Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello all, newbie here. I'm a vet motocrosser from the New England area and I am about to embark on my first build. I currently have a 6x10 that I outfitted with some cabinets and bins, an inverted, 15A inlet plug and some other minor mods but I am selling that and stepping up to a 7x16 that I plan to convert into a toy hauler complete with a shower. I will definitely document my build and share it here with you folks since most of what I have learned has come from lurking here for a while.

Anyway, on to my first question. I want to start with a quality trailer so I have a good foundation. I am leaning towards a Haulmark Grizzly. A friend of mine told me to check out the Car Mate Custom Cargo series. When I did, I found out that the walls are made of 2x3 wood studs rather than steel tubbing or hat channel. Is this a case where they have discovered a great technique that no one else is using or is this not as robust as steel and they are cutting corners? The one advantage to wood is that you don't have the steel there to heat sink the sun which will make it easier to cool but its not worth it if its a poor design otherwise.

Thanks.

Welcome! I am looking forward to your build. We love pictures and details. The more the better. Someone else bought a trailer that had a wood frame here. It did make it easier for them when it came to window installation.

IMHO... The less wood in your frame the better off you are. My old 5th wheel had a wood frame and plywood roof with rubbercoat. It developed a couple of roof leaks over time which I did not know about. So you can imagine the damage that happened. It became my donor trailer because it was going to cost me more to fix than the trailer was worth.

Good luck and let us know how how things are going.

Earnest

having owned several travel trailers and no cargo trailers I will go with metal walls instead of wood when I buy.

almost every travel trailer story starts with " the wood was rotten and needed replaced" the last one I
owned " the wood was rotten and needed replaced" so I fixed the rotten wood and sold the trailer.

just my thoughts good luck on what ever you choose and welcome to the site.

pete

Personally, I wouldn't want one with wood framing.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures and details of your build. Since you haven't already bought a trailer, you may want to consider buying one with an inside height of 7'. Could come in handy later...

I also have a 7 X 16 that I'm going to convert to a toy hauler but the converting has been very slow for me so far. Seems like something else is always getting my time or money.

David_L6 wrote:Personally, I wouldn't want one with wood framing.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures and details of your build. Since you haven't already bought a trailer, you may want to consider buying one with an inside height of 7'. Could come in handy.

I'm exactly 6 ft and my current 6x10 has an int height of just over that so I know I don't need more than that since I have lived with 6'2 for the last several years. However, I am considering 12 incches extra because I have one (of many) design drawn up where I would build up a new floor on top of the existing using 2x12's and put in a series of hatches so I could use that space for storage as well as a water tank and plumbing. Some things that I already measured and would fit in an 11.5 inch tall space are my ez up, fold up chairs, a bin for all of my tie downs, all of my spare parts for my bike, water tank and pump, bedding and a whole lot of other stuff. On paper it sounds like a great idea so I am definitely considering it.

Wooden walls aside, it does have some other pros to it. The dealer, Cap World, is only 2 miles from my house and I know the guys there real well so I would get a decent deal but more importantly I would get good service after the sale. The car mates come with a lifetime warranty against leaks in the roof and floor. And, I can cut, drill and screw but I definitely can't grind and weld.

I'm still leaning towards the Haulmark since there is also a dealer about 20 minutes away but I'm just trying to make sure I think it through. I considered travelling to buy a build to order trailer but I have heard too many horror stories and when the warranty shop is 1000 miles away, you have no power. For both the haulmark and car mate that wouldn't be an issue as both shops have full repair centers as well.

I don't mean to ramble on but tend to over think things because I hate regrets.

+ 1 on 7' interior height. Build a loft/storage area above your bikes for lighter/bulky items. I'm thinking about attaching 2x4's (width wise) to e-track (mounted on the trailer walls) above the bikes and using plywood or folding plastic tables as the flooring for this storage area. Nothing permanent so everything can come out easily if need be. If plywood is used for the flooring I would rig up so I could take it out and use as a table or work bench. Capt D.