Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm still at the define, refine and experiment with the profile and major feature placement. I'm not trying to break any new ground, just make a trailer that's functional and looks good The basic constraints are pretty routine - 10' LOA, 54" cabin height to fit under the garage door. Here's what I come up with:


Sanity check item: I don't think the tucked in rear will cause any issues, but I'll ask - any thoughts?

Notes - full 80 inches between the headboard and bulkhead. The dead space behind the bulkhead is for heat, battery, water pump, etc.
Galley design ideas are still evolving, but there's enough room for a 55qt cooler, slide-out stove, and lots of cr*p storage.
Closet storage also evolving.
Other stuff:
15 Gal water tank between frame rails over axle (no sink, but I value having a warm shower after a ride or hike when remote).
200aH LiFePO4 battery pack, propex heater in the dead space. On demand hot water somewhere on the outside.
MaxxAir on the roof, provisions for front mounted air.

So fire away - what doesn't work or looks wrong?

~marsh

I have gone from an 80" cabin to a 78" because an 80" mattress moves around a bit in 80". The pillows can get between it and the headboard.

I like having the Propex behind the cooler. It's nice and accessible.



I've got a shelf above it now that we store paper products on which may not sound like a good idea, but theater housing doesn't get warm.

What's the little rectangle upfront? (If I told my wife I was building a teardrop without a headboard, she might attempt to strangle me.)

Tony

Aye, Captain. 1980mm it is!
Yeah the rectangle up front is a placeholder for a headboard. *I* don't want a design that I can't put my glasses, tablet and water bottle on. Losing my glasses down the crack between the wall and mattress is a bad thing.

I like having that bay(s) along the center. I want my batteries as close to the electrical command center (inverter, charger, fuses, breakers, distribution bus, etc), and it seems like the right place for a heater. I really don't like the idea of heat blasting out right by my head.

~marsh

tony.latham wrote:I have gone from an 80" cabin to a 78" because an 80" mattress moves around a bit in 80". The pillows can get between it and the headboard.

Tony

I added two so I just gained a bunch
TL

i know a lot of folks are going to the squared off lower front and that is a PERSONAL choice

squared off front profile would go w/ a squared off rear profile IMHO

the squared off lowers would be easier to build

i just kinda like the gently rolled under lower front profile when the lower rear profile is already gently rolled under

tucking the front under gently would still be able to offer the shelf over the headboard while only reducing that storage area slightly

when reading my comments please remember i said rolled under GENTLY

having a continuous curve over the entire exterior just looks smoother TO ME

ALL PERSONAL CHOICES PARD

and it'z going to be your's not mine

sw

I do appreciate your thought! I also like the rolled nose, and had played with it a bit. One of the cool things about a CAD based design is that until I commit it to a path and start chewing up plywood, the 'final product' is still in draft mode. I know how big to make the trailer, and can start doing things like ordering suspension (done - Timbren), and ordering steel. (and then drilling all the holes, cleaning up the cuts, welding, sending it out for powder coat, wiring, etc,etc. Another benefit of CAD/CAM is that unless you get too weird, changing to a curve, or adding a feature doesn't change the buildability all that much.

This is going to sound like a justification for taking the easy way out, (and it probably is...) One of my key thoughts for the flat nose is that I've also sketched a tongue box up front to hold the porta-potty, tools, and [provision for] AC. I think the box - TD connection looks better if the back is flush. A definite alternative would be to curve the nose, and then custom a box to match the line (and a really custom box top to mimic the arc at the top of the trailer. A little extra work, but it could be interesting.

I'll post up a couple of additional options for people to poke at. I'm definitely looking for aesthetic commentary - I'm still like a cat with a laser pointer to chase for final design ideas

I don't believe in the utility of sinks, either, except for storing crap while traveling.
I also don't use water tanks in trailers or motorhomes.
But I do like a warm shower. The on-demand external water does sound nice.

Clearance from mattress to over-foot storage seems pretty good. A lot of people tend to set that far too tight in the beginning.
Have you mocked up the measurements and tested it?

Aside from foot room, I lay out my designs in painter's tape every time I change something. Twice, I've done full size cardboard mockups.
It really helps get a better feel for what the dimensions actually mean. --Especially in my case, since I'm doing several things quite a bit differently than the norm.

---

Swoody, I generally agree.
A rolled front does look better for a bare TD.
But most modern builds seem to be putting tongue boxes up there. In that case, the rolled front doesn't always look better.
The squared front also offers just a bit more storage, and/or room for electrical and batteries, if they're going up front. The interior and exterior roof panels should be easier to install, as well.

I went for something different, though. I settled on a 'swept' front for my design. (Hopefully finally getting cut and welded late winter / early spring, after the current project leaves the garage - A) because it has to haul the materials; B) because it is in the way.)
My design has the TD profile up top, but transitions into a straight (but not vertical), then a bit of a curve into a rearward sweeping angle. It has been seen in other designs, but I don't know what else to call it.

The decision was made for many reasons. But the primary factors were: I will have boot storage up front, but it doesn't have to be flat. I want the primary fuse panel to be in the front left corner, but I will not have batteries inside. I will have a battery (or two) and, possibly, a 20 lb propane tank on the tongue; but I will not be adding a tongue box. I want a lot of storage in the head board (floor to ceiling), but the lower section doesn't need a flat bottom.
And I will probably be putting some kind of rock guard on the lower 12-18" of the front, since my build is a "rough road" TD. It will spend most of its time in use on rough, rocky trails, or back country gravel roads; and flat surfaces are much easier to put rock guards on.

I don't seem to have plans on this laptop any more. So here's a quick MS Paint sketch.
(Not entirely representative of anything except the basic idea of the lower front profile.)

swoody126 wrote:i know a lot of folks are going to the squared off lower front and that is a PERSONAL choice

squared off front profile would go w/ a squared off rear profile IMHO

the squared off lowers would be easier to build

i just kinda like the gently rolled under lower front profile when the lower rear profile is already gently rolled under

tucking the front under gently would still be able to offer the shelf over the headboard while only reducing that storage area slightly

when reading my comments please remember i said rolled under GENTLY

having a continuous curve over the entire exterior just looks smoother TO ME

ALL PERSONAL CHOICES PARD

and it'z going to be your's not mine

sw

I like the rounded for several reasons, but strength is primary. My current profile is three radia, and 15' - 3 pc of baltic birch - and hatch is one 5x5 piece. It's the engineer in me....

I like your design! You may want to add the frame to your CAD drawing to see how it impacts the profile. If your profile sits on top of your frame, then a bottom front curved portion of the profile is less of an issue to build. But, if you want your frame to be recessed within the profile, then the bottom front curved section becomes more complex to build. Since the frame usually stops short of the bottom rear curved portion of the profile, the frame does not complicate the profile shape.

To follow up on a couple of comments - I squared off the front a) as a matter of expediency for the build, and b) it looks better with what I envision for a tongue box. If I had an ultra cool box like the one @aggie79 shows in his .sig, I'd definitely think differently.
The slight rounding at the back is also a design choice, and I think adds a little strength (if I execute well). If I were building for aesthetics only, there would be some far more aggressive curves on both ends, but this is mostly about functional space without going to a squaredrop.

Please ignore the little inconsistencies on frame alignment at the ends. There is a glitch in the workbench that places tubing on the wireframe, and I don't want to mess with it right now. The actual frame dimensions will be on paper anyway.


The extra squared off frame in front of the cargo box is for a pair of 1UP bike racks. These are possibly the best racks on the market (and likely the most expensive.) The rounded front of the tongue box will likely be a victim of convenience. I'm betting I can buy a tongue box that suits my needs rather than make one, but - we will see. My plan is to put the porta-pottie, dog food, shower tent and stuff like that in the box. Batteries, inverter, etc will be over the axle, accessible via hatch in galley.


The balloon 'wheels' are just there because I'm too lazy to actually draw real wheels/tires. I'll get there, but this is just a quick kludge up anyway. Also not shown - bumper/tail light bar, gusset plates at corners, gusset/reinforcements for Timbren axles, etc, etc, etc. Bar placement is about right though. The axle is 35% forward of the back end, and the 2nd cross bar is over the front of the Timbren mechanics. This also puts it more or less under your hips, too.
The front bar location was chosen to anchor the draw bar Y. It may yet move back a little further.

My removable over-the-tongue-box bike rack works great.

https://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=72730&p=1264443&hilit=tongue+bike+rack#p1264443

Tony