Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Been playing with foamie Standie design ideas. My drawing is close to scale (mostly) . The standee will be about 6'6" tall exterior x 6' wide exterior x 8' to 10' long (cabin size) the front wall about 4' tall.
I've designed it as a wedged shape to be more aerodynamic , and less weight. Plus I really do not need the added interior space.
So I'm looking for input on my design. Will the shape cause handling problems ( I rarely drive over 60mph)
Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly . At this point I have not spent any money, and paper is cheap. And designs can be changed.
I'm trying to load a photo of the design. But not have much luck. You may be able to see it here. rustytoolss album in the galleys area. Then again maybe not.

Having had no building experience with foam campers or tears I have read on here that your cabin so to speak should not be taller than the trailer is wide. I suggest you might look it up on the forum and see if that is the reccomendation.

Lil Guy does a rear entry door of similar shape as your plan. But of course yours is bigger...

You need a few more dimensions so we can better see your ideas...

Like where is the axle located?

How high is the trailer chassis off the ground?

Someone did a plywood version of your design. It seemed to have worked out good for him. Ok, it's similar to your design. You'll see what I mean when you look at it here: viewtopic.php?p=1134060#p1134060

Mike...

mikeschn wrote:Lil Guy does a rear entry door of similar shape as your plan. But of course yours is bigger...

You need a few more dimensions so we can better see your ideas...

Like where is the axle located?

How high is the trailer chassis off the ground?

Someone did a plywood version of your design. It seemed to have worked out good for him. Ok, it's similar to your design. You'll see what I mean when you look at it here: viewtopic.php?p=1134060#p1134060

Mike...

I'm hoping to use a "used" older pop up frame. Which should have a low ground clearance . I can't really say the axle location as of yet. As I do not have a frame. But I would think the axle location for a pop up, should be in about the right position ??

Well since l ,m not getting a bunch of negative posts.. I guess it may work o

Looks good. If you start to build prior to the frame being on hand, mind where things open.


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Oh, and during camping season replies are slower.


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Everyone is camping ....

Will it have the bed in the whole front part and standing room only in the back? If that is the case. You could drop the trailer floor down in the back (stepped floor)to give you more head room or reduce the over all height. Just a thought.

No answers just means that none of us have them for your specific question. Handling is most influenced by axle placement vs. length and weight distribution, and to a certain degree if the frame is not level or slightly nose down at ride height.

Stability in the wind is relative to wheelbase width vs. side cross section and height. If you have a tall narrow camper it will be more susceptible to cross winds and turbulence from adjacent traffic. At 6 wide with the wheels set back that is in your favor. At 6 high you give a little back, but might still be fine depending on where the weight ends up.

What is your floor plan and sleeping arrangement? It is kind of hard to provide useful feedback when you are so early in the planning stage. If you are not building on a known standard trailer, and aren't planning to build your own, the trailer you end up finding will have a lot more to say about your build.

Keep looking at similar builds to what you want. The details will come in time spent planning. We are here to help, but we need more than just a simple profile and width. Are you planning a rear entry or just one door on the far side of your sketch? If the later, we almost universally recommend two doors, one on either side.

If a rear door and sleeping across wise, who will climb over who? If sleeping lengthwise with a rear door, will you sleep with your head at the front or rear of the mattress? Do you like climbing into bed that way?

You say you don't need room inside, but are building a 6 wide standie, so there is kind of a mixed message there compared to a typical TD. Just saying, answers aren't always easy when you move "outside the box".

My overall plan is to have two 78" couches (1each side, going length wise) in the front sloped area, for sleeping on. Each side..

Mine is similar to what you're talking about and I haven't had any stability issues. I also angled the side walls to help with cross winds but I think that was overkill.

natemiller wrote:Mine is similar to what you're talking about and I haven't had any stability issues. I also angled the side walls to help with cross winds but I think that was overkill.

I personally think what you did with angled walls is smart, since it is also reduced frontal area and air drag. I like it.

The angled front will probably not help reduce drag and may even increase it.
A rounded front tapered to the back at the correct angle is the best aerodynamic shape. the taper actually pushes you forward as the air goes past it.

Do some reading on ecomodder.com and there is a lot to learn about it.

Increases drag compared to a teardrop or a big box?