Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I lived in Montana. It was not unusual to see a sheepherders wagon out in the middle of nowhere. As a kid, I thought that would be the greatest thing to live in. As time passed and I got older I somewhat had forgotten about sheepherders wagons. My thoughts have changed from living in one to using one as a camper or semi-permanent camp. Back in June 2019, I was able to visit where I used to live in Montana. There is a museum in Choteau Montana that has an authentic sheepherders wagon on display. Seeing it up close rekindled my interest in them. An interest like before kind of faded away. A few months ago I stumbled across a YouTube video about Gypsy Wagons which led me to an Instructable Building A Gypsy Wagon. I want to build my own Gypsy / Sheepherders Wagon.

After watching several YouTube videos I searched for web pages about them. I found the most information on Instructables. There are a lot of variations on building Gypsy Wagons. The thing almost all of them have in common is they are built on a small trailer. I am concerned about the choice of trailers used for the base of the Gypsy Wagon. Specifically worried about overloading the designed load capacity of that trailer. Even more specifically the load capacity of the axle.

Some of the variations that I noted are the walls and the roof. Most of the walls are flat either vertical or slightly angled. Only a few were round, basically a tube-like structure. The roofs are mostly curved and made out of sheet metal or canvas, with a few exceptions.

Below is a list of links to various wagons that I like. I like the look of the angle walls but my favorite one in the list has straight vertical walls.

• Building A Gypsy Wagon
  • Even though this Gypsy Wagon has straight sides, this is really like this Wagon.
• Tiny House Gypsy Wagon You Can Build One Too
  • A lot of good tips and ideas. This one has straight sides, it loses the look of a Gypsy Wagon.
• Gypsy Wagon Built From Salvaged Materials
  • I like the reuse of scrap materials. Interesting take on a trailer-less Gypsy Trailer.
• Bow Top Conestoga Gypsy Vardo
  • Interesting use of clear vinyl for a skylight.
• Gypsy Wagon
  • This one is cute. I do question trailer choice if towed often.
• Gypsy Wagon Construction
  • I like the use of solid wood instead of plywood.
• Gypsy Trailers for the Bristol Renaissance Faire
  • These were built as sales/vendor trailers. They are cute. I do not see why you could not use this design for a traditional Gypsy Wagon with a rigid awning. I could see this handy for a family.
• Ledge Style Gypsy Wagon
  • Very nice Gypsy Wagon with fine craftsmanship.
• Gypsy Wagon Building
  • Another Gypsy Wagon with straight sides. Straight sides might be easier to build, I like look of the angled sides better.
• Build A Custom Camper Gypsy Wagon
  • Another Gypsy Wagon with straight sides. Straight sides might be easier to build, I like look of the angled sides better.
• Collapsable Bowtop Gypsy Wagon
  • The builder has some good ideas. He does point out that even though he built the Wagon to collapse he does not collapse it anymore. Still, it is an interesting idea that has some benefits for towing distances.

Which do you like? Please comment below.

Mark