Introduction

[Roaddawgie]

Greetings to the TNTT community.

I wanted to introduce myself, and explain why I have lurked so long and just now joined up. I am a regular camper and live out west where there are so many opportunities to camp and marvel at God's creation.

I have been using a SWB chevy Truck with a topper as my main vehicle supplemented with the the standard issue nylon tent. I would now like to take it to the next level with a Teardrop or a 19' ( max) Bumper pull. My max capacity is 4000lbs with a 400lb tongue weight. In this part of the country I would be pulling from 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Right now I am evaluating a build or Buy for a Teardrop but am definitely leaning toward Buy so as to maximize the camping and outdoor time vs the freezing cold winter build garage time.

Hopefully I can share my journey here and make a small contribution

[KTM_Guy]

Welcome to the forum.

For me the build or buy question was easy. I have the tools to do it. I like building stuff. And the lead time on a few of the teardrops I wanted (but couldn’t afford) was 12 to 16 months. I should beat 12 months by 3-4 months. if all keeps going well.

[Roaddawgie]

That's a great point , I guess even with a big budget availability is the issue ......what will your cost be when finished ?

[KTM_Guy]

Keep in mind I'm building for off-road but not extreme stuff. It adds to the cost. I was planning $5-$6000. my wife is planning $8,000 to $10,000. My wife is figuring in things like port-a-potty, new camp cookware, mattress. Doors are around $350 each times 2. That is a big chunk right there, sure I could build them but once you figure buying windows, hinges, latches, wood and hardware are you saving much? But the main thing is the time it would take to build them. I want a Partner Steel stove for about $300 but the $90 Coleman would work too. I'm hoping to be $7000-$8000

If you are just looking at a basic teardrop and can find one at a dealer, you would be good to go. But the problem is if you want custom options on a in demand camper, those are the ones with long lead times.

Todd

[Roaddawgie]

Got it. I have been looking at some FS TD on this forum and TearJerkers. There are a couple that look like they would suit me and keep me in the wild ..... have you had any experience with the FS forum here? Good luck with your build sounds like you will not lack for supervision