My handle is Red Rock, my real name is David, and I live in Half Moon Bay, right on the coast just south of San Francisco. My wife and I have been RVing for more than 20 years, starting with a small Class C and later moving up to a Class A. We sold the A a couple of years ago. We loved rambling around the western states and even ventured across country a couple of times, but eventually we got tired of the expense and hassle of maintaining a big coach, not to mention getting 8 mpg while hauling around three, count them three, engines (coach, toad & generator).
It was a relief to sell that rig, and I haven't missed the hassle at all. But I *do* miss the adventures. More & more I find myself missing the freedom to just take off and go somewhere new. I miss the Sierras, I miss the Cascades, and I especially miss the Utah canyons (hence the Red Rock), which is where I had some of the sweetest times. I switched the narrative from "we" to "I", BTW, to reflect the reality that I miss these times more than my wife does, and I often traveled alone on my adventures. But when she came along we usually had a wonderful time, and I'd like to lure her back to my outdoor adventures.
So... I've been thinking about another RV. But without the hassle of three engines, which means it would have to be a trailer (with no generator). If possible, I'd like to tow it with my 2015 Mazda 3, which I dearly love. That means it would have to be a *tiny* trailer. So I've looking at tiny trailers I might buy, but all them either cost too much, weight too much, or both. And the ones that *do* fit my size and weight constrains are just too bare-bones for our needs. My wife, in particular, insists on a few more creature comforts if she is going to join me in my travels, and I really want to travel with her and not by myself.
So, being farily handy with tools, I began to wonder: Could I build a little trailer myself? After several days of Googling, I concluded that yes, I could. It wouldn't be particularly easy, but it's definitely something I could do.
I also discovered that the very best resource out there for such an endeavor is a site called 'teardrops and tiny trailers.' What an awesome site, guys/gals! Well done! With the cumulative knowledge on this site as a guide, I can build a far better trailer than if I'd forged my own way.
I've been studying the posts for the last few weeks and I've learned a *lot* in that time. So I figure it's now time to take off the invisibility cloak and introduce myself. Having done so with this post, I'll start a separate build thread that describes my constraints, goals and ideas. I have come up with a tentative design that gives me many features of a larger trailer, yet packs it into a 6'x8' unit that, if my calculations are correct, should come in at just under 1000 pounds, which is my target dry weight. But there are several key assumptions in that design that have to be validated before I can accept that design as realistic. I'll post full particulars to get your feedback before I even consider building it. And if it turns out that some of you like my design, then sharing it with you could be my first contribution to the group.
To be continued in another thread...
Danny
