Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Changed my mind again(or it's the cold medicine I've been taking). Now thinking a grasshopper profile, but trying to decide if I want a slant at the front of the roof, or a flat roof front to back.
Thoughts?
Thanks

Hi

let me say from the beginning that Im probably the last person to give advice on how to build a TT as Ive just started building my own Grasshopper style, but I never bothered with slanting the roof on mine, The way I figure it is that no water is gunna pool while driving and I dont think that I would be camping in one spot long enuf for it to lay there and do any damage, When I store it it will have a car cover over it also, If you seal it properly I can't see any problem, I mean how much water can a small Grasshopper roof hold anyway

cheers

rabs

Hi Aaron,

I started my 5x10 Grasshopper clone last spring. If the weather ever improves, I'll get back to work again. I slanted the front part of the roof a bit, but left the rear half level. There are pics in my album.

-Greg

Personally, I like the "look" of the slanted roof better.

Hmmm, maybe merge a grasshopper and Fabjunkie's BO Camper profiles. Now that would look nice.

I slanted the front of my roof, I think it breaks up the line a bit and looks more streamlined Maybe it even helps a little when towing with the front dropped to the same height as my Jeep.

It's not much, only drops 2", but you can just tell.



Cheers
Steve

During my planning stages I considered a split pitched roof, ~4 foot would have pitched toward the front and ~5 foot would have pitched toward the back. For several reasons (mostly less complicated) I went with a flat top front to rear. So far, I’m very happy with the results and no problems with any type of leakage (epoxy over plywood const.). I figure that if I ever thought about water pooling, I’d just crank the front up a bit and let the water run off the back until the rain stopped. I store it under cover when it's not in use, if I were to store it outside the front would be left higher than the rear. As it's been said several ways before; this doesn't mean it's the only or best way to do it! It's just the way I did it.

Here is what I was thinking in way of a "merged" profile, with a slant. Could be done with or without the popup roof.

MacGyver, That is one sweet lookin trailer well done, Is that skinned with anything or painted

cheers

Rabs

What does the pop up roof gain you in the grasshopper profile?

Mike...

schaney wrote:Here is what I was thinking in way of a "merged" profile, with a slant. Could be done with or without the popup roof.

Mike, I see a few benefits. The main one being it resolves the primary reason I have not built a teardrop/grasshopper trailer yet, my wife is clastrophobic. This greatly expands the interior volume and adds more light. Also the ability to stand up for dressing would be nice.

Thank you Rabs. Without the wealth of information from this site, it most likely wouldn’t have become a reality. Which reminds me, it’s past time to pony up with a donation. The plywood was sealed with one cost of epoxy prior to final assemble, then a second coat with a layer of cloth after assemble, and the final third coat to hide the cloth weave. It was then followed up by some power sanding, one coat of epoxy paint primer and then two coats of a single stage automotive silver epoxy paint. The picture above will give you an idea what it looked like without the paint.

The bug to build is starting to bite! Hope to get started in the next couple weeks. One question.
Should I go with stud walls or 3/4 plywood walls. Is there any weight difference? Is there any price difference? Thoughts, suggestions, comments?
Thanks
Aaron Coffee
OK I realize that was more than one question.

Thanks for the info MacGyver, That is a really nice finish and looks very flash, good paint job I must say, I'm going to use similar primers, sealers and top coats so hope mine comes out just as good, again well done Just as a side issue what are your dimensions of your trailer

cheers

Rabs

My trialer is kind of different but similar to yours. My original drawings didn't have a slant on the front but after I mocked it up I found the slant had a better look to it, it didn't look boxy. It also makes it a bit mor aerodynamic! Ha, ha. (No scientific proof available!) My thoughts are, do what you think looks good to you.

HI Rabs,

Well thanks again, when it comes to painting I’m very much an amateur that just asked lots of questions before I sprayed it. The frame area is ~1.524m wide by ~2.74m long and the sidewall at it’s longest is ~3m in length. After reading previous discussions on interior space, I opted to make the cabin area large enough for a queen size mattress to ensure a comfortable sleep for the wife and I. If you’re undecided and haven’t already done so, you might want to check out mattress width using the “search for all items” feature. It will give you plenty of tried and true things to consider in your planning.

Have fun!