In typical "me" fashion, I have waited and pondered forever. Until today.
The 20 dollar coupon from Northern Tool that came in the mail the other day was not the reason I chose today to order that trailer, but I did use it when I ordered the trailer.
My daughter is finishing college in three weeks and is moving back home. The wife and I have seperate bedrooms (I am Snorlax!
) and I am giving up my bedroom while she moves in. In three weeks I will have no place to sleep. My wife suggested that I take over the garage, but the bikes and gas cans and lawnmowers and tools would need a new home before I could carve out a spot there, so... time to get off the pot! I'll camp out in the backyard for the summer and she should be in an apartment by fall. Should.I don't really have a plan but I should probably mention why I chose the NT. I originally posted in my introduction that I wanted to outfit an enclosed trailer. I found many of the designs and conversions very interesting, and some I could see myself camping in. However my interest in small campers was first piqued by teardrops, and I just couldn't pull the trigger on the enclosed trailer. I think I ruled those out in my mind over the last couple of weeks, and settled on the teardrop. There wasn't really ever a question of what width to go with, because the four foot was never going to cut it with me. I am 300+ lbs and 6' 3", and should I ever convince my wife to spend the night with me in one, a four foot wide one would have me sleeping on a picnic table at 2AM in a sleeping bag while she slepy snugly inside. We can fit in a queen sized bed, and do when visiting relatives and sleeping in hotels, so a five foot tear that can accommodate a queen mattress really made the decision for me. I never could find a suitable trailer on the used market either.
Budget? Hmmm. Two grand maybe? I am in a hurry, so I have considered a few shortcuts that I think will keep me under that, although it's really gut feel only, as I haven't crunched any numbers.
I had looked at a few kits because frankly, a woodworking, home improvement DIY kinda guy I am not. Capable, yes, but I remember report cards from school. "Would do well if he just applied himself." Still hold true today. The problem for me is that I don't want to be boxed in to someone elses design, and I have a few things I'd like to add here and there that I haven't seen in any tears so far. Not saying they haven't been done, I just haven't seen them. So just the other day I came across theteardroppers.com. Their Teardrop Trailer Budget Kit for $129 addresses my biggest obstacle, the hatch. I think I can tackle the rest with the help of a teenage son.
I do have a Northern Tool (AND a Harbor Freight!) in my small town, so I ordered the trailer over the phone, to be delivered to the store. I did not want to wrestle 275 pounds of metal wrapped in a broken cardboard box off the back of a truck at the end of my driveway. It'll be here in five to eleven business days, so I've got a little more time to finalize my trajectory.
Looking forward to it.
Tom
