Brand New to Camping - want a teardrop!

[sandynd]

So I took my DD and her best friend camping on the local beach a couple of weeks ago. We tented, cooked over the campfire, slept right beside the water, got cold, got wet from the rainstorms that swept over the area, and had a fabulous time! We loved it, all except for the getting cold and wet parts - those weren't that fab but we got through them.

We got back and were joking around that we need a camper trailer next time, and then my DH saw a tiny little teardrop trailer behind someone's small vehicle in town. We asked if we could look inside, and it is the best thing ever! It's basically a bed inside, with an outlet and some overhead cabinets, and then on the outside there's a little fold-down kitchen. It is so darn cute! But I was looking online and it looks like a new one would set me back about 10,000!!

Any experienced campers seen these around for a more reasonable price?

 

[retired and happy]

I don't know anything about pricing, but I know a couple who owns one and they love it. It can be pulled by most anything built on the road today. You can probably find a used one on a Craig's lis somewhere at considerable savings.

 

[KristinU]

We really thought long and hard about building one a few years back. They sure are cool! There's a whole forum about them (or at least there was) - do a google search on 'teardrops and tiny travel trailers forum' and it should come up. Lots of plans available, if you are so inclined. Also there are several cottage industry makers of them. We ultimately decided to buy an Aliner A-frame pop-up. Then, well, we sized up a couple of times over the years and we now have what you see in my avatar.

 

[Teamubr]

Be careful! Once the RV bug bites, it's hard to get away.

The tear drops are expensive to buy new, but so are most campers. My 5th wheel I bought new for $28,000 nine years ago is over $45k now.

I would very much consider used. The tear drops are new enough, I'm sure you can find one in great shape for much less than new. They are also coming in many different sizes now. I just saw one on vacation that was 8 ft tall.

Also, do a lot of thinking about how you will use the trailer, now and in the near future. Most of us have bought our first RV and quickly realized we really wanted bigger/smaller/lighter/popup/5thwheel/motor home...You get it.

My original trailer was a hybrid (hard sides with canvas bunk ends like a pop up). We rented a popup and thought the hard sides were a better option for us. We had it a year before we traded it on a full travel trailer. More space and no canvas that was really cold in the fall when temps dropped to the 40s. We had that for 2 years before we traded on the 5th wheel we have now.
I would have saved a lot of money just going with the 5th wheel initially.

j

 

[katmu]

Be careful! Once the RV bug bites, it's hard to get away.

The tear drops are expensive to buy new, but so are most campers. My 5th wheel I bought new for $28,000 nine years ago is over $45k now.

I would very much consider used. The tear drops are new enough, I'm sure you can find one in great shape for much less than new. They are also coming in many different sizes now. I just saw one on vacation that was 8 ft tall.

Also, do a lot of thinking about how you will use the trailer, now and in the near future. Most of us have bought our first RV and quickly realized we really wanted bigger/smaller/lighter/popup/5thwheel/motor home...You get it.

My original trailer was a hybrid (hard sides with canvas bunk ends like a pop up). We rented a popup and thought the hard sides were a better option for us. We had it a year before we traded it on a full travel trailer. More space and no canvas that was really cold in the fall when temps dropped to the 40s. We had that for 2 years before we traded on the 5th wheel we have now.
I would have saved a lot of money just going with the 5th wheel initially.

j

Hi Teamubr-

I've been thinking about this for a while. My brother and his wife have a trailer that I love but something similar would be much too big for me and my dog. So for newbies, what criteria would you recommend someone look at when trying to decide what size and type to go with?

The only thing I'm pretty sure on so far is that I probably wouldn't want a pop-up as I live in Minnesota and would worry about being cold even during our spring and fall.

 

[Teamubr]

So for newbies, what criteria would you recommend someone look at when trying to decide what size and type to go with?

I think the first thing is deciding why you want a camper. Your opening post says a lot. I used to really enjoy tent camping/back packing. The rain does make it miserable if things get wet. If you are looking for a little more assurance and security from the weather, but really like the other aspects of "tenting", I'd definitely consider one of the ultra small (tear drop) trailers.
If having your own bathroom/shower and someplace to cook besides a fire is something you see being nice, the slightly larger compact trailers are perfect. They are still outdoorsy and closer to 'camping' than 'RV'ing' in a motorcoach. The popups and hybrids are great in nice weather, but they are hard to heat well and A/C can only work so hard in 95 degrees and 95% humidity (the Fort in July)

For us, my DW wanted A/C, microwave and satellite TV. That put us into the 'RV'ing' category in my mind. That's why I have a 5th wheel.

Once you decide on a general category/size, look at what you are going to tow it with. That sometimes helps decide your first camper.
Don't listen to the camper salesman about what your vehicle can tow. Look it up, then get a real weight on the trailer. A lot of people say to stay under 80% of a vehicle tow rating. That's probably a personal choice. With the big race trailer, I am towing pretty close to 100% (22,000 lbs) and it does fine. (And I tow all over the country with it, including the mountains) Everyone has their comfort level with towing. Towing at or over the max capacity will wear things out faster though.

Winter is coming up (in a few weeks in MN- ) Spend the off season looking at all the options and talking to people. That helps you learn what is available and gives you ideas on things you may want but didn't know were offered.
I'm in St Louis. We always have a couple of RV shows over the winter. They are great at comparing. When you see many brands back to back, the good, bad and ugly become apparent pretty quickly. The build quality is easy when you can look at them all together.

j

 

[sandynd]

We really thought long and hard about building one a few years back. They sure are cool! There's a whole forum about them (or at least there was) - do a google search on 'teardrops and tiny travel trailers forum' and it should come up. Lots of plans available, if you are so inclined. Also there are several cottage industry makers of them. We ultimately decided to buy an Aliner A-frame pop-up. Then, well, we sized up a couple of times over the years and we now have what you see in my avatar.

LOL!!

Thanks so much for the direction to the tiny teardrop forum - great wealth of info and a for sale / wanted board I can stalk while I am hatching my nefarious plans to fit this into my budget! Who knows, I may end up in the converted Provost bus yet

 

[KristinU]

I think the first thing is deciding why you want a camper. Your opening post says a lot. I used to really enjoy tent camping/back packing. The rain does make it miserable if things get wet. If you are looking for a little more assurance and security from the weather, but really like the other aspects of "tenting", I'd definitely consider one of the ultra small (tear drop) trailers.
If having your own bathroom/shower and someplace to cook besides a fire is something you see being nice, the slightly larger compact trailers are perfect. They are still outdoorsy and closer to 'camping' than 'RV'ing' in a motorcoach. The popups and hybrids are great in nice weather, but they are hard to heat well and A/C can only work so hard in 95 degrees and 95% humidity (the Fort in July)

For us, my DW wanted A/C, microwave and satellite TV. That put us into the 'RV'ing' category in my mind. That's why I have a 5th wheel.

Once you decide on a general category/size, look at what you are going to tow it with. That sometimes helps decide your first camper.
Don't listen to the camper salesman about what your vehicle can tow. Look it up, then get a real weight on the trailer. A lot of people say to stay under 80% of a vehicle tow rating. That's probably a personal choice. With the big race trailer, I am towing pretty close to 100% (22,000 lbs) and it does fine. (And I tow all over the country with it, including the mountains) Everyone has their comfort level with towing. Towing at or over the max capacity will wear things out faster though.

Winter is coming up (in a few weeks in MN- ) Spend the off season looking at all the options and talking to people. That helps you learn what is available and gives you ideas on things you may want but didn't know were offered.
I'm in St Louis. We always have a couple of RV shows over the winter. They are great at comparing. When you see many brands back to back, the good, bad and ugly become apparent pretty quickly. The build quality is easy when you can look at them all together.

j

Good advice right here! The only thing I will add is to consider future needs as well. Not that any of us have a crystal ball, but things like children that grow and mature, or the addition of another dog to your crew.

LOL!!

Thanks so much for the direction to the tiny teardrop forum - great wealth of info and a for sale / wanted board I can stalk while I am hatching my nefarious plans to fit this into my budget! Who knows, I may end up in the converted Provost bus yet

LOL, I came across my teardrop budget spreadsheet about a month ago! And also, LOL on the Prevost...DH still pines every so often for an old Blue Bird coach to fix up. We saw one at the Fort a few years back and he's never forgotten it.

 

[chartle]

LOL!!

Thanks so much for the direction to the tiny teardrop forum - great wealth of info and a for sale / wanted board I can stalk while I am hatching my nefarious plans to fit this into my budget! Who knows, I may end up in the converted Provost bus yet

I used to frequent that forum a lot but once I realized that I don't have the space to build and/or store it I lost interest.

I was already checking out Harbor Freight trailers, where was the best state to register them (Maine) and best kind of hinge for the hatch.

I even came up with a design in the high end graphics package I have at work.

I just realized I already have it uploaded.

 

[sandynd]

Wow, that is impressive work - way more detailed than I would ever come up with! I'm pretty sure I should just buy rather than build - I don't think I have the patience for that!

 

[chartle]

Wow, that is impressive work - way more detailed than I would ever come up with! I'm pretty sure I should just buy rather than build - I don't think I have the patience for that!

If you you are referring to my post I can't take credit for the drawing of the Harbor Freight trailer or the figure.

As for building, its not that hard. You can get as complicated as you want. Some are made of canvas covered 1" thick styrofoam panels with not much else.

I wasn't planning on adding a permanent stove or ice box. The kitchen would have just had room for storage.

Most just call them a tent on wheels.

Oh my one big addition to this was a small AC unit in the front.

 

[hannah'sdaddy]

So I took my DD and her best friend camping on the local beach a couple of weeks ago. We tented, cooked over the campfire, slept right beside the water, got cold, got wet from the rainstorms that swept over the area, and had a fabulous time! We loved it, all except for the getting cold and wet parts - those weren't that fab but we got through them.

We got back and were joking around that we need a camper trailer next time, and then my DH saw a tiny little teardrop trailer behind someone's small vehicle in town. We asked if we could look inside, and it is the best thing ever! It's basically a bed inside, with an outlet and some overhead cabinets, and then on the outside there's a little fold-down kitchen. It is so darn cute! But I was looking online and it looks like a new one would set me back about 10,000!!

Any experienced campers seen these around for a more reasonable price?

You can find teardrops cheaper than that used online on sites like craigslist and on people's sites that make their own and sell them. You can also but kits with the materials and everything if you are hand with that sort of thing.

 

[phillymummer]

You can find teardrops cheaper than that used online on sites like craigslist and on people's sites that make their own and sell them. You can also but kits with the materials and everything if you are hand with that sort of thing.

Okay, this has perked my interest. Does anyone have a link or name of a site that I can look at for building my own teardrop?

We are campers as well (tent campers) and I have been thinking of upgrading to a Pop-Up ever since it rained most of a weekend on one of our trips. I think teardrops are cute too and my hubby likes to build things.

I want to look into this!

 

[chartle]

Okay, this has perked my interest. Does anyone have a link or name of a site that I can look at for building my own teardrop?

We are campers as well (tent campers) and I have been thinking of upgrading to a Pop-Up ever since it rained most of a weekend on one of our trips. I think teardrops are cute too and my hubby likes to build things.

I want to look into this!

The tiny teardrop forum site posted above is the best place to start.

Here is a real link. http://www.tnttt.com/

Lots of links are old but all good info except for some of the latest techniques using newer materials.

One big issue, when you say 'we' I hope its only the 2 of you. There are plans for larger "teardrops" but it starts to get complicated with building possibly multi level or longer campers. Most plans start with a 4x8 harbor freight or a slightly larger 5x8 from someplace like Tractor Supply.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1720-l...-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html

http://www.redtrailers.com/

One big issue from the start is registering the trailer. If it comes from a kit it has no VIN. In my state, PA, you have to go through inspections, get it weighed, submit photos with paperwork and hope you get it all right. In Maine you send a form and a check and get a card and a VIN plate. Good for I think 2 years then you can go to AAA and now transfer the registration. It was rumored that Harbor Freight stopped selling them here due to too many returns because of this.

 

[JETS70]

My wife and I have been traveling to WDW for approximately 14 years with our 2 children and have had the best time. They are now 24 and 21 and working and in college. Being somewhat empty nesters, I decided to build a teardrop. We camped at the Fort Thanksgiving week in the 200 loop and we are now hooked. Going back for a week in April. If you have basic woodworking skills, tools and a couple of willing friends or family members, they are not bad to build. I have about $2500 in mine and it has AC. The teardrop forum has a wealth of information and the members are great for sharing their knowledge. I am new and need have not posted enough to add links or pictures. as soon as I have 10 posts, I will.

 

[YellowXterra]

Advice Look around and buy your second camper FIRST. Trust me I went thru 3 campers in a single year.

 

[JETS70]

The teardrop is actually our 4th camper. They have evolved as our family has evolved.

 

[JETS70]

We also have a trip planned at the Fort in June. The kids will be going with us on this trip. We will be taking a tent with us. We told them they could ask someone to go with them as we will have ample room with the tent and there is no additional cost for the extra guest.

 

[JETS70]

Here is a link to my build journal for our Benroy (teardrop) camper. The first page contains a couple of pics from our trip to the Fort over Thanksgiving week.
If you are considering building a teardrop camper, the folks on this site are extremely knowledgeable and love to share ideas.

 

[rox]

Truly a project to be proud of! Enjoy!