I've tried, but I can't stay away....

[InternetPilot]

Welcome Chris, It is possible to build a Tear to hold 3, Mine is 6'6"x11'6" and I can sleep my wife and myself with our 4 year old tins in it. But as they get older or If I'm camping with there cousins they stay in the tent

Thanks for replying -- it allowed me to see your album. Your tear is very nice build and definitely giving me some ideas. I really like the innovations and design of your galley, especially the pass-thru to the interior. If I did that here in Florida, I'd have to put a screens or a mesh curtain as part of the design (too many bugs), but I like the pass-through and the slides.

The look and build of your tear is probably very much how anything I build will be. I am correct in that it's just painted wood on the exterior, right? I don't see me doing any type of fiberglass or aluminum skinning. I've done fiberglass work before and that can be tedious. I don't know anything about working with metal, but I have done some carpentry -- both original projects as well as a lot of repairs on existing. I just think I'd feel a lot more comfortable doing the whole thing in wood.

Anyway, thanks again for replying -- it's good to see others trying to shove the whole family into a tear! I'm just trying to put 1/2 the family in a tear, and hopefully I can be successful!

[InternetPilot]

I updated my original post to include some more personal background info. Sorry I left that out before -- not much of an introduction without it!

[InternetPilot]

Sounds like these are all good problems to have. Why not build a tear, and put the kids in a tent? Or them in the tear and you in a tent??

We once slept 3 in our 5x8, but it's not something I'd really like to repeat, though they are small enough. Perhaps a 6'wide and sleep sideways???

I've noticed that with this group my "problems" have "simple" (haha -- sarcasm) solutions like tip-outs, slides, popups....I'm surprised I haven't seen a 3-story teardrop from this group yet! You folks are amazing! The amount of knowledge and ingenuity here is just incredible!

[InternetPilot]

You could also use the camp kitchen in, or behind your teardrop!!!

Mike...

That's what I'll tell my wife as I take over the 3rd slot in our garage! I already have about $500 worth of the gear -- what's another $1,500 or so to build a teardrop to go with it, right?

The good thing about a teardrop is that you're not buying everything all at once, so it allows for a trickle expansion budget, justifying purchases along the way.

Thanks for the website, Mike!

[InternetPilot]

That's right Chris..you've tried and can't stay away...


You are coming under our control....

You will build, you will build...

Oh, it's destiny. I'm already in the stage where I literally dream about features and designs at night....not kidding!

[InternetPilot]

You have all of the qualifications necessary to build a teardrop...

I don't know -- looking at what the rest of you have created, I'm feeling far more like the Igor and a lot less like the mad scientist!

:R YOUR HOOKED

WELCOME TOO

Bob

This site is way too addictive! I just keep looking at album after album after album, and I'm literally in awe!

[TENNJIM]

Next thing you know, there will be an organization called TA (Teardrops Anonymous) with a 12-step program.
Welcome!

Jim B / Utah

[John T. Hodgen]

Hi Chris,
I'm just doing litttle details to finish up my new 4x8 that I built. I have 8 total months from start to where I'm at now---But only 4 months working time on my "Costa Lotta"!! I've made about 25 trips to the box store too. But I have only about 1600.00 total in it and VERY PROUD of how it came out. I'll give you One More Album to check out::http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/panheadjohn60/ I didn't really have any plans for measurements-Artistic Eyeballing- The hatch, i made little and two swing doors instead of one BIG hatch. I figured that was Easier 4 me
"Costa Lotta--The really so much of the month is left at the end of the Money!!!" Til later by the fire---John T.

[InternetPilot]

:lol: Next thing you know, there will be an organization called TA (Teardrops Anonymous) with a 12-step program.
Welcome!

Jim B / Utah

Hi, my name is Chris ("Hi, Chris!"), and although I've never actually owned a teardrop, I am a teardropaholic. It's okay though -- I'm taking this process one step at time.


Chris' 20-Step Process for Building a Teardrop Trailer:

1. Buy a hitch and wiring harness for my Toyota Sienna (Done).
2. Install the hitch and wiring harness (Done once it arrives)
3. Buy a trailer...
4. Walk aimlessly around Home Depot, saying "No, thank you" a lot to the staff.
5. Buy about 7,334 clamps of various sizes.
6. Buy 50 more clamps just in case.
7. Buy a bunch of lumber.
8. Make a lot of cuts, using only basic geometry skills and a plan in my head.
9. After ruining most of my wood, buy or download some real plans.
10. Buy a bunch of lumber.
11. Make the right cuts (after measuring 122 times).
12. Make/mount the floor and assemble the walls and roof frame.
13. Park the half-built TD in the garage for 2 or 3 months, waiting to get my brain unstuck.
14. Finally get done reading the entire Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers forum, and finish the TD in one week.
15. Go camping.
16. Have a lot of fun.
16. Realize things I should've done differently.
17. Attend a TD rally and realize a LOT of things I should've done differently.
18. List my TD on eBay with a reserve price of about 10x what I paid for it.
19. Eventually sell my TD by way of Craig's List for 1/2 of the money I put into it (renaming the TD from something fun and witty like Trailer of Tears to something like Reality Check).
20. Go back to #3 and start all over.

The experienced Teardropaholics can feel free to add to or edit the process....

[InternetPilot]

Hi Chris,
I'm just doing litttle details to finish up my new 4x8 that I built. I have 8 total months from start to where I'm at now---But only 4 months working time on my "Costa Lotta"!! I've made about 25 trips to the box store too. But I have only about 1600.00 total in it and VERY PROUD of how it came out. I'll give you One More Album to check out::http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/panheadjohn60/ I didn't really have any plans for measurements-Artistic Eyeballing- The hatch, i made little and two swing doors instead of one BIG hatch. I figured that was Easier 4 me
"Costa Lotta--The really so much of the month is left at the end of the Money!!!" Til later by the fire---John T.

Looks great, John! I like the easier hatch solution, and have the feeling that I will be adding a lot of "easier" to whatever design I end up with.

Hey, is there any way to get the Photobucket photos to be bigger? You definitely have some pics posted that I wanted to give a closer look!

[John T. Hodgen]

Hey Chris,
I've tried to get my pictures bigger, BUT my knowledge on such things isn't how things are actually Done!!! If you have a question that you think I could help you with, just pm and I'll try to help.
I have my teardrop's body set up where I can remove it and use the trailer for something else After spying a Vardo camper ,I maybe building another camper for my trailer--two body styles/one trailer--WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!
Glad that you enjoyed the pixs of the "Costa Lotta!!"
Til later by the fire--John T.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Chris' 20-Step Process for Building a Teardrop Trailer:

1. Buy a hitch and wiring harness for my Toyota Sienna (Done).
2. Install the hitch and wiring harness (Done once it arrives)
3. Buy a trailer...
4. Walk aimlessly around Home Depot, saying "No, thank you" a lot to the staff.
5. Buy about 7,334 clamps of various sizes.
6. Buy 50 more clamps just in case.
7. Buy a bunch of lumber.
8. Make a lot of cuts, using only basic geometry skills and a plan in my head.
9. After ruining most of my wood, buy or download some real plans.
10. Buy a bunch of lumber.
11. Make the right cuts (after measuring 122 times).
12. Make/mount the floor and assemble the walls and roof frame.
13. Park the half-built TD in the garage for 2 or 3 months, waiting to get my brain unstuck.
14. Finally get done reading the entire Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers forum, and finish the TD in one week.
15. Go camping.
16. Have a lot of fun.
16. Realize things I should've done differently.
17. Attend a TD rally and realize a LOT of things I should've done differently.
18. List my TD on eBay with a reserve price of about 10x what I paid for it.
19. Eventually sell my TD by way of Craig's List for 1/2 of the money I put into it (renaming the TD from something fun and witty like Trailer of Tears to something like Reality Check).
20. Go back to #3 and start all over.

The experienced Teardropaholics can feel free to add to or edit the process....

I have lived through the process, except step 13 was actually 5 months, and all I had done was the floor. I had to fly my brother down from Washington to get me motivated to start again. Once the walls were up, though, I worked constantly on it until it was camp-able. Now I have to stop camping long enough to finish the details...

[Roly Nelson]

Chris, you've got to keep it simple. Just slap some wooden nailers onto a Harbor Freight frame, screw down some plywood, attatch a couple of sides, add cross members and plywood roof, and you have just built a teardrop. Now all you have to do is finish it.

Simply add doors, windows, roof vent, galley hatch and cabinets, interior and exterior lighting, fenders, tongue box, mattress and interior cabinets, exterior finish material and before you know it, you'll be camping just like the rest of us. Nothing to it, we've all been there. Good luck on your build. Oh yes, BTW, welcome to the forum, you've come to the right place
Roly

[InternetPilot]

Hey Chris,
I've tried to get my pictures bigger, BUT my knowledge on such things isn't how things are actually Done!!! If you have a question that you think I could help you with, just pm and I'll try to help.
I have my teardrop's body set up where I can remove it and use the trailer for something else After spying a Vardo camper ,I maybe building another camper for my trailer--two body styles/one trailer--WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!
Glad that you enjoyed the pixs of the "Costa Lotta!!"
Til later by the fire--John T.

Uh-oh....now you have me thinking. I'm visually a manual or even motorized pulley lift system in my garage so I can just lift up the tear and drive the trailer right out from under it. Oh, dear. I have to stop coming to this site.

[InternetPilot]

I have lived through the process, except step 13 was actually 5 months, and all I had done was the floor. I had to fly my brother down from Washington to get me motivated to start again. Once the walls were up, though, I worked constantly on it until it was camp-able. Now I have to stop camping long enough to finish the details...

Actually, I need to add a few more steps to my own process to include coming the for sale section of this website, and then spending 15 minutes crying about all the good deals on ready2go teardrops that sold before my time! AUGH!

I missed Starleen2's Weekender II by less than a week. Being a native Texan, I would've relished the trip from Florida to Texas to get it! But I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Maybe someone's trying to tell me that I'm supposed to build from scratch? No, not you people -- of course you'll tell me to build from scratch! I meant "someone-someone"....haha.