Another newbie couple

[shoeman]

Hi there. My wife and I stumbled upon this site after thinking about buying a small trailer to use camping. We saw the T@B's and were wowed by the style and also looked at the small aliners and were impressed by the utility. But once we spoke with the dealers and found out what they all sell for we had to say forget it. Very nice units but very dear in price too. We drive an Expedition and had planned on using that as the sleeping compartment and using a trailer for hanging out at night and getting out of the weather. My biggest problem is that I'm 6'6" so all the manufactured rigs are just too small for me to sleep in. Thus the sleep in the SUV and relax in the trailer scheme. But if we can build a sleeper that would be great!
We're seriously into the pre-planning stages of building something like you folks do. I've built vintage racing motorcycles and re-modeled a kitchen and built a garden shed so I figure we can tackle this too.
I'm looking forward to learning more here before I get started. Any suggestions on a layout for a tall guy to sleep in?

Geoff

[mikeschn]

Geoff,

Welcome to the forum.

Being tall is not a problem. Design a long teardrop for yourself!

And have fun!!!

Mike...

[madjack]

...welcome aboard Geoff...building a longer sleeping compartment is no problem...just use a longer tape measure ..be sure to take pics for us...it helps to keep AuntieM calm and Paul downunder
madjack

[Miriam C.]

To the playground Geoff. Size is relative to how many sheets of plywood you want to put together and how you arrange the cabinetry.

And I am always calm, just the bubble oil gets a bit low. It is the Madjack and Aussie you gotta keep appeased. They really need the

Oh did you get we like to joke around a bit?

[Mike C.]

Welcome to you Geoff and your wife, hope you enjoy your membership on the forum. Everyone here is real nice and if you have questions just ask.

See you around.

[Tallguy3578]

-Geoff

First, WELCOME!!! Second, I feel your pain! I've been looking at this site for a while and drooling over the prospect of building a tear for my wife and I. The catch, I'm 6'8". The decision was made to build a tear around 11' - 12'. I've posted some preliminary designs, but I'm still tinkering with the design before I start my build. Besides, the wife has me working on a room addition before I can start building the tear. Maybe in two months I'll be building. Good luck!!!

[Roly Nelson]

Glad you found us, Geoff, you have stumbled onto the best forum in the Universe. It is possible to build a 6'6" or 7' bed in an 8 ft teardrop trailer. I even have a 6 ft bed in a 6 ft tear. The suggestions you get here will probably suggest that you go with a 9 footer, but that is up to you. Be aware, when the bed is longer in an 8 footer, the cabinet below the galley counter is considerably shallower and the interior cabinet must be a bit higher from the floor for your required knee room.

So, do some research on the board, there are literally thousands of pics that are at your disposal. Check folks Galleries ,Design Library and the Hall of Fame, for starters. The shape, color, style, and size is what will make your tear different from all others. That's really kind of neat. If you have a place to build, a few basic tools, a bit of spare time, go for it. Do take lots of pics, it's kind of like recording history, which you can't do later. Oh yes, you gotta post them on the board, we love pics.

Good luck on your efforts, go visit a tear get-together in your area, keep asking questions and enjoy all aspects of design, building and camping.

Roly, So Cal Woody Man, suffering in tripple digit heat.......whew

[shoeman]

Wow! Thanks to all of you. There are so many designs and ideas here that it's a bit overwhelming right now, but I'll wade through it all and hatch a plan I'm sure. First I'm going to familiarize myself with the basic construction methods before I begin to settle on a style.
Tallguy3578, I'm sure we will have a few things to talk about!

I have next week off from work, so I'll be burning bandwidth right here for sure.

Geoff

[mikeschn]

Here's a Benroy I drew for another really tall person a few years ago...



Mike...

[shoeman]

I assume that width can be varied according to need? A 5 footer will fit a queen mattress and I think that's what we want.
Nice drawing Mike. Thanks!

[Joanne]

Hey Shoe!

It sounds like a tear is exactly what you need. You have the skills necessary and can build it to meet your specific needs. I have a queen size mattress in my trailer and still have plenty of room in the galley area. Check out my website for all the details.

One more thought, since you are custom building the trailer you can go with a custom foam mattress from Knox Foam and have any length you want. Since they cut it to your specifications you aren't restricted to the standard sizes! A lot of folks use the Knox foam and love it.

Joanne

I assume that width can be varied according to need? A 5 footer will fit a queen mattress and I think that's what we want.
Nice drawing Mike. Thanks!

[TomW]

Welcome to the madness.

I am building a 5 x 10 Generic Benroy at the present time. Used the plans from this site and stretched the dim's alittle. Works out great. Worried about the height some but in the end settled for 48" overall height. I'm not 6' but I still have room to go. I considered building 5' tall in the beginning and it can be done.

Plan, have fun, and make some sawdust. It is addicting, once you get started you just do not want to quit.