Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Posted: **Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:02 pm**

Good evening new friends!

So I have a 2003 Camry, looking to start my trailer this week and finish it in a month! So I'm wondering what snags I'll be running into, and what realistic expectations I should have. I'm prepared to set sail with a "campable" trailer if need be.

Here are some of my first questions:

* Is there a difference between foamular 150 and 250?
* Should I put a layer of foam down on the floor for insulation?
* Would my trailer be more resilient if I used resin instead of glue?
* Can somebody link me to the most resilient framing options for a lightweight/low-cost foamie?
* Is it really adequate to just use liquid nails to hold together the foam before I coat it?
* I feel like this is just me being neurotic, but a well-built foamie should be able to tolerate highway speeds, right?
* I want to be able to sit in the camper in an upright position to practice music; will this thing get too tall?

I'm going to be living out of this camper for at least two weeks, but maybe months depending on how things shake out. I have a business delivering custom miniconcerts to people from their loved ones. It's like singing telegrams, except I play the instruments, do full songs, and learn any and every song.

I'll be leaving Philly on January 1st for at least three months, though I may have an apartment for some of that. I'm starting going through the south, and I'm hoping that adequate ventilation and a roof vent/fan will help keep me cool.

I'm also hoping to store my instruments in a compartment under my bed to keep them from the elements somewhat.

Let me know what you think!

Posted: **Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:15 pm**

dotrosedotnet wrote:... looking to start my trailer this week and finish it in a month!

Hmm, that's pretty ambitious! Even the best builders here can take several months for their projects. I started mine 2 years ago.

But I love the idea for the mobile music caravan! My mom used to haul her cello everywhere in her pop-up tent trailer.

Posted: **Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:19 am**

eLink wrote:
dotrosedotnet wrote:... looking to start my trailer this week and finish it in a month!

Hmm, that's pretty ambitious! Even the best builders here can take several months for their projects. I started mine 2 years ago.

But I love the idea for the mobile music caravan! My mom used to haul her cello everywhere in her pop-up tent trailer.

yeah, I was originally thinking about a really simple plywood box kinda build just for sleeping in, but I'm seeing all this foam construction and getting p excited about a more functional trailer. I work my own schedule, so I feel like I could really put a lot of hours into this to make it work, but I'm afraid that things like drying times may get in the way.

Your mom sounds like a badass! I was thinking about bringing my upright bass, which I won't need for serenades, but which I love to play. It's sooooo big though. Might have to spoon it in the night if I wanted to bring it.

Posted: **Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:23 am**

I joined two years ago started mine before that,
Don’t run out and buy liquid nails, I think you will get a better answer.

One I like :thinking:

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72903

Posted: **Mon Nov 23, 2020 2:17 pm**

twisted lines wrote:I joined two years ago started mine before that,
Don’t run out and buy liquid nails, I think you will get a better answer.

One I like

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72903

so grateful for the clarity in these posts! thank you!!

Posted: **Tue Nov 24, 2020 7:19 am**

dotrosedotnet wrote:

Here are some of my first questions:

* Is there a difference between foamular 150 and 250?
I used 1.5" 150 foam board and all worked out fine! Others prefer 2", especially for the roof. Personally, if you curve the roof I don't see the need from anything thicker than 1.5". The stress applied on the curve adds much strength. I kerfed as required and stressed as I could to obtain the curve I hoped for.

* Should I put a layer of foam down on the floor for insulation?
If it's going to be used in the coldest of the year, you bet! I camp 3 season, so I did not.

* Would my trailer be more resilient if I used resin instead of glue?
Not as far as I'm concerned, but others may dis-agree with me. If glue, the material (canvas or..) makes a bit difference. I went canvas on my first build (wish I had gone a better material like duck cloth) and fiberglass/resin on my last build. To me it's more about the finished look then strength.

* Can somebody link me to the most resilient framing options for a lightweight/low-cost foamie?
Verses attempting to adapt another design to fit your needs, I suggest starting a design on Sketchup by drawing up your required storage, bed and sitting. Submit the ideas and you'll see a bunch of folk jump in and help you along! I did a bunch researching on lifted tops (pop-up roof) and am now a fan of these. Tows low and once there, lift the roof for the additional space!

* Is it really adequate to just use liquid nails to hold together the foam before I coat it?
Simple answer.. Nope! Several folks have experimented with several adhesives that work well. I like Gorilla Glue (original), but I'm used to the product (short learning curve) and like it. I find it cheaper than any of the tube style adhesives.

* I feel like this is just me being neurotic, but a well-built foamie should be able to tolerate highway speeds, right?
This is a common question and several have shown that they indeed do. I feared this as well on my first build..

* I want to be able to sit in the camper in an upright position to practice music; will this thing get too tall?
Indeed it could! Depends on the design. As I said earlier, I'm a fan of lifting roofs!

Let me know what you think!

Well, there's a few thoughts for you! A one month build is ambitious, yet possible, depending on design, Design phase is very important, don't skip this even if you find a plan you think could work, proof it out first.
Hope some of this helps!

Posted: **Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:57 am**

dotrosedotnet wrote:Good evening new friends!

* Is there a difference between foamular 150 and 250?
* Should I put a layer of foam down on the floor for insulation? I haven't needed it and I've woken up a few times to snow. But you could easily just lay this in under your mattress afterwards if you desire.
* Would my trailer be more resilient if I used resin instead of glue?
* Can somebody link me to the most resilient framing options for a lightweight/low-cost foamie? Other than foam? Mine is all 2" foam (2 layers of 3/4" kerfed for the roof), with a 1x2 brace along the interior perimeter of the floor. I have about 8 1x2 braces across the ceiling to give some strength and attach the roof to. I spent about 3,500 all inclusive on my foamie. It was more than I anticipated, but it also included all tools and stuff for towing.
* Is it really adequate to just use liquid nails to hold together the foam before I coat it? My foamie is made mostly with gorilla glue holding all the sides, roof, windows, and doors. There's a few screws in there, but not much else. You'll have to be careful with liquid nails, the base adhesive may not match well with the pink foam and can melt it. Gorilla glue will not melt it.
* I feel like this is just me being neurotic, but a well-built foamie should be able to tolerate highway speeds, right? Yup! I've definitely driver 80-90 for stretches of time. My foamie has 8 years and almost 20,000 miles on it and still going (can't say strong per say, but it will make it another season). I'm in Colorado, so nearly every single trip has required traversing mountain passes. No issues.
* I want to be able to sit in the camper in an upright position to practice music; will this thing get too tall? You should be able to sit up in any of them. DH and I can hang out and play a board game comfortably in ours.

Hiya. I've answered some of your preliminary questions above. I built the base of my foamie in about a months time. But this was only the base allowing me to camp, it had no interior storage built in yet. I added it over the course of a few trips. I think you can definitely get a useable camper in a months time, but it needs to be simple and not have any extras (I have no electric). If you really want to make it quickly, I would not make a classic teardrop design but rather cut out the rounded corners to make some straight angles instead. Making the curved hatch fit correctly with the sidewalls was frustrating and took a relatively significant amount of time. And to this day I don't really have the back waterproofed great it still leaks if it rains for days or if you drive in torrential rain. If you can make the hatch a straight door opening it might not look as nice, but you'll save yourself some time and headaches. Also, I splurged for pre-made doors. No regrets.

I will say my foamie bounces a decent amount especially on forest roads. Not sure what range of instruments you'll be carrying, but anything super sensitive to vibrations or movement you might want to store in your car versus the teardrop.

Posted: **Tue Dec 01, 2020 7:55 pm**

twisted lines wrote:I joined two years ago started mine before that,
Don’t run out and buy liquid nails, I think you will get a better answer.

One I like

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72903

Definitely consider following George's (ghcoe) design for a 1 month build! His youtube channel is amazing, too!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xVuH ... yrw/videos

Posted: **Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:04 am**

Welcome to the nuthouse!

I agree, after reading several build threads here a one month timeline is extremely ambitious but I think if you really need to get on the road you could slap together a 4x4x8 foot weathertight box to exist in on the road in that timeframe. The beauty of foam and canvas construction is you can easily modify your camper on the road with minimal tools. If you have some downtime and a stretch of a couple nice sunny days you could easily cut a hole in a wall with a machete or a simple hotwire and add a window, for example.

Posted: **Thu Dec 03, 2020 4:26 am**

Sorta‘ build as you Go eh Rob ??? :thumbsup:

Posted: **Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:07 am**

it is good to have high ideals

and personally i do...

i just keep a few waivers in my pocket just in case

sw

Posted: **Sat Dec 05, 2020 2:35 pm**

I am so grateful for all of this information!!

I am picking up my trailer tomorrow, which will be considerably larger than most teardrops at 6x10, but I'm confident that I can keep it at the correct weight and find uses for the extra space. I'll be posting again looking for help soon!

Thanks again!!!

Posted: **Sat Dec 05, 2020 9:02 pm**

Nothing wrong with 6x10. I like a bit of elbow room and that might give you just enough to bring your stand up bass! Your Camry is just shy of 4'8". How high is the deck of your trailer and what is it made of? Assuming just for fun the deck is a foot off the ground you could have a trailer roof height of nearly six feet and have plenty of headroom to sit up inside, yet not be dragging a parachute behind your Camry.

GPW put together this design some time ago. A version like this might do the trick for you.

Posted: **Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:19 am**

rjgimp wrote:Nothing wrong with 6x10. I like a bit of elbow room and that might give you just enough to bring your stand up bass! Your Camry is just shy of 4'8". How high is the deck of your trailer and what is it made of? Assuming just for fun the deck is a foot off the ground you could have a trailer roof height of nearly six feet and have plenty of headroom to sit up inside, yet not be dragging a parachute behind your Camry.

GPW put together this design some time ago. A version like this might do the trick for you.

Love this intel!

I feel like this would be more difficult than building a traditional teardrop shape! I'm thinking about doing the trad shape without a galley... Or might it be possible to add a galley later? Like, cut off a section of the back and have at it?

Posted: **Sun Dec 06, 2020 10:41 am**

If you are building with foam, and particularly if you are skinning it with canvas and paint, you can lop chunks off and reconstruct it however you like at any later point.

Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

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