Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Wahoo! Finally completed our Hunter Galley revamp to make more efficient use of space. Structurally we only had to remove the upper retainer/divider on the main shelf. The upper cupboards are modular/removable in case we want to make adjustments later. The upper cupboard doors use magnetics to keep them closed. For travelling we have some small cotter pins to stick in from the top of the cupboards to prevent them from opening...

Here is the finished galley in closed mode. Speakers integrated into the upper cupboards will provide fine dinner music. I think the car radio/CD player will end up with the battery in the lower left cupboard since I didn't make the upper cupboards quite deep enough.. ugh...




When parked, the upper cupboards are opened downwards providing a surface for pots behind the stove, and cooking preparation on the right, or if we choose, just open them to get stuff and then close them again...



A large drawer for pots, pans and dishes, and an under shelf cutlery drawer...



Door handles were carefully selected to reflect our own personal style...

Dave:

I love that new redesign! Now if only Hunter would do something like this from the get go...

sftiggee wrote:Dave:

I love that new redesign! Now if only Hunter would do something like this from the get go...

True... but I'm sure manufacturers have a reason for their designs... could be a cost issue (this was not a cheap mod) or they wanted to keep it flexible as everyone has different ideas/usages. I think they should add something like that as an option. We kept it all modular so we can change it later if we wish.

By the way Jolene, I'd like to personally thank you for all your input. Our recent discussions got me rethinking my previous ideas, and I ended up with this design that my wife and I are thrilled about. I was so close to doing that built in cooler!

Now I'm looking into a fold down/under frame table design.

Cheers!

Really nice i like it alot...Where did you find those handles ,they sre really sharp....Good job...

John In Bama

Hi Green Horn,

We found those handles at a shop in the Muskokas (Haliburton, Ontario). We'll be back there end of July. I can find out the company if you are interested then.

Dave:

I saw your concept idea of the underframe table design and i like it. have you ever seen the 'spare tire" table? That might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone...have a spare and a table at once.

You're welcome about the input, I love seeing new ideas and offering up my opinions based on my experience, and i'll be the first to tell you that I don't know everything, nor do i expect people to agree with me all the time great job you did there, again

I love the new look, it looks so sharp. I like those handles and knobs too.

I'm new here, hope to put us together a teardrop this winter.

If it's knobs you are looking for try Lee Valley. They have more than you will ever need or want.

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page. ... ncy=2&SID=

These are their pewter knobs with outdoor themes.

MaineTD

Dave,

You have done a beautiful job on upgrading the galley of your Hunter. And the fact that you made choices based on your experience with the original configuration makes your choices more valuable.

I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind.

Is the ventilator fan from the cabin still operational? Is it effective? I have read about the condensation issues and am worried. Has there been any remedy in later models with thicker plywood, better insulation?

You modification for the grill stove is good. It seems that the grill stove and the newer Coleman 11000 BTU/burner model have this form factor. Nice to know that they can be made to fit. Are you using disposable LPG bottles or runnning a line from a tongue mount or storage box?

If I had my druthers, I would like a more powerful stove such as a Camp Chef, but it would mean moving the vertical center divider and reworking the slide out and lower cabinets as these stoves are 25-27" long and about 7" high. I wonder how difficult it would be to reconfigure for someone who is less than a master craftsman but a step above woodwork challenged.

I read the Hunter versus Camp-Inn discussion over in the other thread. It seems the Hunter folks have done a good job of keeping things simple at a reasonable price point whereas the Camp-Inn guys have done a lot of desirable feature engineering at a somewhat higher tariff.

Thanks for showing us your modifications. I tend to overanalyze and fret about things. Usually my inital solution to a problem is more complicated than need be and it takes some time for a simpler approach to be derived. Input like this based on experience helps a lot.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Yes the ventilator fan from the cabin still works.. although about 15% of the fan is covered about the top shelf.. a slight oversight.

Condensation issues? Maybe on real cold nights you might find some on the sides mainly, but its a simple wipe in the morning to correct that. This has only been an issue for mid Sept plus camping here up north in Ontario. I wouldn't worry about it, or even be concerned about adjusting your design unless your planning to use yours for winter camping.

Yes the grill stove is great! Works well, adapts to your cooking and requires less pots, pans, fry pans and such. Its an easy mod to the Hunter slide out drawer to adapt. This mod was mainly required so the galley door doesn't rest against the front of the stove.

If you REALLY must have that Camp Chef, you could tear out the back dividers and redo it to suit. I'm not a wordworking type myself, instead we just did our homework and provided the design we wanted, and had a local cabinettemaker do his magic. The existing lower layout worked well for us however. Battery lower left, remove the middle door for the 5Gal water jug that fits perfectly! (Hunter had not designed it for the jug... it just happened to fit!). Any novice woodworker should be able to revamp the back end in my opinion.

Yes Hunter has kept things simple and priced well. They have not skimped on quality though, and it has some features the Camp-Inn does not have such as a large underbunk storage area and large slider area in the front. If you purchase the Hunter with the fiberglass fenders you can also have a more retro/traditional look vs the more modern look of the Camp-Inn. The main difference I consider is the galley setup. Hunters is a bit on the basic side, but with the mods we made I feel it provides the most advantages for campside cooking. Still love the look of the Camp-Inn though. Overall it is probably the top teardrop with Hunter a close 2nd. Mind you the Cozy Cruiser looks pretty nice too, but we don't seem to have anyone on here that owns one.

I know what you mean by over analyzing. I do that A LOT, and get a bit anal about things when we are planning/purchasing, but it usually means we are very happy with our decisions.

Here is a shot of our first year with the 'stock' galley (slightly messy, useless Koolatron, propane bottles)...



Here is last years setup with the new galley (less mess, more organization, everything handy, 5lber propane tank)...

Dave,

You guys have too much fun, while some of us spend too much time building. Granted, I like building, but this year I'd like to get some more camping in too!

I got a cool new book, called "Don Wrights Guide to Free Campgrounds", and I am ready to go camping. Just need a decent teardrop I can pull with the Passat. Steve?

BTW, It seems that Michelle has to work that weekend. So It's going to be just the guys.

Frank, was your wife planning on coming?

Mike...

Dave,

Thanks for your reply and the before/after images of the galley in use. I do have a Hunter HU-1 on order and am looking forward to it. In my case, the simplicity and basic design won out. I seriously considered the Camp-Inn products and have a lot of respect for them. Aside from their many good features, it's got to be those "1940 Ford" rear windows on the front of the 450 and 550 that gets a positive emotional response from me.

The Hunter will be my test bed for a future build. As you are doing, I hope to learn a lot. Your experience is providing a leg up on things.

The weather here is fairly mild and I would like to get camping sooner rather than later. Winter/Spring desert trips are great and I want to be out there.

Thank you,

Tom

Lucky campers! We don't have our first trip scheduled until about May 8th.. have to get rid of the snow and salt first!

We have 3 trips booked so far plus an early season 9 dayer planned, for a total of 24 nights. I'm planning another multi park trip also in August... trying to decide on Moffit Beach or Northhampton Beach for mid trip nights.. anyone been to these? (both are state parks north north west of Albany NY).

Might also stay at 'Lake George RV Park' (adirondacks NY) for a different experience. Its RV's only which I think we qualify as since we have an electrical hookup (could plug the battery charger into the extension cord), and we kind of have a water hookup (can use the hose to fill our 5gal water 'tank'). We can only bring a tent for my son as long as we have 'the RV' and the tent is used for sleeping only. ha ha!

They define an RV as: camping unit designed for road travel that is equipped with factory installed beds and at least two land-to-vehicle service connection (electric, water, or sewer) with electric being one of the two. For example: a travel trailer, fifth wheel, motor home, motor coach, custom private bus, folding camper/pop-up, truck (pickup) camper and camper van. A mini-van is not considered a camper van unless it meets the above criteria. In addition, we do not allow boats with cabins and hookups, to be used as RV’s.

Dave,

I'd be interested to hear how well they receive you... Will they laugh you out of the park, or will they gladly suck up your money and stick you in a corner somewhere?

Mike...

mikeschn wrote:Dave,

I'd be interested to hear how well they receive you... Will they laugh you out of the park, or will they gladly suck up your money and stick you in a corner somewhere?

Mike...

Actually they have a very high rating from Woodall's. I wonder though if our 'campsite' will be a slab of cement. I've seen those on the web and tv, but never camped like that. We usually get 'government issue' dirt for camping up here in Canada. Tents aren't allowed without an RV either at LGRV park which is halarious. We'll have to burn some electricity to get 'accepted' by the general populous

It sounds fun though, they have outdoor pools, games room and nightly bingo I think My son should like it.

Best thing yet is that every campsite has Internet access via WIFI, apparently one of the first parks to ever do so. Hey maybe I can set up a live webcam for ya'all back home puttering about on your tears