Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello all...

Ok.... So I have an 9 month old little girl. Looks like most future vacations are likely to be camping. I have a tent and basic camp equipment that has gotten limited use, but if we are _really_ going to get into camping, a tent simply won't do.

I also have a unusual covered driveway pass through between my house and garage, limiting access to my backyard and even my garage entrance which is from the back (yeah, strange I know, no alley access either)... so I can own no camping trailer over say 7 feet high. With gas prices, I am not too intested in pulling a tall trailer anyway. Weight isn't really an issue as I have a smaller SUV V8 4x4 tow vehicle. (Well, mid sized anyway, Grand Cherokee).

So, I have been looking at used pop up tent trailers (hardly better than a tent it appears) and used hard sided tent trailers. Somehow my surfing led me to Andrew's amazing CAD site and the compact with the pop up roof... and I have now learned far more than I ever thought I would learn about these Tear Drop things.

Although the pop up was intriguing, I decided that walking around in a trailer really isn't a big deal to me. I am very interested in Andrew's 2+2 deisgn, and have downloaded the pics from Ken's "t1pt0n's" build. I have looked at several others of different design online too, including the impressive woodies by Steve Frederick. Everyone appears to use different variations on how these things are assembled. I would love to build something with exposed wood, but I am no shipbuilder.

Is there anymore information out there on a 2 + 2 build? And, say, the best build technique for a rank amateur?

I currnelty have some mechanical ability (note, I did not say wood working or metal working ability) that has translated into rudimentary car and home repairs, but my wife claims I am lacking on the details.

Not really sure if I asked much of question, sorry if this is out of line.

Hey Robert,

Welcome to the forum...

I hear what you say... something easy for a non woodworker, non metal worker... I would apply the concepts of the generic benroy to a trailer shaped like a 2+2.

Easy to build, cover the imperfections with putty and uniflex 255, and you're good to go...

Check out the generic benroy thread to see how we made things easy, then use Andrews dimensions to build your 2+2.

And if you got questions, we got answers... and we don't even work for Radio Shack...

Someone will probably remember that for the roast the admin next week.

Mike...

Not sure how I could find out so much and NOT find the Generic Benroy Plans you all put so much time into. I have reviewed much of it now. I suspect this is going to be like everything else I do, put it together, take it apart, put it together right....

I should probaly just start something and see what happens.

Thanks!

Feral XJ-SC wrote: Weight isn't really an issue as I have a smaller SUV V8 4x4 tow vehicle. (Well, mid sized anyway, Grand Cherokee).

You aren't going to tow it with the Jag?

...a nice swoopy tear towed bya feral Jag, now THAT would be sumthin' to see
madjack

madjack wrote:...a nice swoopy tear towed bya feral Jag, now THAT would be sumthin' to see
madjack

With "Leaper" coming off the front and a "Growler" on the back hatch.

Feral XJ-SC wrote:I currnelty have some mechanical ability (note, I did not say wood working or metal working ability) that has translated into rudimentary car and home repairs, but my wife claims I am lacking on the details.

You never know what you can do until you try. I was in my late 40s before I tried my hand at wood working, and found out that I didn't do too badly. I ended up making and selling children's play furniture in craft shows for several years, and it paid for all of my workshop tools and equipment that I had invested in to make them. So, don't say "I Can't" until you give it a shot!!!

Here's a sample of my stuff, all of them from my original plans and designs.

I have a 5 year old and a 3 month old, so I've been thinking about some way to get more sleeping area for my fantasy tear myself. I've got an idea, but it needs help from the collective minds of the board to be viable. I aint got a tear, I aint never been in a tear, I've only ever seen a few tears driving by me unloading from the Burlington VT ferry. (That was COOL)

We start with a cot like this http://store.yahoo.com/efunctional/s110c.html we are going to make our own that fits in to the tear though. I wish I had CAD capability but you are going to have to visulaize if I can describe this well enough.

Two stout dowels the same legnth as the inside width of the tear (minus just a little). On the sides of the tear we need to mount some 3/4 plywood with a U cut out of the top. The U needs to be the right size for the dowel to fit inside and the ply needs to be big enough to hold quite an amount of force. The dowels go through a canvas sling that will form the bed, then slide into the plywood mounts. As for where the mounts go, this is where I need some help. I think they need to be about 2/3 of the way up the tear to give the adults enough foot room and still let the kids have a little head room. The first bunk would go at the adults feet. For a second bunk, it would either go right next to the first, or at the adults head. Again, having never been inside a tear, I'm not sure how much room there is. I think that this would work best with a 5 foot high design

To "make" the bed, all you have to do is unroll the sling and slide the dowels into the U mounts. Toss the Barbie/GI Joe sleeping bag on and the kid in and it's bedtime. During the day, you roll up the sling and stow it in the back U mount.

Can anyone give me any feedback on this?

...somebody on the board has actually done just that...anybody have a link, I can't find it
madjack

Glen,

Although I do not know who the pictures belong to, I believe this is the trailer that madjack is talking about:

Kid's Hammock

I saw the pictures a while back, liked the idea, and had saved the link to my Favorites.

Archie

eieio...that's the one, I'll bookmark the pics myself and hope they, or someone will point to who it was on the board
madjack

Here's my idea for a family. Personally, and this may not be what is wanted, but for a family I'd want a little more room than a TD offers, considering the little one will soon grow and need more room. As I like the Andrew's Compact, I modified it using a drop-down 48" bunk that I had in a pick up camper. It was constructed of a hinged down the middle two-piece 3/4" ply bed bottom with two 24"x72" cushions, and was mounted over the dinette, which also convernted into a 48"x72" bunk. Both ran along the side wall. The overhead bunk folded up to the ceiling and locked in position. It dropped down onto two rails, one at each end. I incorporated this idea into the Compace, with the bunks running across the trailer, while the main bed still runs front to back. This setup allows dinette seating and sleeping for 4. This arrangment means that the front window is eliminated.



Just my $.02 worth again.

asianflava wrote:

madjack wrote:...a nice swoopy tear towed bya feral Jag, now THAT would be sumthin' to see
madjack

With "Leaper" coming off the front and a "Growler" on the back hatch.

Didn't take you all long to figure out what an XJ-SC is.... It has a growler on the hood, but no leaper. I'm confident its 5.3L V12 has the power to pull a trailer, but with the racing springs I have on it, she sits least an inch lower than stock. She is my _feral_ XJ-SC after all. I wouldn't want to take it into a paved campground, never mind a forest road.

Then there is the issue of the XJ-SC only seating two... and we are now three. I could get the trailer there, but not the wife..... hmmmmm... ah, never mind.

If I was to build Andrew's 2 + 2 I would be inclined to build the wider version he layed out for the 2 + 2H, but keep the hieght the same as the 2 + 2. I just don't see much benefit going from 4 to 5 feet high, at 6' 2" I can't stand up in either, but I should be able to comfortably sit or sleep in 4 feet, right?

The side detail of the 2+2 is more pleasing than the 2+2H. However, since the Jeep is only about 6 feet wide, should I stick with 6 foot width of the 2 + 2 design? How much a difference towing would a few inches wider be? I can understand how a few inches wider might make a big difference in both the cabin and galley.

Breached the subject of a tear drop type trailer with the wife, she wasn't overly negative about the idea, and instead talked about some house stuff needing to be done _first_. That sounds like carte blanche to me...

I could see work starting on this before the end of the year... my father-in-law typically comes out in early December for a weekend or so... if I borrow/beg/buy a welder and get him to help with the more crucial welds (I'm thinking the tonque, axel and 2x2s so it is straight and tows straight) how long should it take an experienced welder to get the frame good enough for a hack to finish it? An afternoon?

Another issue with the 2+2 is that those cool looking port hole windows (which probably make the design) are inoperative and expensive, unless you buy marine windows and pay really big bucks.

Robert,

I was planning on building a tear that is 54" tall but did some measuring. I'm only 6' tall but I'm long in the torso (I sit taller than my 6'5" uncle). Sitting up straight I find that I only take up 40", or 37" if I'm relaxing, so a 4' tall tear is plenty, even after figuring roof and floor depths and mattress thickness.

GB

...Feral, the 5' height may be needed for that 3rd person to fit comfortably otherwise 4' is fine

...welding, I am no welder BUT one of my buddies is an expert SO I cut, fit, square up all the metal having it laid out and ready to weld, he then comes over and in a couple of hours it is completely welded...we then kick back, have a few cold ones and congratulate ourselves on a job well done...do the same and I am sure father in law will have it whipped in an afternoon
madjack