Western New York WannaBe

[rharper]

Hello All!

I didn't even know teardrops existed until yesterday, but I think a teardrop is exactly what I'm looking for.

I was looking at RVs online and nothing seemed to fit our needs and means. My wife and I are grad-student poor, far from home and family (Oregon and Virginia), and we have a 5-month-old baby everybody wants to see. We don't want to fly with the kid, and hotels are expensive. We also would like to go to music festivals and mushroom hunts and such if we could, but festival tenting w/ a baby (especially during thunderstorm season) is out. We can't afford (and don't really want) a motorized RV, and our '06 Hyundai Elantra won't pull a full-size camp trailer (plus I hate driving with one, and am no good at it). We've got a least one big trip (cross-country) and several small coming up this summer, so I've got to sort something out within the next few months or just plan to throw my $$ at the Holiday Inn.

I thought pop-up were our only option (and not a good one, so far as we were concerned), until I found this site ...

So, long story short ... thank you for the forum, and the inspiration, and the multitude of ideas and possibilities.

I've dug and searched a bit on the site, and there's a lot of great stuff here, but most of it is still beyond me at this point, until I sort out this one basic question--and I know you're not supposed to kick off with questions, but this one is a doozy ... :

If I've got about $3000 for this (tops), average-to-poor handyman skills, no garage or workshop space (just a backyard), and a nervous wife, do you think I should build, buy, or borrow (rent)?

[2KIRKS]

check out the "for sale" page on the bottom of the forum index. "LMarsh" has a trailer for sale and he's also in new york. i think he's asking $3500 for the trailer. it looks like a nice trailer.

[rharper]

LMarsh's trailer looks fantastic--I noticed it before--but alas it has no galley, which kills it for the wife (she thinks the galley is just about the coolest part of a teardrop).

He mentions that a galley could be added, so that's always a possibility ...

[Juneaudave]

You know...I would PM Len (username len19070) in S Pa and see if he is still building the BYOT (bring your own trailer) barebones teardrop and what it might cost. That might be something that would work. Len is one of the T&TTT premier builders...

[mikeschn]

If you know how to use a couple basic woodworking tools, then build.

You'll save a lot of money and have a lot of fun in the process. And you end up with a teardrop you can be proud of.

Mike...

[tinksdad]

Don't let the lack of a garage/workshop deter you. I built mine in the driveway and covered it with tarps while I wasn't working on it until I acquired one of those el-cheapo picnic canopies to erect over it. Some spring clamps and painters plastic drop sheets for walls, and I had an enclosed (a little tight; but do-able) work area. There's pics of the process in my album.

If you take your time and think things through, minimal skills will get you through a build. Read, read, and read some more and you'll find all your answers here.


Oh Yeah.... Welcome to the sandbox from a FORMER Western New Yorker.

Go Bills, and take the Sabres with you!!!

[rharper]

Thanks all for the advice and support ...

The wife has decided (just now) that I'm not allowed to build anything until I finish my dissertation--apparently she's sick of this whole grad student thing and would like me to actually finish. Where's the fun in that?

I'd like to give it a swing anyway, but I won't actively contest her on this. The advice about Len's BYOT, however, has me thinking ... maybe if we could purchase a bare bones camper, I could trick it out myself (at least the galley and internal stuff). With all the cool custom stuff going on, it seems like a cop-out to just look for a used prefab.

But then again, some of those kits don't look too complicated ... I could be wrong, but if I could promise "X" number of weekends, I may be able to convince her ...

[Steve_Cox]

Thanks all for the advice and support ...

The wife has decided (just now) that I'm not allowed to build anything until I finish my dissertation--apparently she's sick of this whole grad student thing and would like me to actually finish. Where's the fun in that?

Maybe your wife should build a teardrop while you finish your dissertation. I built the gypsy trailer while my wife was writing hers. Worked out pretty well.

[rharper]

My wife scoffed at the idea--we're both adjunct instructors, but she has more classes than I do, so when I showed her your suggestion she claimed to be "far too busy supporting me" to build anything herself, and then added a few choice words about my general value as a father and husband

I think she's joking. I hope she's joking. She's joking, right?

Anyhow, I've been in contact with Len, and he's still doing the BearBones BYOT. Should we make a move, I think it's likely we'll go that direction ...

... at least for the first one ...

[Steve_Cox]

My wife scoffed at the idea--we're both adjunct instructors, but she has more classes than I do, so when I showed her your suggestion she claimed to be "far too busy supporting me" to build anything herself, and then added a few choice words about my general value as a father and husband

I think she's joking. I hope she's joking. She's joking, right?

Anyhow, I've been in contact with Len, and he's still doing the BearBones BYOT. Should we make a move, I think it's likely we'll go that direction ...

... at least for the first one ...

An excellent choice!