Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I thought I would start a thread to explore different way to make a teardrop family friendly. I am a empty Nester but would like to see family being able to teardrop.Bunk are only good for one small child.
My thought it. A roof rack bed with a reverse clam shell lift up roof.
One would build a benroy with a roof rack. Put a bed platform on the roof rack.with a hinge on the back.
Then build a roof over your benroy with more of a curved front. The over roof could be foam with canvas inside and out.
The seal between the platform and the over roof could be a waterproof cloth that would hang from the platform down to the over roof when down and drape down in a loop when the over-roof is raised(no tight fit required).
When raised it would be like a Little-Guy setting on top of a benroy. But when down it would be a teardrop that is 6 to 8 inches taller ( the foam mattress will compress some when roof is down.
Problems
The climb up to the bed and the roof vent.
One could put a vent in the over-roof and cut a hole in the bed platform and mattress(not ideal but workable). the teardrop roof fan would move air through both the tear and the roof bed.
Just brain storming. Lets explore more ideals so there is options for family. Besides Tents

I've been having a similar thought process. I'm leaning towards a side opening clam shell. The main reason would be so that you would have better wind protection with the longer side. In bad wind you can orient the trailer to provide max wind protection. You can also add a provision to add a shade to the elevated with a canopy providing extra height for the shade, and also shading the tent area. Climbing up,the side would be easier than climbing up the front , either a temp ladder could be attached or a permanent one.
The roof vent does become an issue, but the tent shades the downstairs, so it would stay cooler and you can open the windows.
Tom

Hi Tom,
Ops I was thing that the over-roof would have hard sides that would fit over the teardrop. So when set up the roof bed would be hard-sided. when down the bottom of the over-roof would angle up from the front to the back. No cloth sides to dry out. and still be streamline and look like a over sized teardrop.

Ahh I see. That gets pretty complicated with the curves.
Tom

This is the best homemade that I think I've seen:
This picture is with the tent in the 'up' position. Check out Endo's album to see more.

Also, check out http://compactcampingconcepts.com/ (Schaney is a member, here)

Kenneth:

I am a empty Nester but would like to see family being able to teardrop.Bunk are only good for one small child.

How many adults and how many kids?

My first reaction was maybe you should consider building a standy –that your needs are way beyond a teardrop. My second reaction is this: What you are considering building is complicated. I'm working on tear #3 and I think your concept is beyond my pay grade. You might consider the teardrop with the roof-tent (I mentally struggle with that idea. Piching a tent on th roof and having your teardrop roll all night? Plus, I'm one of those prostate-challenged up-in-the-middle-of-the-night kinda guys. Can't imagine being up in the lookout tower at zero-dark-thirty feeling for the top rung of the ladder with my bare foot.) But you could go with that and find out if they really want to camp with you. If they do, build a second teardrop from them. With your teardrop in a teardrop concept, I think it might be more straight forward.

You might take a look at the Camp-Inn Raindrop. I think their web page isn't too far back in the corner of the Internet. I think they might fit four. Even that, for me, is too many people in a teardrop. There's been a couple of them built and documented on this site.

Keep scratching your head.

T

tony.latham wrote:Kenneth:

I am a empty Nester but would like to see family being able to teardrop.Bunk are only good for one small child.

How many adults and how many kids?

My first reaction was maybe you should consider building a standy –that your needs are way beyond a teardrop. My second reaction is this: What you are considering building is complicated. I'm working on tear #3 and I think your concept is beyond my pay grade. You might consider the teardrop with the roof-tent (I mentally struggle with that idea. Piching a tent on th roof and having your teardrop roll all night? Plus, I'm one of those prostate-challenged up-in-the-middle-of-the-night kinda guys. Can't imagine being up in the lookout tower at zero-dark-thirty feeling for the top rung of the ladder with my bare foot.) But you could go with that and find out if they really want to camp with you. If they do, build a second teardrop from them. With your teardrop in a teardrop concept, I think it might be more straight forward.

You might take a look at the Camp-Inn Raindrop. I think their web page isn't too far back in the corner of the Internet. I think they might fit four. Even that, for me, is too many people in a teardrop. There's been a couple of them built and documented on this site.

Keep scratching your head.

T

Yes, you've got to be either youthful or fairly spry to sleep "upstairs" in a tent. Dunno much about "rocking or rolling". The Host/Hostess do not give up their bed, though; so, you and the missus would be "downstairs". Two teardrops might just be the best answer. Make 'em tow their own bed!

I came access this design for a camper
http://www.quickupcamper.com/index.html
I think the concept could be adapter to work on top of a TD a flat top could open and form an A frame 5 ft tall .
Tom

Why not put a bag awning on the side and get a wall kit for it.
Completely sealed and no ladders.

This is just a quick drawing


click to enlarge


click to enlarge

This is what I was thinking. 3/8 walls and floor, single luan roof covered with canvas and paint and canvas seal that draps from the bed floor to the bottom of the walls. (tight when down and looping down when set up).
Something for a family with a couple of kids on a road trip.
When on a road trip going over 1000 mile to get to the start of the site seeing. A family may want to park over night(walmart). With a hard-side second floor you can. One could stop and have the family in bed in 10 minutes and in the morning One could be back on the road again in 10 minutes.
It is not practical for a family of 4 with school age children to use two car and teardrops when going on longer road-trips and use 2 times the gas.
When the kids leave home you can just take the top off and have a camper for two.
I am just putting the ideal out there to give those with family's some thing to think about.

Kenneth checkout the link in my signature to our build. 6x10.5 and it fits all 4 of us well.. Albeit my kids are young, but have room for growth with it being 6 wide. When the kids don't want to camp any more, the you have room for expanded storage in the front curve. Just a thought... The tent on the top idea scares me... Not too nimble on climbing up there.

Gunguy05
Good thinking, A 6 wide by 10.5 would work but I am thinking it is a little much for a smaller car. Not everyone has a bigger TV.
Yes it would be a climb to get in a roof top hard-side or tent. But then the critters would also have to climb up .Ha Ha
I just thought it would be nice to get some ideals for the family's that would like to teardrop.
Thank you for your thoughts

So now we have these options
split the family and use two teardrops
A bigger raindrop
A side tent
A roof tent
A roof fold-down and over hard-side

We use a separate tent for our sons. Our 5yo daughter has a bunk in the camper. It works well for us. We use a smaller tent if just the 2 younger boys are with us but can take the big family tent if the older boys come.

However, we are in process to build/rehab a larger trailer, borrowing heavily from the teardrop concept (see my album)

Here is the VW Dormobile. There is a bed up there.

I have been pondering the young family route myself. We just sold our Westfalia and are thinking popup or teardrop. I like teardrops for the simple camp setup factor alone. I LOVE the terradrop trailers and am modeling one on sketchup now, but with a twist. I'd like to put a small pop-out tent on the hitch side for my son. It could even fold laterally for a larger person.

Roof top tents (RTT) are way to damn expensive. With load bars and proper weather coverage you're looking at $2K. And they leak. And they mold.