Hello From Georgia

[rossamerson]

Newbie here! Just started to build my own little teardrop. I am very lucky to find such a wealth of knowledge.
About me. I am a 37 year old male surgical nurse in Open Heart. I have a wonderful wife and spunky 2 year old daughter. We love to camp, but it has become very difficult with the little one.....so that is where the teardrop comes in. I look forward to getting know this community!

[KennethW]

We will gladly help where we can.
Two door 5 wide 9 long with a bunk? wood or foamy? Factory trailer or custom? Bare bones or all the bells and whistles? Woody, aluminum, canvas, frp, painted, or____ exterior? For the highway or off road? I don't think there is two homemade teardrops the same. Building can be a fun adventure on it's own. Don't let the roof curve scare you it is very easy to do with ratchet straps.
What are you thinking?

[Vedette]

Welcome to the Forum!
Yes. 5' wide with two doors is a must.
So is a torsion axle!
Build your own chassis....or have someone build it for you. Stay away from HF!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[rossamerson]

Actually I am going 4x8, single door on a harbor freight trailer. I am planing to do wood skinned in aluminum. I am planning to put a bunk across for the little one. I am going to have some fun with the interior. I was on my way to be a finish carpenter in another life, so i am seeing some nice reclaimed heartpine bead board for the ceiling...

[KennethW]

I would really encourage you to go 5 wide. A 5 foot long bunk for your growing child, a queen size bed for the wife and a lot bigger galley.
But yes, it is more work and wasted wood.
Here is a link to a way to modify the trailer for 5 wide. http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=64379#p1146157
If you go 4 wide don't put exert time and work into it. Save the exert time and work for the 5 wide you will be building in a couple of years.
At lest plan for the second door, even if you don't put it in.

Yes, I did go 4 wide on my first TD. Then a couple years later I built #2 that is 5 wide. So there was no cost saving in going 4 wide.

[GerryS]

5 wide really does make a lot more sense. When teardrops were originally designed in the 40s, I think 4x8 would have worked...people were quite a bit smaller then. 5x8 or longer (as mine is) does give a lot more room and usability.

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi rossamerson, and welcome aboard...

Listen to the experts and a 4-wide is really small... A cot is 27"...

Try a mock-up 4-wide bed stuffed between two walls and only one door...

Mock-ups will really help in making about any build decision and can be thrown together with scraps, wall foam, cardboard, or ??? ...

I went the Cargo Conversion and was able to get an awful lot of info from TnTTT experts...

Again, Good luck on the build and welcome to the site...

[pchast]

4 or 5 wide is kind of your choice...
Get some cardboard boxes and set up a
test size..

I will say you do want 2 doors. Check it out
with your test cardboard napping area. the
two of you together and you'll see.

Then try to 'make the bed' with one test door.

JMHO

[pchast]

PS:

We have 2 - 18AH agm batteries and a 30 W solar panel or
charging through a solar charge controller from the tow
Vehicle. This has maintained the batteries with our use
at or above 12.3v.

[Gunguy05]

Welcome! I'm in Georgia as well, Brunswick to be exact. Great info and knowledge around here. I couldn't have built my first one without it! Or my second one that is in progress. Good luck and keep us posted.

[halfdome, Danny]

Actually I am going 4x8, single door on a harbor freight trailer.

Okay, so who's going to crawl over who when you need to get up and pee in the middle of the night?
One of you won't be able to sleep in if the other wants to get up first.
It can get old real fast, as one couple told me.
They figured 2 doors was a better choice way back in the 1940's.
Welcome to the forum.
Danny