New member from Southern Oregon

[Submariner]

I am not new to Teardrop trailer, I had one in the mid 80's till it just died a horrible death and there was no way to resurrect it.

So now that I am retired from the Navy, my wife and I have decided to build a teardrop and start camping in a trailer instead of on the ground. We re getting to old to lay on ground for more then a couple of nights at a time. We are wanting to do some traveling.

I want to build it with the idea of pulling it behind my Jeep or behind the wife's Element. Either way it will be used a lot. So this winters project will be gathering up the required materials and start building our little home away from home. I got the needed tools to do this, a shop, a wire feed welder, and a shopsmith as well as all the various tools for woodworking.

I do have a question to ask, which is better, metal skin or wood skin on the trailer?

[bobhenry]

http://www.cranecomposites.com/industri ... uentia.php


I love FRP !





My last two builds were with plastic.

In fact my very first has a Lexan roof.

Cuts ,sands, and routers just like wood. ( watch out for the dust ) Eye protection and dust mask are a must !

I speak from experience I didn't and fought an eye infection for 3 weeks.

[Junkboy999]

It is really down to your skills and what you can work with or get a hold of. Aluminum take last yearly maintenance, compared to wood. As Bob posted you other options like plastic (FRP), even foam covered fiberglass, and foam canvas glue coverings.

[working on it]

Just my viewpoint: if you don't have a particular skin or covering material in mind, then start with wood (my apologies to the Foamies and Cargo trailer conversion folks; your coverings are pre-determined). Paint it, stain it, poly it, epoxy or fiberglass it. Cover it with Filon, sheet or strip aluminum, or sheet vinyl (marine grade). There have been trailers here with deck or porch paint, and rubber roofing coverings. I started with tractor paint, or silo paint (on the roof), both over poly. I am reserving the option to recoat with Durabak (a bedliner kind of coating), at a later date, for complete imperviousness to weather. That's why I didn't try aluminum, or other coverings first. If the paint lasts, good. If not, then Durabak it, and forget about it. I have a fear of dents in aluminum skin ( a friend's airstream got hammered in a hailstorm).

[TPMcGinty]

Welcome! Have fun with your build! When I was in the Navy they had me on Carriers but when I was on shore duty they had me fixing subs. Go figure! I pull my Tear behind my Jeep too!

[Rhino Ray]

Welcome to the forum. I used aluminum because it was traditional and fairly easy to work with. It painted easy too. Hope to see you round, that area was my old stomping grounds.

[Vedette]

Welcome to the Forum.
Good Luck with your new build. And make sure you have fun!
Sandi and I made two trips thru Oregon with our new tear drop "Miss Piggy" and one trip into Oregon for a T.O.W. Gathering this past summer......Loved it!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi