Small (10 foot) family teardrop

[Salivanto]

Hello everybody,

I'm gearing up to start work on a teardrop (or have I crossed into the world of "small, teardrop-like trailer?) As soon as I can figure out how to post my design here, I'll ask for specific feedback on the layout, but I wanted to post now and ask for information on existing designs for more than two people in a small camper.

I've seen the 2+2 design, but that's too big -- I wanted to keep the body under 10 feet and the weight under 1000 pounds. I've also seen Brad's flaming teardrop with the loft for his son. I saw the "six pack" - but I suspect that that's much bigger than what I'm shooting for (although I wasn't able to get a real sense of scale from the web page there.) I think the trailer I'm going for is roughly the size of the "road toad" although I don't recall off hand how the widths compare.

My thought at this time was to do sort of a "rimple" with a larger radius curve in the back. In place of cabinets at either end (head and foot), I would have two narrow bunks for the kids. I took many of the measurements from the "generic building plans" discussion on this board -- thanks to those who helped create that.

[mikeschn]

Welcome to the forum...

Getting photos on the forum is easy... click on Album->Your personal gallery->upload pic

Getting your photos in the message is easy too...

paste the url to your photo in the message, surrounded by Img tags... e.g.

You could also build a 10' benroy... not only is that an attractive profile, you can pack a lot into it!!!

Keep us posted!

Mike...

[Salivanto]

Thanks for the help with uploading pictures... let's see if I have this figured out. If I do, the picture should be here:



I drew it on graph paper and scanned it -- then erased most of the graph lines and darkened any lines which were too light.. (There are still plenty of graph lines to get an idea of the size.) I then found out that my image was too big, so I reduced it -- adding a lot of grey to what was supposed to be a black and white drawing.

Anyway -- a few comments, I see the trailer frame did not make it into the drawing. IT'd be just underneath what is drawn here. The whole thing will be about 66" wide -- which will allow the two smaller kids to sleep on the overhead bunk. Some people have commented that an overhead bunk will be a hazard to heads, but I carefullly measured this and I have a desk this size. I can lie comfortably underneath it and sit up without hitting my head.

I chose the modified Rimple over the Benroy profile for two reasons. First, the Benroy would require the foot-end bunk to be lower in order for the biggest child to have the same head room. Second, I'm concerned with how high the hatch will raise up, since I'm 6'6". I figured the rimple would allow the hatch to swing up higher. If I'm mistaken, I might redraw this as a Benroy and go from there.

The x's mark the center of the front and back radii. The front lower radius is 12". Will plywood bend over that radius?

The wall between Mom and Dad's feet is listed as "approximate" mostly because I will need more than 80 inches and my wife will need less. I figured my side of the trailer would extend into the kitchen more than hers.

One more random question -- how do I determine how close to the hitch I can put the front wall without causing problem with the body crashing into the tow vehicle and other unforseen nastiness?

Thanks for any feedback.

[Salivanto]

Mike,

I thought I'd sketch a benroy version. It was fairly easy now that I've got it scanned and edited. Here it is:



The other relevant detail which I forgot to mention is that the wheels are below the trailer and that the wheel wells are a touch over 4 feet apart.

[Salivanto]

Wayner in Kingston (my neighbor on Lake Ontario) replied to a side comment I made in another part of the board. Since it has to do with my design and not the generic design I was asking about, I thought I'd provide addtional clarification here rather than over there.

Wayner expressed concern that my tear would not be big enough for my family. It wasn't clear, however, that he'd seen my sketch over here - so I'm curious whether his comment is applicable -- certainly it would be understandable, though, if he thought I wanted to cram five people into a 5'x 8'x 4' space (which I'm not.) I want to cram five people into a 5.5' x 10' x 4' space. Let's also keep in mind that the kids are small. I fully expect that in a few years we'll be splitting the family between a tear and a tent, or perhaps we'll use the back of our van as overflow sleeping space.

Specifically, Wayner wrote:
> I think if i were you I would put in a large folding table
> with chares and keep the whole of the tear drop as sleeping
> area just my opinion. I think you beter think this one out
> before you head out on the road or make a bigger tear drop
> now theres an idea LOL LOL

Actually, the kitchen is the one non-negotiable in the design. If it turns out that my design would not work (or would be too heavy), my back-up plan is the mini camping trailer (www.minicampingtrailer.com - which I call MCT for short) because that has a kitchen and storage space.

My kids are small. We're just going to sleep in the tear and use the galley for cooking. If it rains all day, we'll have the canopy or the van to hang out in. I am planning on making up some mock-up bunks to see how the kids like sleeping on them.

I'm starting to become convinced that a sunken-floor storage area will be necessary. I'm concerned about weight, but I don't think that will add too much.

[mikeschn]

A teardrop is too small for 5 people, even if all 5 are kids..

You might want to consider converting a cargo trailer. Put 3 bunk beds on 1 side and 2 bunk beds on the other side.

There's some converted cargo trailer photos in both of these threads...

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 7149#27149

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... =9710#9710

Mike...

[Gene Newcomb]

I am finishing up my 4x8 tear drop and already designing next years project. I've a family of four and the only way I'll get to sleep in this one is if I don't take my 8 & 10 year old camping.
My thoughts reflects salvanto's exactly except sheet metal wider than 60 " is hard to find.
I buy tons of metal a month www.customdie.com http://stores.ebay.com/English-Wheeling ... eZl2QQtZkm
and believe you me just because companies have it listed in their catalog or web site don't make it true, especially in these days of relative shortage.
One question, where to put the axle on a 10' long similar to the dwg above?
Gene

[Salivanto]

Mike wrote:
> A teardrop is too small for 5 people, even if all 5 are kids..

You'd started to say a bit about that in another section. Since it all has to do with my design, I'll reply to all of it here.

Here and there you wrote:

> You could do 2 adults and 1 kid using Rik
> Keller's design (in the Hall of Fame)

Yes, I saw that one. I actually keep a printout of the profile (showing the internal location of the bunks) within arm's reach at my desk. I recall that it's 10' long but I forgot the width. As I see it, I can get by with a narrower bunk since I have small kids - 5 and under. I also would make the kitchen smaller to free up space for a second bunk. The baby would sleep in a small space at the bottom of the bunk for the second child.

> You could do 2 adults and 2 kids using Andrews 2+2 design
> http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear47.htm

I mentioned that when I started this thread. It's bigger than what I had in mind.

Here's what I wrote to someone else about this...

I've seen the 2+2, which is what gave me the idea for
bunks in the first place, but that trailer is much
bigger and more involved than what I'm looking at
right now. One of the goals for the 2+2 was to be
large enough for two children through their teenage
years. [But I just need space for a few tiny ones
till they can sleep in their own tent.]

[...] (I notice that on the floor plan for the 2+2, there
is a space toward the hitch-side of the parent's bed which
is nearly as wide as one of those little figures which is
sleeping in the kids' bunk. If you move one of the kids up
to that space, then everything can be pushed forward a
bit and the whole thing can be shortened to 10 feet,
which is pretty much what I'm planning right now.

> But 2 adults and 3 kids...? I dunno...

Two small kids and a baby - for one season, maybe two. Next year, I'll probably end up fixing up a bed for me and my son in the van.

> you might want to get an older travel trailer
> that sleeps 6???

That doesn't appeal to me in the least. The key non-negotiable item in this whole plan is that the trailer needs to be something simple and which has a galley kitchen which you use outside. I'm 6'6" and I cannot stand up in any camper I've ever seen other than in the middle of some 5th wheels. I'd make an "MCT" (http://www.minicampingtrailer.com )
before I get something bigger than what I've sketched above.

> You might want to consider converting a cargo trailer.
> Put 3 bunk beds on 1 side and 2 bunk beds on the other side.

I'd considered something like that -- I've forgotten whether that was before or after I heard of a "teardrop." The picture you directed me to (http://public.fotki.com/gregwjs/camping ... 4_028.html) was very similar to what I originally had in mind. I've heard this before as something which motorcyclists do. The kitchen would have to be outside for me. I had so many different ideas that I decided that the best way to go forward was to keep my eyes open for a cheap used trailer and build the plan around it. Last winter I got a stripped 6' x 10' former pop-up for $60. That's what is determining my size.

Believe me. I've heard that a teardrop is not for a family. I've said again and again that I see this as a short term solution - and that the kids bunks will eventually be turned into cabinets. But let me ask... is there anything *specifically* wrong with my design? The foot-end bunk extends over the parents' feet less than the drawers do in the trailer for two. The head-end bunks (two short ones) extend less than a foot over the parents' heads. This is not a problem as far as clearance goes. (I've tested it.)

[fornesto]

Have you considered doing a teardrop with a pop-top, like from a VW Westfallia or Vanagon. With an upper deck, you could double your bunk space. Another consideration is that with three or four or five people in a small wooden box, it may be unbearably stuffy. A canvas pop-up would give you the air circulation and the bunk space.

[angib]

A couple of comments:

- If there is any doubt about this size of trailer, why not try making a mock-up from any scrap wood, plywood or even cardboard.

- I think I'd fit some serious padding under the overhanging bit of the front child's bunk - I can already see the imprint of your forehead on it.....

Andrew

[Salivanto]

Fornesto:
> Have you considered doing a teardrop with a pop-top,
> like from a VW Westfallia or Vanagon.

I did briefly consider making sort of a front hatch which could swing up and then be enclosed one way or another (canvas or wood), thus making room for several bunks. The main thing, though, is I want to "keep it simple." Before I found my "donor trailer" for sale, my plan was to build a 4x4x4 trailer with a galley but no sleeping space. Having room to sleep a few of us is a bonus -- and if I can use the cabinet space as bunks for a year or two, that's even better. I plan to make it so that the bunks can be converted into cabinets. I'd be getting away from that if I started to do anything fancy like a pop-up roof.

I'm also concerned about weight. I want to keep it under 1000 lbs.

> Another consideration is that with three or four
> or five people in a small wooden box, it may be
> unbearably stuffy.

See thread on "insulated or not."

> A canvas pop-up would give you the air circulation
> and the bunk space.

I was planning on making it insulated and using it in Vermont in October.
I would like to have some control over how much air circulation I have -- such as by adding a roof vent fan.

Andrew wrote:
> why not try making a mock-up from any scrap wood,
> plywood or even cardboard.

I'm considering that. I'm already planning on making partial "mock-ups" from furnature to see if the kids would enjoy sleeping in that arangement. The space under my desk here is roughly the size of one of my proposed bunks.

> I think I'd fit some serious padding under the
> overhanging bit of the front child's bunk - I can
> already see the imprint of your forehead on it.....

We'll see. I originally drew the overhang as 10" and something like 25" high. I used a desk with the same height as a mock-up. I wasn't able to hit my forehead on that bunk from a lying position even when I tried. My one concern is that I might end up with a thick mattress, and in that case, all bets are off. Once I get my mattress, I'll test this again before I fix the height.

[beverlyt]

Hello,
I've watched with interest as you work towards a small trailer that will sleep kids too. We've camped with our kids in the back of a van, tents and a larger trailer as they got older.

The 10' Shasta I just bought has a neat bunk concept built inside. Of course, this trailer is taller than I suspect you want, but it looks like it would work well, if given enough height.

The bottom two benches make into a large bed, about 78" wide.
Above this bed is a bunk bed which consists of canvas and pipes "sewed" in, that run the width of the trailer. The pipes rest inside metal pipe holders attached to a rail. A pipe on each end, with a pipe in the middle. Room for two small kids to sleep.

What is nice about this concept is it isn't permanent, but a pretty neat idea if you have small children to bring along.




Bev

[GregJ]

Salivanto,

I haven't been in a tear, and have maybe seen 2 but, have camped with kids a fair amount. So as a Dad, just some comments.

1) kids grow fast, if it takes 6 months to finish, you might get a year or 2 out of it. If it takes 2 yrs, well...

2) As kids grow, their needs change. Early, they want to be in your sleeping bag and a few years later they want their own camp ground (in another state). Ok, mine were never that bad, but did move to their own tent a at about age 10.

Have you considered a Tear with a tent add-on? When the kids are small they sleep in the trailer and mom and dad sleep in the connected tent. When the kids are bigger, they sleep in the tent and mom and dad get the trailer. Later yet, the tent goes on one side of camp... Finally, mom and dad load up to tear to go see the grand kids Oh, you didn't know kids lead to grand kids Just brain storming, well maybe it's storming...

My little guy is 16 and is as big as I am but no problem with a 250lb trailer tongue Keeping food around is another issue

[xe1ufo]

>My thoughts reflects salvanto's exactly except sheet metal wider
>than 60 " is hard to find.

There are 2 places you might look.
1. Where they build or repair semi-trailer boxes.
2. Mobile home repair companies.

I have been told that the first ones sell the sheets 108 inches wide by up to 40 feet long!

[st]

Salivanto, I'm glad I saw this thread. I've been planning a 2.7m (about 9 feet) long trailer for 2+2, and it is very similar to yours.

The bunk at the front is foldup though, so it won't/can't be a hassle when the kids aren't with us. Also giving a little more room/space up front by removing the front storage. The shorter length (compared to yours) comes from simply making the rear kitchen area smaller, though it will be grasshopper type shape which gives a bit more space up high.

Mines only 1.2m (4ft) wide, but that is plenty. The oldest will be a touch longer than that in a few years, but that's part of the fun of camping - giving up usual luxury's for something different and outdoorsy. Kids don't mind having to curl up a little, unless they are teenagers
Won't be too long and he'll be in a tent anyway.

Any changes to the design since your last post?