Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've got the side profile tube bent for a 5 X 5 X 10 teardrop, would it be dumb to raise the bed and push it all the way to the back, then I would have a couple feet in the front like a car seat - a good place to take off my shoes!

I take it then you'd be shoving the mattress well underneath your tear's galley worktop?

Your forward "footwell" idea, oriented as in the interior of an automobile, is certainly unique in the world of teardrop trailers.

Why not make a small model of the layout first?

Pat-

Mines 5' high x 10' long x 6' wide. The front 2' has a small 2' square drop-down center dinette table & (2) 2' square dinette seats 1' off the floor.

Then a 2' wide aisle between the side doors.

The 4' behind that is a folding sofa/bed which is 1' off the floor.

The bed has a 2' wide extension that bridges the aisle & ties into the front when the table is dropped, making the entire interior one big bed.

So yes, go for it!!!

Cheers,

Coop

A little easier to do in a standy, than in a tear, but you could make a cardboard mock up to check it out.

I set one side of the teardrop up and set a box in for the bed, it seems like it should work, I will have a 3' wide door so entry seems easy and enough headroom to sit comfortably. I thought what space I loose in the galley will be made up for with all that space under the bed-I thought I would put a board in separating the inside and out side storage.

Pat's 49 wrote:I set one side of the teardrop up and set a box in for the bed, it seems like it should work, I will have a 3' wide door so entry seems easy and enough headroom to sit comfortably. I thought what space I loose in the galley will be made up for with all that space under the bed-I thought I would put a board in separating the inside and out side storage.

So will your mattress fold up into a couch then? I guess I could see how that would work. Couch folds up into a bench and your feet go into the dropped floor. You’d probably have to lose most of the galley and aft storage, so you have to ask yourself is it worth it. IT seems like the price might be a little high, but you should build what you want and to heck with everybody else. Of course, if you ever want to sale it…

kennyrayandersen wrote:So will your mattress fold up into a couch then? I guess I could see how that would work. Couch folds up into a bench and your feet go into the dropped floor. You’d probably have to lose most of the galley and aft storage, so you have to ask yourself is it worth it. IT seems like the price might be a little high, but you should build what you want and to heck with everybody else. Of course, if you ever want to see it…

I was thinking of putting in footwells in my build, and built the boxes, but did not install them. It was too much fumbling around. Another thing to think about with a raised bed is how high will it be from the ground. You might have to carry a step around with you or build running boards to get in and out of your teardrop.

Pat, Do it,,, You will love the space!!

My trailer is 12 feet but with what you said about' pushing the bet back, you'll have enough space.



Drop that floor as much as you dare, if you put a seat in, use the space under it and maybe behind it as storage.

Go have fun, build your teardrop

John

Good idea. I did a 6' wide by 8' long tear and had about 1.5' between the door and the matress. I make a shelf about 8" off the floor for storage under the matress and still had room to sit upright and have my feet on the floor to take off my shoes and push tem under the bed. I even had room to squeeze in a porta pottie. Go for it!

Pat's 49 wrote:I've got the side profile tube bent for a 5 X 5 X 10 teardrop, would it be dumb to raise the bed and push it all the way to the back, then I would have a couple feet in the front like a car seat - a good place to take off my shoes!

Take a look in my album. Btw, I sleep with my head to the rearlights and let "hang"my feet over the end.

My TD is 5' wide x 4'9" high x 11' long. It is built over the wheels and I have a 9" "smuglers bay" under the bed. I also have a 2' cabinet in front and a deep galley, ~26". Rasing the bed by 9" gives me the usual 4' tall, inside, cabin.

Pat's 49 wrote:I set one side of the teardrop up and set a box in for the bed, it seems like it should work, I will have a 3' wide door so entry seems easy and enough headroom to sit comfortably. I thought what space I loose in the galley will be made up for with all that space under the bed-I thought I would put a board in separating the inside and out side storage.

Seems like the DIY Network had a program (Wasted Spaces, maybe?) that built a drawer system for a pickup bed...basically a 1-ft-tall box the size of the pickup bed, with 3 or 4 drawers that slid all the way out.

Can't find it now, but it's kind of like the Truck Vault system...

http://www.pickupspecialties.com/Truck_ ... drawer.htm

Have a couple of long drawers that pull out from under your galley counter, and some drawers/space under the front of the bed

David

After WAY too long lurking, scheming & designing, I was worried my design was dead in the water, as Mrs Mallymal couldn't get her head round the concept of climbing through a small door into a bed at "floor level"

She also said "How the heck can I sit on the end of my bed to fasten my shoes"?

So I think a raised bed is the only way round these objections.

I have an early concept i've done loosely based on the icamp shape, but sized to excactly 5 x 10.

it will use 3 slatted bed bases, hinged, so they can "concertina" up to form a widthways bench seat, or can pull out flat to form a 2m long bed.

A low level bulkhead across (shaded pink in the drawing) will form an underseat storage bin. To access this, just flip up the seat squab.

In bed mode, the slatted bases will rest on rails fixed to either side wall (shaded pale blue).

No dining table, but maybe a couple of little drop down/flip up side tables for a cup or coffee etc.

Can't really call it a standy, as I'm 6'4"... more of a crouchy... but I think it might answer mrs mallymal's concerns, and I thought i'd post it here, in case it helps anyone pondering a raised bed.....





Although much too big for a tear, you can see slatted hinged bed bases in this commercially produced trailer from Germany

http://www.deseo-caravan.de/_video/deseo-technik-mov-dsl.html

I have something simular in mind. Instead of putting the bed on a platform (that is where the ideas started) I am planning a custom frame so have a large footwell/storage area in front of the axles where I can dual purpose as a seating area with table, it may be a little tight to get seating both sides and have a usuable table but I think I have it. I do figure with the width that I will be able to put shoes down under the bed when sleeping.

My design, as it is now, will fit into the slipstream of the Caravan and a have a supersized Galley (4 kids). The sleeping space is takes 8ft and the galley 5ft so total drop size is kinda long at 13ft (~6ft wide) . I will build to keep the weight down through using SIP construction (need to do a little expirementing here) with a target at under 800 lbs dry. I have started a paper mock up just to get an idea of any adjestments I may need to make and there are still engineering aspects I have to work out but I don't see any fundamental problems.