Frugal Gypsy needs low cost or free plans

[daisybun]

Hi everybody!
I'm new to the forum.
Can you tell me where to get plans for Gypsy-looking vardos or caravans I can mount on a trailer base?
Also, can you give me ballpark costs of what this would cost doing it myself and with the help of friends?
Many thanks!
Happy New Year!!!!!
Sheryl (daisybun) Prescott, AZ.

[mikeschn]

Hi Daisy,

I would start by asking Rae... just hit PM in this message
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 3273#93273

While you are waiting, eyeball a teardrop...

http://www.mikenchell.com/images/GenericBenroyPlans.pdf

And welcome to the forum!!!

Mike...

[Miriam C.]

Welcome to the forum Sheryl,
What Mike said!!!! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. In the mean time have fun and take lots of

[Rae]

Hi Sheryl,

I do have a couple of suggestions for vardo-esque plans. The first is probably the most traditional looking design, and it wouldn't be too expensive to do. Tim sent me his book and it's pretty comprehensive.

http://www.amvardo.com/caravan/

Tumbleweed Tiny Houses has a vardo design that's based more on a Ledge design if you prefer that look.

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm

Also, you might want to run through my links pages and check out the rest of the individual links. I've collected as many homemade vardos as I've been able to find, and many of the sites include a lot of how-to details.

http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/camps.htm

Hope that helps!

[surveytech]

These Vardo designs are absolutely stunning!

Does anyone know how well they tow? I wonder about the wind resistance.

Thanks for the links.


.

[Rae]

My two have towed very well, although I would never put their wind resistance or my gas mileage to the test against a teardrop. We used to tow with a big Ram van, and it was actually a bit taller than the vardo was when it was folded down for travel, so the wind resistance was nil. It's a smidge taller than the jeep we tow it with now though. I imagine it's more of an issue, although it doesn't seem to slow us down much. (There are some photos of it hitched to the vehicle here.)
http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/vardo16.html

We did go to the trouble of putting on a set of sway bars to keep the trailer from shimmying, but it was more of a precaution than a necessity.

They're also pretty heavy. Fully loaded, my first was about 2800, and the new one is about 2300. But for the sheer amount of trailer that we're pulling, they do nicely on the road.

[surveytech]

Rae,
Thanks for the info.
I can see where your design would have a big advantage being able to fold down. It looks cool! I figured they are heavy.
I wonder about the bow tops though and pulling. With them being fairly tall with some kinda over hanging roof on the front it make me wonder how well they tow. they sure look cool as hell though!

Thanks again.

Walter

[Rae]

My pleasure.

A lot of my friends have done bowtops that break down for towing. The disadvantage to those is that they don't stay dry inside like mine does if you have to set them up on a rainy day. They go up pretty fast though, so it's usually not a big deal. And they have the added advantage of lower weight and wind resistance when you're towing. These two are good examples of this. (There were three, but it looks like one of them has been taken down for some reason. I'll have to check with the owners to see if the site's been moved.)

http://www.rosettadesign.com/building_v ... pages.html

http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/dwagon01.htm

These are more like tents set up on trailers, but they have the bowtop look without the difficult towing.