Side Galley on a square tear

[SuperTroll]

In the design library, I found the "Square Tear" (am I wrong that a Tear known as a "Weekender" folows a similar design shape?)

as I'm thinking of ways to build a tear that is "Different", it occured to me that a Square Tear would be uniquely suited to the use of a SIDE mounted galley...one long surface mounted hatch hinged at or near the roofline, and covering nearly the entire side of the Tear, resulting in a galley near 8 Foot wide, but much shallower than a Rear Galley;

Simply turn the cooler/refrigerator and Stove Sideways from their rear galley storage positions since you have the length to compensate for loss of depth....

build the tear 6 Feet wide X 8 Feet long and make the galley 2 feet deep and you get(Less the 6" of wall thickness at 2" per wall) approx 42" wide X 7 'bed area with room for interior AC and storage cabinets in the living area...

One Side Door with Roof hatch that combines a vent fan with emergency exit...

Has this been done?

(and YES I'm going to build a Tear of one design or another, the VARDO was just the project DeJour I had in progress when I found this site...)

[Dale M.]

Umm... The problem is with a side gallery is that it may be on the"wrong side" of the camp..... When camping in RV specific spaces they are pretty standard, putting galley on "living" side puts your cooking area in your leisure areas.... IF you put the galley on the "utility" side you are encumbered with possible electric cable, water hose and gray water disposal hoses in that area (tripping hazards) ..... Also in lesser developed camp (primitive) areas either side may not be practically accessible due to camp design and configuration...

Design features are entirely up to you and you can put galley anywhere you want, even up front, but you have to also consider the "practicality" of using galley in any camping situation you may find yourself in...

Also consider the depth of galley will interfere with the with of the "cabin" area.... If you cabin area (sleeping) is 6 feet wide, by taking 30 inches or so for galley, you have reduced sleeping area to 42 inches wide.... That's less than standard double bed... Hope you like sleeping cozy or alone.

Dale

[SuperTroll]

I get the utility vs living issue and the possible encumbrance from power water and drain hose connections, thanks... as the post above stated, if the galley is 2 foot MAX depth, (the depth of the largest appliance would dictate) that leaves 3'6" ...of bed space (42"), no problem there, I can tell you my wife's idea of "Camping" is a Hilton Hotel... many of the utility/living issues could be mitigated by a wheel on the tongue...disconnect from the tow vehicle and turn the tear sideways in the trailer drive.....

Looking for all the pros AND cons to this idea...thanks for taking the time to reply...as I said, I'm thinking WAY outside the box for this build, and whatever is decided will be DECIDEDLY different from the norm...I may put the galley in a box on a roof mounted deck...and I'm only HALF joking there....

[Miriam C.]

My galley is 6' wide and the hatch is seriously heavy. That is reason enough to have pause. We do have a member who did what you are suggesting and put the kitchen on the side. I will try in a few minutes to find it.

You won't really have to worry about the cables and such cause you can turn most TD's around if the stuff is wrong. Just put your inlet on the bottom or the other side.

Have fun and make it your way.

[starleen2]

In the design library, I found the "Square Tear" (am I wrong that a Tear known as a "Weekender" folows a similar design?)

There is a design called "the weekender" which is A TEARDROP. Our camper is named "the weekender" becuase we use it to get away on the weekends. Ours is 6 ft wide and I could possibly think about less room on the side dedicated to a galley. Ours is at the end

[BPFox]

My current trailer, (the one that will be donating it's frame to the new build) is a square design with a side galley. It's not like the whole side lifts up like a rear galley does. In fact the work surface was nothing more than a folding table that sat alongside the trailer. The only built in part was a pantry for food and cooking stuff. On our Boy Scout trailer we used a similar design only it did have a hatch like side that would swing up and get locked into position. Then there was another panel that flipped down to become the work surface. This set up only took one foot of trailer space. This type of thing would work pretty good but you need a spot for storing things like the cook stove and any other appliances you might want to carry. This style would work pretty good if you wanted to make a mini toy hauler. In reality, anything will work that meets your desires and needs. Kind of the whole point of design and build your own, don't you think!

[len19070]

Skamper, and a lot of other Manufactures in the late 60's early 70's made these.



The owner of this trailer calls it the "Hot Dog Wagon".

Theres also a set of plans for something similar as well.

http://www.glen-l.com/campers/sequoia.html

Happy Trails

Len

[fireaunt]

I have a 4 foot wide and we have a twin size mattress with 3inches either side to hang off. I would love a little wider bed. If you are going to get your wife to try camping I would keep it wide and you cook with a dutch oven. She just needs a little bell for room service.

[SuperTroll]

I have a 4 foot wide and we have a twin size mattress with 3inches either side to hang off. I would love a little wider bed. If you are going to get your wife to try camping I would keep it wide and you cook with a dutch oven. She just needs a little bell for room service.

My Spouse is a real keeper...I'd wait on her hand and foot ANYtime....and she would me..she's just not a camper...which is good in some ways...we have so much in common otherwise, we'd need to invent different likes to stay sane...camping/Kayaking is my alone time, hers is in the kitchen when I'm gone...we both are cooks, and stumble over each other in the kitchen...she's happy when I get out...of the kitchen....

and I benifit when I come home...win/win.

[SuperTroll]

okay, just so you can all see just how far out there I am...how about a "Double Decker"?

A standie Square Tear with a full length (or as near as possible) solid popup....all the top up has in it, is the bed and an open space in front of the doors to enter and stand...access the loft bed by steping up on the bench seats.....bench seats and table in the lower spaces...

then there's the "Tara Tear".....Southern Mansion complete with White Columns and a spiral staircase...

[mikeschn]

The square tear by Andrew started life as a 4x8 sheet, and he knocked the top corners off.

The weekender started life as a longer 10' model, with both top corners and bottom corners knocked off.

FWIW...

Mike...

[SuperTroll]

hmmmmmmm.....the 10 footer WOULD give me more room for the staircase.......

THANK YOU TO YOU ALL...I'M GONNA TRY TO THINK OF SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL WILL STILL QUALIFY AS A TEARDROP, BUT BE SO RADICAL IN IT'S CONSTRUCTION THAT IT QUALIFIES AS......

so-so, not bad, it's okay but.....

"The lazy man sets his standards low so it's easier to exceed them...."

[bgordon]

Hi,

Here is an alternative idea for a side galley.

[SuperTroll]

Now me like the slide out Galley! the whole trailer ain't too shabby, I'm gonna keep that picture and try to think light and solid.....(don't mind the bed extension but I don't want it to be soft sided.....

THANKS!

[bgordon]

Your'e welcome!

And you'll be surprised how easy it is to build that slideout with just a few properly placed bearings!