http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/bender.htm
and here is the beginning of my design idea for a permanent side tent frame for a Teardrop.....
Notice from this angle the basic shape of a teardrop? How about an expandable frame, permanently attached to both sides of a teardrop? a minimum of TWO teardrop outline shaped bows, connected by a scissors type expansion support made of Aluminium...that when unlatched would expand or fold out to form a side tent frame for the Tear?
(Might even have the tent cover permanently attached but that would be more problematic.....)
when closed, the frame would create a slight porch effect over the Side Doors and windows. Done with the attention to detail and engineering capability I've seen here, you folks could triple the livable space in a teardrop with little weight gain.....
and as a possible design alternative, the expandable frame could be formed with a flexible fiberglass rod on the rear hatch slope, tensioned like a fishing rod under load for transport, which when unhooked, would rise to the height of the hatch in the opened position to allow access to the sidetent from the rear of the tear......?...
Clear as mud?...I'd do a Cad design fer ya if I had any skills in that area, but I don't...
Frame idea kinda like this but shaped like the tear.....
That is my problem, I have lots of "neat" ideas but they all seem to be shot down. 
Maybe some day I can put my ideas to work. I know what you can do, make a model to see how it will work. You can do it. Make a little cardboard td and use cardboard to make the sides that expand. There I go again, more ideas. 
Good idea but:
Maybe not enough to cut your gas mileage.
I'm glad you enjoyed the site. In answer to your question, I can't vouch for the safety of all the wagons on that list, but the Yahoo group that we have spends a lot of time advising people on sway assemblies, proper towing practices, and just what will or won't work. Whenever someone gets started on a project like this, their research usually brings them to my website pretty quickly, and I'm happy to point them to the group as a great resource for builders. It's actually a lot like this forum--a place for people with similar interest to gather and share ideas. There are people who expect to be able to tow a 12x7 wooden wagon with a compact car, and the group is quick to point them in another direction. For the most part, the designs are pretty safe. Mine is all licensed and insured. The weight, fully loaded, is about 2600. Pretty hefty compared to what you guys do, but our purpose is different. We've been towing ours for about ten years without incident.
