Why are today's teardrops being built bigger???

[Shadow Catcher]

Baring those that are solo. I do not know of any one that has a 5 or 6 wide who wish they had a 4 wide. We have a 6 wide and frankly Nancy is just a bit claustrophobic and anything small would likely be a big no.

[OP827]

I think it is because during past 70+ years people in general got bigger in size than they were in 1947.

[Pinstriper]

Practicality of tow vehicles. Not only did folks not perceive the need for all kinds of things we consider essential today, when you were towing with a '40s sedan or roadster it was a lot different from today's small SUV/crossover or some of us who tow with a full size pickup (!)

Of course, back then society wasn't all that far (if at all) removed from indoor plumbing and electricity being taken for granted in the normal residence. Yeah, big cities and post-war developments, sure. But older neighborhoods not to mention the urban/rural transitional areas may only have gotten electricity 10-15 years prior, and flush toilets. So having those with you while camping wasn't even much thought of, let alone pursued.

[John61CT]

Look at the much greater average mattress size

[tony.latham]

Why the trend to large tears?

Because two people in a four-foot-wide teardrop is tight.

Those post WW2 teardrops were manufactured from military surplus materials. I gotta believe that aluminum came in rolls 4' wide. Materials --such as 5' x 5' sheets of Baltic birch plywood and 5' wide aluminum-- have become available.

And I'm happy that we've got a five-foot-wide teardrop. I don't miss that little four-footer.





Tony

[booyah]

When I built mine, 5ft was required. A queen mattress was a required item, and a 5' kid bunk (over the feet) was a nice add-on.
Only issue was I should have built it 5x10 rather than 5x8. I built the cabin as small as I could comfortable fit (my head can touch the front, and my feet the back if I stretch out) and I can barely fit the standard blue coleman cooler in the galley.
Wish I had room for some headboard cupboards and some more space in the galley for a larger cooler.

Ah well, if I build again those are two things to change in V2

[eLink]

Most campers aren't big enough to fit me. I'm 6'-7" tall. The "standies" I see on this forum look more like "crouchies" to me!
Oddly enough, I like compact things; small cars, tiny houses and teardrop trailers. But I have very little tolerance for inadequate headroom, legroom, elbow space and countertop height.
My own camper is starting to look huge!

[twisted lines]

I am another tall guy that easily takes my side of a king size bed.
When I stand by a small teardrop the people that own them,
I started with 10' and sure wish it was 11'; for the height I would rather crawl then duck.
I look at some of the wide bodies and think over the fenders are nice, but like the easier method.

[pace]

"Why are today's teardrops being built bigger?" Because of American excess! When times are good we want bigger things!!! Times were Great until 3 months ago..... dont even look at your 401K it's to late.....

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[bobhenry]

Not all of them !

[bobhenry]

".... dont even look at your 401K it's to late.....

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I pulled mine last year and locked down the cash

[mrcreepy]

The wife and I looked at a Little Guy Rascal over the weekend. Man is that thing tiny. 44.5" inside to inside and 490 lbs curb weight. I think we could have slept in it just fine, but if we needed to stay in due to bad weather I don't think it would be very enjoyable. The rear of our Chevy Traverse honestly has more space.

[2bits]

My thought is we usually build them wider now "because we can" and I don't mean that as a sarcastic reply. Back in the day the goal was to camp cheap, this is still the goal of a teardrop but back then it related to material cost big time, no Home Depot back then! So what is the ideal size when you were on a serious budget? It would be the size of the material so 4x8 sheets obviously dictate a 4x8 camper.

These days we keep the teardrop mentality but have easier access to cheaper materials (that's not being extravagant, it is STILL a teardrop!) so in this day and age, a 4x8 "TO ME" is under-built and a waste. You can build a five or size wide and easily see behind the camper with standard rear view mirrors and is still extremely light (unless it is your first build ) To build a 4 wide these days in my mind would only because you are driven by same same budget limitations like in the old days, so it is really about your budget or maybe if you are pulling on tight off road trails. My first teardrop was a five wide and my second one was built old school and the size of my materials literally dictated the size of my teardrop and it was 3.5' x 7'. My last one that I built from the ground up has the exact same overall footprint as my first teardrop but is a standy with a dinette and bathroom

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[printer]

Not saying anything about today but,





Maybe the belt sizes?

[MickinOz]

I'm building 5 wide coz me and the missus are too fat for 4 wide.
I'm building 9 feet long coz the trailer was big enough to do it.