Category Archives: Trailer/Cargo
Rear Seat Delete: New and Improved
This entry may seem like déjà vu if you’ve been following my site for a while. Yes, I had created and installed a rear seat delete in 2019. I removed it after a couple months of use because I felt … Continue reading
Tiny Cargo Trailer Conversion – Rear Door and First Camping
This post covers the final touches to the conversion and my first overnight in the trailer. I had shared in another entry that I was going to create a rear slide-out to increase my legroom a bit. However, I decided … Continue reading
Tiny Cargo Trailer Conversion – Exterior
The exterior: The final stretch! I had initially sanded the original paint and had a plan to have it wrapped. I did that before a lot of other projects started. Lockdowns put the wrap on hold. My goal was to … Continue reading
Tiny Cargo Trailer Conversion – The Interior
With the roof resealed and basic wiring done, it was time to work on the interior. I started with the insulation. A lot of DIY trailer converters like to use the pink stuff or the blue stuff. Unfortunately, the green … Continue reading
Tiny Cargo Trailer Conversion – Electrical
With the roof fan installed, I had some encouragement to rework the trailer wiring so that I could get some airflow while working inside. The factory wiring was terrible! It looked like this on both sides of the back door. … Continue reading
Tiny Cargo Trailer Conversion – The Roof
In “The Problems,” I mentioned my need to reseal the roof after finding leaks inside the walls. In order to reseal the roof, I first had to strip away the existing sealant. I thought that would be easy enough with … Continue reading
Tiny Cargo Trailer Conversion – The Problems
Converting my Homesteader Fury tiny cargo trailer into a sleeper turned out to be a real challenge! It was easy to assume the job would go smoothly since the original owner only had it for a year and was using … Continue reading
Homesteader Fury 4×6 Long-Term Review – Conversion Builders Beware!
I bought my 2016 Homesteader Fury 4×6′ cargo trailer second-hand on a whim during a casual morning drive on a nearby highway. The original owner had it for about a year and gently used it for a clothing business. It … Continue reading
“We Make Marines”
Note: This article is intentionally time-late and void of names in order to protect the privacy of our Marine. Everything written here is perishable info that is outdated. My plans to take the car on more road trips and camping … Continue reading
Dutton-Lainson Hand Winch for Baby Trailer
I’ve shared several stories and videos about how I put my baby trailer to use. One unsung hero of my setup is my Dutton-Lainson 2000-lb hand winch with 20-ft nylon strap. Calling this a “hand winch” is a bit of … Continue reading
80,000 Miles and Rear Seat Delete!
It’s been a while since I last reported a milestone. I skipped the 70,000-mile report because I had just shared about my car’s second birthday. Time has flown and now I’m past 80,000 miles. I continue to enjoy my commute, … Continue reading
Pros and Cons of Various Cargo Transport Methods
As I wrote about my hitch-mounted cargo carrier, why I bought it, and why I stopped using it, I felt compelled to create lists of the pros and cons of each cargo transport method that I have at my disposal. … Continue reading
Pro Series 20×48″ Hitch-Mounted Cargo Carrier
As I make updates to streamline some of my web pages and menus, I found myself with orphaned information about my hitch-mounted cargo carrier. I used it a lot on earlier cars, but not so much with my GTI. I … Continue reading
Stuck in the Mud; Saved by the “More Power Puller”
Have you ever wanted to take to the mud with your summer performance tires and see what your Mk7 can do? Yeah, neither have I. But it still happened. I’ve made a few references to my yard projects in earlier … Continue reading
Yakima Showcase 15 Wrap-Up (Pun Intended, Leaks Resolved)
If you’ve read my Long-Term Review of the Showcase 15, then you know that I was extremely disappointed to discover that many of its rivets leak during even light rainfall, causing the bottom of the box to pool with water. … Continue reading
Getting Stoned With My GTI!
I’ve been working on a drainage project behind my house. My back yard slopes toward my house, which means that rainwater from the two homes uphill from me collects against my back door and eventually culminates into a river through the garage. … Continue reading
Bicycling Event Support
I had planned to enter my car in Sunday’s BugOut 81 show in Dinwiddie, VA. However, ongoing home projects and a long day on the road Saturday precluded me from making it a priority. What was I doing on the … Continue reading
Long-Term Review: Yakima Showcase 15
I had some opinions about my Showcase 15 right away, but decided to wait until after its first real trip before writing a long-term review. I used the box on a Thanksgiving voyage from southeast Virginia to St Louis, Missouri, … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Road Trip to St Louis
It’s been a few years since the last time my family of three piled into a car for a road trip. As much as I appreciate the higher fuel economy and spaciousness of my wife’s Mk6 Jetta TDI, I’m simply … Continue reading
Ultra Tow Trailer Hubs
This isn’t exactly a “GTI entry.” However, my “baby trailer” spends enough time behind my GTI that it’s almost a part of the car. Since the trailer is two years old and has a fair chance of joining us on … Continue reading
Aerodynamics, Noise, and Fuel Economy (Oh My!)
Adding a roof rack, cargo box, and other attachments has an effect on aerodynamics, noise and fuel economy (oh my!). I’m an analytical type who wants to know “how much noise” and “how much fuel economy” each option affects. So, … Continue reading
Rhino Rack Vortex 2500 RS
I used a Yakima roof rack on my then-new 1988 Nissan Sentra for about 10 years. My 1992 VW Golf saw time with the same rack. There was no denying the marring to the paint over the years from long-term … Continue reading
Yakima ShowCase 15
I’ve been on many road trips over the years. I’ve come to dislike having baggage or cargo in the passenger compartment. With my Jettas, anything that didn’t fit in the trunk usually found its way into a 10 cubic-foot cargo … Continue reading
Canvasback Cargo Liner
I’ve been very happy with the VW “Car Go” Heavy Duty Trunk Liner accessory that came with my car. I’m confident that it would contain most spills due to its raised lip. However, there was one area of the trunk … Continue reading
EcoHitch and Carry-On Trailer
I just wanted to post a quick note to announce two new pages in which I detail my EcoHitch and Carry-On trailer. I don’t think subscribers are informed when I add new pages (unlike posts such as this one). Feel free … Continue reading