Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I searched and did not find any posts on building the galley where the entire unit slid out (please forgive me if I missed it), not just a cabinet.

The idea I have is this, we have an old, old tall beagle who likes some room. I'm trying to keep the TD length to 9 feet. I plan to build a dinette/queen bed running lengthwise. This would not leave but about a foot of floor space for dear old Max, which he would not like. I also looked at existing designs and thought that one needs to stretch a bit to reach any upper cabinets in the galley. My idea is then to build the galley essentially 2 feet deep. Bed is 6, galley 2, that only leaves a foot to spare maximum. With the full slide galley it locks inboard during travel and can be pulled out like a foot when parked. This adds floor space and conceivably makes the galley easier. It would be like having a 10 foot trailer when parked, 9 foot when rolling.

I would build an internal "framing bulkhead" for lateral stress and for the galley to lock into. I have some super heavy duty drawer slides which could easily handle the weight, but I think I could do it better using bearings since it wouldn't actually come all the way out of the trailer.

So, has anyone done something like this? What problems am I missing?

Thanks in advance, Dave

I've seen in done on expedition style trailers. I haven't seen it on a TD at this point.
Tom

Pretty common in aus on camper trailers and I've just decided to do it myself.

Did I miss something? What happens when is rains during the night when it is extended? Why not eliminate the inside cabinets and put a bunk in for the dog?

On the rain thing, we always set up two pop-up canopies with a tarp over them. This setup has made it through 40+ mph rain storms in the Keys with gusts over 70. I don't like wet if I can help it, so the TD would essentially be under one of the canopies. And before anyone cringes about the noise of a flapping tarp, mine don't flap which is why they make it through really strong storms. I'm a firm believer in tying things down properly. During our trip in December with the tent setup, the forementioned storm pretty much destroyed every other tent and a pop-up in the campground. We did not get so much as a drop. Our neighbors were stunned and we had to actually lend one some temp poles to hold up his REI for the next few days.

The galley is actually the primary reason for the TD. Wifey doesn't mind my weirdo camp kitchen setup, she just wants something that is set and ready to go.

:-)

dave

I'd consider running the drawer north -south rather than east west. Then you could still have a rear hatch and take advantage of the storage available. It would be easier to seal. Also I wouldn't use drawer slide, just out some roller blade wheels on the bottom. The drawer slides will still be under the bed, the wheels won't.
Tom

I agree that it needs to move forward/backward. I like the idea with the "roller blade wheels". I actually build a fair amount of stuff using those (camera dolly).

dave

Have you looked through the Galley Gallery?

http://s134.photobucket.com/user/ams-te ... rid&page=1

Perhaps I pictured something different, but did you mean that a galley the width of the trailer would slide out the back say 2 feet or so? I pictured an 8 foot long slide out.
Tom

Hi Tom, what I meant was a galley built side to side, like normal. It would then be able to slide out the back about 1 foot. Not all the way out, just adding a foot to bed space. You could go a step further and also do the slide out side cabinets like others have done. I think I've figured out how to do it now and it really wouldn't be that difficult of a modification. It would require a locking system that lets you lock it in place for transport (inside) and lock in place for camping (semi-outside). The idea with skate type wheels would work great, as that is how I build my camera dolly and jib/crane dolly. With the jib dolly I'm moving a really big setup (20 foot jib with 100+ lbs of balancing weights) and I can move it very easily. So yeah, run a few of sets of the wheels under the galley "component module" and it would slide very easily. Locking pins make it stable and I doubt the entire setup would add 15 lbs to the normal build.

dave

If built properly, I don't see why it wouldn't work just fine. You already saw the small one that len19070 made, in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=62121&start=30 ...I think that might be sort of what you are thinking of, only yours would be on a grander scale and I think you might be thinking of still having a hatch for cabinet/storage. A drawing would help people envision what you are suggesting, though.

Well, me being me, I began to consider other options. I really like the more teardroppy shape. I also want the ability to sit up inside. The galley is an absolute, but it must also be easily accessed and dear wifey refuses to have it internal during use. So still looking at the 5x9 footprint, but actually going back to the 4' height and not 4.5 or 5.

So I started thinking, why does the galley have to be in the back? The back part of a trailer gets most of the shakes and jars.
Why does there have to be a giant "hatch"? Only if you have the galley accessed from the back.

To begin with, I have an 8' trailer frame with steel cross members every 2 feet. This essentially creates 2'x4' "compartments" on the floor area when I build it up. Comp 1 is where the galley would be, Comp 2 would be the section in front of the axle. Comps 3 & 4 are in the back of the camper.

If I put the galley in the front of the camper and made it where the entire unit actually slides out of the side and not out of the back? Upper and lower cabinets both in 2 separate components but they link up when extended.
In transport it locks into place inside. For camping it slides outside, one end locking into the inside of the camper, the other supported outside. It uses leveling rods to support from the ground. It has both interior and exterior "hatch covers", to seal the opening when traveling and to seal it when extended.

The bed is queen sized, but actually runs from back to front (6' total length). The rear 4' of the bed support is permanently mounted. In "Comp 2", the compartment immediately behind the galley compartment I build a drop floor with removable top. The drop floor works to make this a sit up camper, as it drops the floor about 8" below the normal level, allowing a settee to be created that is very low to the normal floor, but at a standard floor to butt height. This gives situp headroom. With the galley pulled out, the top then can become the seat part of a settee, with the foot part being down in the drop area. The "back" of the settee would be permanently mounted behind where the galley stores. This works because the front of the camper will have the extending forward curve. The settee then faces to the rear. For the final 2 feet of the bed I can either use the drop floor top as the final bed section or make another slide out section to extend the bed to full length.

The entry door would be on the same side as the galley, at Comp 2. That way, if we were doing a quick overnight and did not want to extend the galley, we would enter straight into the bed. One of my pop-up 12' canopies covers the entire trailer and galley area.

This lets me go with a more swooping teardrop design, reduce the overall height, not have to build a hatch and make the galley very accessible. It gives my dog at least 2' x 5' of floor space. We have a sitting area if needed, permanent storage around the rear area, and probably a lighter unit since I don't have to build the hatch structure.

So what am I missing here? It seems to simple of a concept, but I cannot see any drawbacks yet.
I'll try to draw up a mockup, but my drawing talent leaves a lot to be desired.



dave

Dave:

The beauty of building a DIY camper is that you can make one specifically for your needs. That theme echos througout this forum.

One thing I like about our teardrop, is that if we want to pull over and take a nap, all the effort it takes is to open the door and get in. Setup at camp takes about three minutes, and that's assuming we are going to unhitch and throw out the camp chairs.

It sounds like you have trepidations about building a hatch. They aren't that difficult and the extra effort is probably a toss-up with a slide-out side-galley. If you are going to stretch your walls to 9', why not stretch it out to 10' and avoid the slide-out galley? That extra foot should give your pooch a place to sleep. The effort to stretch plywood from 8 to 9' is no difference in time or money to stretch it to 10'.

Something else to ponder... it's part of the process.

T

daveesl77 wrote:Well, me being me, I began to consider other options. I really like the more teardroppy shape. I also want the ability to sit up inside. The galley is an absolute, but it must also be easily accessed and dear wifey refuses to have it internal during use. So still looking at the 5x9 footprint, but actually going back to the 4' height and not 4.5 or 5.

So I started thinking, why does the galley have to be in the back? The back part of a trailer gets most of the shakes and jars.
Why does there have to be a giant "hatch"? Only if you have the galley accessed from the back.

The kitchen usually goes to the back because if its in the front the tongue weight can be really heavy. WIth just a mattress behind the rear wheels you won't have anything to balance all that weight

daveesl77 wrote:To begin with, I have an 8' trailer frame with steel cross members every 2 feet. This essentially creates 2'x4' "compartments" on the floor area when I build it up. Comp 1 is where the galley would be, Comp 2 would be the section in front of the axle. Comps 3 & 4 are in the back of the camper.

If I put the galley in the front of the camper and made it where the entire unit actually slides out of the side and not out of the back? Upper and lower cabinets both in 2 separate components but they link up when extended.
In transport it locks into place inside. For camping it slides outside, one end locking into the inside of the camper, the other supported outside. It uses leveling rods to support from the ground. It has both interior and exterior "hatch covers", to seal the opening when traveling and to seal it when extended.

This is what I thought you were describing in the first place, but in the back

daveesl77 wrote:The bed is queen sized, but actually runs from back to front (6' total length). The rear 4' of the bed support is permanently mounted. In "Comp 2", the compartment immediately behind the galley compartment I build a drop floor with removable top. The drop floor works to make this a sit up camper, as it drops the floor about 8" below the normal level, allowing a settee to be created that is very low to the normal floor, but at a standard floor to butt height. This gives situp headroom. With the galley pulled out, the top then can become the seat part of a settee, with the foot part being down in the drop area. The "back" of the settee would be permanently mounted behind where the galley stores. This works because the front of the camper will have the extending forward curve. The settee then faces to the rear. For the final 2 feet of the bed I can either use the drop floor top as the final bed section or make another slide out section to extend the bed to full length.

Take a look at this build thread http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=61727&start=45
They made the mattress fold into a couch, and they still have plenty of head room.
A standard queen size mattress is 60 inches with by 80 inches long. I don't really grasp what you are describing.

daveesl77 wrote:The entry door would be on the same side as the galley, at Comp 2. That way, if we were doing a quick overnight and did not want to extend the galley, we would enter straight into the bed. One of my pop-up 12' canopies covers the entire trailer and galley area.

and when the galley is in use, the door will smack the cook in the head, and if a fire happens in the kitchen, the only way out of the trailer is into the fire, and any smells from cooking end up in the sleeping area. Obviously I don't like the door on the same side as the kichen.

daveesl77 wrote:This lets me go with a more swooping teardrop design, reduce the overall height, not have to build a hatch and make the galley very accessible. It gives my dog at least 2' x 5' of floor space. We have a sitting area if needed, permanent storage around the rear area, and probably a lighter unit since I don't have to build the hatch structure.

So what am I missing here? It seems to simple of a concept, but I cannot see any drawbacks yet.
I'll try to draw up a mockup, but my drawing talent leaves a lot to be desired.


dave

The hatches are really not that heavy, so that shouldn't be a consideration. The tallest part of the trailer is the front, so why waste it by putting a slide out kitchen there? How about this option. Do something like the build I posted above, but take 3 feet of the kitchen and only make that part 12 inches deep. The dog gets a 2 x 3 area for sleeping, and you still bet alot of galley area. If the curved hatch is a worry, take out the curves and make it flat like a weekender. It seems like you are making this really simple thing, really complicated to avoid making a hatch, which is easier and better documented than what you have described.
Tom

One of the big reasons I really, really like this site is the diverse and experienced opinions that exist here. Thank you all.

Building a hatch doesn't bother me, as I have built sailboats up to 48 feet long and other builds that incorporate intricate compound curves. I try to look at things from both a convenience and practical view that fits my weirdo ideas. :-)

As a boat builder in the past and a confirmed DIY'r I often look at things in a manner that they need to do double or even triple duty. I am an absolute rookie at teardrops and that is why I value all of your opinions so highly, I really mean this. Sometimes I will look at something and say "why is it done that way" and later I find out why. At other times it may just be one way among many of doing something. This is the great part of any DIY project and why I enjoy doing them so much. My neighbors, who have watched me over the years build so many various things always come by and go "what are you building now and how long will it take after you finish that you'll be on to your next idea".

I agree completely with the tongue weight and that is a big, big issue with me right now. I also looked at a normal build, with a stock axle location and saw it from the opposite side, too little potential weight. I just finished drawing out a sketch and the weight issue is there, so I may well need to rethink locations.

Thank you all for reviewing my "spaghetti tossing of ideas", I just hope I don't drive you all crazy with my concepts.

dave