New guy here interested in a few particular design terms

[j5silva]

Hey all,

New to the site and have been pouring over all of this great content...incredible. I've got a few general questions if you don't mind.

1. Foamie? Standie? I think I know what you are all talking about but wouldn't mind some clarification. And if a foamie is what I think it is, how on earth do they stay together?

2. What is the purpose of wrapping your teardrop in canvas?

3. This next question is puzzling me the most...why do most of the designs not build around the tires allowing for more interior floor space and overall room? Is it merely an esthetic thing? Does it have to do with nominal plywood coming in 4 and 5 foot widths?

4. Is a roof vent a must? Pros/cons?

I think that will do me for now...appreciate any feedback, and again, this is a great forum that you all should be proud of.





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[tony.latham]

J5:

Welcome.

Your second question answers your first. (It think). But I'm not a foamie guy.

3. This next question is puzzling me the most...why do most of the designs not build around the tires allowing for more interior floor space and overall room? Is it merely an esthetic thing? Does it have to do with nominal plywood coming in 4 and 5 foot widths?

Assuming I understand your question: If you want a 5-wide teardrop, use a trailer with an axle that sits outside of your cabin so your fenders don't take up space inside––but some build a 5-wide on a 4-wide trailer to save money (I think).

4. Is a roof vent a must? Pros/cons?
I had a commercially made teardrop without a roof vent. After owning one with a Fantastic fan, I couldn't imagine having one without.





Tony

[Breytie]

Welcome!

Hey all,
1. Foamie? Standie? I think I know what you are all talking about but wouldn't mind some clarification. And if a foamie is what I think it is, how on earth do they stay together?

Foamie = Mostly made of foam
Woody = wooden exterior - varnished or resin coated
Standy = A TnTTT you can stand in
Crouchy = One you cannot quite stand upright in

2. What is the purpose of wrapping your teardrop in canvas?

Sometimes also referred to as PMF (poor Man's Fiberglass). Primarily used in keeping foamies together and as an outer shell on painted wooden TnTTTs. Most plywood does not have a super smooth surface and requires tons of fillers and hours of sanding to smooth out. And worse still, thin ply tends to pop up little slivers when bent around a curve, sometimes months later, the canvass bonds the surface and gives a nice flat even texture surface to put the paint on.

3. This next question is puzzling me the most...why do most of the designs not build around the tires allowing for more interior floor space and overall room? Is it merely an esthetic thing? Does it have to do with nominal plywood coming in 4 and 5 foot widths?

Cause internal wheel arches tend to poke you in the hip when sleeping. And also because a 3 foot track on a 4 foot trailer looks @#$%^ and cannot be very stable on the road.

Now start building!

[Nobody]

First of all, even tho I've been a member here for more'n 10yrs, a lot of the terms are still mysteries to me...

Foamie - trailer of which the 'body/cabin' is built mostly of foam (probably high density styrofoam) which is covered by fabric and/or fiberglass cloth which is then covered by epoxy resin of some type or other. I ain't a foamie fan so don't know the details of this.

Standie - Usually a tiny travel trailer which has room inside to stand, as opposed to a teardrop which doesn't have standing room. A few teardrop designs have standing room when 'erected' such as the winter warrior & perhaps another or two. The standies usually have a galley (Kitchen) inside if at all, whereas a teardrop has exterior galley at the rear, usually under a hatch.

Purpose of wrapping in canvas - Again, I'm not a fan of this but I believe it is for strength as most of the canvas wrapping I'm familiar with is on 'woodies' & is covered with epoxy or fiberglassed in some way??

Many (if not most) tears are built on 4x8' trailer chassis. In the last several years many 5x8' trailers have become available & lotsa folks are using them. Also, many of the original 1930s, 40s, & 50s TDs were built on 4x8' chassis with large, 15"/16" wheels/tires, and with sculptured/flowing fenders alongside, and many builders try to emulate that look. Another thing, many builders distrust the smaller, 12" wheels/tires that come standard on most 4x8' trailers. With the weight of most TDs, & with modern materials of which the axles, hubs, spindles, & bearings are mfg'd, I personally believe this is a non-starter & of little concern, given normal preventive maintenance. I built my 5 wide by 114" long, 48" high TD on a 4x8' Harbor Freight trailer with 12" wheels. We've towed the TD around 30K miles in 10yrs, at all highway speeds, over every kind of road (& sometimes no road at all) with no problems I can attribute to the 12" wheels. The cabin extends over each side of the chassis by approx 6" and 10-12" at front & 2-3" at the rear. I modified the tongue & shifted the axle toward the rear slightly, to provide better towing dynamics & esthetics. I used the factory supplied wheels/tires & thus only had to construct interior wheel wells approx 1" high which intrude minimally when covered by the 4" memory foam mattress & the 1.5" 'eggcrate' topper on that.

Whether or not a roof vent is a must is a personal choice. Since most TDs aren't air conditioned, a method of ventilation is a definite requirement, if only to prevent condensation in cooler weather. I elected to install a Fantastic Fan vent in the roof of my TD, along with windows in both doors. With the windows open slightly & the Fantastic Fan on exhaust, it draws in outside air & the window curtains deflect the air downward toward the bed & it's almost like having air conditioning, even in hot, humid conditions. I did purchase a 'Pet Cool' 2500 BTU external AC & 'plumbed' my TD for it. In more'n 10yrs I think we've used it no more than 6-7 nights here in Arkansas & points south, & we've used the TD a lot! That's a good testament to the efficiency of the Fantastic Fan roof vent. A 'con' might be that you must have a 12v source of power for the Fantastic Fan when camping 'off grid' but most TDs have a battery anyway. Much of our camping has been in 'out of the way' places where we don't have electrical hook-ups. When constructing our TD I installed a 'cheap' converter for 12v power, & for charging the deep cycle battery when we do have hook-ups. Otherwise the tow vehicle charges the battery while driving down the highway.

Hope this is of value to you.

[doug hodder]

Here's another design term...."trolley top"...a raised portion with either windows or portholes above the general roof line, narrower than the body width. Boy...this one was a few years ago...sitting on the Salt Flats on the way to Minden and the ITG. An advantage to this design is that you are able to hide the fantastic fan in the aft portion of the trolley top and it isn't visible. Doug

[GPW]

WE have a little experience with Foam trailers ... They are Lightweight , inexpensive , and require no special tools , designed to be able to be built ( and towed ) by most anybody . They are a lot cheaper than comparable trailers , but are not as shiny ... ( canvas/fabric covered) Made for Camping , sometimes called a "Hard tent" ... and with little to Rot the maintenance is very low ... for more information , go to the Foamie section below ... Much Friendly help and assistance is available for those who ask ...