Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

or No Regrets Bucket List Tour....or No Regrets BLT....

The Build has started in my Book....the name will appear later....



I have the trailer, a TSC 5x8 by Carry On, 2k axle, 13" wheels, mesh floor low open rails landscape trailer with ramp. I will need to remove the ramp, extend the tongue, add some diagonal bars.

I am starting with the idea of a copy of Camp Capsule Foamy...at least that is what am starting with...that idea, but likely to morph into who knows what? I am looking at trying for close to the same interior space and weight that ScottE achieved. I am not hung up on what I build looking exactly the same.

I guess at this point its important to list as part of the build....exactly what is driving the build....

Seven years ago I prepared my 34 Travel Trailer and my GMC 2500HD Duramax/Allison for the road.....full time.....and I almost made it.....but.....like many of you have found 'life' happens....I already had a diagnosis that is degenerative and it looked like I had maybe two years to get a year on the road....maybe....so that was the plan.....well so much happened....it wasn't the physical ability that kept me off the road, not in total....it was only a part....fast forward to NOW.....

The degenerative part 'HAS' got to a point....where I can more likely predict where I won't be able to physically build anything.....nor spend anytime on the road......I am almost there....it has taken a little longer than anyone thought, but, hey, I am good with it....I am ready to hit the road.....but first I need to build the ship.....

I am long time tinkerer....build a lot of 'things'.....master craftsman = NOT.....I rehabbed a few houses and still have the tools...I mostly watched....

I am going to attempt to build a foamy.....sold my truck, have been living in my RV all these years....me and the wife.....I have a recent model Equinox that I pulled a rented teardrop about 2500 miles back in June for proof of concept....it was a Rustic Trails Papa Bear....just under 1k dry weight.....and all was good....

So, I am building to take that Bucket List Tour.....one last trip to nowhere in particular......and no particular speed....for as long as I want.....

I am declining.....and I have had a horrible summer.....heat doesn't work for me anymore....and I am not just saying that....so, now that fall is here...its time....So...this has to start and get built in a timely manner.....as next year probably isn't going to work for me.....

So, Big.....it has to be comfortable enough to stand in, sit in, sleep in and potty in.....
It has to Bare enough that I can afford to build it.......and it won't take as long to build...
It has to just Essential enough that I can tow it, sleep in it, and sit, stand and...potty....with A/C......

If I can figure how out to make it easily removable, that would be the best thing for me, as I still have a lot of stuff, and the new trailer is taking place of my truck....and I would rather not have two landscape trailers and a third box trailer....I already still have a 6x12 box trailer that is a remnant from when I rehabbed houses....I just don't have the tow vehicle for it....so I use it for a tool box. (story for another day....I was contemplating using the box trailer for a conversion to a camper....).

It has been raining here the last two days....I am itching to get started....I have a old metal carport frame with a large tarp slung over it....basically it gives me a 20 x 24 pavilion to work under....no garage.

I have the plywood to start the building the 'tub'....once I get it built....I may build it a foot overhanging the rear, as I intend to 'play' with the removable idea for a few days....

At the same time....I have obtained a little of just about everything needed to start....I have a few 2" sheet of foam, a 1" sheet, that my wife and I will start testing the fiberglass screen, muslin and twill we have with Titebond II and Gripper....all of which we have on hand...I thought about epoxy or resin, and thats about as far as that will go...last time I did fiberglassing....I sloughed off most of skin on the inside of my throat....and scared me enough to leave that stuff to others....along with my other issues....one of the reasons for 'rolling my own' is that I am allergic to most everything....and what I am not truly allergic to....just irritates me....so....there we have another driver....

So I decided the way to get started actually building and not just accumulating 'stuff', would be to say I was, so there you go....

and am I ready to cut Foam? how about 17 Variacs?

Good luck with your build and your bucket list. I am also getting ready for yet another road trip in November with no particular destination in mind. All the best. Jim

facing one's limitations w/ a positive attitude & goals(realistic though potentially unattainable) is one's best direction IMHO

it is great to have high ideals

just keep a select few waivers in your pocket

i also have run up against a wall though not as thick & hard as yours and find myself keeping busy with activities and projects that are within my diminishing abilities

whatever it takes to keep me outa this d...n LazyBoy chair...

continue being active constructive and productive are my goals as i read are yours



GO 4 IT

sw

Jim, those are the best trips...never know who or what you run into.

sw....only way to fly...I have wore out the recliner....

So....here is where I am today....



I really would like to make a removable 'pod' so I still easily use the trailer...and it will have to easily come off and go back on...

I did a scratch pad brainstorm session and that is what I come up with...I have to check tomorrow and see just how many of those casters and which types I still have, think I have at least 6 maybe another odd one....so, on the pad....the trailer, the 'pod' and the convertible 'pod cart'....

The Pod will overhang the trailer some amount....and the first pair of jacks/casters will bolt to the back overhanging camper, be jacked up and after the rest of the camper is unbolted, the trailer will be pulled out from under the camper a ways, until #2 TNUT holes are uncovered and the next pair of jack/caster are installed in the same TNUT mounting holes, and then removing the trailer completely and installing the 3 set of jack/casters, a set of joiners will used to 'join' the jack/pairs to make a cart of different size and configuration, will at least 4 wheels on the ground, or a total of six.

anyone have any ideas on this?

Here’s an interior idea for a carry on trailer …

GPW wrote:Here’s an interior idea for a carry on trailer …

Hi GPW.....where down the bayou are you?

sorry....I think I referenced to you as GPS in another post or two or three....I was actually talking about that picture and your picture of the 'tub' details of construction....

so much information and so little time....

the dilemma is: to build with what I have as far as knowledge and be ready to adjust on the fly......or to spend a couple of years trying to pull out every single breadcrumb of knowledge left behind on this trail.....let's build....

I am not really very creative.....definitely not artistic.....but I consider myself a follower of the Ancient Greeks....who also are remembered as masterful copiers and consolidation artists when it comes to technology and 'things'.......plenty to copy from....here.....

and so.....that is why I am no stranger here....as far as hovering.....have been for years....the time is right now for building....and I am hoping to incorporate a lot of others ideas into my 'essential' unit....really soon....already doing that....

I was born at Big Charity, raised on the Best Bank(mostly) with some years in Houma....my mother was born in Larose and raised in Barataria, my father was born at Welcome Plantation and raised a few blocks from Tipitina's.....I spent Hurricane Camille on my uncle's 70' double barrel biloxi shrimp boat....

back to the image....I am going to assemble the tub and play with the on/off concept for a few days, temporarily throw up the side walls and play with the layout before I commit to any 'hard' points.....I am thinking I will turn the bed long axis running with the trailer long axis, don't want to climb over each other......I am very visual.....and something held in my hand is soon visualized into all sorts of projects....

and then the choice of outer skinning methods....quite a few to choose from.....or even try something new? or mix and match, or go against the grain.

getting a late start today.....but hey.....thats what I do....I am always recovering from something....so slow going with little spurts of activity, whenever the mood and/or the ability give me an opening....I usually take it.

and if you ever are in the mood for another Variac.....last count I think I have 17.....going to cut some foam.....I worked avionics in USAF, F106 in a previous life....I had a TV shop for 8 years, I worked in the oilfield for about 6 years, and in the end I was programming of mid range computers AS/400....and lets not forget picking shrimp...and a whole bunch of other things....I took a side turn down memory lane a couple of years ago and picked up a couple hundred pieces of electronics lab equipment from the shut down NAP (North American Philips) Sylvania/Magnavox/) operation that was here in TN....the stash I found was sitting on a warehouse floor for a number of years. I am a Ham: KM4YEC.....got that checkoff on the bucket list.....build a camper....next on the list....

so.....getting to know what someone is looking to do and what they have done before hopefully leads to building a better boat.....

time to finish off that last cup of coffee and pill number 20....

LC , we’re in NOLA … Welcome to the Trailer family … !!!

GPW, thanks for the welcome, a big part of me building a foamy is to be able to sleep in driveways in the NOLA area....it seems that all family have dogs, cats...and other sorts of allergens (sick houses) just lurking waiting for me to forget and try to make a overnight trip to their house and not get sick.....doens't seem possible anymore.

My big trailer, a 34 foot Copper Canyon Sprinter by Keystone is the mid level average junk, that is falling apart, I did a lot of customization over the years and now it is just a terminal work site. And then try living in one for almost 7 years.....amazing mine has a lasted this long....soon it will hard to find anything that is original. I am bypassing one of the grey water tanks today in the kitchen, something I should have done years ago.

I have learned a lot about how these things are put together and what one can do with one, along with a few other ways of looking at it...all of these experiences give me a clearer idea of what I want and don't want in my build.

I still have plans to spend more time digesting more of your images and ideas, thanks for being so generous in sharing.

LostCajun wrote:...
I really would like to make a removable 'pod' so I still easily use the trailer...and it will have to easily come off and go back on...
... anyone have any ideas on this?

I was thinking that if you take four wheeled trailer jacks and fixed them to a piece of wood to be attachable and removable to your cabin sidewall at four corners, then you could lift the cabin and pull it away off your trailer.. I recall seeing something like that on this board, but don't know where is it. It was a removable teardrop from a cargo trailer. I wish you all the best.

EDIT: I fount it. In your case you would not need those large adapters because your walls would be overhanging the wheel wells. But the jacks are the same.
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=31995

OP827 wrote:

LostCajun wrote:...
I really would like to make a removable 'pod' so I still easily use the trailer...and it will have to easily come off and go back on...
... anyone have any ideas on this?

I was thinking that if you take four wheeled trailer jacks and fixed them to a piece of wood to be attachable and removable to your cabin sidewall at four corners, then you could lift the cabin and pull it away off your trailer.. I recall seeing something like that on this board, but don't know where is it. It was a removable teardrop from a cargo trailer. I wish you all the best.

EDIT: I fount it. In your case you would not need those large adapters because your walls would be overhanging the wheel wells. But the jacks are the same.
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=31995

I looked real hard at this...and I could be wrong in the conclusion that I came up with....but, here goes....

True, I have the 'wing's overhanging in the planned build to place a jack under the four corners pretty easy....except I don't think as planned to build the stress of jacking up will find its way to any obstacle and likely to fold up the wings.....to build in the necessary framing to transfer the load would add a lot of weight I don't have in my build to lose to this.

My plan is to overhang the rear end, jack it up and pull the trailer out from under the 'pod' placing jacks under it as it moves forward.....actually building a cart....

But, then I may be all wrong....I am just guessing.

You would have to destroy your front or back walls and side walls to fold up the trailer wings. The structure of the wings is held by side walls and front and back walls, so it is not as weak as someone would think. If the foamy corners are carefully reinforced with wood and plywood, this is a feasible option IMHO.
But as you drafted, it should also work, you could use HDPE strips at the sides to make it slide out easier, if you plan on composite deck boards, they are heavy, a plywood floor should work. Overhang idea sounds good.

time to test some cover ups and joints, thinking about taking this roller and make a multi perforator by installing a lot of points of something....

about the jacking on the wings....I might do some testing....I forgot today to check out the casters....something for tomorrow....

thinking about how to lay out my plywood if I decide to definitely go 9 foot long.

I'm actually designing/building the same idea of being "modular". But I'm building my trailer so I have full control of the design. Glad to see someone else doing the same thing.

main thing is keep it light weight and make sure floor is strong enough. Mine I'm working in with the intent the camper can be dropped anywhere and able to use it without it on the trailer. But I wont have the more elaborate interior your looking at.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

aw come on....life.....give me a break....(be careful what you wish for....)

I have been getting everything ready to jump in a start building....and that break I was hoping for.....well not exactly what I hoping for....but I caught a break.....or more like a tear......not a tear......wow....tear and tear both spell the same way?

Yeah.....now I tear the connection of my supposed six pack....and now instead of supporting my youthful, girlish figure.....my abs point out at least 45 degrees toward centerline and are separated by a 2x6 or at least a 2x4.....so I now can add a girdle to my teardrop build......now how do I throw around those sheets of 3/4"........there is the will.....the way is not shut.....just a little delayed......I have known for a long time I wanted an overhead hoist at my RV lot......have to see if I can build a big thrifty hoist.....I do have an unused harbor freight truck bed hoist....and I have unused wench or winch? yeah....winch......one can dream anyway.....about the winch....

good thing the rest of it is foam.....I just have to get the plywood done.....time to put the new girdle on.....abdominal binder.....and now I need to add some hard points in the ceiling to add a trapeze to raise myself out of bed....

Tigris99 wrote:I'm actually designing/building the same idea of being "modular". But I'm building my trailer so I have full control of the design. Glad to see someone else doing the same thing.

main thing is keep it light weight and make sure floor is strong enough. Mine I'm working in with the intent the camper can be dropped anywhere and able to use it without it on the trailer. But I wont have the more elaborate interior your looking at.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Do you have a design worked out?