Hi,
I've been lurking for a while and now that I have a teardrop I thought it would be the perfect time to join, learn and contribute.
For the first three years as a trailer camper I had a 28 foot and then traded down about six years ago to a 26 foot trailer which I love. The 26 footer has been to the Oregon coast twice and on a few other five hour plus road trips. This taught me how cumbersome and inefficient a large trailer can be when going farther. Where I was willing to go was limited by this huge thing. Now most people would say, don't take a trailer, get a hotel; for normal people that works--I'm not normal. I'm extremely allergic to molds, scented laundry detergents, and perfumes, etc--essentially allergic to hotels. For me it is either take my home or not enjoy vacation.
So this summer my daughter wanted to go to California for her senior trip and we only had two weeks do it in. Too short of time to haul a heavy, big trailer, so what could I do? I brain stormed various options and landed on tent camping. Now the reason I had the trailer for camping in the first place was safety. That locking door was the only reason I dared take my kids camping. So I put on my big girl pants made sure my CCW was valid and bought a tent.
We took it on a trial run to Craters of the Moon with a Rottweiler, a Chihuahua, and my son. It was the first time on any trip we had trouble with a crazy person. The rangers had to arrest him. I found it ironic that my first trip daring to go out in fabric walls, we see a take down and find a vagrant's clothes in our camp after our hike. But I was hooked by the freedom of being able to show up early and pick any campsite.
So the California trip was on, no dogs would be going and neither would my son, but I took comfort in my CCW. Our trip was awesome, and again I loved the freedom. However, I did lose many nights of sleep to the What's that Sound game followed by the What is THAT sound game? Oh and the morning we left on the trip I had the CCW, but I could not find the key to my safe. LOL, so much for being prepared, we had to leave home without my personal security blanket.
Hence began the search upon my return for something both efficient and lockable. I've been researching and talking to builders and looking at ready-made options for months. I was within a week or two of beginning planning/building with Andy at Boondock trailers in Cedar City when I found an unfinished Teardrop on Craigslist. It was five hours away, but the seller sent more pictures and I knew that was it. We picked it up that weekend and now it sits in my garage in all of its silver, un-doored glory. Three things are left to do--two entry doors and the galley hatch and I have very limited tools and experience. So here I am to learn. I'll post pictures soon. Sorry for such a long story.
But here is a bit more lurking on here this weekend waiting for my account to be validated, I found one of the members lived in my town. Number one on my agenda was find out how to talk to this person. Yesterday, before I even had my password and login he walked in my office at work. He is coming to look at the trailer tonight.