Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

This is the design I have been working on. The requirements were to stay under 12 feet long, 5 feet wide and sleep two. Also,it was preferred to be able to stand in it and have provision for a porta potty or closet. I designed the side to angle in under the front cooking shelf 1 1/2" back from the leading edge to allow extra turning radius and cut wind drag from the frontal area. I am hoping that this will also allow for a shorter tongue to position the trailer closer to the car to reduce drag too. It will be towed by a car that has a trunk so the top overhang will not interfere.
George.

Looks good to me!

Interesting name; are you of the Native peoples? I like the contour. You have thought out your requirements well

No not of native peoples. Family and I went on a trip a few years back to the Oregon coast and I saw the name and thought, that is cool!

I originally designed it as a 12 foot, but was able to cut it down to a 10 foot and keep the design from looking too awkward. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Your a fan of the Kinks I see. George.

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Paul

Sorry, I post to so many forums I just take for granted they are all the same. I will try to keep this in mind next time I post. Sorry for being sloppy. George.

George, a couple of thoughts:

I'm sure sloping the lower front won't make any noticeable difference to the drag and it will cut into the galley storage space. However it would probably look nicer.

The combination of tight radiuses at the 'corners' and then flat panels in between is easy to draw but hard to build. What tends to happen is that you get this shape at the sides (where it's forced there by the sidewall) but in the middle you'll get a much sloppier shape. It would look better to either build it with flat panels and sharp corners, or with a completely curved shape like this:



Andrew

I really like the rounded profile. I do believe it would be easier to build, plus the charm and resale value would be a whole lot greater.

Dan

Well I am trying to step away from the Tear Drop style trailer and lean more to a euro look. It will be pulled by a Opel which is a German built auto so I would like it to look the part, "Different".

As you can see it does have some TD lines. I originally intended to have it pulled from the bed side and have the sidewalls angle in at where the rear cabinet is located. The existing angles would remain to give it a boat tail effect. Who knows by time I get to it, it may change again.

Thanks, George.

For a stany; I like the angled design; although 'doming' the area above the door would look cleaner; IMHO

Ageless wrote:For a stany; I like the angled design; although 'doming' the area above the door would look cleaner; IMHO

Yes, I have thought of blending the rear slope more over the door. George.

ghcoe,

Andrew is spot on about those tight radii. Aesthetically, I find them very pleasing to the eye, but technically, they are very hard to construct uniformly. The Euro-style caravans you referenced are factory produced with molds and jigs. Assuming wood construction for yours, you would have to dado two edges in over-sized lumber to carry the plywood flush and then shape the lumber with an electric planer and/or a hand-held grinder with a sanding disk. This alone is a very complicated process. Also, lots of finesse and a template are required to make them all the same radius. It can be done. But is it worth that much extra work?

Another issue, previously mentioned, is resale value. Yeah...when we're building something special for ourselves, it takes on a very personal, even spiritual dimension (if you will). Then it seems rather meaningless/shocking/insulting to think in resale terms, but consider this segue: What if YOU change tow vehicles out of necessity? Will that short tongue design with a cut-under front work for turning when towed behind a station wagon or a pickup truck or a small SUV

I dealt with largely similar design issues as you in planning my build ROUND TAIL. The only significant difference between ROUND TAIL and your design parameters is that mine is 6 foot-6 inches wide. I did the same thing with the door and standing headroom as your design. Check it out. (See clickable link below.)

For what it's worth.

Best wishes to you,

Prem