Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Well guys and girls, I FINALLY got the inside ceiling in place and stapled in. My patience is wearing thin and I'm really hoping that I can finish this camper project by the end of Sept! Up until the spars and Luan, I felt really good about my camper but now I'm scared the whole thing is going to fall apart mid-trip!

Has anyone else felt like this?

Also I've got to find someone to install my PD4045 because I have no clue as to what I'm doing! Anyone know an electrician in NE Arkansas? Haha.

Anyways just needed to vent. I'm worried my camper is going to cave in on me although I've felt good up to this point!

After reading your post, I reviewed some of mine, and concluded that I must've voiced my concern (and doubts) that I'd ever finish my trailer, many times. You are not alone in this. I think we all have a plan in mind, and a vague timeline to go with the plan, and get an uneasy feeling about things going awry and upsetting those plans. I've been consoled at points in my project by others saying "Teardrop Time", which can be taken to mean "enjoy the build, take your time, do it to your best ability....and other things....." I missed my first goal date, my second date, and an arbitrary third date: sometimes by life intervening, my needs conflicting with others' needs, lack of time or ready cash, change of details causing other changes, and the list goes on. I even was so sure of a "real" completion date, I had a plate made with that date on it... and proclaimed it was finished! It was not (nor may ever be), since my nature makes me tinker and adjust and improve the work if possible. And from what I've read here (with the exception of a very few whose craftsmanship and building experience makes their trailers flawless from the start) most TnTTT builders always strive to make it better. The mere fact that you are concerned about the road readiness of your build, probably also means that you will make sure it is good to go (or will have means to re-fit and repair any thing you might've overlooked). I've made 5 mods on my trailer since I was sure it was finished, 3 since I road-tested it, and I still haven't camped yet. I guess two years of planning and build time might not be enough, but I plan to keep working on it for years to come (that's where I coined my name, from a lifetime of "projects" never 100% finished, in my mind). You'll get there.

My joke to myself is that I am on my 3rd annual deadline.

1 yr planning, 1-1/2 yrs building and 11 months until my next window of opportunity to camp at Poet Creek. Most weeks I put in anywhere from 20 to 30 hrs of "spare" time.

Many people have built theirs in lot less time with a lot fewer details, so don't get discouraged by my example.

Whatever your methods, you have to put the time in, and contrary to what some people are able to achieve, they don't build themselves!

If there is something you are not happy with in your build, now is the time to fix it. The further you go, the harder it will be to go back and make it to where you are happy with it.

I agree that teardrop time has many meanings, including those times when the project lingers without any activity. On the other hand, once you are done (95/ct... they are never truly done), then you can log some of the other TD time, serious relaxing while you camp!!!

From the pictures that looks like a solid build...No way That's going to be caving in or falling apart.

Just get it waterproof before you go out on the road with it and everything will be fine. After a month-long marathon of building six to eight hours a day (after my day job) I hit the road with no cabinets, a temporary door, and nothing but two temporary shelves in the galley. All I could see was an unfinished camper...but at the campground I had all kinds of people stopping by to look at it and nothing but compliments. It was actually good to camp in it because It gave me some insights and I'm going to be changing the cabinet layout based on that trip.

After that deadline I took a month off. Back at it now and I hope to have a finished galley for the next trip in three weeks. This winter I'll be working on fenders, the matching door, and the interior cabinets.

All in due time!

Thanks so much for your insights y'all! I feel better now!