Lady Tear Droppers, drop in and say "Hello"!

[deleted]

Greetings Lauren and Barbara. Welcome and very excited to watch both of your builds progress!

My first trailer is currently being built in Michigan by one of the builders I met here in the forums. I thought I would undertake my own build but had no experience at building and the workshop I was going to use didn't live up to my expectations when it came to the welding and metal shop classes I took last fall. I had designed exactly what I wanted, a hybrid between a canned ham shape, layout and interior, and a teardrop size. Fred is almost done. He's laying the wiring now before he installs the interior walls. It's getting really real now

[Oldragbaggers]

Who is building your teardrop, Stacie? Is it Frank Bear??

[deleted]

Fred (aka Alaska Teardrop http://www.tnttt.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1480).

He's the only one who jumped into my first build thread who knew how to weld the whole thing together the way I wanted to. We're doing an entire welded frame and chassis, rigid foam board walls skinned with aluminum on the outside and thin wood interior walls and ceiling.

Here are a few pictures. He sends me a batch of update photos every week or so. Or you can check out the build on my blog at this link http://theflirtyguide.blogspot.com/search/label/Trailer%20-%20Build

[S. Heisley]

Hi, Stacie:

It looks like Fred is doing a good job on your trailer. You and he have some thoughtful and innovative ideas. In particular, I like the tongue box idea and also the use of VHB tape as part of the attaching of the aluminium skins. Thanks for sharing your build pictures and comments.

[deleted]

Thanks Sharon. Fred and I have made a good team collaborating from afar. So far it's worked out really well.

A lot of people in the original build thread gave me great ideas to modify my original design and made it more functional and practical. Now I think up crazy ideas and Fred is very open to considering them. Some he says ok, that'll work and others he ixnays but always for good reasons. I'll be using the trailer mainly for overnight excursions around the Bay Area so it's really small at 4'x6', just big enough for me to sleep in with a small galley along one wall.

[S. Heisley]

Thanks Sharon. Fred and I have made a good team collaborating from afar. So far it's worked out really well.

A lot of people in the original build thread gave me great ideas to modify my original design and made it more functional and practical. Now I think up crazy ideas and Fred is very open to considering them. Some he says ok, that'll work and others he ixnays but always for good reasons. I'll be using the trailer mainly for overnight excursions around the Bay Area so it's really small at 4'x6', just big enough for me to sleep in with a small galley along one wall.

Stacie, I woke up, thinking about your little trailer, today. I imagine that Fred already thought about this, but just in case...: If you're going to stow a battery and/or propane in that indoor tongue box, you'll need good ventilation for the fumes. I didn't notice any yet; but, Fred will probably add it later.

[deleted]

Thanks for thinking about this and sharing your concerns Sharon. I'm going with a sealed 12 volt AGM battery (no propane) so there won't be any problem with fumes. The battery costs more than a lead battery but I figured part of the beauty in building such a small trailer (compared to a standee or even a larger teardrop that would have been heavier) and not needing to upgrade my tow vehicle means I can afford to spend more on certain details because of all of the money I'm saving not buying a new car. LOL At least that's how I pointed it out to my husband <- when I pitched the idea of the trailer being my Birthday gift this year

The battery:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/xsp-s975/overview/

[S. Heisley]

Thanks for thinking about this and sharing your concerns Sharon. I'm going with a sealed 12 volt AGM battery (no propane) so there won't be any problem with fumes. The battery costs more than a lead battery but I figured part of the beauty in building such a small trailer (compared to a standee or even a larger teardrop that would have been heavier) and not needing to upgrade my tow vehicle means I can afford to spend more on certain details because of all of the money I'm saving not buying a new car. LOL At least that's how I pointed it out to my husband <- when I pitched the idea of the trailer being my Birthday gift this year

The battery:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/xsp-s975/overview/

Stacie, I have an AGM wheelchair battery (...don't need to do any cranking) and even it out-gases a little when being charged. It wouldn't hurt to put a vent somewhere; but, it's your choice. I assume that you are going to use disposable propane canisters. I hope to see you and your tiny trailer on the road someday soon!

[deleted]

I'll have to watch for that Sharon because we can easily add a small passive vent to the tongue box if needed. But everything I've read everywhere is that the AGM don't have to be vented because they are sealed. If it gasses off even a bit do you think it may be defective with a small leak?

[S. Heisley]

I'll have to watch for that Sharon because we can easily add a small passive vent to the tongue box if needed. But everything I've read everywhere is that the AGM don't have to be vented because they are sealed. If it gasses off even a bit do you think it may be defective with a small leak?

No, it's not defective. While an AGM battery out gasses much less than a lead-acid battery, it is in such a small enclosed area that it is easy to detect what it does give off. When an AGM wheelchair-style battery is charged in a house or room, there is a lot more area for the diffusion of the gas than in our little trailer cabins. Also, our little trailers are usually much more airtight than a house is. If you are charging your AGM battery while you are inhabiting the trailer, it would be best to crack a vent, window or door, just to be on the safe side. ...Better safe than sorry.

[deleted]

I'm definitely on the side of better safe than sorry. Thanks for the tip.

I have the fantastic vent and two windows both with sliders so ventilation shouldn't be a problem. Unless I get a solar panel later I doubt I'll ever be charging the battery while I'm in the cabin. Since most of my camping will be urban style at KOA campgrounds while I'm out covering stories for my blog I'll usually have shoreline power available as well so I'm suspecting I won't need to recharge the battery even if I'm out for a day or two. Right now the only things I anticipate needing to use the battery for each night will be to recharge my camera batteries and phone and run the interior and exterior porch lights while parked.

Later, if I get into dry camping, especially for longer periods, is when I'll add the solar panel but even then I'm usually out all day from pre-dawn to post-sunset taking pictures so it can charge while I'm gone

[Desert-rat]

Hello Ladies, I'm the Desert Rat. living in the grand open dirt of Southern California.

I've not started a build yet, but we do have a plan! thats something right?

ours will be like Stacie Tamaki's, a metal frame with foam inner walls and skinned in the shiny aluminum
the inner walls will be hardboard wainscotting for no other real reason than I like the look of it.

hubby being a welder is definately helpful

now to arrange a day to save the trailer...

[S. Heisley]

Welcome, Desert-rat. With camping season just starting, be sure to visit a few gatherings and take some teardrop and tiny trailer tours. It'll give you lots of ideas and make you even more excited about your future tiny camping trailer. If you go up to the top of the screen and put your cursor on TD Friendly Websites, a pull-down menu will appear. Click on Destinations and you will see all the major gatherings that are planned to date. Enjoy!

[CAJUN LADY]

It's great to see so many new lady faces joining this fun group! Thanks for all the advice to the newbies Sharon...they couldn't be getting it from a better lady builder!

[S. Heisley]

It's great to see so many new lady faces joining this fun group! Thanks for all the advice to the newbies Sharon...they couldn't be getting it from a better lady builder!

Thanks for the compliments, Becca. Good to "See" ya on the forum!

Ehugs!