Birchcampers.com teardrop build

[bdosborn]

There are a lot of thoughtful touches and quality workmanship going into your build. Looking good!
Bruce

[dabend]

There are a lot of thoughtful touches and quality workmanship going into your build. Looking good!
Bruce

Thanks Bruce. I'm trying, but sometimes it gets frustrating constantly trying to retrofit ideas onto a kit that wasn't designed for it (wait till you see how I'm going to hack in some wire runs - its a compromise). Some things like the galley door hinge and seals took way too long to get close to what I think is OK and I still don't like it. But it will be a fun nice looking camper and I'll enjoy it for a while. I might have one more build in me and I'll be doing that Galley door Tony Latham style where there's no question about sealing (and don't worry Tony at that point I'll buy the book instead of getting it from the Library)

[tony.latham]

(and don't worry Tony at that point I'll buy the book instead of getting it from the Library)

I didn't write it to get rich.

Tony

[dabend]

Good progress over the labor day weekend.

1. The tail lights were relocated to the rear of the trailer and I made a bumper to give it a finished look as well as a better place to mount the license plate. The camper hasn't gone anywhere yet and I've managed to bend the plate because it was too low hanging below the stock light location and I keep hitting the tail lights on the garage when I put it away. It would be better not to have a bumper at all, but it doesn't seem to get in the way much and solves more irritating issues.





2. Started working on the interior shelving. No photos yet, but I'm trying to keep it simple and will just have shelving for storage bins and only two cabinets.

3. Hacked the wiring runs into the galley. Since the Camper wasn't really designed for wiring, I had to surface mount the wiring runs. I thought about trying to get fancy and craft some wood runs but in the end I just selected some plastic runs from Amazon that I think look OK, and plastic is probably a better choice to enclose the wire. The adhesive worked well on the finished birch, and I'll add some silicone around the ends to make sure it stays put.





4. I picked up a dome light and installed it while I was running the wiring up to the fan vent wiring run.

[dabend]

Well, I'm getting close to the end of the build. The last two weeks we had some rain here in Liberty, MO, so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked. My main goal for the last two weeks was to finish the interior shelving and put two coats of acrylic urethane on. I kept the cabinets pretty basic and after much internet searching decided I liked the fold out desk cabinet and open shelves for closet storage organizers. I did use the stainless piano hinge that came with the kit for the cabinet doors. It looks a little industrial but I think they'll be stronger since it doubles as a desk. Next week I plan to finish the electric wiring and flooring and get it ready for short trip in October!




I had a little time before the rain one day and got the spare tire mount installed. I overcame my cheapness and went with a nice stainless mount even though is was 3 times as much (ouch - I still picked the cheapest one I could find).

[dabend]

The total cost for what I consider the complete build (up to this point) is approximately $7740. There are still some things I want to do, but they are extras for next year. I did not include the cost of new tools (since I will use them on other projects) or supplies that I already had on hand (sand paper, chip brushes, glue, finish, hardware etc..), but only new items that I purchased specifically for the build. I definitely could have spent less, but in some cases I was just particular in what I wanted, and in others it was buy versus build and the juice wasn't worth the squeeze to build. There are probably some things I missed adding to the list along the way so a ballpark figure would be $8000, which is about $1500 more than I guesstimated at the start.

[tony.latham]

You've done a remarkable job!

If you were going to head down the road and build another 'drop, what would you do differently?

Tony

[dabend]

You've done a remarkable job!

If you were going to head down the road and build another 'drop, what would you do differently?

Tony

If I were to build another one similar to this one, I would probably do or consider the following changes:

1. Design my own version with insulated walls, wire runs and vent fan port.
2. Change the windows. I like the porthole look but not how the windows work (I think they will likely leak).
3. More complex electrical system. I kept this one a basic 12v only, with a small inverter, dome light and a few charging ports. Maybe switch to an electric cooler.
4. Change the galley door design to be more like yours. I like the way that you have the door wrap around the side walls.
5. Change the door design. I like how the doors come off but they were designed with zero clearance for the gasket seals, so I wound up buying a sheet of 1/8" black ABS to put some spacers behind the hinge plates, so it would compress the seal properly when closed. Also, since the door was just a solid 1/2" piece of plywood it can (and one did) warp a little.
6. I might get fancier on the cabinetry. I keep telling myself it's just a camper but I do like the looks of some the woody builds that look like fine furniture.
7. Spend some time researching on TNTTT while designing. I've seen some really good ideas for door seals, creative finishes and other design elements on this site and I've only scratched the surface while searching for improvements or fixes for this build.
8. Maybe do a custom trailer with full size wheels. I like how the larger tires look with the retro fenders, but for this build I did want a light-weight camper, and the Aluminum Ultra-tow trailer was pretty easy to work with.

[tony.latham]

If I were to build another...

Well, CAMP! Camp on! Everyday a picnic, every night a campout!

You've got a great camper. Use it and enjoy it.

Tony

[dabend]

If I were to build another...

Well, CAMP! Camp on! Everyday a picnic, every night a campout!

You've got a great camper. Use it and enjoy it.

Tony

Thank you Tony, those are kind words from a master of the craft!

This weekend was finishing touches. The 12V electrical systems is done and everything checked out on the first try. The last few things I had to do was get the floor finished and put silicone around the bottom of the Teardrop where it slightly overhangs the trailer. It's as complete as I can get it for now, and I gave it a short shakedown run to make sure everything is in working order. I'll be taking it on a trip to Pulltite Ozark National Scenic Riverway (https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234357) for a float trip this week. It'll be a short trip just work the bugs out and it should be some nice Fall weather along the Current river. I'm looking forward to it, since I haven't been canoeing for quite a while.

[dabend]

The Birch camper survived it's maiden voyage. It rained for two out of the 3 days we were traveling and the porthole windows did better than I thought they would, but one of the door seals needs some work. This is the first time I've done a float trip this late in the year and it was a nice experience. We had the river to ourselves (normally in mid-summer it's bank to bank with canoes), and the early morning mist made it look pretty cool. It kept raining and sprinkling the 1st and 2nd day all the way until we finished the float trip and turned in the canoes (about 2pm), and then the sun came out.

Lessons learned
1. Make a list. It's been a few years since I've been on a float trip and I was in a hurry and forgot about as much as I remembered to bring. Coffee was the one thing I forgot that really made me sad. Fortunately a buddy brought some.
2. Don't use self adhesive vinyl flooring planks. They look OK and I figured it would be a tough easy to clean floor, but they don't stick and stay down well at all. Those will be replaced next year.
3. This is a fairly light camper and I used an Aluminum trailer, but my little Jeep Renegade struggled some when it was rainy and windy. Other than that it did OK but I think I'll be upgrading the vehicle.

Here are a few pics.

[kscmpr54]

A beautiful build, thanks for sharing the journey. I learned a lot from your discussion. Can't think of a better place for the maiden voyage than the Ozarks. Best wishes with your teardrop and the future modifications (as many say, they are never really done). Keep us posted on those modifications too.

Karl

Sent from my SM-T733 using Tapatalk

[dabend]

Thanks Karl, I will definitely post some changes next spring. Two issues that I forgot to mention from the trip are:

1. The upper shelving storage organizers don't stay put. Everything launched off the shelf over the bungee pretty quick. The lower storage organizers didn't have a problem because they fit tighter on the shelf.
2. I want a 12v fan to move some air around the camper. The vent works OK, and is quiet but doesn't seem to move much air. I bought an automotive clip on fan from Amazon that turned out to be a piece of junk, so it was sent back.

I could move the bungee up, but what I'm thinking now is to kill two birds with one stone and make a removable fan frame. I want to make the frame so that it that can be clipped on, or slide into some brackets so that it can easily be moved out of the way. I think this should help the bungee keep the organizers in place during travel. The fan will be a high quality 8" computer fan with a speed controller to move the air. The wood frame should help hold the the center storage organizers in place and shorten the length of bungee so it can't stretch as much. I have a basic idea but will spend the Winter mulling around how to design the frame and get it to clip in front of the organizers.

Here's a quick sketch



I plan to use an 200mm Noctua fan. These are known for good quality and the Noctua colors will match the wood camper (not a fan of glow in the dark bright colors).