Some of those are pretty nice, but financially, you are usually better off buying a used camping trailer to begin with. The trick is to buy the camper in the right state where you are not going to get jammed up badly on taxes and fees. A lot of those cargo trailer conversions are done in states where the people pay extra taxes on a camper as opposed to a cargo trailer, so the trailer gets registered as a cargo trailer first.

My concept beats that by having the person provide their own flatbed trailer, then the living module bolts on to it temporarily, and once at a set location, the living module is pushed off the flatbed onto a really basic foundation, or in some cases can just be forklifted to the ground. A few other ways that can be accomplished. At one place in northern Washington, we keep four hi-lift jacks which can lift a building module up several inches, then the trailer is pulled out from under the building (or section of a building) then it is carefully settled down on posts and pier blocks, using the pier block supports which are adjustable. Coarse adjustments are made with the jacks and cutting the 4X4 posts to length, fine adjustments with a wrench on the pier block supports.

I have also seen U Haul truck to RV conversions, same story. By the time the guy was all done he said he would have been better off getting a used motorhome.

That, and on the trailers, smaller is better for storage and maneuverability, obviously bigger is better for living space. That is what gets people settling it out in the 16ft to 20ft range.

The crappiest trailer is usually going to be a superior shelter to the best tent, while the most rudimentary stick framed and plywood cabin is going to be a superior shelter to a trailer.

You start looking at lumber prices in the winter, and the way I see it, I would rather build relatively conventional shed buildings and finish out the interiors and just leave them if necessary than have to haul that much living space around, or freeze/bake in a tent.

Now in mild weather and not looking like a homeless camp, the opposite is true. A nice tent looks like Yuppies camping, RV kind of middle of the road, off grid cabin is an off gridder who someone will want to mess with and run off the land.

Its the jealousy thing. A hatred for someone having more than those tied into "the system" think they deserve to have.