Little Guy Provides A Happy Ending.....

General Discussion about almost anything Teardrop or camping related

Postby hiker chick » Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:37 pm

Before & After pics

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Postby Podunkfla » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:11 pm

hiker chick... Sure looks great painted to match your Honda. Good job! :thumbsup:
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Postby hiker chick » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:22 pm

Podunkfla wrote:hiker chick... Sure looks great painted to match your Honda. Good job! :thumbsup:


Thank you! :) Will have some camping action shots in a couple weeks, weather-permitting (which it probably will, unless this drought ends).

Was just thinking that this teardrop could be the placeholder. I've become smitten with the notion of a project. Not going to happen anytime soon -- no time, no place, no tools, don't know about talent...

But the works of art passing for trailers on this forum are inspiring.

This is an exceptionally friendly forum and it is a pleasure to now have a trailer to take part with.

Still have the interior to tackle and so there will be more pics in the future.
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Postby db4962 » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:00 pm

Hiker Chick,

Great looking Little Guy!

I got mine back from the factory this weekend and I am very pleased with the repairs. It looks (and smells) like brand new. I will post some before and after pics in the next day or two. The only thing that will take some getting used to is the fact that the sleeping compartment is not separate from the galley area now...There used to be a board at the foot of the bed that closed in the sleeping area, but it's gone now since they replaced the galley area with the new style supported by an aluminum bar. They upgraded the taillights, marker lights, installed a vent at the foot of the sleeping area, and even replaced a fender that I dinged. I have been very pleased with the customer service I've received from Little Guy. :applause:

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Postby SaGR » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:07 pm

Looks great hiker!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Postby brettweir » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:35 pm

Yes Hiker that is a sweet looking little guy. love that green.
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Postby sandman » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:17 pm

Hiker Chick-Holy Monkey Butt, your Little Guy looks awesome with the green paint. That is too cool for school. They did an excellent job on matching it up to your Honda. Wow, I am jealous now....my plain white Little Guy pales in comparison. Congratulations..and make sure to send pics to Chris Baum at Little Guy for them to put on their site. :thumbsup: :applause:

db4962-I am so happy to hear they took good care of your issue. The guys at the factory do excellent work. Please post some pics of the new and improved Little Guy. You know what you said about the Lower Bulkhead(footboard) that separates the Galley from the sleeping compartment, When I was in Canton picking up my Sport, I told Chris and Joe that I really think they should look at putting the lower bulkhead back in the new models. Before I bought my Little Guy, every pic on every dealer site showed a lower bulkhead wall installed and I was suprised when I when to pick up my 05 Sport and found there was no bulkhead. There are a few great advantages to having it like storage to keep your stored items from rolling around in the sleeping area. I ride dirtbikes and would like to have had a separate storage compartment to put my dirty riding clothes in after a ride plus it would have been nice to store my riding boots inside so snakes, spiders, bugs or rain won't get into them....nothing worse than riding all day in wet cycle boots. Another great thing about the lower bulkhead wall is it would give you a nice place to install stereo speakers. I had an elaborate plan to install several speakers of the bulkhead but alas mine is open like yours...anyway, the good news is you can still add a bulkhead. When I get back from my first trip in my Sport next week, I am installing a Lower Bulkhead made out of MDF which is exactly what thew cabinets and rear galley lid are made of. I am pretty sure you can install one too if you miss it bad enough.

Sorry to be so wordy, I am super excited about my first trip in my Little Guy in 2 more days. I have been feverishly working to install shore power inlet, converter, and running 12 volt wiring harness for my stereo and tv. They have rain predicted for Friday night where I will be camping and I am actually excited to sleep in dry, warm comfort while the rain pitter patters on the roof of my Sport. :lol:

Kudos and Thanks go out to all my friends at Little Guy Worldwide for being so customer oriented. Chris, Joe, Scott, and Justin with LGW have all been super helpful.
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Postby hiker chick » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:01 pm

Hi, Sandman!

You have enriched my vocabulary with the "holy monkey butt" exclamation.

:lol:

I did e-mail Chris and he said he'd put some pics up there.

Am eager to get pics of the trailer in a campground!!

:)
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Postby sandman » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:24 pm

Hiker Chick,

Glad my colorful vocabulary enhanced your forum browsing experience. :lol: :lol: :lol: Any ideas what you will do with the inside?? Are you going to put in any form of shelves or cabinets for storage?

I am leaving for my first camping trip in my Little Guy tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait to sleep in it...It is going to rain on Friday so I will be laughing at all the tent campers while I am dry and comfy-cozy in my Sport watching DVD's and listening to the radio. :) I'll have loads of pics to share when I get back.
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Postby hiker chick » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:43 pm

sandman wrote: Any ideas what you will do with the inside?? Are you going to put in any form of shelves or cabinets for storage?


Hopefully I'll have pics this weekend after I install one of my interior projects. In lieu of cabinets, I attached to a 6' wide dowling, two of these Cabelas cot organizers. These are fantastic on a cot and will serve my needs in the teardrop. I just need handy storage for glasses, keys, book, jacket, etc. These organizers also have a water bottle holder and a little (emphasis on little) table that can hold a clock, flashlight...

One of the organizers will be accessible from the rear galley.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true

In the evolution of my thought process on what I needed and wanted in this trailer, I opted against the cabinetry the moment I sat in one. It was a bit claustrophobic with the cabinets seemingly in my face. Not having cabinets opens up the space significantly which will suit sleeping and lounging sideways in the trailer.

I've no interest in cooking at the teardrop so didn't need the rear counter space. First of all, our favorite meals are cooked in grill baskets over the campfire. The campsite picnic table is usually sufficient for the propane stove (which usually just boils water for coffee and sidedishes) and it's convenient, secure and cooler to store the cooler in the Element.

Finally, the MDF (or whatever that IKEA-ish) stuff is they build the cabinetry out of is very heavy. Since I'm pulling with the Element's puny 4-cylinder, the weight-savings sealed the deal.

Oh, the discount from Little Guy for not having cabinetry was persuasive, as well.

For the plywood walls, I've purchased a photo wall mural of a sunlit forest. Liked the idea of the illusion. For the front wall I'm thinking of a laminated map of the U.S. from www.ravenmaps.com

I love maps and their's are terrific. And it would be useful when driving across country.

I've also inquired about having luminescent paint applied to the ceiling to approximate stars. Again, the illusion appeals. One of the nice aspects of sleeping in the Element is looking up through the large rear sunroof. Also, my LL Bean tent has two sunroofs in it that allow for stargazing at night. I'll miss that in the teardrop.

:)
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Postby hiker chick » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:47 pm

sandman wrote:I am leaving for my first camping trip in my Little Guy tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait to sleep in it...It is going to rain on Friday so I will be laughing at all the tent campers while I am dry and comfy-cozy in my Sport watching DVD's and listening to the radio. :) I'll have loads of pics to share when I get back.


That's so great -- will look forward to pics.

The tenters will be very envious, indeed.

Enjoy!

:applause:
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Postby hiker chick » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:35 pm

Today I focused on the interior. Put a rubber flooring down that I've got on the floor of my Element, then the Cabelas mattresses -- which I had intended to go lengthways but they fit perfectly sideways and that's how I plan on sleeping so it works. Put a plush car camping Thermarest on top for my spot.

Gidget will get the windows.


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Postby hiker chick » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:38 pm

Long before the teardrop was delivered, and before it was even ordered, I'd figured out what I was going to do in lieu of cabinetry. Reiterating what was described earlier in this thread, here are pics of the two Cabelas cot organizers which are attached to a 6' wide dowling, and which is hung by closet rod hangers. That went up easier than I'd expected and works even better than I'd hoped.

There's lots of great storage in these cot organizers, including a little table that can hold a clock, keys, whatever, and a bottle holder. I went ahead and put sleep clothes in it.

And as you can see, there is substantial room for the light, bulky stuff I want to carry in the teardrop instead of the Element. With room to spare, there are two sleeping bags and a Mountainsmith cube holder that is already packed with a cool weekend's worth of clothes and jackets. The first pic here has the rear galley hatch open, the second has it closed. Going to be spacious yet cozy in there.

Still not set on what to do with the walls. Not a rush, anything that requires paint or paste is going to wait until after the camping season is over.


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Postby hiker chick » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:40 pm

For scale, my teardrop model, Gidget, posed.

Hopefully, next weekend or at worst, in two weeks, the tear will debut at a campground in Shenandoah National Park.




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