The Prequel

[TinKicker]

Okay...talked about it for three years...I'm starting my first build. I promise.
Noted elsewhere, this isn't actually going to be a tear, though that's what I REALLY want. The practical facts are that I have two teenagers and try as I might, I haven't come up with a comfortable design to sleep four people without moving over into a small travel-trailer design. I guess I'll save the pure teardrop until it's just me and mama, or one of the kids agrees to pull another teardrop for them to sleep in.
This design is about a 50/50 split between chuck wagon and storage transport. No sleeping inside. It just hauls everything. So yes...we're still tenting.
I did get us a nice family cabin tent on clearance at K-Mart, and my son Cody and I have already test-driven it a while back. All four of us really like it! It'll be a good stop-gap between what we had (an outgrown smaller tent) and a camper. At least we can be out in the woods!
I bought an HF 4'x8' back in July and it's sitting in the garage now. My main holdup until now has been that I've been improving the garage, which was really just a dirt floor two-stall pole shed, by pouring concrete and installing lighting and such. I've yet to build the garage doors so that I can be sealed in this winter, but at least now I can work out there without A) Getting completely filthy and B) being at the mercy of daylight savings time.
I've got a little more stuff to do out there before I'm really ready to start the build (I don't want to have to interrupt that later for tedious projects), so I guess this will be simply a placemarker for a little while.
I'm posting some Sketchup plans of the trailer in my album for your consideration, and I thank all of you in advance for your comments and support. You're a great bunch of folks and I wish I lived closer to some of you!
By the way, I've yet to come up with a good name for this thing. The Prequel is not it. At least I don't think it is.

[robertaw]

Looks nice! Also looks like it sleeps 4. I'm confused but will watch your build with interest no matter what it turns out to be.

[wlivesey]

This design is about a 50/50 split between chuck wagon and storage transport. No sleeping inside. It just hauls everything. So yes...we're still tenting.

I know you're already working on a design but maybe I can throw in a diversion... How about a cargo-tear? You could build a teardrop, ditch the matress and store all your gear in there. Down the road, when it's just you and mama, you could convert it into the tear you want. ...just thinking...

[TinKicker]

Roberta, sorry, you must have checked my album before I got the current design posted. I HATE the process of scaling JPG's for upload! The design you saw is what I ended up with before when I was trying for a 4-sleeper...too big. Check my album again, please.
Bill, the design I'm thinking on is answering a few current issues.
1) Less complicated to build for a newbie (me). My lack of skills is such an issue right now. I need practice and I want to be happy with the teardrop when it finally gets built.
2) Faster to build. See #1 above. I measure seven times before I cut. Don't trust myself enough.
3) Less $$$ out right now. My bride and I are working toward zero debt, and my financial plan doesn't have a lot of leeway. That will change in a year or two, but we need a solid cheap camping unit until then.
By the way, for convenience sake, I'll be referring to this as Trailer X until a more apt name comes along.
Thanks for all the commentary! I appreciate you guys greatly.

[robertaw]

Roberta, sorry, you must have checked my album before I got the current design posted.

Yep..that's what happened. I saw your new ones now.

That's really a great idea. The main problem with tent camping is hauling all the stuff. A good size family tent and cooler alone won't fit in most cars storage compartments.

It's also a great plus to have your own kitchen with you. From looking at your pics I think the kitchen opens length-wise on the trailer?

I'm really surprised the RV industry has not come up with something similar to this as an inexpensive alternative for tent campers who don't want to go all-out trailer.

[TinKicker]

Yeah, the side-kitchen is about 5' long and the door folds down and out to give you almost two feet of counter. That rear section slides horizontally and is basic shelving--a pantry. The roof will have a fluorescent 4' light in that long section, and has storage above. I don't need self-contained water since we usually camp at sites with utilities, but if you look in the storage area toward the front there's a trunk that runs across the floor...that carries the electrical and a water line to the kitchen, where I'll just have a regular old garden hose tap coming out of the sidewall.
The front storage area is sized to carry a generator I have in case we DO go outback. Fuel cans on the front are for that, so if we're going to serviced sites, they won't be on there. I'll move other stuff up front to fix the weight transfer.
Everything is sized for equipment I've got (coolers, folding tables, etc., so there shouldn't be a lot of wasted space. Most of the panels will fit together in routed grooves, and then glued/screwed, so I think it's going to be EXTREMELY strong. The only tricky part will be the slide system for the roof and pantry, and I think I've got that figured out to be fairly simple.
Alabama's got around 24 state parks, which is plenty to keep us occupied, and that's why I think we can get by without a long-distance camper for now, though one day we would like to go out west.
Thanks for the kind words, Roberta!

[TinKicker]

I agree with what you said about the RV industry, Roberta. With the financial slump it's in right now, looks like they'd be looking at stuff like this, huh? In other words, I should be contacted any day now for the rights to my intellectual property, shouldn't I?

[TinKicker]

OK...I had to do it. This makes my 200th post.

[robertaw]

I agree with what you said about the RV industry, Roberta. With the financial slump it's in right now, looks like they'd be looking at stuff like this, huh? In other words, I should be contacted any day now for the rights to my intellectual property, shouldn't I?

I honestly think it's a terrific idea that many people would be interested in, especially if it's light enough to be towed by smaller cars. Maybe you should contact them with your idea. Since you clearly know how to use CAD programs you could make a nice presentation for them. The worst thing that could happen is they say no. All you would be out is a little time.

The RV industry is suffering right now so the timing is perfect. They could pop these out alot easier and cheaper than any of us could. It's a unique idea that would appeal to lots of people in these hard times.

Don't be intimidated - you will never know unless you give it a shot.

[Chip]

Kelsey,,, I like ya idea on the wedge,,,, and if ya really think about space use the front actually should be swooped and the back as full as it can be,,,, (room for kitchen, pots, coolers,, etc),,, if ya look at my tear profile the front is more curved than the galley end,,, One thought ,,, build ya dream and then get an "easy-up" with tent insert,,, the best of both worlds and when the daughters want their own tear,, pass on the tools and dads help,,, ,,,,, which ever way ya go ,, enjoy the process and shar da pics,,,

chipper

[TinKicker]

Chippy McChipster, thanks for the compliment on the wedge. I've read a LOT of what you've had to say and seen a lot of what you've done over the last couple years I've been on here, so your thoughts mean a lot.
The Wedge didn't start out of any definite plan. I just kind of thought, "What if I turned a tear backwards?" Then I got to thinking how it would be more aerodynamic and then I just started filling in the spaces with everything you'd need to camp.
It's just more camper than I want to pull around. I'm sure it'd push 2000# if it didn't go over. And be more difficult to maneuver. And pull my mileage further down. Etc.
I stopped at a little gas station a year ago and a gal who'd sent her old man to jail for beating on her was selling everything he owned...payback! She had an easy-up she said had been set up one time and I snagged it for $20! Who makes the tent insert you mentioned?

the best of both worlds and when the daughters want their own tear,, pass on the tools and dads help

My daughter Kara wouldn't mind that a bit. But my son Cody probably would!
I appreciate you, man.

[TinKicker]

I've spent the last hour or so looking at some of the build journals, and all I can say is...man! For you folks not to know diddly about woodworking, like you say, your projects sure are turning out way better than you'd think. You guys are good. I'm going to have to really push myself to achieve something similar.
Rough weight estimates so far on Trailer X put the wood alone at around 325#. That's figuring five sheets of 1/2" ply at 50# each and three sheets of 1/4" at 25# each. This is NOT a fancy first attempt! By fancy, I mean with skinning and all that. Just basic solid walls with good paint on the outside.
The title on my HF trailer lists it at 272#, so that's got me to around 600#. I've also added a wheeled trailer jack and I'm going to put in a spare. I figure by the time I put in my little bit of electrical and plumbing and what additional metal pieces I need for the compartment sliders, I'll be somewhere around 700#.
For this type of trailer I feel like that's a little high, but the HF trailer is rated higher than what I really needed at 1980# GVW, so there's excess framing and heavier springs to consider. Oh, well, better too heavy than too light. I think that instead of setting a weight goal, which would be arbitrary anyway, I'll just build it and see where it ends up and that will be that.
Of course, I've got to consider some equipment I'd forgotten. My generator, which won't go with us most of the time anyway, probably weighs around 200#. Then there are the two gas cans, approx. 45# each. With coolers and utensils, small appliances, the cabin tent, the ez-up, stove, firewood, cots, sleeping bags, propane canisters, blah blah blah to infinity, I might just need that trailer capacity after all!
One of my big goals was to build this thing to be as efficient as possible, in order to be as cheap as possible. We've been lucky all of our camping lives to be about three miles from Clear Creek State Park here in Alabama, but we want to travel the state and farther, so efficiency is a priority. I'm towing with an '04 Tacoma 3.4l, so I'm starting out with about 20mpg and dropping from there. Before the ethanol I was getting 23mpg. The truck can handle the towing weight just fine but mileage seems to fall over a cliff past a certain point. Anybody out there using a similar truck who can tell me their experiences?
I had hoped to have this thing rolling by now, but Terra is having a little surgery this month, Cody's got a birthday in November, and then Christmas rolls up like it does every year!
It's pretty guaranteed I can get intense on it the first of the year, but I'm still going to try to do something before then. If I can Terra enthused about it...
I just wish we had good plywood sources down here. I can't find anything of real quality.

[Chip]

Hey Kelsey,, most of the easy up kinda tent mfg make a tent insert ,,, I got mine at Dicks Sporting goods,,,, but most places that carry pop ups can order one if they dont have em,,,, here is a link to one made by shelter Logic,,,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images ... ting-goods

chipper

[TinKicker]

Thanks, Chip. I saved that to the computer so I can show Terra later.
Gotta' go now and work on my lawn mower...broken deck adjustment.
Be blessed!

[TinKicker]

Build being documented here:
http://tearjerkers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2266