My first teardrop - the Kampster, Final Posting

[grizz]

Looking at the inside of your trailer, I should have gone for a similar design, making more space available for the galley.

[sagebrush]

Looking VERY good! Seems like you will get'er done for your June trip. Will

[bbarry]

Thanks guys! Right now there are about a million projects that are chewing up my time. There are just a few things to nail down before June, but I feel like I'm getting no work done currently.

Grizz: I think hindsight is inevitable. I'm already finding things that I wish I could have incorporated. I guess the key is to be happy with what you have and enjoy using it.

[bbarry]

It's not a lot of progress, but it's progress nonetheless:



The hatch skin is on! I varnished it beforehand and then used epoxy as an adhesive so there wouldn't be any fasteners showing. Access slots for the workings of the gas struts were cut prior to installation. I'll post a better picture of this after all the supports come off. For those watching this thread, it's important to note when clamping epoxied pieces that the clamps should simply hold the pieces together, not squeeze the epoxy out of the joint like a normal wood glue. Doing so can lead to epoxy starvation and a weak joint. In reality, this is probably not much of an issue in our little builds...more of a problem for stich and glue boat construction

[parivercat]

You have a great looking trailer. I really like your cabinets insde and in the galley. The sliding out cabinet with the flip cabinet top is cool. May you enjoy many camping trips.

[bbarry]

Well, my build is nearly complete and this thread is just about dead, so I'll post a few final pictures from our trip to Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone this summer. 2500 more miles on the trailer and no troubles other than losing both hubcaps the first day. I need to figure out a good method of securing them so I don't keep wasting vintage hubcaps

I finished up a number of small projects before we left for our trip, including getting the hatch hardware on, battery installed and wired, etc. We only had electric for two days, so had to run off the battery for the entire time we were in Yellowstone. The WalMart brand deep cycle battery powered our 12v lights and fan just fine for 5 days, using mainly the lights 1-2 hours a night.

Here's the newly installed hatch handle:



...and the plate that reinforces where the latch enters the sidewall. I just cut out a circle of aluminum, drilled a hole in the center and eased the edge just a little so the latch will enter cleanly.



Campsite in Yellowstone:



Dinner's on the stove and yes, that's Happy Camper wine you see. It has a vintage TTT on the label.





...and, the inside:





Thanks for reading...hope to see a few of you at Crawford in a few weeks!

[Darren]

Nice! Looks like a great trip. Is that a Coleman shelter?

Do you think you'll make it to Crawford? Hope so.

Later,
Darren

[Cliffmeister2000]

Very nice build! Hope you enjoy it for many years to come!

[bbarry]

Nice! Looks like a great trip. Is that a Coleman shelter?

Yup, got it from the Coleman Factory Outlet here in Wichita. We're pretty happy with it. For the size, it's fairly easy to put up, seems to handle the winds well, and on sale, it was cheaper than cheapy WalMart EZ ups.

Yes, we should make it to Crawford...sent you a PM with a few questions.

[Ratkity]

Great camper! Thanks for sharing your trip pics.

Hugs,
Ratkity

[teardrop_focus]

Brad, AWESOME.

Your wife, too, looks proud and happy.

Job well done, sir.

You say "final" pics in this thread... and that may be so, but I hope you'll continue to post images from your future teardrop travels in a thread or three in the Trips, Pics and Hiway Tales subforum section!

[corncountry]

Brad, great looking TD. Now with the building over you can have time to enjoy it. Looks like you had great time on your first major trip.
At what campground, in Yellowstone, did you stay?

Jim

[bbarry]

We stayed at Canyon. You could make reservations and it had showers Turned out to be a good, central location also. Having never been to Yellowstone before, I was surprised at how much driving we did.

[pete42]

Thanks for sharing nice trailer great build may the memories follow your family for ever.

Pete

[Alfred]

Hey Brad,

The camper looks great - Congrats on your first trip out in it!

Al in Asheville