beverlyt wrote: ...snip... I don't want a trailer that I have to keep in the garage all the time to store. I don't want a "woodie" style where the wood has to be "cared" for. I want a trailer I can cover up with a tarp in the back yard and call it good.
...snip...
Maybe I'm wrong though...I don't know enough about how well protected teardrops like Steve's would be from the elements? Would it last 20 years with no need to refinish it? (outside, covered up with something?) They are beautiful.
Ths process I use encapsulates the wood in a fiberglass shell. It is as strong as any boat or 'glass-shelled camper.
You could store it under a tarp. In fact, many wooden boats sit out under tarps. I would place some sort of buffer between the tarp and the shell, to prevent wind-driven abrasion from the tarp. Other that physical damage, you wouldn't need to do much other than keep it clean.
If you were rough on it, leaving it out in the sun for weeks on end, you would need to refinish it as the finish showed wear...A rough sanding and a couple coats of varnish. On my boats, I just fix physical damage from rocks ...Otherwise, I just use them.