I've been browsing (lurking?) the forum for a while, and finally registered a week or two ago. For some time I've been contemplating building a trailer to support my family's camping needs. I'm familiar with Compact Camping Concepts and have read the tventuring forum. I've seen the Dinoot, and I've thought about building my own "explorer box" as well. I may still try that before I jump into building my own tiny travel trailer. Like many of you, I don't want to (or rather can't) invest in a dedicated tow rig and tens of thousands of dollars for a trailer. Yet I really like the idea of pulling into camp and instantly having a place to sleep, without mucking about finding a spot for and setting up a tent. One of my original inspirations was stumbling across the SawtoothXL thread. That got me thinking that I could build something like that. So I started reading more about teardrops and ultimately found this forum.
I like teardrops in concept, but my wife's chief question is "where do you put your shoes when you want to get inside while it is raining?" And personally I don't like the idea of the kitchen being permanently attached to the rear of the rig. I'd rather be able to setup the kitchen near the picnic table in a campsite. And finally the real trouble is that we have a 3-year-old and a 90 pound dog. Those are my "design restrictions" in addition to wanting to keep the gross weight under 2000 lbs.
My ideas were all in my head until recently when I came across this image on Pinterest:
I was inspired to work on my own design, and here is what I've come up with so far. I think the technical term for something like this (if the roof didn't open up) is a "crouchie"?
My initial design is based on marine plywood in 5x10 sheets, so the outside dimensions are 5x5x10. Clearly with the pull-out couch and roof-top-tent there ought to be enough room for 4 people (adults even!) and a dog.
I'm fairly handy. I have built my own shed and built-in bookshelves (with doors!) in my house. In both cases I completely designed the project in SketchUp and modeled every piece except for the nails or screws. This really helped with ordering materials and calculating angles during construction. I've also worked with fiberglass before. I have a router, craig jig and a table saw. So I'm pretty sure I have the basic skills and equipment necessary to pull this off. Still, it is intimidating to consider investing so much time into something that I can accidently wreck in so many ways!
Here are the before and after of those projects:
I know nothing about welding, so I'm planning on having a manufacturer build one for me.
I have lots of questions I'm looking for answers to, for example... What kind of bend radius can I pull off with 4mm Okoume plywood? How difficult will it be to make my own vacuum-bag-lamination system? How do I build a straight/flat entry door and make an effective seal around it? Where can I find top-hinge windows without ordering custom ones? I know the Newbies section isn't the place to get that answered, but I'm sure the answered are in here somewhere.
Thanks, and I look forward to participating in this forum.
-Brian
