Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I can now say that I have 1 under my belt (stick built walls, foam insulation, skinned in Aluminum. I am getting the fever to build another and have been researching into other methods.

My question is this for the more experienced builders out there. If weight is thrown out the window (not considered). What are the time and cost considerations on the above 3 methods of construction.

I feel like solid walls are the fastest, unless I'm really missing something, but I would like to know about cost and time vs the other 2 are (generally) Assume for the stick built and solid wall method that they would be covered in Aluminum. Just curious as to what other's thoughts and experiences are.

I guess it depends on your needs, too. I wanted insulation, so that would add to the cost even if sticking with solid walls.

A hybrid foamie could be skinned in aluminum, just build it like a stick built and leave the outer ply skin out of the equation. You do need to worry about heat build up, tho, as the foam might start to melt if exposed to high heat/sun (painting foamies a dark color in desert sun should probably be avoided, but the aluminum may reflect a lot more than it absorbs(?) so maybe not as big of an issue at higher latitudes... at least that has been suggested if not actually experienced).

I think covering with PMF (poor man's fiber glass... glue, fabric and paint) has to be faster and less expensive than aluminum with trim. Even cheaper and quicker would be just primer and paint, but I don't like the lack of longevity that seems to always be an issue with non-reinforced paint (wood fibers splitting and allowing moisture to creep in).

I think a lot of it also boils down to the overall design philosophy. Do you want a lot of detail and finely finished joinery, or just a camping shelter? The details and the quality of materials seem to be what makes the difference in time and money (and finished quality), not so much the construction method.

I think foamies are faster to build and cheaper, but take more effort to get a "perfect" finish.
My first tear was stick built, labor intensive, but very solid.
If I was ever going to build with wood again, I would try the cookie cutter wall type covered with PMF.
It all depends on what you want.

I guess I'm not sure what I want. I like the idea of the foamie, but I'm not sure that I want to completely learn a new construction method. I feel,like the cookie cutter method is a lot of lasted wood once it's done, but definitely lighter, It seems like the stick built is the slowest, but definitely has its advantages. Having said that, I think I could build one in a fraction of the time that it took me the fist time because I'm familiar in how to fabricate the walls.

Just think out loud here. Thanks for the input thus far.