your cabin. Even in a remote location, these are possible. It really makes or breaks a truly enjoyable cabin experience to have those two things. Also, once you decide to develop, it’s only incrementally more money to have a little bigger place with a bathroom and kitchenette. My advice would be to save up and do it right.

The pros far outweigh the cons for us.
-It is very comfortable in a cabin. You are warm, dry, and have all the creature comforts of home. This means that you can extend your typical hunting trip because you can sleep well, keep warm, and eat well. Your non-hunting spouse can also accompany you on trips and be comfortable. This extends your hunting trips!
-because you’re not mobile in a cabin, you tend to focus on that area. This does have benefits, though. In the 14 years I’ve used our cabin, I’ve learned the habits and secrets of all the critters I hunt. I’ve been fortunate to take an archery black bear (no bait) for the past 8 or so years because I know where they go and when. I do a lot of scouting in the summer and know the area well.
-you can comfortably host guests with a cabin.
-A cabin increases the value of the land.
-Did I mention that a cabin is comfortable?

 

[Wallydeuce]

I turned the dream cabin into the dream property I have now. Downside for me was the cost to replace it.
Dealing with rodents on a singlewide I got for free now. But I have a woodstove in it made for mobiles and that will save me tonight after the heater took a dump today. Most likely rodent related.....

Stay warm.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

We did one of the prefab barn/sheds, used as delivered for a few years then finally insulated, walled it in, electric, window unit for the summer. It’s comfortable and warm/dry. Having a tv and DVD player makes the solo trips go by a little easier.

Biggest regret was getting a roll up door on one end, I’m constantly dealing with mice. I cleaned the place for about two hours today and lined the unfinished room with glue traps. If not for the roll up we would have finished out the whole thing and had more room, could have added a wood stove.

Also my power is connected to the well and pump that are exposed to the elements. When the temps drop I have to turn power off, and drain lines or risk busting pipes. Big pain in the ass sometimes later in the year.

 

[hank4elk]

Stay warm.

We did one of the prefab barn/sheds, used as delivered for a few years then finally insulated, walled it in, electric, window unit for the summer. It’s comfortable and warm/dry. Having a tv and DVD player makes the solo trips go by a little easier.

Biggest regret was getting a roll up door on one end, I’m constantly dealing with mice. I cleaned the place for about two hours today and lined the unfinished room with glue traps. If not for the roll up we would have finished out the whole thing and had more room, could have added a wood stove.

Also my power is connected to the well and pump that are exposed to the elements. When the temps drop I have to turn power off, and drain lines or risk busting pipes. Big pain in the ass sometimes later in the year.

That was one option for me here. But NM rodents will eat through adobe & logs.
Concrete is like gold here price wise and that or metal will hold them at bay.

On the bright side the heater fan has been working this morning to move the stove heat. 4 bait stations around my place and I just killed 2 mice in traps inside. I wore out 3 of the Victor electric traps...
Nice warm fire going. 72 inside and 18 out and heading for a 10 deg. sunrise.

 

[Nameless Range]

My younger brother has a cabin in the Elkhorn Mountains - maybe 140 ft.². Purchased the property from a HuntTalker in fact, but has done a lot of work to it. No power, no water, just a woodstove, an out house, a bunk and a table. It’s one of my favorite places on earth.

I don’t know where exactly your property is and what it’s like there, but I will say this, if this cabin were instead a camper, it would probably have fallen apart years ago. Snow, weather, sun, wind - build a stout cabin and don’t worry about those things.

 

[buckbull]

Hands down a cabin. I had a mobile home on my property that became infested with rattle snakes. Burned that down and got an RV to give us time to build a cabin. What a pain in the butt. Constant leaks and stuff always breaking or leaking. Wouldnt stay warm when we needed it the most. The day we got rid of it is one of the happiest days of my life. We ended up buiding a quanset hut. Main reason was for mice and after 3 years we have never found a mouse turd.