the changes to your camping lifestle over the years.

[cecil]

My wife and I started camping under a tarp, then went to a tent. Had kids, shifted to car camping...meaning a big tent, stove and ice chest. Then we bought a popup. A move to Texas and we bought a 29 ft travel trailer, drug it back to oregon. When the kids moved out we bought a 26 ft tt, used it for years. Then we looked around and went back to simple, a tent, and toys, like bikes and kayaks to travel light and just go. We found the tear as a lark, looking for a utility trailer on Craigs list, we talked for about 4 hours before calling and going to look at it. It was a project, but the idea was we could store it fully loaded in the garage, either of us could hook it up and pick the other up after work and boom, we are gone. This will be our first summer in the "escape' 2" and it will be grand.

Sounds like a great plan to me, I envy you. That is our plan too , but all on hold for the moment .
Cecil

[stumphugger]

Previously, I had backpacked recreationally, and then slept on the ground and got paid for it. I think that sleeping on the ground for 3 weeks made my back better, it had bothered at times before that.

I live in a place where other folks come to camp. We are at least 2 hours from everything. I retired and became interested in going to bluegrass festivals and doing some volunteer trail work. I was overwhelmed by the prospect of building a trailer, so found a brand new Little Guy that a dealer was trying hard to get rid of. I bought it. I used it and it was OK, except for getting elbowed by my chocolate lab, and not having room for clothes and equipment. I spent a few days working on trails. It rained. Changing into and out of wet muddy clothes was a hassle. I didn't want any tent for that because I had a trailer so I wouldn't have to dry out a tent.
So, the search for something else started.

My Subaru had to be replaced. New Subarus were too costly. I have to have a 4X4. I bought an "internet special"--a new Ford Ranger 6 cylinder. I could get a bigger trailer. I found a fold up used Chalet Alpine in Oregon and got it. I'm really liking it. It pulls well in the wind, it has just enough room inside for my dog and I, and I can stand up in it, and even get hot water and cook inside if I want.

I've used it a lot. I can throw the bike in the back of the pickup, the kayak on the pickup racks, hook up the trailer and take off. I've gone to lakes, the ocean, to visit friends, bluegrass festivals and a music camp. I guess I was not a teardrop person, just needed a stand up trailer instead.

Oh, I sold the Little Guy to a family of three. I do miss the cuteness factor. Hope they are enjoying it.

[mkitchen]

Neat post, thank you Slo. Mo and are not looking to get bigger (though we have personally grown a waist size or two). We love the outfits that we have. We did a lot of bicycle touring when we were younger then we ended up with CPAP breathing machines and that ended our bicycle tours. For a while, I thought that we would no longer be able to camp at all, that we would be relegated to hotels and all hotels just seem to be the same.
Then we realized that we could get a small trailer and be able to run the CPAPs from 12 volt power and we were again camping. We bought a 4X4 camp trailer and then bought a teardrop and we love both. Our trips take us out and usually away from the busier camp areas and a bigger trailer or RV just would not do for us. So even though my brother loves his 43 foot RV and my good friend enjoys his 45 foot fifth wheel, we are more than happy with our current set ups. In fact we are looking at downsizing a bit more and checking out motorcycle touring. Both on road and off road. So we will see how that goes.
Mikey

[Oldragbaggers]

I love this thread, but the one thing it is missing is

People are talking about their rigs, but I'd rather see them. PLEASE

[Epbowen]

[attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1402371347543.jpg[/attachment]
Before and after.[attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1402371385849.jpg[/attachment]

[dustboy]

I never slept well in a tent. My rational side says nothing is out there to get me, but my caveman side says I need hard walls between me and the saber-tooth tiger. And then, there are the noisy neighbors if we aren't boondocking.

Having a warm, dark, quiet shelter makes camping with our little ones 100x easier, and we all sleep better. Better sleep = happy campers. Plus, packing is way easier. Therefore, more trips!!

EDIT: About 6 years ago, I started building out my Toyota Tacoma 4x4. It started with a camper shell and a sleeping platform, with a 12-gal water tank.


But, I'm too tall to sleep in a 6' bed, so I took the whole bed off the truck and built a custom camper box. It was a great way to travel, that truck would go anywhere that even resembled a road. In fact, I sold it to a young couple who drove it all the way to Patagonia.




"The Squeeze" at Anza Borrego! Mirrors tucked!


Then, our family grew, and the Tacoma was too small for 3. So I built our current CT conversion. It does double duty as a cabinet delivery trailer for my business. Quite comfy for a family of 4!






However, I can see a slide-in truck camper in my future. My wife can't stand the slow speed of trailer travel (especially with screaming kids in the backseat!), and the trailer really limits us to the smoother roads. There are quite a few boondock sites that we would love to camp at, but we can't get to them with the trailer behind us. Or maybe it's just an excuse for another project.

[Woodbutcher]

This is how it started for me. My parents never had a lot of money, they were average American middle class. We traveled the country for 3 weeks every summer living out of a station wagon and a tent. My love of travel and this country started there.

The kid in the white shirt is me.


When we got married in 1973 we had no money. See a pattern here. I borrowed the family camping stuff and Lisa and I took off for Door County WI. as a Honeymoon trip.
After a few years we moved up to a popup and went out west. Then we took a few "Resort" vacations. This is where the camping ended. Lisa no longer wanted to camp and we sold the popup. About 18 years passed without any camping. Then one evening I was cruising the internet looking a Jeep Wrangler websites and found a guy that made a Teardrop trailer to pull behind his Jeep when he went off road. I read his entire blog that evening. I was hooked. After about 4 months of planning I started my first teardrop.

Here is the maiden voyage....I believe it was October 2006. The last weekend before the park turned off the water. The temps went below freezing overnight, but I stayed warm!



I have since built 3 teardrops and traveled all over the Midwest and out to CO. and WY with my trailers. This July I meet up with 2 guys from opposite ends of the country for a week in KY. and TN. All this came to be from this website and the people I have met at gatherings around the country. Life is good! I get to travel and Lisa gets to stay home and do her own thing.

My travel partner now is Marley, a 3 year old rescue dog.....Here she waits for the OK before she dives into the pancake the neighbor made her.
So I have gone full circle, and as time permits, I will increase my teardrop traveling.

[bobhenry]

I was a total workaholic until my late 50's. Weekends were for 2nd jobs and building projects for the house and my friend' projects.

Then one day at work a co worker mentioned those words "Teardrop camper". I dove into the internet and devoured everything I could find about them.

I was most fortunate in that my first full sized build was Chubby.

I have built several others since but the firstborn is still my favorite tiny trailer for spring and fall. ( The sun get a bit tough in the summer with a see thru roof)

The flip out galley has proven to be the single handiest "kitchen" design I have yet to use.

I guess I was one of the lucky ones I started out right and still quite content with my style of camping.

[Oldragbaggers]

Loving the pictures. Thanks!!

[Epbowen]

Bobhenery, love the roof! Is it plexiglass or just open?

[Crabapple]

Great thread Slow!
After 40 years of doing that...
https://picasaweb.google.com/1131255769 ... edirect=1#
We have just switched over to this...
https://picasaweb.google.com/1131255769 ... edirect=1#
Reason being old age. Not ours (I'm only 62, my wife is 59) but my dad is 92 and still living on his own in his house.
So at present we prefer to not be unreachable for days as we would be canoe tripping, for fear of something happening to dad while we were away.
BUT...we don't want to give up the backcountry camping experience and solitude one gets while canoe tripping. Last summer I happened to see a few teardrop trailers going by and
they got me thinking. Muskoka and surrounding areas, especially northward...is full of crown land and lakes accessible by forest access roads that could give similar camping experiences to canoe camping.
All one needs is a vehicle with good ground clearance...preferably AWD, and a trailer compact enough to follow along on these narrow and twisty bush roads.
Now we can readily get away for an overnighter or a weekend, and I'm looking forward to a new era of exploring and boon docking in the boonies!!!
AND also looking forward to some day getting back to our first love...canoe tripping!

[bobhenry]

Bobhenery, love the roof! Is it plexiglass or just open?

Bronze tinted lexan.

[Epbowen]

Bobhenry, uhhh, that was some bucks! We use lexan in my industry, pretty tough stuff, but spendy. I got a quote for my porthole window, $80. I put the tinted plexiglass back in....

[Oldragbaggers]

Crabapple, your pictures are magnificent. And I loved your style, both then and now. The canoes are gorgeous and you have found some beautiful locations to enjoy.

[Crabapple]

Crabapple, your pictures are magnificent. And I loved your style, both then and now. The canoes are gorgeous and you have found some beautiful locations to enjoy.

Thank You!!!