Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Beautiful build!

Thank you. This camper was intended to be somewhat of a study in "luxury minimalism". I intentionally pushed a few limits, to help us decide what is the minimum we will be happy with after retirement. After using it for several years, I can always build another one if we decide there is something we don't like. So far, we like it. We might not prefer to LIVE in it, but actually, we could -- and be fairly comfortable.

One thing we left off is a pressurized water system and hot water. We heat water on the stove or, if we have power, in a hot pot. That decision would not be for everyone, but I realized that hot water is a game-changer in the camper design. Hot water and a shower requires a propane system, with a propane tank, a larger fresh tank, and a larger grey tank, and a place for the water heater itself. It requires space and introduces a lot of potential issues with humidity and water damage. So, for best bang for our pound and square foot, we omitted that, and either use the facility showers, or sponge bathe. Or, I sometimes take a pop-up shower shelter and a Zodi shower.

I also realize that porta-potties are not for everyone. I have been camping for decades, and have used every conceivable camp toilet type, and my personal opinion is that it just comes down to preference. None of them are "flush and it's gone" like at home. Whether it is held in a tank just below the seat, or in a tank just below the floor makes no difference to me. Each has it's advantages, and its disadvantages. I can live happily with any of them, and am just glad to have it at 3am!

I would love to have a rooftop air conditioner, but not at the cost of giving up the Fantastic Fan. And, even the smallest rooftop units are too big for a camper this size. 5,000-6,000 BTU is all it wants. Plus, a rooftop unit would require additional wall height to save me from head-butting it. Those things tipped the scales in favor of the portable unit. The doghouse A/C works really well, but it does add a degree of inconvenience.

Fantastic..... could you tell us more about your A/C unit and maybe a photo? Thanks

Your skills are admirable, I really like what you've done with 6X12. Looks amazingly comfortable. Some unique great ideas. Very logical. No wasted space. You covered all the bases in my mind. Thanks for sharing. And I, too, am curious about that ClimateRight 5000.

Thanks for the kind words. There have been a couple of inquiries about the ClimateRight 5000. We took our first campout of the season last weekend, at an Indiana State Park, in 85 degree weather. Anticipating the heat, I brought the A/C along. Sadly, it didn't work. This is really disappointing, because it was not cheap, and it is less than two full years old (July 2019). The compressor runs, and the fan blows, but no chilly-chilly. Like most units these days, it is a sealed system, with no recharge ports, and there is clearly a leak somewhere, so trouble-shooting it, sourcing parts and recharging it would turn into a pretty major job and expense. To add insult to injury, it appears that ClimateRight may have gone out of business. Their website isn't working, and their products are out of stock everywhere. Aint that the way - just as soon as I gave them a shout-out, it died on me.

It does not appear that there are similar alternatives from other companies. This is the closest I found, but it is only 2000BTU: https://www.securepets.com/petcool.html So, it looks like I will be going with plan B - installing a rooftop unit, over the bed area where I won't hit it with my head. That will involve installing the framing and 14" opening, so not a small project. I will be starting that tomorrow, and will try to get some pictures posted of progress. Heading up to Bontrager's RV Surplus this afternoon!

Nice trailer.
I've gone through 3 ac units in our last trailer. I bet if you tear it apart, the freon line will be broken near where it enters the condenser or other. Which makes it impossible to repair .
Bottom line, ac units dont like bouncy trailers.

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