Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The other day my neighbor gave me a bottle of Happy Camper Wine as a gift for getting my TD build campable.



The gift of Happy Camper Wine was so fitting and I really like that camper on the label. I emailed the Happy Camper company and asked if it was a particular build. Anyway he emailed back and nope just an artist's drawing. The website is http://www.happercamperwines.com

I'm so liking this design that the idea of building it is rolling around in the brain.


Now all you that put aluminum skins on would this be doable? Are the curves going to be buggers to get shaped? Tell me what you think? How would you build it?

The url did not come through right on the previous post so here it is again.

http://www.happycamperwines.com/

You could try doing it in fiberglass, as a one-off. Then you can get those nice rounded curves in the design. You could paint it with a nice metallic auto paint and shoot clear coat over it to get the aluminum look. Just some random thoughts....

I wonder if we contacted the company and suggested that they post a photo, or drawing, of a teardrop trailer on their label if they would do it? That would be so cool!!

Really cool, but I have no clue as to how someone with moderate skills could build this.

AmyH wrote:You could try doing it in fiberglass

Now that is an idea - I think I will be learning how to fiberglass

Hey, Darla!

Think about building it strip-style (strip building) like they do with canoes & kayaks ... narrow strips of wood glued & stapled together and then covered with fiberglass. Not for the timid ... but you've already shown us you're not timid!
That particular design lends itself really well to a frameless end product, but you'll definitely need temporary inside frames & formers to get to that shape on the outside. Once you get it like you want it and 'glass the outside ... remove the temp. frames & forms from the inside and then smooth & glass there, then add your cabinetry ...

Very do-able, but not in any great hurry!

CHEERS!

Grant

get a book on boat building, there is various tecniques that would be possible in timber but would probably leave a lot of waste. the way that springs to mind is the bulkhead way, build the bulkheads at various cross sections and join with a keel, cover with strips of timber and then cut away most of the bulkheads. or cover in canvas and apply a dope or resin as is aircraft construction. Tell me to shut it if im rabbiting on

it looks to me like you could take Del's Jelly Bean concept one step further with this. I hope you do it, because I'm already anxious to see the pics

You could built it from fiberglass, and then paint it with Mirra Chrome.
Like Grant said, this is not for the timid... but, it is possible to get an amazingly good chrome like finish with paint, if you have the bucks to spend.
It costs about $1200. a gallon!

http://www.kustomrides.com/chromepaint.htm

Darla, take a look at this site, it gives a pretty good example of one-off foam/fiberglass construction, even though it is geared toward building a car. It might give you some ideas.

Thanks Amy for the site information about 'glassing a form. I saved it to my favorites for a future build around the polyfoam I have on hand. Wow I wish I had a large shop to work in.


More ideas and running out of time to get them done.


Pat

AmyH wrote:Darla, take a look at this site, it gives a pretty good example of one-off foam/fiberglass construction, even though it is geared toward building a car. It might give you some ideas.

The site doesn't mention what type of foam to use. Anybody know if Insulfoam would work?

That's a cool looking trailer for sure...

I'd go with fiberglass construction, speaking with absolutley zero experience with it.


As soon as I saw it I thought '48 DeSoto for the TV.




Burke

How would a person even get a dementional perspective of the trailer.
Length, height, and width. It is one of the coolest looking trailers and I would love to see it built.

Scott

IASCOTT wrote:How would a person even get a dementional perspective of the trailer.
Length, height, and width ...

Somebody here with good 3D CAD skills will figure it out, but you sort of need some basic dims. to start with ... I'd suggest 6'6" or 6'9" for max int. height (unless you want to consider adding a dropped footwell) and perhaps 6' or 6'6" int. width, 7' or 7'6" max. ext. width, with 14x6 wheels and 70-series tires to start with. If I had the time, I'd try it ... but I'd have to brush up on 40-year-old drafting and architectural rendering techniques and reverse-render it ... ...

Don't tempt me ... ... ...!

CHEERS!

Grant