I spent my first birthday at Maple Park on Cape Cod, where we still camp once a year to this day (I'm 38). Mom had a small camper in the 70's, but been tent camping since then. In my jr. high and teen years, my parents now long divorced, my sis and I camped with my father all over New England in the summers. About 7 years ago, my family (Mom, brother Barry, sis Heidi) really got back into camping. Dusted off what little camp gear we had and started going regularly again together each summer. I loved it. My then-spouse didn't like to camp, and Heidi's husband didn't either, so she and I went halfsies on some new gear and shared it. Worked fine, until my niece came along and started crowding me out of the tent, lol.
I wanted to get serious about camping, with my own gear, and wanted to be independent and able to camp alone if need be, since my sis's schedule was filling up with her own family stuff. Never even considered a trailer. White box trailers are heinously ugly, too big, and impractical for me, and would defeat the entire purpose I had in mind. My mom, brother, and I were sitting around Mom's kitchen table one day, and I mentioned that I wanted to have my own setup that I could handle, especially since my spouse wouldn't be with me on camping trips. I loved puttering around in my kitchen at home, with everything in its cute little place. I felt so unorganized at camp, rifling through boxes in the car and borrowing stuff from everyone else. Nothing cute or efficient or homey about that. So Barry said I should check into 'one of those teardrops'.
A minute later, the laptop was out, and I had my first look at a teardrop. It was the very embodiment of what I had been thinking about! Self contained, small, economical, and with a galley to store my kitchen stuff. MY kitchen stuff, with real cabinets and little shelves, like a little house! I thought it was the coolest, most perfect idea ever. Still do. I also like small spaces...I somehow feel more secure when I'm in them, and like I can take care of everything in a small space.
A few years later, now living in NoVA, and married to a guy who loves to camp, I dusted off my teardrop dream and pitched it to him. Duke, having been a NASCAR fan forever, and a veteran camper of muddy, rocky track infields and sketchy gear (and sporting the bad back to prove it), was tired of wet tents, and setting up and tearing down in the rain. We briefly considered Little Guys, but when Barry offered to build us a TD, we couldn't refuse. Barry was already working on his cabin car by that point. Finally, we took our maiden voyage last July 4th...to Maple Park on Cape Cod, where my whole camp story had begun so many years ago.
This is quite the manifesto. I love our TD, and the whole idea of it. Just could not be more practical for us and how we live. When we tuck ourselves into our teardrop at camp each night, I smile
every time. It's balm for the soul.
Hope springs eternal that Barry will one day not have to worry about helping Mom and sisters set up tents and ez-ups on family campouts. 
by oth47 » Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:49 am 
