Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The wife was looking at my model tonight and asked why I had two doors? I told her that it was so it would be easier to get out if she needed. She said climbing over me was half the fun... Well It was funny that she asked because I was contemplating on just making one door and putting in a larger window on the other side. So it looks like I may be changing the big plan some. Too late for this model for now anyway.

Been working on my drop down door/shelf on the back and trying to figure out the prop rods. I knew this model would come in handy. I had not even thought of the prop rods. I though... oh I'll just stick them in there when I am ready.... Now it's, where the heck am I going to put the prop rods. I designed the back so tight I did not think to give them room.....

Just keep exercising that noodle and an idea will come to you, either through contemplation or this great forum.

If there is no room for rods, what about some small brass chain or nylon cord, let the fold down counter hang? The nylon cord would be very light weight and would not chafe your finish like the chain, but the chain would be more nostalgic.

Don't be so quick to resort to one door. All indications from reading other peoples results are that most everyone wishes they had built in two doors.

In my very first concept sketch for TPCE I drew in windows in the side walls, in addition to the ones in the doors. However, when it got to the nitty gritty of the detail design there just wasn't that much wall space for cabinets, doors and windows. My thought is that, for a fair weather camper (i.e. warm weather) it would be better to have big open doors with screen inserts and the option to get in and out easily, rather than one door and one window that isn't as large as the door could be. Hope that makes sense.

We have been in camp sites where it was very difficult to use one door or the other (often because of brush or trees, and take my word for it as you age there are some times more frequent midnight trips. What happens when you want to enter, exit on the down wind side in the poring rain...
One other concern is what happens when the forest fire is on that side. RIVA standards are, if you have only one door then you must have an escape hatch or window.
From Nancy's perspective making the bed as a lot easier with two doors. MM #1 only had one door and it did have an escape hatch which is a large vent opening.

this was that escape hatch.

Only one door? Okay, I'll admit it. I've been waiting for a chance to use this:

Good points.

So I have been thinking about the prop rod situation and think I have come up with a doable idea. This would in fact help with a couple of other build problems/ideas I was working on too so this should be a win, win idea.

So in my plans I was to build a rail on the top shelf to kind of have something to keep items from falling off and have a upper chain/rope attachment for the shelf support. I was already working with the idea of a conduit or PVC pipe for the upper rail so I just built on that and was able to come up with a hatch support rod, upper chain/rope support and upper rail all in one.

So the idea is to drill holes the same size as PVC into the up right shelf supports near the upper shelf height. A T and maybe a elbow would be used to attach the hatch supports to this rod that will act as a upper shelf rail. Then the shelf support will also attach to this rod. The hatch supports will swing down and sit right beside the shelf when in the down position.

Hi ghcoe/George,

Interior access from Both sides of the TD is Paramount !
Especially with two occupants. [Personal opinions can vary a
little on this but two doors is the Heavy Favorite, both for safety
and usability/convenience.]

Are you making your own doors ? If so, and the wife wants a
larger window on the one side, just get the window the size you want,
and then build a perimeter frame around its perimeter - thick/wide
enough to allow you to mount the window to It, and then mount hinges
to that to mount that assemblage to the trailer body. If you want it to
look like a window, then just put a handle on the inside of it only, none
on the outside. The window would need to be large enough to Easily
crawl through though, if it's not, then make the trailer body opening
the same as the other/main door and mount the somewhat larger
[compared to the main door's window] window in that. Indeed, it'd
be much easier to make both side's openings the same size and the
main door and the larger window 'carrier' the same size as well - you
only have to 'engineer' one opening and one door blank that way which
you use for both sides.

In my opinion and experience with them, the commercially available RV
escape windows are totally too expensive and never function well or
correctly – if at all. It's a heckuva lot easier to just turn a doorknob or press
down on a lever that you've installed on your self-built escape 'doorwindow'
than it is to try and locate, then fiddle with, and then try to open, the
mechanisms on the commercial escape windows.

Just a recommendation, your decision may vary.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Norm , that door disguised as a window is really a Good idea ! Handle/lock on the inside only ...

S. Heisley wrote:Only one door? Okay, I'll admit it. I've been waiting for a chance to use this:

Shadow Catcher wrote:EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class) is rubber roofing and is available in white. About a 20 year life expectancy when used on a roof. It is used on some of the larger RV's http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rubb ... epairs.htm

It's also used as a roofing on houses and buildings. The strips available at the box stores are usually sticky on one or both sides.

A little more work done to the model this weekend. I changed the front cabinet doors some.

That’s really Very Nice !!!!

GPW wrote:That’s really Very Nice !!!!

+1

Thanks guys. I hope that the full size is as much fun.

Just a note. I went to HD and Lowes here when I found out about the foamies, about 2 months ago. Lowe's did not stock the 2"x4'x8' foam sheets. They only had the 2"x2'x8' sheets. HD had like 3 sheets of 2"x4'x8'. I went online to see if any of the other stores had them in stock and it said they were a non stocking item for the area, also they could not be ordered.

I was getting some pricing done this weekend and went to the HD site again for a estimated guess on price and found that the stores in the area were all showing they had them in stock! I am thinking that they say they are not stocked or orderable when they are out and bring in the sheets seasonally. Maybe the store I had visited only had 3 leftover from the last shipment.

I have noticed some on here have a hard time finding foam so thought I might let you know to look online and take a look every once in a while even if they say they do not stock them. The price here at HD is $27.99 which is $12.00 cheaper than the local building supply store here.

The HD here does stock them year round but the supply fluctuates and they only order them when they are down pretty low. The Lowes only seems to stock them seasonally. And not all locations carry them. It's an issue of timing. I got lucky and eventually found them when I needed them