Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm about halfway through my build, and a thought came to me this morning: I was putting something in the trash, which is under our sink, and I saw the flashlight we keep there, and a thought popped into my head: I won't need light inside the teardrop, but a mount on the wall for a flashlight, right by the door, like if ya gotta go to the can in the middle of the night, and can grab the flashlight on the way out, is a good idea. That made me think of another thing that I'm going to do, which is put a mount for a fire extinguisher on either the ceiling or one of the walls: the idea is that if you need one, it's going to be an emergency, and you want it where you can get to it very quickly, not having to go outside the cabin and rummage around in a tongue box or something.

And that led me to wonder what OTHER stuff, what cool customizations, either inside or outside a teardrop, have youse guys come up with? I'm thinking there are some pretty cool ideas out there, and sharing them in a space like this is one of the benefits of the interwebs.

Please feel free to share your tricks/hacks/cool stuff you've thought of, pinched from others, or discovered through trial and error. Cheers!

Powerful magnets from old computer hard drives behind the hatch lining to keep knives and other kitchen utensils at hand.

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Here is what our flashlight holders look like. One at each end of the headboard.



Sliding nightstand. It locks in and lout.



Kitchen organzier:



Now, I don't mind sounding like an idiot too much (I'm used to it) but how is your teardrop going to catch fire? I've got two propane appliances so maybe I need one?

Tony

tony.latham wrote:
How is your teardrop going to catch fire? maybe I need one?
Tony

1. Wheel bearing

tony.latham wrote:
Now, I don't mind sounding like an idiot too much (I'm used to it) but how is your teardrop going to catch fire? I've got two propane appliances so maybe I need one?

Tony

B. Other campers doing dumb things* next door (Probably not the way you camp Tony, but for those who camp in crowded sites.)

Tom

* E.g., fire works, especially around dry grass; campfires with grass growing around the pit; the ever popular adding liquid fire starter to already burning charcoal; lit cigarette butts careless tossed around dry grass; parking a hot catalytic converter (often attached to a tow vehicle) over dry grass; etc. etc. When we neanderthals invented fire and told you homo sapiens to "run with the idea", we didn't mean it literally!

Belmo wrote:Please feel free to share your tricks/hacks/cool stuff you've thought of, pinched from others, or discovered through trial and error. Cheers!

Headboard bookcase, to keep travel books, nature books, camp cookbooks, and rainy day reading organized:




(These were taken before we added the ceiling and roof.) Yet to be tested, but we hope the mechanism keeps books in their place on moderately bumpy roads, or at least on paved roads.

Tom

* E.g., fire works, especially around dry grass; campfires with grass growing around the pit; the ever popular adding liquid fire starter to already burning charcoal; lit cigarette butts careless tossed around dry grass; parking a hot catalytic converter (often attached to a tow vehicle) over dry grass; etc. etc. When we neanderthals invented fire...

And thus, after all my years on the fireline, I still keep a shovel in my truck.



Nope, not me –-I was snapping the picture. We were somewhere deep in Alaska's interior trying to come up with Plan B.

I don't think I knew teardrops existed back then.

Tony

tony.latham wrote:

* E.g., fire works, especially around dry grass; campfires with grass growing around the pit; the ever popular adding liquid fire starter to already burning charcoal; lit cigarette butts careless tossed around dry grass; parking a hot catalytic converter (often attached to a tow vehicle) over dry grass; etc. etc. When we neanderthals invented fire...

And thus, after all my years on the fireline, I still keep a shovel in my truck.

Tony

Oh! Good idea! Then, while you use the teardrop's fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, your wife can wack the offending camper with the shovel! (Or vice versa)




Tom

your wife can wack the offending camper with the shovel! (Or vice versa)

I hope that's not me...

T

tony.latham wrote:Now, I don't mind sounding like an idiot too much (I'm used to it) but how is your teardrop going to catch fire? I've got two propane appliances so maybe I need one?

Tony

Something campfire-related is the obvious answer. An ember gets airborne... you can figure out the rest.

A fire extinguisher is a mandatory piece of equipment. You'll probably never need it, but if you do, it will be a godsend. In a camper, it will probably not save your life -- you can run away before you'll be killed by the fire -- but it could save your camper. For a few bucks, there's no reason not to have one, especially if you're going to be off the grid, as we will be in ours. A better question than why carry a fire extinguisher is why not -- I can't think of a single reason not to have one at the ready.

There are some great ideas in this thread! The flashlight holders (which I can turn also make for a fire extinguisher) and the magnets in the hatch door are superb! Thank you, buoys and gulls!

And then there is our garbage sack holder for the galley...







Tony

Belmo wrote: A fire extinguisher is a mandatory piece of equipment. You'll probably never need it, but if you do, it will be a godsend. In a camper, it will probably not save your life -- you can run away before you'll be killed by the fire -- but it could save your camper. For a few bucks, there's no reason not to have one, especially if you're going to be off the grid, as we will be in ours. A better question than why carry a fire extinguisher is why not -- I can't think of a single reason not to have one at the ready.

* I always carry fire extinguishers in all my cars, trucks, and trailers, just in case. Since my TTT has a prevalence of one-of-a-kind non-standard wiring, a lot of fuel storage on-board (typically 3.5 gallons of gasoline + 5 quarts of Coleman fuel + 1 lb propane), and a sketchy, redneck-engineered external fuel system for the galley-mounted generator, I added another fire extinguisher in the galley, too (the first one is inside the cabin). So far, no leaks, no flare-ups, no fires.

tony.latham wrote:

your wife can wack the offending camper with the shovel! (Or vice versa)

I hope that's not me...

T

Sorry--of course I don't REALLY advocate violence (against anyone or by anyone or their wives); just being a Wise A... Guy!

Tom

Here in Oz, federal vehicle standards bulletin 1B says we have to have a fire extinguisher in a caravan.
Here in South Australia, the state says a teardrop camper is a caravan, so I guess I'll be fitting a fire extinguisher to keep it legal.

Rear storage area for all of our camping gear make for nothing get's left behind. The drop down table mounted behind the spare tire give us a solid platform for our cook stove whether we use our dual burner or single buner.The drop down table folds up flat & surs nicely behind the spare tire. Flash light mount I used in our squaredrop is Quick Fist Original Clamps https://www.etrailer.com/Tie-Down-Strap ... gK66vD_BwE
Trash bag we use the Trasharoo Trail Bag mounted on our spare tire. https://www.wildhorses4x4.com/product/T ... gKiYfD_BwE