Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hey there i remember seeing a pic of these but for the life of me i cant find them on here.

I am referring to the profile where the side view shows a square front but from above it has a rounded nose.


It strikes me as unusual and kinda cool in a way. is there any benefit or drawback to this profile?

Something like the Camp-Inn 560 Raindrop?

http://tinycamper.com/models.htm

TPMcGinty wrote:Something like the Camp-Inn 560 Raindrop?

http://tinycamper.com/models.htm

yeah something like that.. what are the benefits/drawbacks to that design?

looped wrote:

TPMcGinty wrote:Something like the Camp-Inn 560 Raindrop?

http://tinycamper.com/models.htm

yeah something like that.. what are the benefits/drawbacks to that design?

I have no idea. Maybe Craig can chime in here. After all, he designed it.

The classic teardrop design has completely flat sides, and a front/roof/tail of constant width with only simple (not compound curves). It's an example of "canned ham" construction, and it has advantages of simplicity and ease of fitting windows (which are only in the side panels) and side doors.

The Camp-Inn 560 also has only simple curves, but both sides and roof have flat parts (where the other panels are curved) and curved parts (where the other panels are flat). That seems inherently more difficult to build, and seems better suited to sheet metal than wood-sided construction (which may be why it is not common, and why I've only seen it with metal finishes); however, I suspect that it is better aerodynamically.

I see that Camp-Inn calls the 560 the "Raindrop". To me, it does look closer to a drop running down a surface than the traditional teardrop does. I see that despite the difficulty of putting windows on the curved surfaces, it has front corner windows. I have not seen the inside of the 560, but the Camp-Inn specs says it has the same size bed (no mention of clipping off the corners), but added a "bunk bed" - is that in the extra two feet of length (compared to a 550) up front?

The floor plan is compromised by the curves in either case, although having the front corners of the bed curved (in plan view) may be a greater challenge than having restricted height (due to the traditional teardrop curve down at the front).

The same general design (as the Camp-Inn 560) is used in the current Airstream Basecamp, which itself is a revival (in general shape) of an Airstream design from long ago.

I think of this as the "baseball seam" design: one of the ways to make something curved all over from flat sheets is to use two pieces which wrap around each other as on a baseball, having a seam which is like the the roof/wall seam of a trailer like this (one piece is the front and sides, the other is the rear and top (and logically the bottom, but they aren't actually built that way).

The reason the Raindrop is the way it is is because of the couch/bunk in the front. Fits two kids on a folding bunk.
Brwbier

Hi, this is Craig hyjacking Betsey's account....again...

I am the primary designer of the Camp-Inn Raindrop. I initially designed it because one of our employees wanted a teardrop that could fit 2 kids and 2 adults. We drew up several designs, but none worked very well. I had not seen the original airstream design and the new Basecamp hadn't been introduced yet.

The day I brought the initial drawings into work, we all thought it looked a little weird, but couldn't find anything else really wrong with it, so......We built one. It worked out so well that we decided to offer it as a new product.

It has a couple drawbacks and several advantages.

The main drawback is that it is more complicated to build. You have to join the front part to the rear without having a weak spot. You have to create a stiffer frame to help keep the body rigid. You have to have curved windows (which are a bit tricky)
Another drawback is it doesn't look like a teardrop. We intentionally named it the Raindrop so the purist teardroppers wouldn't throw rocks at us.

Here are a few of the advantages.
1. It has the same queen size bed as our more traditional teardrops. (the trailer is the same as a teardrop from the front of the doors back) (the mattress doesn't extend into the curved front, so no clipped corners)
2. The extra 2 feet in length allowed us to add the bunkbeds (for the 2 kids) The bunkbeds are run crosswise, so kids have to be under 4'8" to be comfortable.
2. The bunkbeds could be converted into a couch. (it only encroaches on the bed by 2" so the bed is 6'4" with the couch set up.
3. The full height front end allowed comfortable seating height. A teardrop front curves overhead limiting headroom.
4. The front allowed more windows.
5. It allows a little more open space for those who feel cramped in a traditional teardrop.
6. We made the couch so it would drop down so the cushion was flush with the mattress. If you put your pillow on the couch cushion, it makes the bed almost 8 feet long. So even basketball players can fit.
7. The couch gives a place for a dog to sleep.
8. The couch gives some extra storage when you are in bed.

Here is the couch and the bunkbeds.



Here is a page with pictures of the Raindrop. At the end, there are a few pictures giving hints as to how it was built.

http://tinycamper.com/topsecret/

Hope this helps.

Craig

thanks for the replies, gotta love this place with all the answers.

I am getting the feeling that i am putting the cart before the horse so im going to build a benroy (with a few twists) first. get some experience going before i expand the envelope

I really like that design Betsey. Thanks for sharing.

01Sport wrote:I really like that design Betsey. Thanks for sharing.

You are very welcome! Glad you like it! I will pass along your thanks to Craig. I keep telling him he should get his own account on here so people don't keep thinking it's me designing all this nifty stuff. But as we share most things, I guess him using my account from time to time is no big deal...just somewhat confusing!

Betsey

I guess I could read too

Thanks for all the information, Craig. The "top secret" photo gallery is great!

The couch area looks like a really nice space to relax. I expect that with a drop section in the floor it would be more comfortable to sit in... as it is (basically a cushion on the floor), I couldn't use it for long.

Betsey wrote:1. It has the same queen size bed as our more traditional teardrops. (the trailer is the same as a teardrop from the front of the doors back) (the mattress doesn't extend into the curved front, so no clipped corners)

In this case, it's the bunkbeds which have clipped corners; if the shape were applied to common teardrop layout (is that what looped is considering?), it would be the front corners of the main/only bed.

Brian,

That is a common muissunderstanding about the sofa, it is hard to tell by the pictures. The sofa bottom is not flush with the bed and you do not sit with your legs straight legged. You're right, that would get uncomfortable in a short time. The sofa is actually in a pronounced reclined position so your legs are at a bent angle similiar to when sitting in a lazy boy. It does then pick up, slide forward and drop down flush with the mattress if you want to use it for extra bed length. No need for a complicated "drop through" that would require tearing up the bedding everytime and such.

Cary

Cary Winch wrote:...The sofa bottom is not flush with the bed and you do not sit with your legs straight legged. You're right, that would get uncomfortable in a short time. The sofa is actually in a pronounced reclined position so your legs are at a bent angle similiar to when sitting in a lazy boy. It does then pick up, slide forward and drop down flush with the mattress if you want to use it for extra bed length. No need for a complicated "drop through" that would require tearing up the bedding everytime and such.

Slick design. Thanks for the explanation.

Hmm, that could work for me at night with the couch set up as bunkbeds... 2 dogs on the upper bunk, 2 on the bottom, and the bed for me!