The younger generation?

[jstrubberg]

I doubt you are ever going to see a large section of "the younger generation" in teardrops. Most young couples are raising children and tears just aren't that family friendly.

[Fishingtomatoseed]

Just have to add that the reason we built one was because it was a lot cheaper than buying an "RV". We grew up in the outdoors and love fishing, camping, canoeing and want to keep the kids in it. But like others have said that it is a little cramp in a traditional teardrop. I like the gatherings and it is neat to meet other people. Buy personally I am not a people/crowd person.

Sometimes I convince myself that I do not need to bring the kids. Since teardrops are generally for two people and it is generally people with out kids that are camping.

So just rambling from 1 person with kids.

[PKCSPT]

Mine works great when I bring grandkids along though in truth I bought my side tent for my 100 lb dog. My tear is a 4 wide Little Guy and I purchased a inexpensive SUV tent($100 new ) and it fits over the side of my tear nicely. Kids and dogs in the tent me in the tear and I can leave the door open to keep the kids close. No kids and feeling lazy I leave the tent at home.

I think the bigger problem would be everyone wants their big screen T.V. smart phone electronic games full kitchen with microwave and bathroom air conditioning, basically they want to be able to bring it all with them so they can get away from it all. Or in my sons case 16 foot boat, couple tubes to pull behind it all his fishing gear bikes for the kids.

Now my daughter would enjoy my set up and may use it from time to time with her family when the twins are a year old and her daughter is more reliably potty trained.

[Thebigdirty]

To each is their own, I guess. I finished building mine at age 32 in 2009. I did it because I was sick of packing and unpacking all of my gear for every trip. I built it for 2 people which happens from time to time. It depends how lucky I am that month . Some of us "younger" folk do have the knowledge of building for ourselves. We are also able to leave the big screen t.v. at home to have a good time.

Most of my friends love the idea and concept but are married with children and need more space. They tend to look at the pop ups and smaller RVs for their situation.
I do have a friend younger than I, that is married and getting ready to start his build. But then again he has no plans for children in his future....or that he is aware of

[Festus]

remember the line hey dad can I barrow the car keys....... Don't be surprised when you hear hey day can I barrow the teardrop!!!!

That happened to me this summer. My 18 year old son borrowed it to go camping with some friends. I have already been informed that I can't sell it, because when I kick off it's his! So some of the younger generation is interested.

[ksmack01]

At 40 im kinda young. I built mine to teach my 12 year old some basic building skills and keep him interested in camping and hunting. At his age I kinda had to trick him into keeping involved in the outdoors and put the games and stuff down. Kids nowadays are so distracted that u can looze them quick. He hunts deer, turkey and fishes and is even leaning how to cook fireside all because of a few hundred dollars I wasted on building a teardrop.........now thats a great investment in my eyes

[atahoekid]

I was sitting around the dinner table with my son as he's about to take off for college again and the talk came around to NASCAR. He said he might want to borrow the teardrop to go to the races and camp overnight in the infield. Now while that's a use I never thought of, I guess it's as good a use as any.
I also started thinking about our last couple of years of tent camping. It would be my wife and I and the dogs in one tent and the kids in another tent. Might as well as had the teardrop back then. I would have built one long ago had I known about them

[225]

I could afford a larger rv. But a lot of the places I travel won't allow big rv's. Plus I do a lot of off the grid stuff.

I think teardrop campers could appeal to the younger guys in the motorsports community (like me) who are tired of sleeping in the back of thier truck or in a tent.

[Nobody]

Couple of years ago I loaned the TD to our grandaughter & her husband (both around 30) to attend a big NASCAR weekend in Bristol, TN. They came home totally delighted with the TD. Said it was nearly as big a 'hit' as the races. Ever since then he calls it 'his' teardrop, & has extracted a promise from me that IF I ever sell he gets first opportunity to buy... They have 3 young daughters (12, 10, & 2) but the kids stay with Grandma & Grandpa (our son & his wife) when they go out like that. They have an 18' conventional travel trailer they use for frequent family outings but Jimmy says the TD is what he really wants.

[nevadatear]

I doubt you are ever going to see a large section of "the younger generation" in teardrops. Most young couples are raising children and tears just aren't that family friendly.

I think you are right on. My son and daughter in law love our tear, but not appropriate for their young family. When the kids are big enough for their own tent. I expect to see them in one. And both my boys camp with their families. It is an exposure thing. We are sharing a site right now with a couple who built their tear in their tear. But they are childless.

[atahoekid]

I could afford a larger rv. But a lot of the places I travel won't allow big rv's. Plus I do a lot of off the grid stuff.

I think teardrop campers could appeal to the younger guys in the motorsports community (like me) who are tired of sleeping in the back of thier truck or in a tent.

+1 Been there and done that. It sucked! I agree with you about large RV's. A lot of campsites that I want to go to are too small to allow them and going boondockin' in a large RV is a recipe for disaster. Just ask my neighbor who got his 41' motorhome stuck in a "dry" lake bed

[citylights]

I learned to appreciate camping with my parents and brother in a truck cab-over-camper. We spent week long vacations and many weekend getaways in it. During the off season, it was off the truck on a caster flat dolly in the garage. In my mind that is the same function as a teardrop with a different shape even though it slept 2 adults and 2 children. My mom was such a trooper! After the kids left, my parents moved on to camping with motorcycles and motels. They travel really light. Who could have guessed?

If I had a truck, I might have went with the same cab-over-camper solution. Heck, I could have strapped one of those things down to a trailer and made it work! Dang why didn't I think of that before!

My family has done some tent and car camping over the last 15 years. My 13 yo boy and I are big on it. My wife not so much. When i mention camping, her answer is "Great, where are we going, I will make the hotel reservations." I exaggerate, she is mostly a good sport and she loves to travel and see nature sights.

Tuweep. The best place ever to see the Grand Canyon. Look it up! I took this long exposure picture by moonlight.



Enter the home built teardrop trailer for wife and me. (My boy will be in a side tent.). Building one didn't scare me. I grew up building and remodeling things with my dad, then myself as a young adult. I cant count how many times he dragged home junk and rebuilt it. My earliest memory with my dad is handing him nails while he was building something. So much cheaper to buy something broken and rebuild it for the cost of materials or just start from scratch. What can I say, it was just natural for me to do the same.

Maybe a little more sleeping and kitchen comfort will do the trick for my wife? Maybe it will be my doghouse. Either way, I win!

And... All I can do is hope my boy learns the same skills and appreciates camping.

[ddcronk]

Well, my fiancé and I are 28, and we are building (completing) our own. We have no plans for kids, love the outdoors (places you can't get to with an rv or big trailer) and are tired of sleeping on the ground (me more than her - she's tough).

I wonder if we're the youngest teardroppers on here?

[grantstew8]

The weekend I spoke to a couple (not youngsters) and discussed TD vs a regular caravan/rv. By choosing a td vs the "norm" is being comfortable/confident that you are different. When you're younger it's not so easy to buck a trend. There is also quite a lot of **** extension with huge caravans/ rv. "Mines bigger than yours"


Having said that all that, the "kids" who have seen my TD want one. It's an ideal surf shack or park it in your buddies drive party all night (i wish) and fall into a bed in his driveway. Drive home when they're sober by lunchtime the next day.

But your comments are all true about skill sets, tools, cost and space to store it.

[doug hodder]

all I got to say is after attending walk the winds 2013 and being to walk the winds 2012.

over half of the teardrop crowd is in there 30s or 20s.

so I say bs! on the younger gernation not wanting a teardrop.

half of everyone that comes to walk the wind is younger than 40s lots of young couples like my slef this year were in a teardrop!

I find older folks are in the standys.


slow

You've only been to your thing though right?