Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

For those of you who were curious about this type of construction I found this super light weight today.

Check it out, http://www.happitrails.com/

Mark

Hey that sounds familiar. they are also in Texas too albeit 8 hours away. Too bad it is a "small floorplan" from what I gather, 4X8 is a bit too small.

It also has suicide doors on it... :forcefeed:

Mike...

mikeschn wrote:It also has suicide doors on it... :forcefeed:

Mike...

Is there a reason why you don't normally see the door hinged that way? If you are travelling down the highway and it is pouring rain, does the rain stay out? or is it getting forced inside?

Grant, what's your experience on this?

with cars, i don't think it was rain getting sucked in as much as people getting sucked out....they don't call 'em "suicide doors" fer nuthin'....

Maybe someone with a good eye for history can shed some light on this. Grant?

My first thought is that if the door is not properly latched, or if the latch comes undone while driving, the door can be whipped back possbily damaging to door, the trailer, or both. It could ruin the hinges, and the door could become out of alignment. It could possibly shatter the window in which case you'd have to buy another one from Grant. Hey, now there's an idea for repeat business!

What da ya think?

Mike...

O.K. ...

...With today's properly adjusted and maintained latches, there's very little chance of a "suicide-hung" door un-latching and being blown back while going down the road ... unless YOU forgot to double-check that the door was latched before departing. LB01 has a suicide-hung door and has had no problems in it's 20 years on the road, even surviving a right side "kiss" of a bridge abutment at over 50 mph without coming open.

With a factory made pre-hung flush-mount door, it's not likely that you'll have leakage problems while driving in the rain. However, if you have built your own doors in the traditional fashion (T-molding trimming the outside edges of the door) and hung them suicide-style, then there is a good chance that water could be blown in past the door seal, UNLESS you've extended your drip molding all the way past the lower front corner of your door (which is a GOOD IDEA in front of the hinge of a "normally-hung" door).

Suicide-hung doors CAN function without trouble and give your teardrop a distinctive look. BUT, you must construct them carefully, latch them properly, and most importantly, PAY ATTENTION and make SURE the doors are securely latched before driving away.

Yes, there IS a reason they're called "Suicide Doors", but the secret to successfully living with and enjoying them is "pay attention, pay attention, pay attention ..."

CHEERS!

Grant

I hadn't closed one of our doors properly once and noticed it waving about while driving down the highway. Glad it wasn't installed the other way! Now I double check each time to ensure they are closed well.

I have always been a little paranoid about the doors coming open so I hook a Bungee cord between them on the inside before I hit the road.

Mark Mckeeman wrote:For those of you who were curious about this type of construction I found this super light weight today.

Check it out, http://www.happitrails.com/

Mark

Kinda what I was thinkin of making my rig from.

Anybody got a source on these panels in 4' x 8' size? This a Home Depot thing?

Still in planning...

I formerly owned a 1972 Winnebago Brave which was constructed this way. That is why I also am thinking of making my tear this way. In home construction they are called Sips, Structural Insulated Panels. Very strong and light. Anyone else who is thinking of doing it this way please keep in touch with me so we can share mistakes, or I mean information.

BrwBier wrote:I formerly owned a 1972 Winnebago Brave which was constructed this way. That is why I also am thinking of making my tear this way. In home construction they are called Sips, Structural Insulated Panels. Very strong and light. Anyone else who is thinking of doing it this way please keep in touch with me so we can share mistakes, or I mean information.

No problem.

Do they 'glass over these SIPs? Or am I gonna have to do it myself?

These are homemade SIPs. No glass of course.

The biggest problem with SIPs is that you don't have any material in there to bolt your windows or doors to. So you'll want to add some framing in the area of the doors and windows.


Hmmm.. You'll also want to add some framing in the area of the cabinets and the galley. And don't forget to add framing around the edge for your roof spars.

By George, I think you'll end up with something similar to this...



Mike....

Hey, Mike, good looking side for that trailer. Also glad to see the new avatar! (couldn't help stickin' that in there)

I agree that the foam wall would provide no attachment points. Yes, it would make for a light trailer....................extremely minimalistic and spartan, but I can't see how it would be of much use other than basic weather protection.

I guess their is something you dont understand about Sips. The first word is structural. They will hold way more than you think. If you are only fastening your windows and doors to the wood frame then you dont understand how to build a vehicle. The doors and windows have an outside frame and an inside frame, they are fastened to each other, creating a sandwich of the outside skin the foam core and the inside paneling. Very tight, strong and leak proof. The skin, core, and paneling are bonded to each other. My Winnebago, built this way would hold on the roof, an a/c unit and at least 6 people in lawn chairs. As for no place to fasten the spars, I don't intend on using any. If my plan works as designed then the roof will be self supporting. The galley will be a wholly self contained unit that slides in from the rear, like a piece of furniture. All systems will be contained in this section with only electical and propane coming up from conduit in the floor.