Aero TD:Race/Running/Sailing/Activity Base of operations

[Augie]

My intro is here http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=50554
So here is the Design Brief:

Aerodynamic
Light
Smiple Build
Doors large enough to fit a bike in bed area
Entertainment center
Full Galley
Queen-size bed

So we all want a 200lb 12ft teardrop that is aerodynamic and has all of our creature comforts. I could plan for the next 12months and come up with some of that or just build it and make my mistakes and move on. I was thinking about building insulated panels with a vacuum bag method, but again more planning and less using..... Simple build it will be and if I hate it ill just start over.

As I stated in my intro this isn't a TD to go camping in for the weekend with the intent of hangin around the TD but a base of operations for adventures. As such I fear I will never attend a gathering. I will be Off grid for many of these so Im thinking a small wind or solar setup for multiday trips. Led Lighting through out for saving watts. and a basic 12v setup charging off the car for weekends.

I have a Trailer the someone gave me in the process of rebuilding it now. it is 5W x 6L with 13in wheels. Ill be building light with 1/4" plywood skinned over a light frame. Painted white for staking somewhat cool. Dont need much interior room, and I want it to "hide" in the wake of my Saab 9-2x so interior height will be 27.5". Know that seems small but Im not looking for someplace to hang out in just sleep in and that height is about what my backpacking tents have. Ill end up making some kind of Fly to erect with walls for a place to stand up outside with out being in the elements totally over the long run.

Im also thinking of building this Backwards with the galley in front. This is for weight distribution and the fact that to make it aero I need the back to drop to 20". This wont leave very much room for a galley in the back. LOL The profile is based on the Kamback ideahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback. I will try to minimize the gap in between the car and the trailer so it wont be great for backing up but will pull just fine. With it being light I dont think this will be an issue as if necessary ill just unhook and spin it around.

Galley will be propane eventually Im thinking but I have an old Coleman 2 burner and a 1 burner that Ill be using initially and if they are OK I may not ever put propane in. Coolers first and if needed and 3 way fridge unit.

For the entertainment Im thinking of building something around the new Raspberry Pi unit http://www.raspberrypi.org/ and a cheap 12v LCD monitor(will prob source from China)

Pics to come soon and a profile, Thoughts Feelings?

[KCStudly]

Welcome! Your build plan sounds unique enough to call it your own!

Have you seen the Foamie section yet. Lots of light weight potential there (even tho my hybrid foamie is going to be a little on the portly side ...for a foamie, that is).

Have you seen the Pico Light that Angib designed (IIRC)? At the top of the page there is a pull down menu "Design Resources", "Design Library", "Ultra Light".

Narrower is lighter, and some of the features you list contradict with a light weight theme, but we each have are "must have" list, so everything is a compromise in the end.

Good luck, and ...as always...post lots of pictures! We like da' pics.

[Augie]

Ya I know some of the goals contradict themselves. Design is always a bit of a compromise. Im thinking I can still get out under 1000-1200ish loaded up. I am sacrificing height for width. Most tears are 40-48 inches interior room and im just a little over half that. use a minilist construction method( after reading many builds I think most are overbuilt.) And it will only be 8ft long

Trailer 175lbs
Sides are 1 Piece of 4x8 25lbs
top 40lbs
floor 75lbs
Framing wood 50lbs
Cabnets 100lbs
Random hardware 100lbs

So Im thinking 500-700 unloaded and 300-400lbs of gear. Their will be some in the car as well. Never know I might just end up building a pig and it will weigh 100lbs unloaded...LOL

[Oldragbaggers]

We're with ya Augie. We started our tear (the "Sagwagon," what does that tell you?) as a base of operations for biking, hiking, kayaking and also as a way of traveling without spending a ton of money on hotels. We too thought that, because of our intended goals, we would probably not be part of the "gathering" set. We never really thought of ourselves as "campers" but more as adventurers.

But then something happened. We met some of these wonderful people and got pulled into their infectious joy about teardropping. Add that to the relationships formed here on the forum and the desire to meet more of my new "friends", and we have completely changed our thinking about gatherings. I'm building like a madwoman right now because I really want to make some gatherings before this year is out.

I will be surprised if, after all is said and done, I don't run into you at a gathering one of these days.

And, welcome to the forum!!

[mezmo]

Hi Augie,

Just curious - what is your projected interior height of 27.5 inches
measured from? Floor to ceiling/roof spar bottom or mattress top
to ceiling/roof spar bottom? It just seems much too shallow. [Get
ready for the "wide coffin" jokes.]. Could you even comfortably
roll over? I know you said that matched a tent you had used but
since your objective is to get a good comfortable night's sleep so
you can be rested to participate in the more strenuous recreational
activities you pursue, some extra interior height would greatly
help with that too.

Here's a link to someone with the Subaru equivalent to the 9-2x who
is full-timing with a TD with a bit more headroom than normal. It
doesn't stick up above the car that much. So a more usual roof height
of a TD [48In less floor and roof thicknesses] would probably be closer
to the top height of the Saab.
http://tinyhouseblog.com/travel-trailer ... more-23239

A while ago I did a couple drawings for a post in the Foamie section concerning
a way to utilize some "aero" principles on the Dreamliner proposed build by a forum
member there. My post explaining my thinking about the drawings is on page 2.
Perhaps it may have useful ideas to adapt for your build. It covers some of the
things you mentioned. [Not suggesting to size it like this as this is a 'standy'.]
Foamie Dreamliner Link:
viewtopic.php?f=55&t=45633
Side View & Floorplan <Click to enlarge>

Aero Taper [for Kammback effect] <Click to enlarge>


The main suggestion I'm presenting is sizing the front of the TD
body to the match the max cross section of the tow vehicle. That
should help continuity of airflow and allow some more headroom to
be gained. Also radiusing all the outer edges, and some Kamm taper
too, like you are thinking. My drawings show flat panels but it
would also be possible to use simple shallow curved sides and roof
too, without too much difficulty I'd think.

One line of thought I've had concerning a possible build method is to
use the stitch-n-glue plywood boat building method with 1/4in plywood
for the interior walls [I just like birch plywood interior walls], and glue 1x
dimensioned naturally rot resistant wood framing around any opening perimeters,
then glue sheet foam [1-2in thick] to the outside of the plywood and fill
any gaps with the spray foam and fair it out, then use either the canvas
and glue and paint method or the epoxy and fiberglass method for
covering the exterior.

The one big factor most people mention about very personalized builds
is resale value. Since you are devoting time and money to the build it
does seem reasonable to consider resale value. It is a good thing to be
able to recoup something for your efforts if you decide in the future you
want or need something else. [And second builds are a very common theme
here!]

But the greatest beauty of the self build is to build exactly what YOU want.
So that is what you should do. Hopefully outside input can help you decide
if your original plans/ideas are still the answer for you or if some
modifications to those plans would help suit your needs somewhat better.

Happy planning and building.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Augie]

Size has increased after a mock up. Still trying to keep simple/smallish....

Here is a quick sketch im thinking. Galley in the front a bit of storage in the back. Worried about balance and needed room for a galley so the front is the only option. Haven't decided if Im going to radius the top and sides or not to make the build quicker. Already have most of the galley stuff (stove, Lantern, Cooler, pots,pans, utensils) already so this could be a really inexpensive build.

[Augie]

Back at it after 1.5 years of adventuring by tent in the backwoods along with travel and a ton of sailing. Just picked up a Starcraft Galaxy 24 pop up for a couple of hundred dollars. Electric brakes, a furnace, a fridge and a cook-top, 2 20lb propane tanks. We will see what I come up with after I tear it apart. Should make for a nice trailer. Ill reuse all of the lights and the foam mattresses.

Interior height will be 42" with a pop up section that will allow a little more height, but you wont need to set it up for quick overnights.