Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

My first post I guess. Been a wee bit overwhelmed reading up on foamies recently and ready to just dive in and see what happens.

I'm planning a standie all foam on a 5 x 10 trailer. Rough sketches attached below. My general thoughts are to join the foam with GS, maybe reinforce corners with drywall edging. Wrap the outside (foam floor and all) in either canvas or fiberglass cloth + TB2. Either same thing on the inside or maybe luan with a thin plywood floor.

Some questions.
1. Am I crazy?
2. Which variety of GS do folks use?
3. Is there anything I should step back and think through more for a giant foamie?

Thanks to all. This board is an inspiration

Hmm. Let's try those pictures again.

I used GG for all of my "structural" butt joints. I like the fact that it gives you plenty of time to get your clamp setup in place before it starts to expand. You do have to work to be sure that you don't let your parts shift, and escaping excess can create some work to clean up. (Part of my problems could have been being a novice user, using too much product, and/or chasing the seasonal humidity changes in my region.)

I have used the GS crack filling variety to fill in some small holes and dings, but not as an adhesive. I think it was Wobbly Wheels who liked to use it for everything; he would knock the foaming action down, then spread it like GG. Use a couple of drops of acetone to clean the applicator straw and spout of the can out after use.

If I didn't already have a couple of cans of the crack fill, I think I would try the window and door sealing variety due to its lower expansion ratio.

Nate , WELCOME to the Foamling' Family !!! Your design looks very doable and should be pretty comfortable ...

Regarding question #1 ... Most conventional teardroppers think we’re ALL Crazy ... But we know better eh ...

Question #3 ... How are you going to lay out the Inside? That’s important!!!

Thank you! I'm glad to finally be here I haven't quite decided on layout yet. I need to get a shell coming together to believe it's really happening.. But probably a convertible dinette in the front with storage under, galley area on the passengers side along the wall, and ... Hopefully I'll think about it more this weekend.

For what you want , you may consider taking advantage of the type of trailer you’re using and go a bit WIDER ... 5’ wide is nice, 6’ wide is much Better... (JMHO) which allows something like this (see drawing)... a build over... just crumbs for thought ...

I think you've posted that drawing before - right? I got really excited when I saw it but I think it would take me quite a bit longer to build. We have an early fall/late summer trip that I want something dry for (we're in Seattle and mostly camp on the Olympic peninsula - dry is important ) so I have a bit of a deadline (probably bad idea? Eh, I work better under pressure!) Going to go with the 5x10 box for now - should be a faster build and will fit behind the Rav better. Once I fall in love - I'll do it all again. Except I'm already eyeing a Foamstream knockoff for the next go around

OK !!! Cool !!! Don’t forget the pictures...

IMO, any build is a significant undertaking. My advice is to take your time and plan it out the way you really want it the first time. If you don't, once you start building and realize what you've gotten yourself into, you will want to add those features anyway (and it will be harder to do at that point).

Although it seems that way sometimes, these things don't just pop out 2 or 3 in a row; and they almost always end up costing more than estimated (... especially if you keep track of receipts!). A build takes time no matter how simple you plan for it to be, more time than you would imagine at first (... but I can't claim to be an expert on that subject, so consider the source on that one ). So my advice is don't worry about adding a few features or some character into the plan. Do it now at the planning stage and it will be easier.

That sketch of GPW's is not complex, much at all, once you have the tools out and get working. (In fact it is the current inspiration for my #2, if there is one.) Even a simple slanted front corner is better than a rectangular box.

Just trying to be encouraging. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well the first time.

Thanks for the input. In terms of width, keeping it at 5 ft is a conscious decision since I'll be towing with a 4 cylinder Rav. I am planning a 45 degree angled box for the top 2 feet at the front - would you recommend starting the angle lower/taking it further back on the roof?
I certainly intended to do it well the first time but thinking fewer frills on the first build would be wise. I suspect a standie is going to be a significant undertaking in and of itself.

Something that always helps me is making a small scale model first ... Cardboard or something “handy” ... Helps to visualize the arrangement...

I literally measured myself and factored that into the interior dimensions, and door size. I wanted to make sure that I never hit my head on any of the cabinet edges, so I ran an arc on the plans from my seat to my head from pillow to toes and kept everything a couple of inches outside of that arc. I probably could have got a little more storage space inside, but as it is turning out the interior is nice and roomy, and that was more important to me.

I would prioritize your inside space first, then chisel away the front, if possible, to where the start of the wedge is at or below the roof line of the Rav. From there the flatter the slope the better the aero will be... but aesthetics count, too. In the end you have to like what you see.

Interior lay out in any of these small campers always seems to come down to the compromise of how you get in and out of bed. If the bed is crosswise up against a wall, someone will have to climb over or be disturbed in the night, and the camper ends up being fairly wide (TV mirrors might need extending). If the bed is lengthwise and you enter from the foot or head, you have some crawling and/or squirming around to do to get into position. The TD platform solves all of these issues, IMO, by providing side entry for both occupants using the "sit and spin" method of entry (assuming optimized door location).

If (when?) I build GPW's slide in standy design, I will look at making it a bunkhouse style with a narrow aisle in the middle and couch/convertible bunks on either side sleeping lengthwise. That way either occupant can get out of the side of their bed and exit thru the rear door. Should still be cozy enough and a drop in filler could be used as a narrow table or to make one larger bed if desired.

Sorry if some of this doesn't apply to your plans, but a lot of people before us have spent a great deal of time contributing, discussing and dealing with these types of issues; the woulda-shoulda-coulda, learn as you go, do over, if I only had thought of that kind of thing, so maybe it will give you some more insight.

All good advice. This forum is solid gold! I'm sitting down now to lay out the interior (subject to change of course) and see where we can go from there. The back of the Rav is about 5'7" so my 5'2" height (roughly from ground) where the front end angles back should be okay. But if I can bring the angle down from a 45 I suspect it would be good.

A little background on why we (mainly I but the wife is a good sport so far) want this thing. We live in Seattle and like to go to the coast and surf in the spring summer and fall. In the winter we snowboard. Currently if we're making a weekend or longer we sleep in the car with both dogs (sometimes in a 2.5 person leaky tent). I think we can all agree any horizontal bed with a mattress will be a win here :-) At 30 I think I have a couple more years of not minding crawling around to get into bed but we'll see. The standie will hopefully give us room to change (from the wetsuits or snowboarding gear) as well as a place to hang the wet stuff up so it can dry a bit. Also want room for a porta potty so we can dry camp in places where the bushes aren't amiable to us using them (think in a ski resort parking lot or a random city street if need be). A small cook area would be handy or at least a counter to cut stuff and make sandwiches. Anything else is a bonus.

One more comment, the 6' width we could get from a drop in would be awesome. But that's putting us out beyond the shadow of the Rav. I want to see how she gets along towing before I do that. In other words, this is a first attempt that I want to be functional and all but if the build goes wellish and we like it, I suspect another build is in my future

Inside sketches. Figured I can get another foot on that front angle.

You're on your way now! From here, the best advice I can give you is to read all of the Build threads and the Construction Secrets section. There is so much learned experience there.