Soft top teardrop?

[KarmannGhiaGirl]

Hi all, new here but love building things and have been wanting to make a teardrop for a couple of years now. Only problem is I still live in an apartment and don't really have a place to keep a full on teardrop. But, what I do have is access to my parents trailer (old 5x8 snowmobile trailer). So I have been thinking about making a collapsible teardrop like thing, that I could put on the trailer within a couple hours, but would fold up to the size of a couple sheets of plywood.

This is my current very rough sketch:

Squiggly lines would be where canvas goes.

-3/4in 4x10ft pressure treated plywood sides, square at the back and an angular front with flat faces. Bolted at the bottom to the metal rails of the trailer.
-4x5 door at the back that would hinge up so we could possibly hang a tarp around it have a very small standing area.
-3x5 angled piece of plywood at the front to give it some support
-1x2 ribs that would snap in place along the top of the walls with some sort of fastener so they could be removeable.

So with that I would have the skeleton of a teardrop, and then I would take some canvas and cut it to shape and it would be the roof. It would snap on along the sides, similar to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpsd6-Sad-E

With this setup, the walls, back door, and front support would fold down and would only take up like .5x4x10ft and could easily be hung from the deck that the trailer is under. And the canvas tarp would just be in a closet somewhere.

So my question is, are there any glaring holes in this plan? Anything I am not thinking of? How would this handle on a highway, would the canvas hold up?

Would love to hear your guys thoughts on this!

P.S. Sorry if this is the wrong forum section for this!

[KennethW]

Why square off the front and galley? A curve would be easier on a truckers tarp roof.
I would hinge the two sides with aluminum flashing bend in a W as the water seal.( the v of the w will reduce the flexing on the aluminum)
Have 18" of the front and back fold up then the galley wall with counter would fold up.
Put your sleeping pad in.
Put the metal closet bar ceiling struts in and snap the ceiling tarp on.
1/2 Plywood including the floor.
Anything mounted on the wall would have to mount flush or be removable(including door handles)or some how fit when folded.
Would be my thoughts on a fold down teardrop.

[KarmannGhiaGirl]

Why square off the front and galley? A curve would be easier on a truckers tarp roof.

Cause I like more angular looks, and it is only making a small bend at the top.

I would hinge the two sides with aluminum flashing bend in a W as the water seal.( the v of the w will reduce the flexing on the aluminum)

Not quite sure what you are saying here....

Have 18" of the front and back fold up then the galley wall with counter would fold up.

There isn't going to be a galley, this will be more of a hard sided tent, than a "true" teardrop.


Thanks for the reply/comments :D

[Pmullen503]

Are you planning to tow it folded or with the TD set up? If folded then I would recommend you consider foam sides. You could make it lighter to haul on and off the trailer. I would also rethink the large, top hinged back door. A lighter side door would be easier to get in, and especially out of. You could still hang a tarp off the back (or side) for a sitting area.

If no galley, you really don't need it ten feet long. I like the idea of a foldable soft top TD though.

[KarmannGhiaGirl]

I am hoping to tow it set up so we can just throw all our camping crap in there and not have to play tetris in the car ;)

I was looking at foam, but I am not too worried about the weight and I would feel more comfortable working with wood.

With the rear door my plan is to have it set into the teardrop about a foot to try and help prevent the hinge from leaking. I have also been playing around with the idea of getting a broken tent and cutting out the door and putting it in that part so we could have a zippered tent door which would be easier than doing something in the sidewall.

And im doing 10ft cause that's the what the pressure treated plywood comes in so i figure why not :p

[KennethW]

Here is a drawing of the w aluminum seal with a strap hinge.

You will need a wall of some sort on the back to keep the back square.
Have you thought about keeping bugs out with the back open?
Some sort of Galley would be nice if it is raining and makes meal time easier and faster.
Maybe just a fold up table with the legs cut off to set in the back to set a stove at a easy cooking height.
Just give you some food for thought.

[Tomterrific]

I have considered a sort of A frame as a nice tow-behind. Say the base sides are 18" high with the A sides folded in and the roof folded over the top. The camper is packed and then folded over the gear for towing. The roof could also sport a rack for packing more stuff.

Tt

[noseoil]

One thing to consider, when we camped outside of Yellowstone last year one campground said "No soft sided campers allowed". It was in bear country & was the first place we saw that type of exclusion. I don't see a problem with a soft top in general, but durability would be an issue.

[Socal Tom]

You will need some way to tighten the top over time as the canvas stretches or shrinks , and it will need a slope for rain to run off.
Tom

Sent from my Lenovo A7600-F using Tapatalk

[KCStudly]

Consider Bimini style top hardware for a folding canvas frame.

... or fiberglass struts (spars) such as used for tonneau covers and mooring covers. http://www.basspro.com/Boat-Cover-Supports-Wood-Bows-or-Slat-Sockets/product/16120/

[greygoos]

Maybe consider a truck tent on a trailer . There is a build already on here that does it. http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=44671

[Gator417]

Sounds like a good idea. Its too bad you can't build something more substantial and keep it on the trailer or a solid camper you can take off the trailer intact.
That said, if your profile had a curve instead of straight lines the top would stay tight better during travel. There would be constant pressure on the entire length instead of just the front and the bend. Hope that makes sense.
Or you could build spars into the cover itself every 12-16 inches or so. You might also be able to attach the sides with velcro.
Do a search for soft tonneau covers for some ideas. You might even be able to score one second-hand that would work for you.
Also, really like the idea of using a zippered tent door. Built in skeeter net and regular door all in one. You can maybe salvage the main part of the tent and use it as an enclosure mounted to the side or rear of your trailer as well.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Gator