Old Trailer Style kit.

I remember reading the DIY tear drop trailers in Popular Mechanics years ago.  A couple sheets of 1/16" polished aluminum diamond plate would look sharp.

http://td.roughwheelers.com/ar...echanix_ill_1947.pdf

IaM-Ray posted:

http://aeroluxtrailer.blogspot...ler-styling-kit.html

Nice

 

These are on eBeg and also have plans available.

I rebuilt and restored a 1955 Benroy Teardrop a few years back. Very rewarding. If any of you have questions, let me know. 

If you ever build one, make sure it 5' wide. The aluminium will cost more, but that extra foot wide means you can use a double bed mattress! huge difference in comfort.

 

One of just 400 +/- built between 1953/55. I rebuilt it from scraps of the original. It is recognized as being one of the best restored examples available today. 

 

Nice job, TRP. Any idea of the overall and tongue weight ? 

 

OK, time for some good old SOC thread drift.

I get the coolness factor of some of these teardrop camper designs, but what I've never understood is the practicality of the accommodation they provide as compared to something like this

that offers tons more space, standing headroom, and can be folded up, stowed in the trunk or back seat of a normal car or SUV, costs a lot less, and frees you from towing anything.

The only camping I've ever done was years ago in small, two-person backpacking tents, and I've always thought these 'basecamp' tents would be like sleeping in the Taj Mahal by comparison.

So, to those who have actually used them, are teardrop campers worth the added cost and hassle of towing another vehicle?

 

I never have been in one of those but I had friends who had bolers and they said the dry rather than dampness of tents and the ready in a moment for sleep was what they liked on a trip... 

TRP posted:

I rebuilt and restored a 1955 Benroy Teardrop a few years back. Very rewarding. If any of you have questions, let me know. 

If you ever build one, make sure it 5' wide. The aluminium will cost more, but that extra foot wide means you can use a double bed mattress! huge difference in comfort.

 

One of just 400 +/- built between 1953/55. I rebuilt it from scraps of the original. It is recognized as being one of the best restored examples available today. 

 

That is VERY cool

Sacto Mitch posted:

 

OK, time for some good old SOC thread drift.

I get the coolness factor of some of these teardrop camper designs, but what I've never understood is the practicality of the accommodation they provide as compared to something like this

that offers tons more space, standing headroom, and can be folded up, stowed in the trunk or back seat of a normal car or SUV, costs a lot less, and frees you from towing anything.

The only camping I've ever done was years ago in small, two-person backpacking tents, and I've always thought these 'basecamp' tents would be like sleeping in the Taj Mahal by comparison.

So, to those who have actually used them, are teardrop campers worth the added cost and hassle of towing another vehicle?

 

A real mattress, heatable, carries your BBQ, cooler etc, wives/girlfriends consider it less like camping (if you want them along   don't leak, can have real fridges in them, and the bears eat the family in the tent next door first....

I think these are pretty cool and if they're small enough you can tow them with a small SUV, car, or even a motorcycle.

There's a company in Ohio that makes an array of them new

http://www.golittleguy.com/

I could really see doing this if I was traveling by myself, but have a hard time picturing this working out well with any of my family members.

I think you could probably pull the "my pod" behind a Speedster.

However, when I factor in cost of hotels and storage, I would have to do a lot more solo traveling than today for this to pay off.

Maybe if I ever get fed up and decide to drive my Speedster around the world solo, I'll consider it ;-)


>

Got me thinking!

On some of the tear drops the roof from mid way back to the tail pushes up to give a tall roof and has canvas sides.

Pros and cons to each. We camp on the beach and the trailer would be tough and hot vs a tent. Try setting one of those tents up by yourself in 25 mph winds...

Back in '85 my family was growing and my wife's less-than-trusty '71 Ford Torino was quickly giving up the ghost, so we bought a Plymouth Voyager (same as a Dodge Caravan).  The one we got was off the lot at a local dealer and had been there for a few months because we saw that it didn't have the third back seat, just two benches, but that was perfect for us (two kids).  

When we went to pick it up, the dealer says, "Wait a minute, I have to get the tent from storage".  ????  He comes back with an 8' X 10' Wenzel tent in a nice tent bag, and another matched bag that says "Plymouth Magic Tent" and goes on to explain that that van had the "Magic Tent" option, and the smaller bag has a collar that attaches to both the tent and the open side door of the van, Plus the tent, when set up, has a web that deploys from the tent base to show where the wheels of the car go to line everything up.  Thay had it set up in the showroom for a while, but it didn't sell - everyone wanted the third back seat and this van couldn't accept one because of the middle seat.

THEN he shows us how, with the flip of a lever on the van's middle seat, it collapses into a double bed.  HOLY $#!+ !!  Nobody ever mentioned this to us when we were looking, and we STILL thought it was perfect.  Put over 140,000 miles on that van and camped all over the place with it.  Pretty cool.

Just like my 67 VW camper. Oh how I wish I still had that old Kombi!

I've always done remote primitive camping for the specific purpose of not seeing or hearing other people or traffic for the duration of my camp out, This affords peace & quiet by a campfire to reflect and gaze at the stars.

Built a comfy sleep platform in the back of my Rover to keep myself & supplies/equipment out of the elements (rain) if needed.

Here's a short video of one of my desert excursions. When video begins, click 'Gear' icon in lower right and adjust video quality to 720HD. Thanks for watching! 

 

At my age, this is more my taste

I've always had a dream of acquiring a Sportsmoblie. My brother in law pulled the trigger on one last year. Primo!

Sportsmobiles rule! 

MusbJim posted:

Sportsmobiles rule! 

And built right here in the Central Valley. I pass by the business often.

http://sportsmobile.com

Whoops, I see they're built in Texas and Indiana also.

@MUSBJIM

You got this fun stuff down to a science!

I always liked Airstreams.  Looked at used one 10 years ago and was surprised by both their heavy weight (hefty steel frame) and price. My Yota V6 would not pull one in 25' range.  Ended up with 25' Forest River Ultra-Lite (since sold).  Check out this Airsteam Road Chief version! Price is right up there at $219k!

http://newatlas.com/bowlus-road-chief-lithium/46342/

 

If the Airstream exhausts your camping budget - how about the dinky DUB-Box for $12,800. From UK.  Photo is larger $22k version.

http://newatlas.com/dub-box-dinky-dub/46177/

 This "kit" is for a hightop which might be more practical.  $10k "kit". Made in Georgia.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/cla...etail.php?id=1966256

 

Back in the 1980's, I worked for a company that sold some networking equipment to the Walt Disney World Data Center and was one of the lucky two guys who got to go install it.  If you've never been to the Magic Kingdom but have seen pictures of it, were you to stand at the top end of Main Street USA, looking right at Cinderella's Castle and then went right past the castle and went another two miles north into the orange groves, that is where the Data Center is, still on Disney property, but way out there beyond the parks.

We stayed at the Buena Vista Palace hotel on Buena Vista Drive, and they told us to take Buena Vista Drive out a couple of miles past the Magic Kingdom, take a left on Winter Garden, another left, then two rights and you'll see the center.

What did we know?  We got lost.  We missed one of the lefts or rights somewhere and were driving around, semi-aimlessly, when we drive into the yard of a beautifully restored, 1950's travel trailer that looked like this, only in Turquoise and silver:  

It looked like someone was still living there, so we backed on out of there and eventually found the data center.  When they asked if we had any trouble finding the place, we told them of the trailer we found.

"You saw the trailer?  The green and silver one?"

"Yeah", we said, "what is it?"

Well, it turns out that THAT is THE trailer that Walt and Lillian Disney used to stay in when they were in the very early stages of planning (and buying land for) Walt Disney World.  The company has restored it and replaced it on the same spot where it used to sit when the Disney's used it.  It has almost become a shrine to Disney employees, but in a very quiet way.  Like, "We like to preserve it out there in the orange groves - Walt would like that."

A few years ago, I bought a 10 x 10 tent from Cabella's , I think.  It had big screens and front flaps with a 4 x 4 "porch" in front.  In the back, it had a big sleeve with velcro straps so you could back a pick-up with a cap or an SUV into it and open the tailgate and rear window in the cap and snug up the sleeve around the truck.  It works pretty well, because you're only using one vehicle , which you can use without breaking down camp , carry all your gear, and bug out in 2 minutes if necessary.  The best part , is you sleep on a real mattress in the back of the truck , and the inside of the tent is is not cluttered with sleeping bags and inflatable mattresses.

We used it for a month in the Florida Keys and believe me,  sleeping off the ground in Florida is a very good thing.  We still have it and may use it next summer in Maine.

Got Bears? 

Great... New Mini house on wheels  

HA, we went from 400# to one that takes 3 axles with 6 wheels and weighs over 4 tons!  Going to need a FORD 350 to tow that one.

You would be amazed at the new Dodge Ram HP and wild torque ratings, ( More torque than my big truck with a CAT motor had) Then again,   I just read that their diesel emission tests are, following the same footsteps ( mis-steps) as VW's diesels.

Big Al, I have one of those tents. I bring it when Ginny & the dog go with me on a weekend campout. 

 

WOLFGANG posted:

HA, we went from 400# to one that takes 3 axles with 6 wheels and weighs over 4 tons!  Going to need a FORD 350 to tow that one.

At least we're still on topic...

I built this last summer.  Believe it or not a Speedster will fit in there after you fold down the table, lift the bed to the highest notch on the wall and remove the futon.

Now if I just had a finished Speedster. 

Well done James! What size trailer is that?

 

7 x 18

James, THAT is an awesome trailer! 

Hi James, nice work, do you find the trailer better than having a Real trailer?  Obviously there are some compromises in a self built trailer.  What about the weight?

Totally impressed James , I like it , simple and functional

 

Mobile Man cave - just need sat dish on roof.!

IaM-Ray posted:

Hi James, nice work, do you find the trailer better than having a Real trailer?  Obviously there are some compromises in a self built trailer.  What about the weight?

The trailer is rated at 7000# GVWR, with a carrying capacity of 4500#s.  I was very careful with the weight of my improvements and kept them under 1500#s.  Therefore I still have a carrying capacity of about 3000#s.  It pulls really well behind my 1/2 ton GMC Sierra with the 5.3L and a towing package.  The trailer also has brakes.

I felt there were too many compromises with a "real" trailer.  The quality of my materials and construction are much better than a bought travel trailer.  The enclosed trailer itself is much more solid than a travel trailer.  Also, you can't find a small (18-24ft range) toy hauler with much inside carrying space, usually only about 8 ft.  I can carry a 13 foot long car!  My total cost in this thing is about half of a new, small toy hauler.  I bought the enclosed trailer from a neighbor who bought it new 5 years ago and used it very little.  There are a few things I would do differently, but overall I am very happy with it.

But...the main reason I did it is because I'm a habitual do it yourselfer that thinks I can always do it better!  LOL

And Wolfgang, that is on my list! 

This is how it started...

Almost did this same theme last year when I was offered a race car trailer for a good price.  My thoughts exactly!

Didn't go for it though.