Whats da,advantages of a large tear?

[KennethW]

How about a 5 wide with the room of a 6 wide ?

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[tony.latham]

I think a 6-wide is nuts. But that's just me.

A queen-sized bed is perfect.

T

[gudmund]

just buy larger side mirrors and make sure 'you close your eyes and don't be looking at them' when crossing bridges (don't want to see 'how' close it 'was'.......)

[Sparksalot]

Slow, with the platform you already have you could do a bit larger version of what Sagebrush has done with the side cabinets and even the standy floor.

[GPW]

Once you tow one of those BIG RV Trailers , a 6’ wide is really No problem , and much more Fun too … JMHO

[SkyNerd]

I thought the whole idea of a tear drop was to be a light weight minimalistic camper? When I was doing my inital research it all came down to being no taller or wider than your tow vehicle, so if you're tow vehicle is a yugo you might rethink the 6' plan, but if you're driving a full size pickup (mine is an F-150) you can go much larger. As far as what to do with the extra space.... when I did the math for mine, after walls etc I cant imagine there being more than 4-6 inches on either side.. If it was me, I would probably leave it open air and maybe just run a 2-3" guide for the bed to sit between. I'm all over the place when I sleep and I've been known to hit the wall a time or two turning over in the middle of the night. having a little space to let a foot hand or arm hang over the bed vs up against a wall would be a huge comfort factor for me.

I think you would probably have a better gain in the galley, forward storage with the extra width... hell you could even install an A/C unit like the camp-inn 560, being 6'wide you wouldn't have to give up much storage space to add that.



what to do with the extra space....

For what it's worth I'm building a 6x12 teardrop, originally I was going 5x10 but figured the little extra space couldn't hurt. I'm also packing a family of 5 in it. two forward bunks and and one above my knees, the extra length allows me to push that third bunk back a little and not crowd the main queen sleep area. I'm also going to gain a little under galley storage and some storage between the foot of the queen bed and the galley wall. my plan is to put a ~15 gallon water tank there, plumb it to the outside for an outdoor shower for times when there aren't any facilities. I can also run all my solar components to that area and they are inside and easily accessible. I'm re purposing the forward neck storage for a HS2000 propane heater and a propane tank. Also with 3 kids it gives me an extra place to store some gear... I was worried about the 12' being too long, it will probably look a little odd with the small teardrop door but I'm gonna try and off set it with some extra windows. the whole thing will still be only about 2/3 the lenght of the truck, no wider and no taller (good for MPG with the aerodynamics). By building at 6' wide it will give the kids some extra years to camp in the trailer, though I'm sure they'll be setting up their own tents before they out grow the bunks.. they are only 3,5 and 7 now So I've got some time.

The only thing I wont be happy with is having the fenders flush with the side of the trailer, the trailer is only 5x12, I'm gonna over build it to 6'. a 6x12 trailer wouldn't fit in the single side garage

But, If it gets you camping, build it!

- Jes

[2bits]

I am born and raised on a teardrop so I love teardrops and always will but my goal has always been easy camping in something vintage and cool. Teardrops are vintage campers yanno. I built a 4 wide and a 5 wide and then I moved into vintage standy campers but I always kept the same original idea… Simple camping in a camper that I don’t feel while pulling behind me with no substantially bigger footprint than a teardrop. I want the most out of that footprint and have no desire to be minimalist for the sake of being minimalist. A Scotty Goucho or Shasta Compact are good examples of going from a 5 x 10 teardrop that only had a bed inside to a 6 x 10 vintage camper that still looks cool and I can stand up in and has a bed, dinette and full kitchen (and my latest build even has a full bath), this seems like a no brainer. Going from 5 wide to 6 wide is only 6 inches on either wide so wouldn’t put that in the nuts category since it it still as skinny as most trucks so there is no issue with rear view mirrors. The mistake people make is going to the dark side and going over board and then they end up with a 7or 8 foot vintage monstrosity that weighs 4500lbs, anyone considering going large should always keep their goal in mind and not let things run away from them. This is my 6 x 10 Vintage standy that I am just finishing up.

[HarryL]

So my teardrop design was dictated by my wife's requirements. She wanted to be able to stand up in the teardrop when getting dressed, did not want to crawl over someone when getting out of bed, ect. We keep a cassette toilet in the white cupboard between the beds that we pull out at night and it sits in front of the cupboard. No need to go outside at night when we need to empty our old bladders. Batteries and lot's of storage under the beds and basket cubbies on the wall between the beds and the galley.

The teardrop is 80 inches wide from fender to fender. Two single beds fit crosswise with a center stand up well. Inside, it's tall enough so that my 6'3" son can stand up in his socks. The camper body is 12' long with a normal rear hatch kitchen. Welded up my own frame to meet these specifications with a 3500 lb Torflex axle. Weights 2500 lb fully loaded.Tows like a dream. We love it! The only downside is that it can't be moved around easily. But, that hasn't been a problem so far.

[Sparksalot]

Hey Slow, you could get a standy without going the Flintstone's route.

[HarryL]

S ooo, I love the big pull out canned withe pipe on the bottom skidding out in your galley what's tbis cabinet for??? Loving your night blue tear! Slow.

The blue pull out is a cooler within a cooler. Insulated with 2" foam all the way around. We can go 5-6 days easy on one block of ice. The pvc pipe is the drain spigot. The top has a stainless steel skin so it works great when taking things out of the microwave. It also makes a great dish washing station.

[redbicycle]

I think one of the greatest things about tears and tiny trailers is that we can build them however we wish according to our needs. We are not stuck with a standard camper build with extras we don't want. I know this post is about going larger but it has also drifted some.

For my build I wanted as large as I could go with it still fitting into my garage and light enough for a light duty TV. I made the choice that I will sacrifice just about anything except the bed and AC to stuff the finished product in my garage. Not paying storage fees is a big factor for me. For others with acres of storage they will have other priorities.

The good news is every build that is done for whatever reason helps us all with new ideas, concepts, material sources and knowledge.


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[Socal Tom]

I had an idea for a simple design that is about the size of a cabin car. The rear galley gets the kitchen, just ahead of the galley bulkhead is a bed for sleeping side to side. The bed is elevated high enough to fit a water heater through the DS. A water tank fits under the bed, there should also be room to store a small A/C unit on a sliding drawer under the bed ( probable on the PS side). The A/C goes there for traveling, but comes out and gets hooked up like a petcool for use. There might be room to do the same with a small generator like an EU1000. There is a wall between the bed and the Front, this should be wide enough to put a small hand wash sink, with a cabinet that stores a portapotty. The door to the outside opens into this "bathroom" area. It should be tall enough to allow comfortable seating on the portapotty. This gives you a small bathroom you can probably use while traveling if needed, or in the middle of the night ( a privacy curtain can be added next to the bed if you have company). THe bathroom also gives you a space to store chairs/awnings for travel.
If you want to get fancy, add some closets at the front that are deep enough for jackets, and cabinets over the foot of the bed for clothes. Shoes come off in the bathroom so the bed doesn't get sandy.
Tom

[Atomic77]

I think a 6-wide is nuts. But that's just me.

A queen-sized bed is perfect.

T

I'm curious why you feel that way. My friend bought a '07 Little Guy 6 Wide. It's been leaking so we gutted it and starting over with the shell. I suppose I'm probably used to mine, (7'6 wide) but his doesn't seem any too wide to me . I know mine doesn't fit the category or tear criteria. Just curious on your thoughts Tony

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[tony.latham]

I think a 6-wide is nuts. But that's just me.

A queen-sized bed is perfect.

T

I'm curious why you feel that way. My friend bought a '07 Little Guy 6 Wide. It's been leaking so we gutted it and starting over with the shell. I suppose I'm probably used to mine, (7'6 wide) but his doesn't seem any too wide to me . I know mine doesn't fit the category or tear criteria. Just curious on your thoughts Tony

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I had a four-wid for nine years. Then I got a tour of a five-wide and haven't looked back.

I think the interior of a five-wide is perfect. Plenty of room for two in a queen bed and I don't know what we'd do with another foot. The exterior of a five-wide is a foot too fat --I really liked towing that four-wide! Another foot and I'd really feel and see it in the mirror.

Part of why a teardrop works so well is its tow-ability.

What caused leakage with that Little Guy?



Tony

[Atomic77]

I think a 6-wide is nuts. But that's just me.

A queen-sized bed is perfect.

T

I'm curious why you feel that way. My friend bought a '07 Little Guy 6 Wide. It's been leaking so we gutted it and starting over with the shell. I suppose I'm probably used to mine, (7'6 wide) but his doesn't seem any too wide to me . I know mine doesn't fit the category or tear criteria. Just curious on your thoughts Tony

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What caused leakage with that Little Guy?

The short answer: Poor construction.
The longer answer is, front and rear there was a seam that was a butt joint that lacked 1/4" from touching. It needed to be lapped or something. Or not be there at all. Then they put a strip of butyl and a molding over it and called it good. It's one of the early models when Little Guy wasn't a manufacturer and was contracting Pleasant Valley to figure it out. The entire front and rear was a moldy mess. The tail lights were literally falling out and all that was left of the rear was the Filon. The cardboard they used on the inside was wet or gone. It was a mess. But... it's all carbon fiber inside now

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