Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Because I just couldn’t wait any longer, we have made two trips in the Bedbug so far this summer, even though technically it is still under construction.

The first trip was just an overnight for a cycling event that I (Cynthia) was participating in. It gave us a good idea of how well the trailer tows and the comfort level of the cabin. I was very happy with the ventilation of the large windows and the vent fan. In fact, that night we ended up having to close the windows because the temperatures dropped considerably and we got cold. After closing the windows, we warmed up to a comfortable temperature quickly and stayed comfortable the remainder of the night. Rising at 6:30 to prepare for my ride start, there was a thin film of frost on the exterior of the teardrop! We didn’t have to bring anything other than the bike and my gear for that trip so it didn’t matter that the “galley” was not ready for actual use.

Lewiston, UT

Chilly Morning



Last weekend we had our first actual camp outing. We spent four nights in the Uinta National Forest in northern Utah. We did discover a few things quickly.

One, we need to be better organized before we take off. I’ve become so accustomed to tent camping that it’s hard to re-group and figure out how to stream line my packing. Steve reminded me that the reason for the trailer was to try and get as much gear as possible loaded into it so we don’t have so much stuff to load into the bed of the truck. But, as I mentioned, the hatch area is not fully finished yet. Also, because we want to be able to camp in more primitive sites with a risk of attracting bears, I don’t want anything food related in the trailer. The plan is to use the tailgate of the truck for our “kitchen” and keep it well away from the trailer once we are set up. But, I digress…sorry!

Another thing we discovered is that we needed a new ice chest. Ours was pathetic. We spent more money on ice than gas. Not really…but we did buy a lot of ice. I also need to plan meals more efficiently so that there isn’t so much in the ice chest in the first place. We will take a small ice chest with dry ice for the meats. It’s just easier and eliminates the risk of cross contamination.

Our first night was somewhat discouraging but not because of the trailer; because of inconsiderate campers in the campground. Without going into too much detail, we were able to transfer into another campground and were given a free night to make up for a very long and noisy 1st night. After getting established in the second campground we enjoyed fishing, exploring, and getting very excited for a season of camping minus a lot of the work of the past years.

Butterfly Lake

Stillwater

Bear River

"Happy Feet"


We did attract some attention and Steve was more than happy to give the “nickel tour.” We hadn’t even gotten backed into the first site when a Boy Scout leader stopped to comment on our “neat little trailer.” He came by the next morning before we moved to check it out more thoroughly. I think I was in the middle of getting presentable when he walked up, but I was dressed, thank goodness. Haha! Even on our way home on Tuesday, when we stopped at a little butcher shop to pick up some kabobs, the owner wanted to come out and have a look. Everyone has been very complimentary.

Cynthia's handiwork

Galley a little closer to being finished.


The toughest part is going to be agreeing on what will and will not be going into the galley area. I have made a small concession and we will see what happens. I am going to allow that we can put the pots and pans and utensils in the galley as long as they are well washed. It still makes me a little nervous, but we will see. Also, we need to agree on a canopy. I like my pop-up because it has a nice mosquito netting and we definitely were happy to have that on a couple of evenings. Steve wants something to cover the trailer and would prefer something more stable than a pop-up. It would be nice to have something large enough that we could put mosquito netting on it as well and avoid letting the bugs in when we get in and out of the trailer. He has some ideas. We have been scoping out some other things like Dutch ovens, camp toilets/privacy shelters and miscellaneous items like a fire extinguisher, bear spray and a sturdy table for more food prep space once we start primitive camping.

I am thrilled that we will be camping again in just over a week and with any luck about every two weeks throughout the summer and into the fall season. I have wanted this for a very long time and am so happy with all the hard work and attention to detail that Steve has invested in this project. I know he will be glad to be finished. But he’s been talking about the “next one” for months. I have already insisted that he can not sell this one before the “next one” is complete and ready for use.

Congratulations on your maiden voyage. She looks good in the wild.

Yes, it is an adjustment, going from tent camping to tiny trailer camping; but, you'll do it. You'll rearrange and rethink things quite a bit in your first summer and with some things that you thought were the right way to do them, you will thump your head and turn around with another way. I understand your concern about bears and toiletries and especially food. I worry about that, too. However, if you can position the car and galley next to or near each other, it will be a lot easier to use your galley while getting the food stuffs that you need. You should be okay with washed pots and pans and dishes, utensils, etc. For years, my girlfriend stored all her sealed canned goods in a little lidded 4x4 plywood trailer at every campground, even where food boxes were used, and never had a problem with them. Doug Hodder recently gave us another weapon on the war against animal food thieves. He pours some ammonia on the ground around the vehicles and hasn't had any problems. His camping buddy didn't and had an animal break in. ...I think I'm going to start using ammonia when I'm camping!

Once again, congratulations on a successful trip and best wishes for the future.

Yes, I had heard and read about using ammonia. I bought some and am trying to decide how I want to use it. I like the idea of pouring it into a tin pie pan on an old rag and setting them around the areas you want to discourage animals. That way you don't damage or kill vegetation. I'm also considering a spray bottle of diluted ammonia to spray around the hatch galley.

Another tip I just found involves your dish water and left overs. It is suggested that you wash your dishes and utensils immediately and then pour the dish water around the edge of your fire in the fire pit. Burn leftovers completely unless you plan to save them. If you plan to save them put them in double zip, ziplock bags. Since aluminum foil won't burn, it's recommended to clean off residue as well as you can and then place the used foil in a double zip, ziplock bag before placing it in your garbage.

I probably will relax a little more as time goes on, but the areas we like to camp are definitely bear country and in fact, last week we learned there were four bear sightings in two days not all that far from where we were camping.

I'm looking forward to the Walk the Winds gathering. It will be fun to meet some other teardrop builders/owners. I'm wondering about bike trails. I'd like to bring my mountain bike if there are some good trails. I prefer gentle, wide trails. I'm not into extreme, technical single track trails.

Thanks for the comments.
Cynthia