Building The Atma Travelear Teardrop

[aggie79]

Goregous, Dave!

[Ned B]

I've been lurking on this build thread awhile, just have to chime in and give some loud cheers. Fantastic job, truly a piece of rolling art!

[jonw]

Dave & Lisa - looks great - you did a great job! I enjoyed meeting you at the Dam Gathering and for your tour of it. Sorry we had to blaze on when the caravan stopped on the way home.

Hope to see you again sometime.

Jon & Lyn
"hatchless" from Mass.

[KCStudly]

"Like icing on the cake."

[DMcCam]

Hi Everyone, Gosh, you all are just AMAZING FOLKS!!! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart dear friends. It's been quite a journey indeed, all made possible by the kind support of this forum.


To think that this...


Became this in two short years!

We finished the laminate in the galley on Monday (pictures to follow). It will be several weeks until we can get the icebox made. Then the next camping trip after that I'll take some real camping beauty shots to complete this thread.

In sincerest gratitude,

David

[webbaldo]

Best TD ever!

[down under tech]

Hello Dave: That is one "bee.u.tee.full" teardrop to see in person. Your fit and finish are to be commended! It turned out stupendously. The side trim really makes the statement that this is a one of a kind trailer.

I had a great time talking to you at the Dam. Hope to see you guys and it in the wild again soon.

[DMcCam]

Best TD ever!

I'm going to dine on that for a month!!! Thank you kindly Webbaldo!!

Hello Dave: That is one "bee.u.tee.full" teardrop to see in person. Your fit and finish are to be commended! It turned out stupendously. The side trim really makes the statement that this is a one of a kind trailer. I had a great time talking to you at the Dam. Hope to see you guys and it in the wild again soon.

Thank you Buddy!!! It was great speaking with you too. We'll be seeing you at Falling Tears for sure!!

Thanks again,

Dave

[DMcCam]

Hi Everyone, Here's a picture of the galley with its final laminate installed.



Now to finish the ice box...

All the Best,

Dave

[Ned B]

I'm a photographer... and 'things' stick out to my eye on occasion...

are the white doors getting painted at some point?

[DMcCam]

Hi Ned, I'm not too worried about the white plastic RV hatches in the tongue box at this point. They could be painted but I'm keeping my eye out for aluminum ones to replace them with. Real aluminum would be a lot stronger to boot.

All the Best,

Dave

[KCStudly]

Dan, If you do decided to paint them, I would wipe them with a mild solvent (or soap and rinse), scuff them well, and use one of the plastic compatible paints.

To tell the truth, I had not noticed that the hatches stand out, a very little bit, until it was mentioned.

An upgrade to aluminum hatches would be the cat's meow!

Again, check the mirror, "You're The Man" (golf spectator noises breakout with ruckus cheering ).

[Strop]

Hi Dave,

As a newcomer I must thank you for this detailed thread. It has me coming back all the time to check things out. I am still only in the dreaming phase while I learn how to use sketchup for some plans but I do have two questions for you please.

I intend to do you cardbord box trick when the time is right but I have to figure out what shape etc first and what size trailer to base it on. So - I am 6' 3" tall and 110 kg. I am thinking 5' wide but will I fit and be comfortable in 8' long or do I need a longer base. So how tall are you as from your comments you are obviously finding it comfortable. I will have to re-read the thread about your matress as well.

Second question - I could never find in your thread why you did not insulate the floor. You say there was some discussion and you wanted a strong floor but is there any other reason? Would you insulate if doing it again?

Thanks again for the thread.

Laurie

[DMcCam]

Hi Dave,

As a newcomer I must thank you for this detailed thread. It has me coming back all the time to check things out. I am still only in the dreaming phase while I learn how to use sketchup for some plans but I do have two questions for you please.

I intend to do you cardbord box trick when the time is right but I have to figure out what shape etc first and what size trailer to base it on. So - I am 6' 3" tall and 110 kg. I am thinking 5' wide but will I fit and be comfortable in 8' long or do I need a longer base. So how tall are you as from your comments you are obviously finding it comfortable. I will have to re-read the thread about your matress as well.

Second question - I could never find in your thread why you did not insulate the floor. You say there was some discussion and you wanted a strong floor but is there any other reason? Would you insulate if doing it again?

Thanks again for the thread.

Laurie

Hi Laurie,

Welcome to the craziness!!! We were sooo glad we made the cardboard mock up before we built. You'll really get the feel of how the space will or won't work for you. I also highly recommend Steve Fredrick's Shop Manual too. It was an invaluable reference I used throughout construction.

I'm 6' 2" so I too needed at least a queen length bed. I also needed to keep the final width down to about 84" wide thus staying within the NDOT regs (fender to fender width). The cabin is 55" wide and 82" long to accommodate a full extra long mattress (80" x 53"). If you went with something like a Benroy style at 8' long, you'd end up with about 14" for the lower galley cabinets. We instantly fell in love with the 10' length of Debbie and Randy's Monstro. The length gives you the ability to have the forward cabinets and a little larger galley. We've so far slept in her on one 38 degree night with 2 blankets and a comforter. Even with the vent and both windows open an inch or so, I was way too warm.

The deck was originally going to be insulated sandwich construction. We ended up with 1 1/8" plywood decking for two reasons. First, it weighed a little less than the sandwich I had designed and with the foam mattress the insulation wasn't needed for our style of camping (we don't do sub zero). I think you could easily use 3/4" signboard or marine plywood for the deck without any issues and it would save weight.

Have fun,

Dave

[Strop]

Thank you Dave,

We only have a very small sprinkle of snow perhaps once or twice a year where I live but very cool mornings during winter as I live on our tablelands (3215' above sea level) -5 Deg C normal during winter mornings. The days are usually magnificent. I have to admit my main concern was heat and the need for AC.

I have already purchased Steve's books, probably didn't need the one on the caravan but thought it might have some ideas in there.

I had discounted the Benroy as I was not sure of the shape but I have to get it in my head I can alter shapes a bit. Big enough challenge using a trusted design.

Thanks again

Laurie