Teardrop Trailer?
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I researched them a little. They are more of a rich man's novelty, unless you are lucky enough to find one used and cheap, which is not easy. They cost 4-7K new and that's without the accessories you see in the pic you posted.
For 4K you could get a nice popup/tent trailer and a full bike/toy rack system, as well as more comfortable sleeping and kitchen arrangements, water heater, furnace, and 3-way refrigerator. Some even have shower and toilet too. If towing capacity is an issue you can find one small enough to be towed by just about anything.
For 4K you could get a nice popup/tent trailer and a full bike/toy rack system, as well as more comfortable sleeping and kitchen arrangements, water heater, furnace, and 3-way refrigerator. Some even have shower and toilet too. If towing capacity is an issue you can find one small enough to be towed by just about anything.
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I agree with CJ here. I researched a bit when I had my truck b/c the wife and I liked the idea. A little expensive for what you get but a really cool 'toy' regardless.
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·Very true if your buying...But I'm going to build.CactusJoe said:
I scored a cheap 4 x 8 trailer off CL with tags for $120a while ago. I'm thinking $500 in wood and a tin roof...Then just use my camping gear I already have for now.
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1,426 Posts
Nice. I looked into these as well, but don't have the space (or likely the required skills) to build one. The plans are pretty cheap and I would imagine that the materials aren't too expensive either. Good luck and post up some pics when you're done.
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149 Posts
I'm considering building one of these as well. You probably already have been here but here is a forum I belong to with a lot of good info:CrazyEye said:
http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/index.php?sid=9c21d6c354c4d0d3d7895c74f5e345c6
Hope that helps.
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971 Posts
I've been looking at building a teardrop myself. I've got a job lined up a couple years from now on an island and I'll need a place to live until I have a roof on the house. I figure I can build a decent teardrop for a couple grand and have something a little better than a tent to live in.
G
Guest
·That's one nice set up...It'll be a while before I can swing that though. I'm thinking cheap as possible. Plywood and paint for this first go around bear said:We have a bigger version, but it costs more, but we love it and it has lots of space and air conditioning ... but you won't find one for below 10k for sure.
A couple of ideas
I have thought about building a teardrop trailer myself and here are some things I have considered. 1) Seventy years ago, when teardrop trailers were first designed, automobiles had very little power or storage, hence the trailer's small size and lots of built-in storage. The trailer both had to carry everything and serve as shelter. Todays cars have lots of storage space, so the primary role of the trailer is as a place to sleep and hang out. 2) I would try to use as much stainless steel on the exterior as possible. This is why old Airstream trailers still look good. Stainless steel sheet metal, corner edging and screws would probably more than pay for themselves over the life of the trailer or when it was time to sell. Use lots and lots of sealer/primer on the plywood and some sort of undercoating on the underside or wrap the stainless steel all of the way around. 3) I would leave out the camp kitchen hatchback/trunk at the back. It looks cute but it makes the trailer weaker, heavier, more complex to build and is probably a source of leaks. (If I am camp cooking, I am probably in a campground and can use the picnic table. If I am not at a campground, I probably went through a drive through and I am just crashing for the night.) I would use the extra space in the interior for leg room and for a built-in gear attic for lighter stuff like clothing. 4) RV stores are great places to get necessary items like windows, which are designed specifically to handle both highway speeds and poor weather. 5) I would install a 12 volt car battery on the tongue of the trailer, charge it via the trailer wiring and add lots of 12 volt RV lighting inside, so you can read or cook inside at night. A little 12 volt cook pot can also be run off a 12 volt battery for hot drinks or soups. Install a battery isolator so your car battery doesn't get run down. 6) I would pay lots of attention to ventilation. A RV type roof vent can be cranked open for ventilation and you can also stick your head out to look around if you hear sounds outside. Adding a RV bathroom vent fan with a clock timer switch would allow for air movement on the stillest of nights and cause the fan to shut off once you were asleep.
Definitely post some pictures when you get it done.
I have thought about building a teardrop trailer myself and here are some things I have considered. 1) Seventy years ago, when teardrop trailers were first designed, automobiles had very little power or storage, hence the trailer's small size and lots of built-in storage. The trailer both had to carry everything and serve as shelter. Todays cars have lots of storage space, so the primary role of the trailer is as a place to sleep and hang out. 2) I would try to use as much stainless steel on the exterior as possible. This is why old Airstream trailers still look good. Stainless steel sheet metal, corner edging and screws would probably more than pay for themselves over the life of the trailer or when it was time to sell. Use lots and lots of sealer/primer on the plywood and some sort of undercoating on the underside or wrap the stainless steel all of the way around. 3) I would leave out the camp kitchen hatchback/trunk at the back. It looks cute but it makes the trailer weaker, heavier, more complex to build and is probably a source of leaks. (If I am camp cooking, I am probably in a campground and can use the picnic table. If I am not at a campground, I probably went through a drive through and I am just crashing for the night.) I would use the extra space in the interior for leg room and for a built-in gear attic for lighter stuff like clothing. 4) RV stores are great places to get necessary items like windows, which are designed specifically to handle both highway speeds and poor weather. 5) I would install a 12 volt car battery on the tongue of the trailer, charge it via the trailer wiring and add lots of 12 volt RV lighting inside, so you can read or cook inside at night. A little 12 volt cook pot can also be run off a 12 volt battery for hot drinks or soups. Install a battery isolator so your car battery doesn't get run down. 6) I would pay lots of attention to ventilation. A RV type roof vent can be cranked open for ventilation and you can also stick your head out to look around if you hear sounds outside. Adding a RV bathroom vent fan with a clock timer switch would allow for air movement on the stillest of nights and cause the fan to shut off once you were asleep.
Definitely post some pictures when you get it done.
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215 Posts
Those are great ideas.
I'm wondering what the cost to build up a homemade trailer would run? I've cruised craigs list and rv trader and found for a few grand you can get something really nice. With the way the economy is right now a lot of people are selling off "toys" they no longer can afford. A few friends in Cali. and here have picked up some nice trailers for dirt cheap. Check the all the diff ads and you may get lucky as well:thumbsup:
Mike
I'm wondering what the cost to build up a homemade trailer would run? I've cruised craigs list and rv trader and found for a few grand you can get something really nice. With the way the economy is right now a lot of people are selling off "toys" they no longer can afford. A few friends in Cali. and here have picked up some nice trailers for dirt cheap. Check the all the diff ads and you may get lucky as well:thumbsup:
Mike
G
Guest
·All very good points. I'm definalty leaving out the kitchen. I want be able use it haul random things also. So the kitchen totally takes away from that function. I have a fold out table that can do anything those can. I'll probably just use plywood with good paint or sealer to keep the cost down. It'll probably be a while before I tear into this though.
bweide said:
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1,072 Posts
Airstream Basecamp
Airstream make a realy cool Basecamp model, but knowing airstream, it might be a little pricey:
https://www.airstream.com/products/2008-fleet/travel-trailers/basecamp/
Airstream make a realy cool Basecamp model, but knowing airstream, it might be a little pricey:
https://www.airstream.com/products/2008-fleet/travel-trailers/basecamp/
CrazyEye said:Do any of you guys have one? I think this is my next big project...Just looking for some ideas to make it the ultimate poor man's camping/biking rig.
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Oh man, I just love the look of those [email protected] trailers. The bigger version looks even nicer, but the price! Holy cow.
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·That thing is awesome...Epicrider said:
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we (the mrs and I) talked about just building a smaller teardrop, but in the end a couple K for materials and a LOT of time (which we didn't have) and the fact that we found ours for 10k new kinda killed interest in building. Neither of us do enough construction type work to have pulled off something half as good.
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