Off-road Teardrop Design/Build

[lfhoward]

6 months? Where have you been? I was still framing walls!

I moved actually! The trailer came in handy during the process but I haven’t had time to work on it much or check in here. It’s good to be settled in to the new place, and I’m looking forward to putting some final touches on it.

Thanks! I just went back and reviewed your build. Starting with a military trailer looks quite challenging, and you did a great job with it.

Thanks! The military trailer is heavier than a diy trailer frame, but I love how durable it is.

I'm hoping my doors are truly weatherproof. They haven't been down the highway in a downpour yet. I would buy doors if I had it all to do all over again.

The big rear door on my camper was one of the hardest parts to build and have it work right. As of now, the seal is waterproof as long as the humidity inside the trailer is kept at bay. Interior humidity makes the inside of the door swell with respect to its outside, and so it bends ever so slightly outward at the top and bottom. If towing in the rain, it can let a little water in. I suspect this would be less of an issue if the door wasn’t 40x44”! Smaller doors would deform less due to unequal expansion.

I do like my XJ. It's my first Jeep. Shoulda bought one years ago. I haven't weighed the TD yet, but the XJ pulls it just fine. I am planning to replace the rear leaf springs with the HD ones and replace the shocks though, and maybe remove a leaf from the trailer springs. It gets 21 mpg unladen, and I guess 15-17 mpg towing. I'm very pleased with the brake controller. With it properly adjusted, it stops like it's not even there, even in the mountains. Enthusiastic stops were cliff hangers with the pop up we had last year without trailer brakes. Can't imagine towing without them now.

I used to have an XJ and loved it! It had superb pickup, power, and torque, but not great brakes. I am glad you have the brake controller for your trailer now. My Liberty has better brakes than the XJ and though it has more horsepower, it is a heavier brute and its V6 is not as responsive when you get on it as the 4.0 I6 was in the Cherokee. Still, it’s a good tow rig. With my heavy military trailer in tow, I can count on about 12 mpg, but I can get up to 14 if I drive behind semi trailers on the interstate highways.

Camping review coming soon. Stay tuned....

[John61CT]

Don't like the sound of swelling paneling from inside humidity.

You burning propane in there?

Get more ventilation going pronto!

[lfhoward]

Don't like the sound of swelling paneling from inside humidity.

You burning propane in there?

Get more ventilation going pronto!

It’s mostly a problem when winter camping and I have the windows open just enough to get fresh air but not enough to let all the heat out. In the summer with the ceiling fan on, it doesn’t really happen unless there is more than 24 hours of straight rain.

[John61CT]

I would spend a bit more on powerful heating, allowing for active ventilation in winter, rather than let my walls get wet.

Maybe monitor humidity, even hygrometer automate an outflow fan, let the thermostat kick up the heat input.

[kokomoto]

Were you able to make any of the hikes?

Not yet. That trip is coming up in mid October.

[Dirtclod]

Kokomoto

Keep the pics coming of that roof rack and ARB awning / room. I have been eyeing the same exact setup but have been holding off for now. I hope to get some good ideas at the Expedition Expo this weekend.

We too will be in the Asheville area this weekend !!. The Expedition Expo is at the Biltmore Estate. If you haven't heard of it, it is a 3 day off road/ expedition / overlanding expo. There will be several teardrop companies there along with about every kind of outfitter you can imagine. They have seminars and classes on everything from making fire to winch extraction.

https://www.overlandexpo.com/east

We went last year and that is really what fueled my desire to build a teardrop. If you guys have time, you should drive down and see it. If not maybe we can meet in Asheville for dinner or a beer. I will PM you my number

[kokomoto]

Kokomoto

Keep the pics coming of that roof rack and ARB awning / room. I have been eyeing the same exact setup but have been holding off for now. I hope to get some good ideas at the Expedition Expo this weekend.

We too will be in the Asheville area this weekend !!. The Expedition Expo is at the Biltmore Estate. If you haven't heard of it, it is a 3 day off road/ expedition / overlanding expo. There will be several teardrop companies there along with about every kind of outfitter you can imagine. They have seminars and classes on everything from making fire to winch extraction.

https://www.overlandexpo.com/east

We went last year and that is really what fueled my desire to build a teardrop. If you guys have time, you should drive down and see it. If not maybe we can meet in Asheville for dinner or a beer. I will PM you my number

I'm hoping they have classes on backcountry pizza making and how to make homemade ice cream in the desert.

I'm supposed to meet a vendor at expo, and buy the ARB awning. He can't get the room for some reason. Maybe another vendor will have one there.

[kokomoto]

We've had the new teardrop on a couple of outings. The first was to Overland Expo East, held on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate. We didn't camp at the event, but at Mama Gerties Hideaway Campground 15 minutes down the road. (Sorry we missed you Mike, but enjoyed meeting your wife and friends) The second trip was to SW Virginia for some backpacking.

The teardrop performed flawlessly. It towed behind the Cherokee straight as an arrow. The springs are a little too stiff, but not obnoxiously so. It sleeps better than we had hoped, and we kept warm with a sheet and light alpaca wool blanket with temps in the 40s at night. We thought the fantastic fan was a little loud until we discovered that opening a window allows for good air flow instead of compressing air in the cabin. Didn't expect that. I plan to sort out better galley storage solutions over the winter.

We want to express our sincere gratitude to all the folks on this forum who offered advice and tips. You really helped us build a teardrop that we hope to enjoy for many years. Thank you

[kokomoto]

Here's some photos of the Overland Expo Trip. We picked up an ARB Awning and room attachment for the awning at the expo. I'll post a review when we've had a chance to use it.

Mama Gertie's campground 1

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Mama Gertie's 2

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Camper, Happy

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[kokomoto]

Some more pics from OEE 2017...and Natural Wood Fire Pizza in Asheville, NC. The one in Black Mountain, NC is better, but they serve some of the best pizza you'll ever find!

Asheville Pizza

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Overland Expo East 2017

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[kokomoto]

I spent a week at Riverside Campground, north of Abingdon, VA with some friends from Indiana. It served as our fire base for some hiking and biking in the area.

Riverside 1

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Riverside 2

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[KCStudly]

Nice. Thanks for posting.

[Dirtclod]

Hey Walt,

How do you like the awning? Can you post up some more pics of how it mounts? I still have that on my radar for sure.

Hate I missed seeing yall at the Expo.

[kokomoto]

Hey Walt,

How do you like the awning? Can you post up some more pics of how it mounts? I still have that on my radar for sure.

Hate I missed seeing yall at the Expo.

I like having the awning. It certainly adds some usable, sheltered space that we can put to good use. There are several awning manufacturers to choose from. ARB seems like a good company that will back up their products. I used a bracket from vanagonlife.com to mount the awning to a Thule roof rack system. Unlike some of the other brackets available, this one has horizontal bolts through the load bars instead of vertical.

vanagonlife brackets

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I plan to post a more detailed description and review at a later date.

[KTM_Guy]

Reread your build again today. Nice work.