newbie from Kenosha, WI

[burlesot]

Hello all,
I discovered this site quite by happenstance. We had just returned from a camping trip and the whole way I drove home I was thinking about the monstrosities that surrounded us at our recent camp site. We have evolved our idea of camping and now we tend to be much more about comfort than about roughing it. When I met my wife, my idea of camping was a backpack with a hammock or maybe a ground sheet with a piece of foam to sleep on. We've found that, with kids, it makes so much more sense to have a nice tent and some comforts such as nice chairs, a cooking stove, etc. So, as I was thinking about our most recent trip, I started fantasizing about what we would do after our kids have left the nest. We've always wanted to travel. It started clicking in my head, we needed a 'step up' from tent camping, but did not want one of those monstrosities. That's when I found the teardrop design idea. It was like an eureka moment for me! I showed the images to my wife, who liked the idea a lot. Since then, about a week ago, I have read everything I can get my hands on about teardrops. I found a dealer of t@b campers near Milwaukee and my wife and I are planning to visit them soon to 'try them out.' We love the idea of being able to build our own. I'm very comfortable in my shop; have built many of our pieces of furniture in the house. This site is like living in a candy store; full of terrific resources and ideas. I've gotten so excited by the site that my wife is a little tired of 'hearing' about it. She is the practical one in our relationship! I hope we can spend the next year dreaming and researching what we truly want and then we can start our own build!

Thanks in advance to all those who have posted; I think it will take me a year to read through all the posts!

Sincerely,
Todd from Kenosha, WI

[Betsey]

Welcome to the madness Todd!

You will find a lot of ideas, advice & help here, so don't hesitate to ask questions.

If you are able to see some teardrops in person & talk with the owners, that would be most beneficial to you. There are several people in your area who have built or purchased teardrops & would be happy to show them to you. Hopefully, they will see your post & respond.

Look on this website under the topic "Midwest" to see if & when there will be teardrop gatherings (camping events where people & their teardrops get together for a weekend or so) in your area.

Also, Wisconsin & Illinois both have very active chapters of Tearjerkers, an international camping group for people who have or enjoy teardrop trailers, & we camp A LOT!

Here is the link to join the Tearjerker forum: http://www.tearjerkers.net/new_forum/in ... 0655a573cb

Once there, look for Wisconsin under the topic "St Croix Chapter." Illinois is the Land of Lincoln Chapter. You will find calendars under both chapters that list upcoming camping events that you might want to attend. Gatherings are a great place to see a variety of teardrops all in one place, talk to owners, get ideas, etc. You will be most welcome at a gathering, even if you join us in a tent! Or just stop by for a few hours to visit.

The weekend of September 28-30, we host a teardrop gathering called the "Camp-Inn Camp-Outt." It is in Mauston, WI. We usually have over 100 people attend for the weekend. At this point, we have 70 registered. Most campers will be teardrops - everything from home built, original & manufactured ones. But we will have some join us in tents, pop-ups & RVs. We would love to have you join us!

Look forward to meeting you around the campfire!

Betsey

[Gary and Cheri]

Todd,

Welcome from your neighbor from Burlington.

We retired from teaching 6 years ago and went out east to see the leaves of Vermont and New Hampshire. Took our 3 man tent. Every morning it was 10:30 to 11:00 before the tent was dry enough to put away. Wasted alot of time I should have been using to explore new vistas. Went home and immediately bought our tear and have had nothing but the best of times.

This site is all about teardrops but are you aware that there is a site that is mainly about teardrop camping. It's called tearjerkers and there is a link on this forum.

Tom and Char are tearjerkers that are on this site and tearjerkers. They are located in Kenosha also. I've got my tear hooked up right now for a trip to New York tommorrow. Love the thing. I'll be back within two weeks and you are always welcome to contact us to talk and see tears.

Gary

[burlesot]

Gary,
Thank you so much for your response. I have gone into full out obsession now about teardrops and I will welcome the chance to see yours when you return. There is a dealer in Milwaukee of L'll Guys and I am going to go there to take a look at the models that are for sale there. I am adamant that I will build my own!

Thanks and I look forward to meeting you when you return from NY.

Todd

p.s. I am beginning my 21st year of teaching this fall! The teardrop came into my field of vision when I started thinking about retiring. I realized, "Why should I wait to have these great opportunities?"

[burlesot]

Betsey,
Thank you for the kind welcome. I am now fully obsessed with teardrops and have spent the last week on the computer dreaming about designs. I can't wait to actually get to see these wonderful creations.

Most sincerely,
Todd

[burlesot]

Wondering:

I am thinking about a few design issues and thought I would ask a bit of advice from the experts. In planning our teardrop, I have been looking at many of the designs that include and don't include an ac unit. I've seen the kind "Petcool" that sit outside the trailer as well as window units that are put into the teardrop. We plan, down the road, to take this baby all over America. I cannot stand sweating while sleeping and sleep with a fan on me 365 days a year. I'm wondering about the different schools of thought on AC and was hoping you could guide me a bit. I want to plan ahead for those really hot days; I'd love to be able to use the AC if needed. I know that this requires a few other additions: either a generator to run the AC or a way to hook up to 'shore power' in a camp site, etc. I would appreciate any images of set ups that have the integrated AC system into the galley of the teardrop. I think that is the way I would like to go with my design, but am open to suggestions.

Thank you,
Todd

[wingnut]

burlesot,

Welcome to the addiction.

[tearhead]

Hi from Whitewater! Congratulations on your new dual addictions--teardrops and this forum! We have a 5 by 8 Pleasant Valley Lil Traveler that we really like a lot (very similar to Gary and Cheri's). We have never had an AC because our trailer has a little fan built in, plus we can hang little fans in the windows. Have done fine, even in North Carolina in July. We've never thought we needed AC, but have considered cutting a hole in the ceiling for a "Fantastic Fan" (which seems to be the most popular fan brand). But now we have no leaks, and if we cut a hole, well, you never know. There's also the cute factor. I personally like the look of a teardrop so much that sticking things out the side (hoses and such for a pet cool) seems sacriligious. I don't know if they make petcools anymore, either. It will be interesting to read others' comments.

You'll see us at some gatherings, so...fair warning

[Woodbutcher]

Welcome Todd, Gary and Cheri have a Pet cool. Hope to see you at a gathering soon, even in a tent you are welcome!

Steve

[burlesot]

Pat,
Thank you so much for the feedback! I think you are right on with the cute factor. As long as we have a powerful fan, I plan on installing a fantastic fan, we should be good. Also, with additional outlets inside, we could power additional small fans too! We are heading up north to Milwakee to spend some time viewing teardrops at a dealer there soon. It will be fun to try them out. I would love to meet up with others soon at a gathering.

Sincerely,
Todd

[WhitneyK]

Todd,

Sounds like your discovery and revolation was a lot like mine. Only exception was, we went from tent camping in early marrige to sleepin' in a mini van. It's do-able, just not practicle. I didn't want to drag a big camper up and down the road wollerin' us all over the place and I couldn't afford a tow vehicle big enough to accomplish it. I found the website by accident and hollered "hey honey, come check this out". She was apprihensive at first, but once she started finding "accessories" for it, it was "Katie bar the door".

Good luck on your research and build.

[tearhead]

Be ready that T@bs aren't so much teardrops as "standies" (i.e., you can stand up in them). I think (someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) they would be classified as tiny travel trailers rather than teardrops. Teardrops are smaller and you can't stand up inside. Both types of trailer have their nice aspects.

[honeask]

Welcome Todd (and wife). I understand obsession, I got cured. I found teardrops first and started in on my husband. It took a bit but in under a year we had a teardrop. Built by someone else but what we wanted. It is great to be off the ground and have a rolling bed and kitchen. Have fun with it.

[Betsey]

Be ready that T@bs aren't so much teardrops as "standies" (i.e., you can stand up in them). I think (someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) they would be classified as tiny travel trailers rather than teardrops. Teardrops are smaller and you can't stand up inside. Both types of trailer have their nice aspects.

In addition, teardrops do not have kitchens inside but rather, have galley kitchens. The exception to this would be the Kampmaster or Wild Goose designs. T@B, realizing that teardrops were becoming quite popular, produced a model called the Clamshell. You could still stand up in it but your kitchen was in the galley. Basically, it looked like a really big teardrop. Production on them stopped due to problems with sealing the galley hatch. I understand Clamshells will be built again sometime in the future.

Betsey

[tearhead]

Yes, how could I have omitted the outside kitchen in a teardrop?! That's one of the coolest things--the galley in the back. You open up a hatch, and voila! I find that the outside galley kitchen really adds to the experience of teardropping and distinguishes us from people who have to stand inside, in a cramped space, to cook, rather than being outside socializing with the neighbors. (But that's just my opinion!)