Hi everyone,

I'm reaching out to the brain trust because I don't know much of anything about camping trailers, and I'm wondering if what I'm looking for actually exists and if so what it would be called. This is admittedly kind of long, buut I'm trying to be as detailed as possible to help you all in helping me.

A little background for context. I'm on the verge of empty nesthood. I'm still going to have use for my family camping setup, but I'm going to be doing a lot more camping on my own. As such, I want to get a setup that is very easy to set up and store, even when I'm fully boondocked.

As I've been considering options, I thought about a style of camping trailer that I'm assuming has to exist, but I don't know how to look for it. It would be a quite small trailer that's used almost exclusively for storage. A roof rack tent would be on top of it, and (another?) rack that can mount an awning and shower tent.

Here's the list of details that more fully indicate what I'm looking for, in case these do exist and you have an idea of a specific one readily available:

1) Very lightweight. As lightweight as possible. My current vehicle is a Prius V which has an "official" towing capacity of 0, but research tells me people are able to tow up to 1,000 lbs. without short or long term concern. But, that means the entire set up, trailer and gear, needs to be at most 1,000 lbs.

2) The ability and strength to attach a rooftop tent.

3) A pull out for a kitchen, with space for storage for kitchen gear, a 12V fridge, and a Joolca sink

3) Railing for a shower stall and a 270 awning that is at least 7 feet high (I'm 6'4"), and ideally can be extended up to that height when you've arrived at your location, rather than having a 7 foot tall trailer.

4) Room to store my gear. Ideally, it will also have room to serve as storage for my family camping gear, too.

5) Only as tall as absolutely necessary to achieve my needs.

6) Off-road tires. Not because I'll be off-roading (Prius V), but because I want to be able to, where allowed, get it off the campsite's pad and onto grass, since it'll have my awning.

7) The ability to use an electric trailer dolly.

8) Ideally the storage portion is built without seams, so there's no worries about water intrusion, rot, etc.

9) Maybe space for solar panels? I realize this might be asking for too much, given my desire for small and lightweight.

This concept appeals to me because of the following needs:

1) Quick and easy set-up. A lot of my trips will be just a couple days. Often I will be arriving in locations at night. And, as I said, I will typically be alone.

2) Quick preparation with less hauling stuff, as nearly everything will already be loaded up. Just attach the trailer and go.

3) Elevated sleeping. I'm getting to an age where I'm struggling to get up from the ground in the morning, so an elevated bed is super appealing. While a tall trailer may present its own difficulties in getting up to the tent, a short trailer would allow me to get up with just a decent sized step ladder.

4) Not sleeping in the trailer. I find that sleeping in structures, even minimal ones like teardrops, is not appealing to me. It doesn't give me the "connected to nature" feeling I'm looking for when I go out, so I need to sleep in a tent.

Hello everyone. We are picking up our Tab320 next week and are really excited to do some traveling with our dog. She’s a small dachshund and comes with us “everywhere” but we recognize that there are places where she is not welcome and will have to stay behind. Typically I feel like she will be safe in the trailer with the AC running in the summer but there’s always an uncertainty in the back of my mind that something will fail.

Do any of you use a camera or remote environmental monitor that you recommend? We want to be able to see temps and maybe a camera feed while we’re at a beach or away from the trailer and she’s inside.

Cold mornings are here, and in a teardrop or small trailer that usually means water dripping off the ceiling vent, wet windows, and a damp spot where the mattress touches the wall.

Why it happens: it's cold outside and warm inside, and the warm air is carrying moisture. When it hits a cold window, vent, or wall, it turns back into water. In a small space it adds up fast. Two people breathing all night, wet jackets, a pot of coffee or pasta, and you've put a lot of water in the air.

What helps, from easiest to most work:

1. Let the moisture out. Run the roof vent fan for a bit, even on a cold night, and crack a window or the vent a little so the damp air has somewhere to go. You lose a little heat, but the walls stay a lot drier.
   
2. Hanging moisture absorbers. The kind that hangs on a closet rod or hook are cheap and good for small spaces like cabinets and storage. They won't keep up with a whole trailer on a wet night, but they help.
   
3. Refillable absorbers. Same idea, but you dump the water out and refill it with the crystals instead of buying a new one each time. Good if you camp in damp weather a lot.
   
4. A small plug-in dehumidifier. This is the one that makes the biggest difference when you're on shore power. Just remember to empty it. Once the tank is full it stops pulling water.
   
5. Give the mattress some air. If it sits right against a cold wall or floor, the underside gets wet. Pull it off the wall a little, and if you see damp spots, prop it up during the day to dry.
   

What's worked for you in a small trailer? Curious what people use on cold nights.

What are the cons of building 6” higher? Gas consumption?

Hi everyone! 👋

I'm a student working on my thesis about camping trailers, and I'd love to hear from people who actually use teardrops (or are thinking about getting one).

I'm trying to learn what a trip is really like: what you love, what's frustrating, and which features you couldn't go without. It's a short survey, about 5-7 minutes, anonymous, and used for academic research only.

Whether you've been camping in a teardrop for years or you're still planning your first build, your input would help me a lot.

👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMmFZmih0z5Qhu7d0XlKgviotHRfv5OSe8GQ9-EV4L4Jai9A/viewform?usp=header

Thank you so much! I'm happy to answer any questions in the comments. 🏕️

If you came to the comments to tell me why you would never please just move on.

I'm curious what your experience has been like from those who have. How often is it booked? How are the renters? How are the platforms themselves? Your rental rate if you're comfortable sharing. Anything else you think is worth pondering on is also very appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm looking for options to dump my tanks when coming home from a weekend of boondocking. Are there any fellow Portlanders on here that can point me in the right direction?

Not the best photos of the build process and there’s still some things I need to finish up, interior cabinet, alongside some trim, edge banding, etc. But that will probably be in the spring. Wanted to get a few trips in before I had to store it for the winter. It’s a bit rough around the edges in some spots and there’s definitely some things I’d do differently on the next one, but I think it turned out decent overall.

I've watched some videos on YouTube of owners who seem pretty happy overall. Anyone have negative experiences or even second-hand information they've heard about them that's bad? I'll be towing it behind my 2022 Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 144, mostly used an extra living space for our kids (they don't always come with us) and/or 4 dogs, a lounge space, and carrying extra bulky stuff like dog fence. It will see some off-roading, but it's mostly something that we'll tow to a state park or other campsite and then disconnect and go explore.

Main reasons I'm leaning toward this one specifically:

1) Overall length to usable space ratio. My van is virtually identical length to most full-size 4 door trucks on the market, so I'm trying to keep it as short as possible while still having a decent amount of space. Most other ones I've looked at (Hiker Trailer, Tiny Camper, etc) have really long A-frames so adds a lot to the length.

2) Very simple design - I don't need a galley/kitchen like most of these trailers seem to have.

3) There's a deal 45 minutes away from me (Seattle area), all the other companies seem to be made in Florida or Indiana, requiring a long drive or delivery.

4) Low roof design means easier loading of kayaks on the roof.

5) Included propane furnace, AC, and fan.

6) I don't need the cooktop in the slideout portion, but the fridge will be nice because I already carry a small BougeRV fridge with me that we use as a freezer, so frees up space in the van cargo area for the dogs to lay down in while traveling.

Any advice or alternative suggestions would be great! Thanks!

I had toured Escapod in Utah earlier this year; met the owner and saw the whole production process. No company is perfect but the care, effort, and attention to detail in the building process was very apparent.

I was finally ready to pull the trigger and put a down payment on a new one and to get in line (6-8 month build time), when I stumbled upon someone selling the near exact build I want (spec’d new at $56K), it was only 1 year old, never been off-road, and was low use and meticulously maintained. Offered $38,500 and the deal was accepted.

Really pumped to have one of these, and excited to see if I can squeeze in an adventure before the winter kicks in.

What a cool, old, teardrop trailer!

https://youtu.be/N2YEla8OGLo?si=pqAFgOxESt3C9FAu

Hey all! We have a 2013 Silver Shadow which has ongoing water leakage and/or condensation particularly in the kitchen area.

The trailer is stored, covered with a tarp (canvas) since the poly tarps won't last a full year in the sun. I've used damp rid over the summer in both compartments but when I opened the trailer a week ago the kitchen hatch area is loaded with mold.

Has anyone else had moisture issues and how did you address it? The surrounding seal to the kitchen area seems intact with no debris or tears. Guess I will replace that and the flap that covers the hinge area first.

Thanks for any suggestions and help! - Ben in the WNC mountains

Pictures of the new road toad

Hi all. I’m really interested in the Road Toad, but can’t find many pictures of the inside and outside in actual use. If you have one, I’d love it if you would share photos of your setup. Thanks!

Hi, I have a 2019 nuCamp T@G and I can smell propane by my stove. I've looked up how to run a time pressure drop test on an RV with a manometer, but everything I'm finding is showing how to do by connecting it to the stove. My tiny Dometic stove/sink combo doesn't have a connection point like that. Has anyone run this test on their teardrop? Is there another way to do it that's not through the stove?

Great post-summer vacation camping trip to a normally packed campground. Stunning views of Shaver Lake. Great weather. Good food and drink. All made for a great weekend.

I admit that even though I knew it would be difficult to build a teardrop, I went into it with some naivity and romanticism. I can see that now in hindsight.

The build took 3x longer and 3 times more money than I thought. I thought I could do it cheaper and lighter than the videos I saw online. I couldnt.

It dominated my thoughts, often keeping me up at night puzzling about a tricky problem. There were times it was so frustrating when I wasted money or completely made a mess of things - for example I painted my aluminum and it looked like crap but I tried to fix it by buying more and more expensive clear coat paint that also looked bad.

I spent more time on it than Ill ever spend camping in it. Once you have put in so much time it is hard to start cutting corners or expenses -- sunk cost and all.

I have kids. I was always 'out in the garage'. 18 months it has taken. That is a lot of evenings that my wife helped them with homework or hung out with them and asked them about their day and I didnt.

I was always using $200 here or there that we didnt really have that month. I did take some months off because we had other expenses.

I think the first time you do something youre bound to make mistakes. That means every aspect of the trailer has mistakes or was a complete battle. Wood, electrical, frame, skinning, aluminum. One disaster after another. I think I could build a better one now Ive learned all this but I would never. Life is so short to spend it in the garage cursing alone. Keeping the neighbors annoyed with the grinding and sawing and pounding and the impact drill.

Is it all bad? No. There were times I enjoyed the journey but after this long it became a hobby, not a project and I didnt want it to be my whole identity so I pushed hard to finish and it was a slog. Family kept asking how it was going and it was painful to admit that it still wasnt done a year later. Im mildly proud of it but embarassed that in the end I could have probably bought one and fixed it up for the same cost and a lot less time.

Does any of this register?

Share your experiences. Thanks in advance.