Just got a teardrop

[Pinstriper]

Picked up a teardrop for solo camping, which is usually fishing or hunting trips where Mrs. P stays home and won't let me take the "big" trailer, which is a Camplite 14DBS.

I'm in the process of changing all the interior and exterior lights to LEDs, and correcting a cross-wiring in the 12volt system. I also want to pull the bearings and repack them, or maybe replace just to have a new bearing baseline.

TD came with a minimalist electrical system - extension cord punched through and wired into 2 AC outlets. Into one is plugged a 1.5amp battery charger, with a 35ah deep cycle battery, wired to a 12volt lighter socket, a ceiling dome, a wall light, and a porch light. The wall and porch are wired in series so you leave the porch switch on and both are controlled from the switch on the wall light. There's also a 5000 btu A/C plugged into the AC.

She has a ceiling vent but no fan, at this time.

I am considering upgrading to a proper power system with fuse panel and everything instead of just an inline fuse on the DC circuit.

Also considering an upgrade to the 12" wheels.

Photos to follow.

[Woodbutcher]

Welcome to the group. Love to see some pictures when you get time....we love pictures.

[Pinstriper]

IMG_0775.JPG (318.1 KiB) Viewed 3131 times

And the big rig:




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[Woodbutcher]

Nice looking trailer you have there. It should work great for a one man getaway!

[Pinstriper]

Thanks!

I put foam tiles down for the floor. Not happy that it has a glue-down I/O carpet, but I'm too lazy to rip it out.

I also put a spare tire carrier on the tongue, and I bought some industrial sized roll of vinyl magnet what they use to may refrigerator magnets from, so as to have a magnetic blocking panel for the A/C vents on the front of the box. Keep bugs and road spray out, help insulate instead of being open to the outside.

And those horse decals - they gotta go. Will be replaced by Sasquatch or the Kraken or something. Horses. Pfffft.



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[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Welcome to the forum...
Congrats on getting the Tiny Trailer... The pics show both trailers nicely...

I use a Cargo Conversion for the solos and a FF when the the "Boss" goes...
I like that idea of a big sheet of magnets... you might mount them on the front of the trailer; they can pull the trailer towards the TV and save you on gas mileage... Just joking of course...

Good idea to correct your wiring; I ran a small double breaker switch box on my cargo conversion and used one breaker for a main and installed a double breaker in the other slot for two different circuits... The box was small and works great... It is switched and all circuits are protected... Good luck and maybe we'll cross paths sometime...

[Pinstriper]

I have settled on a name: Snore-Pod.

Now to go get some lettering ala Forest River...

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[Vedette]

You should have gone to the gorge Gathering this past weekend!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi
PS
We didn't make it either.

[Pinstriper]

Maiden voyage is complete. Took her down to a kayak fishing benefit tournament in Tillamook OR. Kayak up on the truck rack and everything worked great.










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[mallymal]

That's really smart! I'm guessing it's factory built not diy built?

I love that very even curve on the front, and squared off back. I was recently playing with an almost identical profile, but flipped, so the square bit would give good headroom and the curved bit would make a traditional galley..... bit like a modern take on a benroy

[curious relic]

Hello, Pinstriper, from one newbie to another. Turns out we have teardrops made by the same person. I recognized yours immediately as a "cousin" to my own. How much do you know about your trailer's history? I can give you a link to the maker's website if you are interested. BTW, my trailer is # 13 on the same website. Not trying to be cryptic here, just respecting your privacy and letting you make the choice.

[Pinstriper]

What I know is it was made by some guy in Texas, not a manufacturer.

Inside is just a box, no galley.

The electrical is of the "super simple" type. Extension cord comes in, wired into an AC outlet. Off that outlet comes a line to another AC outlet. Plugged into the first is a battery tender - it came with a 0.75amp unit that I'm about to change to a 6 amp unit, and a 35ah 12 volt sealed deep cycle battery.

The original charger appears to vampire off the battery, and there was no disconnect. I have a new battery and charger about to install, with a quick disconnect.

Other than that, it has a ceiling vent (no fan) and 2 screened windows. It also has an air conditioner that I'm contemplating removing, since I don't believe I will need it, and I can save on the tongue weight, and close off the vent and drain openings.

I replaced the 2 interior and 1 exterior(porch) light with LED fixtures, and also rewired the whole thing with new wiring and LED fixtures.

I'll live with that for a while. It will never get a galley, I'll just cook on a camp stove. I think I will eventually put in a conventional RV power converter/distribution center, so everything will be on individual fused lines instead of just a master, and I'll set it up with a 7 way connector and charge from the tow vehicle, maybe a bigger battery or dual battery setup, add a small inverter and a USB charging center.

[curious relic]

You are correct. The maker's name is Don Guy in Watauga, TX. He has a website, ez-toad.com. I don't know if he is still building them or not. Yours is # 10 and mine is # 13. I have the same rudimentary electrical system as you, and the same gray I/O carpet, too. You can click on the photo of your trailer and you'll be directed to a series of photos of yours as it was built. You can kinda get an idea of the type and amount of insulation, framing, etc.

I like your ideas on the electrical system. Good on you for changing to LEDs. I have a 7-way, so I might think of setting up a deep cell with tow battery charging. I only upgraded to a 7-way when I decided to put trailer brakes on mine. Not because the trailer is so heavy to pull or manage, but because my car's manual said I needed trailer brakes for any load over 600 lbs. Sounds kinda silly to me, but I didn't want to take the risk of not installing brakes in case there is ever an accident or incident.

I think you would enjoy the bigger wheels, too. I had to put on a 3500 lb axle to have brake flanges, so I went ahead and put 15 inch wheels and tires on. I haven't had it out on a trip yet, but just around town it seems to handle a lot nicer.

[Shadow Catcher]

An idea of how to gain a fan. These are two 80 mm three speed Antec computer case fans.

[Boodro]

Technically not a Teardrop. It would be a tiny travel trailer. A Teardrop has 2 doors , a galley in the rear, and unable to stand in. Hope you enjoy,,, its a reat way to camp!