A Newbie Says Hello from Los Angeles

[Wadinger]

Hey there -

My name is Laura and boyfriend's name is Scott. New to the TD world!

We've been camping all summer and find setting up our tent quite a cumbersome task. I also think battling with the inflatable mattress (middle of the night, the mattress loves deflating a little, taco-ing myself along with the 6'5" Scott, woo!).

My aunt and uncle have a Cozy Cruiser (also members of this forum), and we're in love with it. We long for a memory foam mattress and a "pack n' go" mentality that isn't fraught with noisy generators...

I don't know if we're "built to build" our own TD, but are on the lookout in the next year or so to buy a used one that can accommodate the aforementioned 6'5" giant and myself (5'7").

Also....a big dog may be a welcome addition to the family in coming years too. How do you guys handle that, for all you canine owners?

How are home-builts vs. manufactured?
I'm sure many of my questions will be answered as I peruse the forum, but figured it'd be a good way to start up a conversation!

[3822sean]

welcome to the forum..was just down at shoreline today,parkerslighthouse

[Wadinger]

Out of the 4 years I've been here in LB (and my whole life in LA county), I've never actually been to Parker's.

I'd take it it's good?

[doug hodder]

Intriguing name....Wadinger...have you had a wadinger? We make them camping regularly, delicious! Welcome aboard. Doug

[3822sean]

Out of the 4 years I've been here in LB (and my whole life in LA county), I've never actually been to Parker's.

I'd take it it's good?

thats funny been here all my life also and that was my first time ,,yes it was good,kinda expensive thats probably why i hadnt been there before

[canned o minimum]

A hearty WELCOME to you, Laura & Scott( The Giant)....

I hail from Riverside and was at LB Memorial Stadium today fer a VW show.

Have a Little Guy 4wide that I tow with my 1965 VW Bug. Can't miss that rig no matter where it is...

Hopin to meet ya at one a the gatherings soon.

Don't fergit the SCTT Gathering at Lake Perris in March !! There will be over 100 teardrops there !!

If yer handy with wood and construction.. building is THE way to go ! There is way too much info on EVERY aspect of building on this site.. yer never alone here !

[Roly Nelson]

Welcome aboard, Laura and Scott, from another So Cal teardropper. I suggest you keep your eyes open for a good deal on a used tear, and don't be turned away if it has been hand crafted by a previous teardrop enthusiast. There are a number of businesses here in So Calif that carry manufactured units, and it might be a surprise how helpful they are to get you into a teardrop trailer of your liking.

As posted above, be sure to attend the HUGE teardrop gathering at Lake Perris in the Spring, you will see plenty trailers, walk-ins are always welcome and some rigs might actually be for sale. Another option is building one yourselves. This has been done by many "unskilled" craftsmen, who became more skilled after their build was started. This board has many helpful members that are here to help you, plus free plans you can click on at the top of the page.

If you want to drive south about an hour on I-15, swing on by my place in Wildomar and we'll talk teardrops over a cup of coffee. I have a few tears, though none for sale. Two were easy builds, one was a bit more involved. Good luck on getting rid of that tent and air mattress, and welcome to the wonderful world of teardroping.
Roly, the li'l ol' woody builder and user.

[canned o minimum]

HE has good coffee... and PLENTY of experience with teardrop buildin...TAKE THE DRIVE !!

[cuyeda]

Welcome to the forum, and howdy neighbor! I met another member here that lives just down the street from us (Route 66 Teardrop). If you have any questions, or want to know about local vintage trailer rallies that we attend, let me know.

[Wadinger]

Intriguing name....Wadinger...have you had a wadinger? We make them camping regularly, delicious! Welcome aboard. Doug

Yes! We have been eating wadingers every camping trip since we discovered them. Even when we accidentally left the sticks we made home, we ended up grabbing a few dead tree branches from the site and whittling them down for makeshift wadinger sticks. Addicted much?

Great source of jokes, especially when we need to demonstrate the use of them to other newbies.

[Wadinger]

A hearty WELCOME to you, Laura & Scott( The Giant)....

Have a Little Guy 4wide that I tow with my 1965 VW Bug. Can't miss that rig no matter where it is...


If yer handy with wood and construction.. building is THE way to go ! There is way too much info on EVERY aspect of building on this site.. yer never alone here !

Towing with a bug? SWEET!

There is so much information here it's ridiculous. I never entertained the idea of building, but everyone is saying that that IS the way to go. Since we're not in a rush, it might be a fun project!

You have a Little Guy, but how does the benefits of building compare to one that is manufactured? I see a bigger sense of satisfaction of course ("I built this!!!"). What made you get a Little Guy?

[Wadinger]

Welcome aboard, Laura and Scott, from another
As posted above, be sure to attend the HUGE teardrop gathering at Lake Perris in the Spring, you will see plenty trailers, walk-ins are always welcome and some rigs might actually be for sale. Another option is building one yourselves. This has been done by many "unskilled" craftsmen, who became more skilled after their build was started. This board has many helpful members that are here to help you, plus free plans you can click on at the top of the page.

If you want to drive south about an hour on I-15, swing on by my place in Wildomar and we'll talk teardrops over a cup of coffee. I have a few tears, though none for sale. Two were easy builds, one was a bit more involved. Good luck on getting rid of that tent and air mattress, and welcome to the wonderful world of teardroping.
Roly, the li'l ol' woody builder and user.

I didn't even know where Lake Perris was until I just Googled it. That sounds like an awesome place to get a good look at teardrops, and to get familiarized with the community. Maybe it will be a great jumping point into deciding whether we'd want to build down the line, or continue to keep an eye out on a used one (or both!).

Wildomar is not that far at all, and we'd love to get together sometime after the holidays to pick your brain! I feel like I've stumbled upon some rare gem of a world with TD's, and I've even got another camping buddy and his gal seriously considering a purchase of a TD down the line. He thought they'd be running close to $10K in cost, so he was surprised that the average TD doesn't!

It's so easy to let life get in the way and make excuses to not get outdoors....but it's also just as easy to build relationships and acquire tools to facilitate getting out there....

[Wadinger]

HE has good coffee...

YES.

[campmaster-k]

Ok Ok Ill bite. What is a Wadinger?

[mkitchen]

I have never heard of a wadinger, what are they? If they are edible, then I am interested.

In regards to teardrops, though I live in Arizona, I bought our TD in Upland CA. We went to look at SoCal teardrops because they build a Deluxe model that is 11 feet long. I am 6'7" and I wanted a bed that would allow me to stretch out and not touch the head or foot of the bed. My bed is 8 1/2 feet long and I love it. We share out TD with three Welsh Corgis and though not overly big, the do tend to take up some space and we are all comfortable in our TD.

Anyhow, welcome to the site and I hope you find or build a TD and join us.
Mikey