I have a bunch of images here:
http://imgur.com/a/OY1sM
The goals kept in mind while doing this build:
- Needs to be light, yet strong enough to be long lasting. Must be under 1000lbs. Preferrably under 500lbs.
- Want standing room for changing with a full standing height ceiling
- Need storage room for luggage and for a kitchenette
As this is my first teardrop build, there are plenty of lessons learned:
- It turns out I suck at working with fiberglass AND I'm allergic to epoxy. I wound up breaking out in hives partway through the build and had to get a steroid prescription to help with it. The next build is going to be with an aluminum skin as it's probably just as light and strong and is easier to work with.
- Hot weather SUCKS! On the maiden voyage we hit 100 degrees. The 5000btu air conditioner failed to keep the trailer a comfortable temperature from about 3pm to 7pm each day. We wound up mostly using the trailer for dry goods storage to help prevent spoilage.
- Creating storage space for luggage is great, but I need to make that space accessible without removing the luggage from storage. I had room for 3 suitcases but only had about 7 sq ft of standing room for changing. There wasn't enough space to change and have your luggage pulled out at the same time. The next build will incorporate another slide out just for holding luggage and making it accessible without needing to pull it out from under the bed. The area under the bed could then be used for dry goods storage.
- Don't count on things just falling into place and working. I didn't build a system for bringing the roof up and down. It takes 3 people to raise the roof without it falling all over the place. The next one is going to have the roof on rails for added stability. I'll also need to incorporate some locking pins as the roof currently rests on the slide-outs when up and has a wooden frame jammed in at the front to keep the front stable. It works but it's not elegant and it wears on all the parts as the whole thing gets jarred around while being raised and lowered.
I'm done for now on this build as I did a several week long sprint to get it campable for this camping trip. In the next year or so I'm going to revisit the trailer and will work on the following major modifications:
- Rebuild the top half with an aluminum skin to keep temperatures in the sun down.
- Install some rails and come up with a locking pin system to make the roof easier to raise and lower.
- Add an additional slide out across from the door for luggage storage.
- Finish running electrical and install the vent fan on the roof
- Build a proper system for the air conditioner that doesn't involve so much duct tape.
I may just reclaim all the salvageable hardware and try my hand at building the thing entirely out of aluminum to help add some more precision into the build. Redoing the bottom with Aluminum would allow for some tighter clearances for the slide-outs on the bottom.