Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

OK. first off let me say how much I hate teardrop trailers!
I have gotten way too little sleep the last several weeks and I haven't even started a project yet.
That being said I decided I was getting way to overloaded with ideas to go any longer without starting to put something down on paper. So I started an excel doc that with be a working document. Here's what I have so far, let me know what ya think and if i have overlooked anything(like i said was getting overloaded so wouldn't be surprised if I have left out something major)
FYI I am still leaning towards the Gen Ben plans very slightly modified
Also i am not so worried about accessories at this point(ie: portable heaters etc), just stuff that will be a permanent part of the tear and needs to be planned for from the get go more or less.
Mickey

Must Haves
Queen Sleeping Area
A/C Circuits
D/C Circuits
Two Doors w/windows
2 Interior Lights
2 Exterior Door Lights
Galley Light
Slide Out Cooler Drawer
Gas Struts
2 Stabilizer Jacks
5x8 Size
Wheeled Tounge Jack
Deep Cycle Battery
Inverter
Battery Charger
Simple Switch From Shore Power to Battery Power
Insulated Floor and Roof
Roof Vent
Water Tank
Towable by vehicle with 1500/150 rating
Lockable Doors/Hatch
Cabin Cabinets
Galley Storage

Probably Want
Small Thin Shelf on front cabin wall
Sink With Pump
Slide Out Stove Drawer
5x9 Size
4 Stabilizer Jacks
Tow Vehcicle Charging
Floor Storage
TV(any but hanging LCD is best)
DVD
Roof Fan
Mounted WaterTanks Fresh/Gray
Mounted Proprane Tank
Tounge Storage Box
Flip Down/Up Small Bed Side Tables
Exterior Attatchable Table
Aluminum Skinned Roof/Hatch
Cabin to Galley Pass through/TV accesible both
Cable TV Inlet

Maybe/Would Be Nice
Scooter Hauling
Front Windows
Air Conditioning
Built In Speakers galley and cabin
Insulated Walls
Second Sink Faucet That Attatches directly to shore Water
Mild to Medium Off road Capable

Wow, what a list. I have 15 of the 49 items you have listed, and I thought I went overboard. Keep on dreaming, you gotta build it to suit your needs, so plan ahead and good luck.
Roly..........what no wooden satelite dish on the roof?

Mickey,

A teardrop is more like a tent on wheels, rather than an RV. And teardropping is more like camping than RVing. I know it's early in the game for you. Think about what you can do without, rather than what you can do with.

Then read "The Perfect Teardrop" up there in the menu. Also check this article out. http://www.mikenchell.com/VintagePlans/tearsofjoy.pdf

Have fun!

Mike...

Got all your "must haves" except for the stabilizer jacks, haven't needed them mine is 5X10 though. Keep it simple, I have a AAbattery powered light in the galley, didn't want to run wiring to the hatch.

Also ditch the plans for a sink if you want to keep the weight down. All that water is heavy.

Thanks for the replies so far. I hadn't read "Tears of Joy" yet. I had come across the "Perfect TD" post at some point but hadnt noticed it int he menu. It was good to look back over and comparing that to my list looks like I am pretty on track.

As far as the sink thing goes I must admit that it is one topic I have got a few laughs out of on this forum. There seems to be two main arguments against sinks that people have. One is weigth and i really don't understand that one because you are gonna carry the same amount of water whether it is in a mounted tank of some sort or a removable jug form Walmart.
The second is the whole takes up your counter thing. I can see where this would be bad so the first time I thought of that I knew right away how I will install my sink, countersunk a bit into the counter with a flip down "lid" that gives you back a full countertop. Kinda like floor storage but instead of a bin under there you have your sink.
I don't know, maybe there is something else to it that I am missing but like I said I have gotten a chuckle out of how so many very talented people on here who have blown me away with creative ideas and engineering have been so apprhensive about the sink issue.

Hi, Mcwbyu:

I love your sink idea! Clever!

There is a faucet that you can get that will work for both your "on board" water pump or with the land water inlet. So, you won't have to install two faucets. Most RV trailer supply stores have it.
The water problem is that water weighs 9 pounds per gallon. When you consider transporting fresh water and grey water, that adds up fast. That's why so many people carry little or no water and just use the water spigot at the campground. By using a portable jug of some sort for the water, people can be more flexible in selecting their campsite. (They can choose "off grid" sites.) Plus, they can fill the water jug when they get to their site. If they use biodegradable soap, they can empty the dish water near their campsite as they go. This means less travel weight.

With the rising gas prices, we are becoming more concerned with the fact that weight effects gas mileage. But that is just part of the whole picture. Most states have a limit on trailer weight before trailer brakes are mandatory. There is yet another limit before you need a sway bar. In presently smokey California, the state limit before needing brakes is 1,500 lbs. Your tow vehicle may have an allowable tow weight limit as well. When you start adding up all the weights in your proposed build, you'll be amazed at the totals!

When I started planning my build, I was sweating wooden splinters to keep the weight down!

Below is what I calculated for my build. This should give you an idea of why trailer weight is so hard to control. Since I copied the data from an Excel spreadsheet to display it here, some data will be missing and it has lost the nice neat rows. (I didn't copy the Excel calculation formulas, here. I hope this shows up okay. If not, I'm sorry.) If the item says "Existing" or "actual", the weight is either documented or has been weighed by me. The remaining calculations were made using Andrew Gibbons' Excel weight spreadsheet, found in the Design Library, in the "forum letterhead" at the top of your screen. I was trying to keep my weight to 1,000 pounds. That was hard.

Approx. weight for module listed = 5X8' Est. pounds

Existing 61X98" Chassis Weight: 343.00 Existing Roller Jack 17.00 Existing 4 Stabilizers (light load type): 16.00 Existing Spare Tire 10.00
5X8'2" Deck: 1/4"& 3/8" + light frame & foam: 110.64 Two 4X8'2" sides: 1/8" 1/8" + light frame & foam: 90.04 Two 4X5 sides: 1/8" 1/8" + light frame & foam: 55.12 Stationary roof portions, 1/8+1/8" +light frame 25.43 Roof lift hatch 1/8,1/8"+ light frame: 37.07 Raised wall weights - estimated 31.33 Existing 16.25x11.5" 2 Brnr SS stove 2.00 actual 6 sm.Lights(bed,kit,doors) 3.00 Existing 13x17" SS sink 3.20
Built in Beds 51.24
12V Battery & box: 53
actual Door Handles 3.00
(estimate) Optional Front Curve: 8.27
(estimate) Galley area cabinets 20.67
(estimate) Galley area counters 13.71
Existing 2 sm & 2 lg windows * 19.39 Center board for full bed 6.34
SubTotal: 919.45
Add Contents:
Existing 2 gals H2O @ 9 lbs/gal 18.00 Existing Porta Potty +1 gal water 20.80 Existing 2 rolls Porta Potty tissue 0.50 Transport in car Ice Chest - Rarely used. 0.00
Transport in car <-- Existing 2 Duffles Clothes, Towels, etc. 60.00 Existing Slpg Bags& pillowsx2 8.00
Existing Kitchen pans,dishes,utls: 25.00 Existing 2 Propane (@1 lb/sm can 2.00
Transport in car <-- Existing Box of food 20x8x14": 25.00 Contents & extras: 159.30

Total, All: 1078.75
-trnsported clothes,food 85.00 Optional Travel Total: 993.75

Heisley thanks for the compliment on the sink and the heads up about the "two way" faucet. Thats good to know, Ill have to do some searching for it tonight.
As far as your discussion about water weight I totally agree 100%. I have no intention of transporting water any farther than necessary.
If camping at RV park with hook ups at each site I will never fill a tank and will have my sink hooked up to the shore water.
If camping at a normal campsitewith community water spigots I will will pull up to one before setting up camp and fill the tank.
If camping remote I will fill the tank at the last gas station or whatever that we pass before heading to no mans land.
As far as gray water goes I dont intend on ever hauling that more that a few hundred feet. More of a convinence/politness thing. Rather than have my drain water works it way under my doior step and track mud inside, or leave a nice mud puddle for the next guy, I would just as soon have it collect in a simple tank and pull to the side of the road or wherever before pulling the plug. If remote camping I can pull it right before leaving, but again will be nice to not have the drain water all over while we are still camping.

I noticed on your priority list that insulation was on the third one. You might want to ponder that a little more. From posts that I have read from other teardropers in your neck of the woods (Northwest), they say that the hot summer sun can make a broiler out of a teardrop in a hurry. On the other hand, if you camp in the winter, insulation can make a big difference in how easy it is to keep your teardrop warm.
Jim

If you look at my list you will see in the must haves "insulated floor and roof" while "insulated walls" is under would be nice/maybe.
Did you miss that Jim and I should be OK or are you aware and are saying for my area I am for sure going to want full insulation all around?
What are others thoughts?

I did miss the roof and floor! My bad! That being said, I am insulating my walls. It takes a little more work, but you save weight and the insulation board is pretty cheap. I have talked to others who have done this, and they say that you hardly have to use heat at all. Body heat will keep you warm, even on the coldest nights.
Just something to think about. Jim

Jim T wrote:I did miss the roof and floor! My bad! That being said, I am insulating my walls. It takes a little more work, but you save weight and the insulation board is pretty cheap. I have talked to others who have done this, and they say that you hardly have to use heat at all. Body heat will keep you warm, even on the coldest nights.
Just something to think about. Jim

Just stay in the south we were out in January on a dare and at -1 and 15 below wind chill I don't care how much body you have( me 300 lbs and wife 200+ being kind ) THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH BODY HEAT even with a heater.

bobhenry wrote:Just stay in the south we were out in January on a dare and at -1 and 15 below wind chill I don't care how much body you have( me 300 lbs and wife 200+ being kind ) THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH BODY HEAT even with a heater.

Are we gonna do it again?

At Prophets town ????


Another double dog dare !!!!!

Y'all let me know how it goes! I will go camping just as often when it is below 0 as I do when it's over 100-Never! You guys are tougher than I am!
Jim