Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

good evening Tnttt members..

I've been reading and researching foam trailers for some time..
while I like the concept of a foamie.. I was wondering if anyone had completed or considered JUST using the fabric for a lightweight camper..

a few years back (many now) I made a lift off top for a hot rod project out of 1/4 inch round stock and aircraft stitz fabric
















i havent really shown the car with the top on for a long time.. as I enjoyed the car topless more! but after reading about the foamie concept I wonder if I could just use fabric over steel tubing?
it would be light (maybe not as light as a foamie actually)
and fabrication would be relatively quick..

recently I bought a used cnc router and have already considered cutting plywood or foam sides for a trailer, however something tells me that this might be better??

looking for thoughts from the group?

Welcome, Sawzall:
First off, you did a beautiful job on that car!

As to your question about using fabric only, if you are going to do that, I don't believe that you would be even as well off as a canvas pop-up. Here's why:

- You'd be off the ground but, really, you'd still be in a tent.
- Foam insulates. You would have no insulation to hold in heat and keep you warm.
- Ditto, to keep the heat at bay.
- You would not enjoy the sound-deadening effects of foam.
- You would have difficulty hanging things.
- What would you do about storage cabinets?
- What about windows and doors?
- There are probably more reasons....maybe somebody can add those.

I've seen where people have created a place to mount a tent on a trailer, but for the most part I think people are looking for the hard walls, and moving up from a tent. What you are proposing would probably be more sturdy than a typical tent, it doesn't have insulation, or a place for wiring. How would you handle the doors?
Tom

There was definitely talk about that in the big thrifty thread, IIRC.

There was a super light weight, super high tech composite build that may have used some type of high tech fabric for the shell (I'm a little fuzzy on that one, but remember the guy could practically pick a side up to change the tire).

And finally, there was an old time restoration that used a canvas top like a covered wagon.

Let me have a look for some links.

... and welcome to the forum!

Okay, the ultralight wasn’t really a fabric covering, but still cool to check out: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=44293

Alfie’s Wood and canvas restoration.

Also, Alaska teardrop builds using steel tube frame structure. Here's a link to his photo gallery.