NewB from Texas

[Light Craftsman]

I've owned a few travel trailers in the past, including a 1967 Airstream Overlander that I regret selling. I'm a part-time professional photographer specializing in fine art landscape photos and am in the market for a travel trailer within the next six months. I really like the idea of buying a TD, mainly for the gas mileage and getting the trailer to out of the way places a larger trailer will not go. I live in Texas, and like taking photos in the Chisos Basin in Big Bend NP (20-foot max trailer limit due to switchbacks on the road). I also want to return to the Bristlecone Pine National Forest on California, and there is no way I'm pulling a 26-foot trailer into that campground. The campground is at 8,600 feet and the road is very steep. I have a 2011 Ford F150 Ecoboost TV, and pulled a 29-foot Airstream to Terlingua, TX last year with no problems, but that is a very easy drive compared with Chisos Basin or the Bristlecone Pines.

My main issue with getting a TD is the wife acceptance factor. She wants me to get something with a toilet, and would prefer something we can stand up in and move around inside when the weather is bad. I've been researching everything from Airstreams to Casitas to Vistabules, and quite frankly I'm not comfortable with the build quality of the larger trailers. My wife really wants an Evergreen Ascend, but after lurking on the Evergeen forum for a few weeks I am leery of spending $20K+ on one of their trailers.

I need something that has enough room inside that I can sit up in a normal size chair while working on my photos with my portable computer on a small desk. I don't mind using a public toilet while camping, and my wife says she's OK with a privacy tent and a porta potty as long as I empty the potty.

I'm thinking one of the http://www.texs-teardrop.com/index.html might do the job for me, keeping in mind that we will be able to afford a second TT in a couple of years.

I guess I'm looking for help convincing she who must be obeyed that a TD will be a good choice for me.

Help.

[bc toys]

Well let me start off by saying welcome to this great site have you looked into fiberglass trailers you can get them with bathroom and you can stand up in them oh ya they are light 13 + foot but they cost a little more then a tear does to build. Well hope you find what you are looking for.

[Thelgord]

Welcome to Forum! I too am still new to TD's however I also have a "she who must be obeyed" so I know exactly what you mean. Once again, welcome!

[samintexas]

NewB in Texas,

From one Texas photographer to another, Welcome! I've JUST joined today, and I"m also interested in a small trailer of some sort. I take photos at high school mountain bike races, as well as adventure races and the like, and I'm tired to tent camping! For buying, you might also consider the Little Guy trailers. That's how I first learned about these trailers after going to a mountain bike race in Burnet, TX, where there's a Little Guy dealer.

Good luck on your wife, and keep us informed!
Sam

[kayakdlk]

Welcome to the forum. A good bunch of folks and lots of information in here.

If your wife is set on a Evergreen Ascend then I think you are going to have a hard time convincing her on a small teardrop like you referenced . There are larger teardrops but most are home made. The one that I really like that is a standie with queen bed, porta potie and table for 4 but still had a traditional rear galley was designed by Steve Frederick. Check out the Rondack Lodge http://www.campingclassics.com/

He even has his up for sale http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=58680&p=1060560#p1060560.

There are other smaller standies "canned hams", etc. that have been built or rebuilt that sometimes come up for sale may work for you. Just look through the Hall of Fame and search for standie for ideas.

I would find a local dealer and test one out, see if you can rent one for a weekend or attend a teardrop gathering so you wife can decide before putting down any money on one.

Sitting in a traditional teardrop is like sitting up in bed and doesn't work for everyone, The beauty of it is you spend most of your time outside like tent camping. You can sit at a picnic table and work on the computer, cook etc. In bad weather "rain all day" we usually take a day trip and visit something indoors, maybe eat at a restaurant, find a game room at the camp ground and hope for ebtter weather then next day.

Our worst case scenario was one Memorial Day weekend when we were on a camping trip (in a tent) and it was beautiful Friday afternoon, but Friday night and Saturday morning it rained hard all day so we went into town found out that the weather was going to hold for three days of rain and we just went back packed up and went home. It ended up raining 4 days straight, a rarity in Colorado.

Good luck and hope if works out for you

Dan

[Light Craftsman]

Thanks everyone. Steve Frederick's TD looks like exactly what I want. My worst-case scenario happened last year at Terlingua. My wife and I went out there with our best friends and their 29-foot Airstream. The good news is my 2011 F150 had no problem pulling the Airstream. The bad news is I got less than 10 mpg out there. The worst-case was the temps were bone-chilling all week. Rain. Wind. Temps ranging from low 20s in the morning to mid 40s in the afternoon. The first night we blew the breaker on the electric box in the middle of the night running two space heaters in the Airstream. I know we would have been warmer in a TD.

I wanted to buy a TD from another forum member about 10 days ago but my wife vetoed the purchase. The main reason I want a small trailer is for gas mileage. Getting to the photogenic spots means lots of driving in Texas. I doubt I'd get much better mileage with an Evergreen than with an Airstream. I get 22 mpg unloaded. With a TD I'd expect 18-19 mpg at 65 mph. With a Casita probably 15-16 mpg. That adds up quickly on a 1,000 mile round trip.

Oh well. I'll keep looking and will eventually find what I need and can get approved. Meantime, I'll keep reading these forums and enjoying the company.

[DMcCam]

Again, Welcome! My best advise is to go to a Teardrop gathering near you and get inside a few trailers. You just can't judge these marvels from the outside. For some mystical reason they all seem bigger on the inside. Once my wife and I climbed into one (that is one fantastic woody), we were convinced. If you go to the home page and scroll down to the Camping Gathering section you can find your area.

All the Best,

Dave

[Light Craftsman]

I'll do that Dave. Thanks.

Edit: Looking over this thread again, I remembered Sam mentioning the Little Guy dealer in Burnet, TX. That's only about 35 minutes from my house, and I go past there quite often. I think I'll rent a TD from him one trip and see how I like it. And yes, I'm familiar with fiberglass trailers. Several of my friends have Casitas.

[honeask]

Welcome to the forum. We bought our teardrop from Paul Cass at Tex's Teardrops and enjoy it very much. We wanted to camp and not build so this worked for us . Go by Paul's and give them a look.

[Light Craftsman]

That's good to hear, honeask. I've had Paul site bookmarked for a couple of years. His Build page indicates his TDs have more interior headroom than most. I'd like to get something I can sit up in while on a normal size camp chair, not one of those little stool like things I used when I was young and spry. I might give Paul a call soon and go look at his handiwork.

I should add that my wife is coming around. I keep reminding her of how much money we spent on gas dragging a 29-foot Airstream to Terlingua last year, and how much less money we'll spend with a TD behind my truck. She got her undergrad degree in finance. Keep your fingers crossed. She's starting to come around to the idea that we get a TD for when I'm traveling alone and a used Casita for when we travel together.