Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have been lurking for a while and think I'm ready for a build. I was hoping for some feedback on my design.


I wanted a tear that I can get into, take off my muddy shoes, and get dressed in easily. My wife could stand in it, for me it's a slouchy. I also want to avoid the many models with convertable beds (too much work making and unmaking beds).

I am hoping that by keeping the camper narrow the wind resistance won't be so bad.

What do you folks think? I know crawling into bed from the head of the bed is less than ideal but I don't want to lose the storage space.

Thinking of a 3/4 inch insulated stud wall with 1/4 inch painted ply exterior and a 1/1/8 inch ply interior.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated[/img]

I like it. I'd consider two doors or making it easy to set the table aside at night so the "inside" person isn't crawling over the "outside" person if a visit to the head is required. This will also give you an unobstructed area for standing or slouching. Also, I've found that w/o a headboard of some sort your pillow will slip off the end of the bed as you wiggle about while sleeping. I find that annoying. A short headboard that can be folded under the mattress might solve this issue.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Gus

Here are my thoughts;

There is no need for the table to attach to a wall, make a pedestal table with a round top of about 26-28 inches in diameter. This would give you movement around the table and in and out of the trailer. This would also give a place to sit and take your shoes off(in case they are muddy) without having to get into the trailer

I agree with Gus on having 2 doors, it will make life easier and if they have windows ,you get to let it more sunlight or moonlight

Nice looking design. It is about the same size as the build I have underway, mine is just wider and has forward bunks to sleep 2 teenagers.

I will let you know, it will be bigger than you are expecting when it goes 3D. But I think the design will work well.

Tom

rbeemer wrote:Here are my thoughts;

There is no need for the table to attach to a wall, make a pedestal table with a round top of about 26-28 inches in diameter. This would give you movement around the table and in and out of the trailer. This would also give a place to sit and take your shoes off(in case they are muddy) without having to get into the trailer

I agree with Gus on having 2 doors, it will make life easier and if they have windows ,you get to let it more sunlight or moonlight

Thanks. This is what I'm looking for. I like the idea of a second door, A small circular or oval pedastal table would be perfect!

As for sunlight and moonlight, I was browsing yesterday and saw a post showing a screened convertable top camper and it got me thinking. Perhaps I could include a sun/moon roof covering say 3x4 or 4x4. I wonder, has anyone done a removable hard top or is a soft cover the best way to go?

I'm picturing an opening with a raised flange and a hard cover with a lip. With good weather stripping it should work even at highway speeds no?

That looks very workable. You will need to give some thought to the depth of the footwell and how far in front of the axle it is - the further from the axle, the more the risk of grounding it in a dip or hump.

I actually tried crawling into bed then turning around and getting under the covers. MUCH HARDER THAN IT SOUNDS! and I'm not getting any younger or more flexible. Short of installing an overhead grab bar its not happening, so back to the drawing board I went.

I ditched the bench, moved the door behind the axle, and rearrange things so we can enter from the foot of the bed.

Moved over to the build journal as construction will be starting soon. It needs to be camp-ready by August.

That's very much like what I have been doodling. Mine is like the usual tear in front, with the head of the bed against the front wall, sitting headroom and a door on either side to get into bed. But I want to stretch the design by adding a section (about 3 to 3.5 feet of trailer length) with a pop-top for standing headroom beyond the foot of the bed. That way I can have a "standing" door (slouching door frame to standing interior.) Across the back bulkhead to the galley this standing interior can have a minimal wet locker closest to the door, a storage cabinet, possibly reach-through access to the coffee pot, and a settee on the roadside with a porta pottie underneath. A table hinged down from the wall would let the settee and the foot of the bed function as a dinette.

My goal is a nice low and narrowish (5') profile for towing but with standing headroom and storage so it is livable for extended periods. The livability includes being able to stand to put on pants, deal with coats when needed, and invite friends in, but it will be primarily intended for outdoor living as much as possible. Hence, the usual tailgate galley. So far this design does not have space for heat or a/c, because I live in a moderate climate and I think it is a camper and not an RV. The under-bed storage will be split as half interior drawers and half exterior storage with a door to curbside.

I have a lot of ideas but no building budget, so I'll be refining my ideas for a while. I am terrible at sketchup and am wondering about trying to make a model this summer to fine-tune the details. I need to think about weight and axle placement to see if I will end up with the axle and foot well wanting the same spot (bad) or close together (good.)

Good luck with yours! I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Karina