Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello,

I am fabricating the custom frame for my trailer from lightweight 2 x 2 steel tubing. The trailer will be nine foot long and five foot high, and sixty six inches wide. The galley will be two feet deep by 5 high and 66 inches wide. I purchased a wrecked teardrop trailer and salvaged all the usable parts. I will be using the 3 burner cook top, propane refrigerator, water tank, heater etc.
This means that the center of the lower portion of the galley will be dominated by the refrigerator, below the counter top. The table will be located outside on either side attached via tubing, and dismountable. I intend on having a pop up tent to cover this area, when using the galley. I will have the sink on the counter top, along with the cook top. I want a small microwave unit mounted near the top center of the galley and with an electricians help will make sure this unit receives adequate amperage. What size and model microwave unit do you recommend? Both 12v and 120v receptacles will be available. I have been informed that a really large coffee pot is the best and most inexpensive way to heat water and that hanging a paper towel dispenser on the opening lid is very handy.

I am wide open for suggestions as to how to make this area as efficient and user friendly as possible. I certainly would appreciate your input as to hatch design, supports, and also wind and waterproofing this area. I intend to have the galley opening to be the full width and height of the trailer.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Gene So

This may sound like I'm trying to throw a bucket of water on a fire but...

I've built and used Teardrops for a long time and a few things I've come to realize is that galley counter space is very valuable and that cooking, other than boiling water in a galley is a clean up chore I don't want to participate in while camping or when I get home.

If you've got a 46 to 56" wide galley and put a stove, sink and plumbing in it you ain't gonna have much counter space left.



Now my galleys are strictly storage and counter tops for "Clean" food Prep and not cooking.



I've never gone anywhere where I can't put a stove and a wash tub on a Picnic table, and if there is I have a small table to bring with me. No daily clean up, no grease and I'm prepping my food in a known clean area.

There are others that will disagree with me though.

Happy Trails

Len

I think them little sinks are a total waste of time and $. They are to small to really wash anything and do you really want the mess in the back of your camper?
I live in Minnesota so any water system has to be winterize every year. Just don't seem worth it when a water jug on it's side and a plastic tote is a lot easier.
But the sinks do look nice.

I agree with Len... cooking on the picnic table means no greasy mess to clean up or odors wafting into your sleeping area.
I do boil water in coffee pot for coffee, tea, wash up, but that's the extent.

Cheri

I'm in agreement; cooking and clean up will be outside the galley, no closer than the side wing tables I have planned.

I will add that if you are custom building, 60 inches wide is plenty wide enough and would be much more friendly in material efficiency with 5 ft sheets available.

Inside ends up just under queen size wide, which is plenty IMO. I am building 64 inches wide and if I had it to do over I would have gone with 60.

I know many people have and plan for a microwave, so help me out. What do you cook in a microwave that is necessary for camping?

One of those grill nukerowave combos would be handy.

I agree with Len. Leave the kitchen sink at home. I'll do a cook-off with any teardropper with this galley:


Now.... having said that, you might ask twenty teardroppers what their fantasy galley is and get twenty answers. Part of the beuty of DIY teardrops is everyone is different.

T

Gene,

Galleys tend to be very personal areas and most everyone has a different opinion, depending upon the way they cook and store things and even how they live in their camp "space" or site. Based on that, my advice may be a little different from the others. I suggest that you take a table or mock up a table with a few boards or some plywood set across a couple boxes and/or saw horses. Next, take some painters tape and tape off an area equivalent to what you will have in your galley. If you have the stove top and sink that you will be using, set them on top. Place the refrigerator under the mock "counter". Put a box or tv tray on the side to simulate your side table. Now, go through the motions of cooking and cleaning there. Think about where you will store your cookware, dishes, utensils, and food. Will you be storing your food underneath the counter or up top? If you are going to have a microwave, how much space will be left for it and can you get a microwave to fit in that space? Do you anticipate getting into Dutch oven cooking? Do you cook steaks? ...Hamburgers? ...Bacon and eggs? Or, do you open a can and warm its contents? Do you fish and need to clean and cook what you catch? Consider all these things and develop your galley accordingly.

Also, look here for lots of ideas: http://s134.photobucket.com/user/ams-te ... t=4&page=1

Another tip that may or may not help: Many bathroom counters are roughly the size of a teardrop counter and can therefore give you a quick idea of the area that you will have to work with/in.

One more thought: If you will be wanting a warm cup of coffee or tea in your warm cabin area when you first wake up, you may want to build a pass-through in the wall between your sleeping compartment and galley.

Don't lose counter space by building in sink and/or stove. My first two Volkswagen campers had built-in sinks that were never used and wasted valuable counter space. My teardrop's galley (under construction) will only have a counter with space underneath for cooler, stove, and kitchen box.

ChasCABQ wrote:Don't lose counter space by building in sink and/or stove. My first two Volkswagen campers had built-in sinks that were never used and wasted valuable counter space. My teardrop's galley (under construction) will only have a counter with space underneath for cooler, stove, and kitchen box.

When it comes to the stove, Chas is right. If you're going to cook a lot of greasy, messy foods or use a lot of butter or other such grease, keep it away from your sleeping and galley area.

For the sink, you can simply buy or make a cutting board that fits over the sink and gives you back almost all the counter space that would otherwise be lost. I used a standard RV-style sink and was able to purchase a cutting board that fits it pretty well:



The above is an older picture. This newer picture, below, shows how easy the board is to store in what would be unused space along the side of the pots and pans (hidden behind the green bowls) in the cupboard:



These two pictures bring up another point to consider: If you are unsure of exactly what you want, do only what you must and save the rest of the building for later. The first picture was taken when the trailer was new and I was unsure of what else I wanted in the galley area. The second was taken three years later, when I knew what I wanted and had added it. Some features can be added later, when you've used your trailer for a while and know what will work best for you. (That may include whether or not you install a sink and stove in your galley.)

PS. Your hatch and support questions seem to have gotten lost in people's opinions (including mine) of what to put in the galley. Unless people start answering your hatch and support questions here, you might want to start another thread just for that.

(By the way, if I were building a teardrop, I probably wouldn't bother with building a sink or stove in either. )

I seem to be in the minority about the sink thing and I think it depends on what you use your teardrop for. We very seldom go camping, we camp while traveling and many times stop in the middle of the day to prepare a meal. I would not want to have to haul out a pan just to wash my hands or rinse a dish. I just flip a switch and out comes the water, or when you want to brush your teeth, the sink is right there. If I went and set up camp for a few days or a week and put things out semi permanently I might have a very different opinion (but I doubt it) because I never thought of my sink as in the way. As for the supports, I won't be much help because I use a stick and my hatch has never fell or felt like it would fly up. My best suggestion would be to go to a gathering and see some in person. I have not yet met anyone who will not show you their teardrop and talk extensively about it.
Brwbier

I am pretty sure I'll be adding a sink to mine with a timber chopping board to fit over the top.
I think for quick stops and over nightingale it would be more benefit than hassle for washing vegetables, brushing teeth a quick wash off grid ect.
I'm also carrying 100 liters of water with a water pump and waste tank so I recon it would be silly not