Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

BRUTAL!!!!!
A week at Mrytle Beach, SC in a un-airconditioned "Sweatdrop" camper.
I am glad I had my attachable tent, where my wife and I spent our nights with the fan going.
Gotta say this - I ain't loving my teardrop right now.
As a matter of fact I am going to look into the T@B unit with built in air conditioner and heater.
Don't be suprised if you see my unit listed in the for sale department.


Al

A/C is wondrous. Especially in the south in July.

I don't have it so that's why I'm fond of Shenandoah National Park at 3700 feet.

A t@b would seem cavernous.

trailtrekerNJ wrote:BRUTAL!!!!!
A week at Mrytle Beach, SC in a un-airconditioned "Sweatdrop" camper.
I am glad I had my attachable tent, where my wife and I spent our nights with the fan going.
Gotta say this - I ain't loving my teardrop right now.
As a matter of fact I am going to look into the T@B unit with built in air conditioner and heater.
Don't be suprised if you see my unit listed in the for sale department.


Al

Hi Al,

Trust me, I can relate. I went camping rustic in NY a number of years ago, in my very own sweatdrop camper. Temps were in the 90's and it was humid and sticky.

We both agreed we would not do that again.



Since then all of our teardrops and tiny travel trailers have had built in air conditioners.

It looks like you are using a Lil Guy. You ought to research what it takes to add a/c to that. Maybe even a Petcool.

Of course, if you get a tab, you might still have to add air. I did that, here:
http://www.mikenchell.com/TAB_Photo_Album/index2.html

Let us know what you decide.

Mike...

P.S. In Myrtle Beach, when it wasn't quite as hot... Notice the A/C!

Times camped in teardrop = 10
Times camped WITH A/C ON = 8

Lovin our A/C

Al-

If you have a 14" sq. roof vent you could buy a RV roof-top a/c heater:

http://tinyurl.com/lcco5r

Gotta be cheaper than buying a TAB?

Cheers,

Coop

we going to MB next week. I bought a $99 unit from Lowes and installed it in our camper, works great. don't know if this is something you can do to yours or not.

Yes the T@B is a big unit compared to the Little Guy, but options do include an ac unit already built in.
The Carrier Low Profile roof mount ac is a great unit.
However, this unit runs on dc and would require me to retro fit the Little Guy to accommodate such.
Choices are to only use the Little Guy 2-3 seasons, camp in higher altitude / cooler climates or.........well I'm holding off on the last option.

Al

I can appreciate what your saying but I did give myself a chuckle on how A/C has changed our lives. As a kid, my parents took us camping in a 16' travel trailer, with 4 kids and 2 adults. No A/C and I got to share the upper bunk with my brother!
One thing you can try before you get A/C is hang wet towels over the outside of your windows. Any breeze flowing will pick up the coolness and transport it into the trailer. In theory anyway. We used to do this over car windows when traveling down the road on hot days.

trailtrekerNJ wrote:The Carrier Low Profile roof mount ac is a great unit.
However, this unit runs on dc and would require me to retro fit the Little Guy to accommodate such.

Al-

Check it again, NO RV AC that I know of runs on DC

You may have to attach a 110V ac plug onto this unit, but other than that it's basically the same kinda AC your gonna get with a TAB

Cheers,

Coop

Coop,

My bad....
110v, 14amp, 30 lbs, 14"x14" opening.

Just have to weigh the options of costs of all supplies to actual use.
Also factor in the option of renting air condition Kabin @ a KOA or a dog friendly hotel/motel during the hot summer months.

e-bay has a unit for sale @ $ 569.00
other site @ $ 699.00

Al

Yow!

I'm going tent camping to Myrtle Beach State Park next week! We would be out-of-luck anyway, because we are in an overflow campground site (no electric, just water). I have a battery operated tent fan, and another battery operated box fan.

Hey, for a teardrop, isn't there a way one could make one of them little $99 window air conditioner units from Walmart or Home Depot work?

Seems to me I saw a thread with a fellow who propped one of those units outside, with a portable duct running into a window.

AL.

Okay since I started this thread, would like to use my teardrop all year and am not looking to sink big bucks into this unit here is my question / thought:

Has any one developed or have an idea on design / materials for a full door screen?

The liitle guy door / window design is a bit lacking for ventilation. If I could leave the whole door open and install a screen on the inside this may increase ventillation during the summer heat.

trailtrekerNJ wrote:Okay since I started this thread, would like to use my teardrop all year and am not looking to sink big bucks into this unit here is my question / thought:

Has any one developed or have an idea on design / materials for a full door screen?

The liitle guy door / window design is a bit lacking for ventilation. If I could leave the whole door open and install a screen on the inside this may increase ventillation during the summer heat.

I'll bet you could do something with magnets in the screen hem and metal trim around the door to secure it from the inside. Or magnet strips around the doorway and thin metal frame for the screens, with a piece running crossways halfway down.

Or a simple lightweight wood frame with screen that could be simply secured with latches attached to the trailer walls. Would provide more resistance to being pushed in from the outside.

The ability to store the screens under the mattress when not in use would be handy.

Bungee (Thule strap or some such) the Little Guy doors to the platform to keep them out of the way.

I have "Skreenz" that fit over my car doors like a glove (Honda Element). The material is not metal and keeps every bug out.

Got them from www.skreenz.com

What Are Skreenz?

Skreenz are quality-crafted insect barriers for the windows of your van or camper. Made of a special coated 20 x 20 mesh black fiberglass material that stretches in the bias direction but not in the waft or weave directions, Skreenz fit snugly around a van door window frame and stay tight when you close the door, keeping out flying insects - especially no-see'ums and potentially dangerous West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes. Simply open your van doors, slide the Skreenz over the door frame (kind of like an upside-down sock), close the Velcro around the mirror - if you have one) and close the doors. The bugs stay out and the breezes come in. And the door's seals won't leak if it rains.

I actually use full screens on mine and sleep with my door open. I really like the full breaze and it was pretty easy to do. How we did it was.

1. You will need a small curtain rod above your door.

2. Measure your door way and over lap everywhere by 3 inches with the material folded in half.

3. Using fabric glue, glue a pocket to slide along the curtain rod.


Our first generation had magnets and they worked pretty good while they stuck. I am not sure what we will try next. It was cool finding fabric that matched our color scheme. If bugs are really heavy then we hit the screen with bug repellant and that does the trick.

We have made screens for our house and those are pretty easy to make. The only tools you need is a splining tool, something to cut the screen and a hacksaw to cut the borders.

How about taking them to a place that makes screen windows and doors?

My friend who purchased a Pleasant Valley teardrop not too long ago, took his to a screen place and they are making 2 for him for $50 total. I am not sure how they are doing the framing, but when he gets them I will take pictures and post them.

His door looks to be the same size/shape as my Silver Shadow, so I will try them on mine and if they fit, I will order the same thing.