Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

A year ago or so I found this site and devoured a lot about building foamies and was determined to build one. Life got in the way as it does and that idea went by the wayside.

I've returned and am determined to make this happen! I wanna go camping so bad I can taste it. I love the idea of a foamie because of the cost, lighter weight and seemingly less required woodworking skills to pull it off? I am pretty handy with tools but am by no means a carpenter.

I'm reading and catching up and I'm not seeing a ton of "newish" threads so I thought I'd ask the question....are there any new ideas that people have tried in the past year or two that has worked well? From what I've read, the whole foamie thing is still a bit of an experiment and more then one idea seems to work well. I was very interested in the idea of using PVC pipe as a frame.

If it matters, I'm looking at making a simple one. 4' x 8' trailer. No galley or disco dance floor A door, a window or two, some vents, a place to plug in an outside extension cord so I can plug some things in while camping....that's about it.

I'm still so overwhelmed in how to start. There doesn't seem to be one way of doing things - ha ha - which is a good thing I guess but it also can cripple someone like myself from doing anything because I'm so worried about doing the wrong thing or doing the right thing wrong. I'm REALLY worried about covering the outside with canvas and painting it, shellacing or whatever is done. I wish I could glue some PVC pipes together, stretch canvas over it somehow and have it last a lifetime....

Anyway, I think I just need to keep reading and reading and eventually I can start making some decisions.

Hi, welcome back. Here's an actual teardrop out of pvc and duct tape. Foamie too.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=56828&hilit=duct+tape

If you want to keep it simple, I would stick with a normal foamy with a framework made of 2" 4x8 sheets. PVC pipe is not needed and just complicates the job. Kerfs are not too hard if you want a curved front but I went with a V-drop-nose which is also pretty simple if you have a decent table saw (I didn't so it took me longer).

If you are not constrained by money, you can purchase doors & windows and save time & effort.

+1
The simplest foamies are the 4x8s, no framing. Put a small angle on the front to help with air flow. Just put in 1 door, framed in with wood, and you're done!

And then the canvas!

Just for fun, you can get to this point by making only 1 cut. The back piece... But notice your panels are overhanging the front of the plywood by 2 inches... In other words, now you are forced to start cutting.



Mike...

Then I would cut 4" off the front, which leaves 2" of the plywood floor showing.

Then I would cut the angle. In this case I drew a line 15" down and 26" to the left. I used those endpoints to create my line for cutting.



Mike...

at this point I would get the trailer and assemble it. I would move the axle back 12" from the original location. Otherwise the wheel is going to be in the way of your door.

Then set your foamie on your trailer and bolt it down. Note: Even though I show the body bolted down at this point, it's easier to cut the angles and the door on the work bench before assembling.

And then I would cut the opening for the door. 24 x 39, 21 inches from the front of the foam, or 23" from the front of the plywood



Mike...

Cut out two notches 3/4" x 3" at the top of the door. These notches will help prevent stress fractures in the corner.



Mike...

Then frame in the doorway with pine cut to 2" wide.



Mike...

Glue on the front piece and trim



Glue on the angled piece and trim



Now it's time for canvas. There's 2 ways to do canvas. The first is to glue the canvas down the sides and underneath the plywood, and then attach the body to the chassis. This is the proven way. Another option is to glue the canvas down the sides and underneath the chassis. This method has never been tried, and would require testing.

Glue some molding on the inside of the body to give it strength. Here, for example, I used 1 x 3 pine glued to the floor and walls.



Mike...

For the door I would probably just do a plywood door, with a hole cut into it for the window.



Frame in the inside of the door frame.



Add a window


add a door knob


Here's the final result...


Okay, I'm done, where's the canvas guys?

Mike...

Here’s a start ... canvas theory ...

Probably should wait until foamie is painted to put on the fenders - they will just get in the way.

This link will give you a list of the most recent foamies built or under construction: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=44659&start=90


canvas pictures :
Read about surface prep below - here is my foamie side ready for canvas:


Wallpaper Perforator is useful to prevent bubbles and add some strength to the TB II to canvas bond:


Canvas reinforcing strip wall to floor ready for installation (stapled to 2x2 floor support:


TB II painted on, canvas rubbed into place, smoothed with wallpaper applicator, edges trimmed with razor, edges painted w/ glue and pressed flat:


And the main canvas cover over the side:

Which is essentially how GPW made Foamie #1 which I own and have dubbed the Nookery. He used TBII and fiberglass tape on all the seams inside and out. Details are in the big foamies thread. The door is wood framed foam and I added a handle after I bought it. Mike's design gives you a full 48" of room in the cabin, which for me is almost a slouchy. Building the shell and canvasing was done prior to mounting it on the trailer. If I remember correctly, the shell weight guess was about 200 lbs without the vent mounted.

Here’s a pic of the start of covering on Foamie #1 (Nookery now) Very similar to what you have proposed Mike !!! Do you want a step by step on covering ...???

Glenn,

I'm looking for just enough information here so that djdawg, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't have to go and read the huge entire giant foamie thread! What is it up to now, 450 pages, 20 messages per page? Even at 1 minute per message we are looking at 150 hours of reading.