Building a Teardrop Trailer for Easier, Accessible Camping as We Age

[Lyle85213]

I'm already working on building my teardrop trailer from my utility trailer. To keep me on track and focused, I decided to do an outline of my purpose in building my teardrop trailer. To give some context, my wife and I have been avid tent campers for years and enjoy it very much. But, as both of us have gotten older, we've found we can't do the things we once were able to do. My wife now has a leg brace and is no longer able to help me set up camp. And as I creep ever closer to 60, it take me longer to set up and more muscle aches afterwards. I'll post my outline here and I want to make sure that I'm considering everything. I've already built the platform/floor and two of the walls. Any advice for the pro builders out there would be appreciated:

1. Make it possible to continue camping as I get older
   1. Karin is no longer able to help me setup/take down camp
   2. Currently, it takes me 3.5 hours to setup/ take down camp
   3. If we arrive later in the day, we need to prioritize what gets set up vs what can wait to set up later the next morning.
   4. We both are stressed and this causes tension making our trip not as much fun as it could be.
2. Needs to be light enough to tow with current vehicle and future vehicles
   1. I’m currently going to tow this with a Santa Fe which can handle 1600 lbs.
   2. But, others may want to use this with a vehicle that can’t handle that amount of weight.
3. I don’t want multiple trailers on my property.
   1. I have one side yard.
   2. I still will need to use the utility trailer
      1. Teardrop must be removable from the utility trailer
      2. Removal must be safe and as simple as possible
      3. The platform/floor must be sturdy to stand on its own and support weight of equipment in the trailer.
4. Must be made for a material that I’m comfortable to work with
   1. I’ve built my HiMax from wood/fabric
   2. Using a similar technique to build trailer
   3. Make it waterproof by sealing with Dacron and PolyTak doping.
   4. Preserve wood with oil/epoxy varnish identical to HiMax aircraft
5. Upgradeable/maintainable.
   1. This is just the first attempt
   2. I’ll discover things that don’t work for us
   3. What works for today may not work for the future.
   4. Things break.
   5. Make it in three modules
      1. Platform/floor
      2. Cabin/shell
      3. Galley
   6. Each module will be attached with screws or bolts
   7. Each module can support itself
   8. Use off the shelf components ( doors, lights, vents, etc ) if practicable.
6. Reduce the number of “things” I take camping
   1. It takes me over a week to pack up to go camping
   2. I want to consolidate some of the things I take into this trailer
      1. I don’t just want to move the thing into the trailer. I want to incorporate the thing into the trailer itself.
      2. I want the trailer to be a multitasker. Not a rolling storage unit that needs to be unpacked for 3 hours in order to camp.
7. Fits me and my wife
   1. It needs to sleep both my wife and I in queen size bed.
   2. The galley/kitchen needs to work for both of us.
8. Is comfortable to sleep/work
   1. It need to be comfortable in cold and hot weather
   2. It should be quiet
   3. Have good airflow
   4. Use closed foam insulation?
9. Safe to use/travel
   1. I shouldn’t be fixing it while I’m camping because something broke while driving to the campground.
   2. I should feel safe driving down the road.

I know the platform is stable as I've been standing on it while being held up by 4 3-ton jack stands. I've attached a couple of images from my construction so far.

 

[QueticoBill]

nice!

 

[Tony Latham]

Currently, it takes me 3.5 hours to setup/ take down camp

It's definitely time for a teardrop.

Tony

 

[Shadowcatche]

This illustrates two, it turned out to be a great idea as we age, Compass Rose is now 18 years old and we find the head of the bed is in the rear (easy to crawl in), tarps attach using Kedar Rail with Kedar welting sewn into the edge of the tarp. The CR has a water heater and solar for boondocking...

 

[Shadowcatche]

This illustrates two, it turned out to be a great idea as we age, Compass Rose is now 18 years old and we find the head of the bed is in the rear (easy to crawl in), tarps attach using Kedar Rail with Kedar welting sewn into the edge of the tarp. The CR has a water heater and solar for boondocking...