Welcome to the seventh entry in August’s Medium Mod Contest. One Medium Mod will be published in every Email Alert in August. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine August’s winner. Click here for information about the 2022 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Smoky Panepinto, Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania
Outside Removable Convenience Shelf
2005 Chevy 2500
2015 Northstar Laredo SC
We always seem to have something in at least one hand when entering and exiting our camper. These things are usually items we don’t want to be soiled by laying them on the bumper including snacks, drinks, etc.
I decided to design and build a removable shelf that would be a catch-all for the stuff going in and out of the rig. I wanted it to be convenient to use from the inside or outside. The shelf also needed to be weatherproof or at least, weather-resistant. With that in mind, I searched for exterior RV wall panel material.
RV Parts Nation has filon sheets, which is a white fiberglass-based material used on newer RVs. I was able to buy a modest amount. Since the filon is not rigid enough by itself, I glued to it a 1/2-inch exterior plywood piece. This was cut to fit around and between the mounted ladder on the back of our camper, adjoining the entry door.
To help level and hold the shelf in place, I cut a small piece of 1-inch by 3-inch board which I velcro to the shelf when it is being used. I used a router to shape the filon edges on the shelf and used a waterproof sealant on the exposed wood edges of the shelf.
The shelf is amazing. It weighs almost nothing, and stores easily in one of the camper’s wing cabinets. It is the first thing that gets set up and is the last to be put away. It is so useful and looks good, too.
Materials Used:
Filon from rvpartsnation.com, but most RV supply shops have it – $30-$35
Silicone sealant – $6-$7
Seal-All automotive adhesive – $6
14-inch by 18-inch piece of (scrap) plywood.
8-inch piece of 1-inch by 3-inch scrap wood
It took me three hours and most of that time was in developing the template for the shelf so that it would correctly fit the ladder and camper. This mod cost me about $50. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is easy to medium.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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