Teardrop/Camping Trailer

I was wondering if anyone had built a small teardrop trailer or something of the sorts. I am looking for some ideas and tips for building one. download download%20(1)

I haven’t build one but would really like to. If you do it keep me looped in. I’d love to learn more.

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Start with Instructables.com. There are a lot of builds on there to give you ideas and search further on the web.

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A teardrop design can be done with the Multicam and some sheet metal.

The Multicam can cut out the design of the teardrop as well as the door cutouts. From there wooden braces can be put between the two sheets to hold them together. After that some sheet metal, 16 gauge at the thickest can be bent around the frame, screws and epoxy can be used to hold the sheet metal in place.

After the sheet metal is in place you can put a layer of foam in and put something in on the inside to hide the foam. Doing this you can keep the trailer insulated, so you can connect a small heater or ac unit to it so it will be usable anytime of the year. If you do this it would be best to double layer the teardrop frame so you can put insulation between them as well and double the base so it can get foam as well.

For the trailer base that holds the teardrop it looks like it is not a generic trailer but one designed for more rugged terrain. You could build this, which I would talk to the automotive committee about building it so it would be street legal. With that being said the metal shop does have the equipment to cut and weld everything for the trailer part.

If you buy the trailer base I would have a steel base under the teardrop that will make sure that the teardrop and metal frame securely bolted together. From there I would weld the metal frame to the trailer section and then bolt the trailer to the teardrop. I wouldn’t bolt the metal frame to the trailer and then weld due to the possibility of the heat from the welds catching the wood used for the teardrop on fire.

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Couple more resources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeardropTrailers/

and

https://www.reddit.com/r/diy - just search for “teardrop” within the subreddit. There have been some awesome posts over the past few years.

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The Hiker in the OP was done on a Multicam. The box is mostly plywood with metal exterior. Toured the factory in Denver and the owner told me he would load up my trailer with scrap plywood if I wanted it.

DMS member Tim Baney (@tjb100) - not to be confused with Tim Bene (@ TBJK ) - has made one. He does blacksmithing and leatherworking (and occasionally woodworking and welding) at DMS, but I don’t think he’s on Talk very often. Perhaps if you sent him an email directly through the TALK email system, that might get his attention. I talked with him recently and he’s talked about building a new one…

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Honestly, I have thought of making one. I would do it on the multi cam, then skin it & aluminum. Use a trim router or nibbler to trim the excess.

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Steampunk style teardrops … when just functional isn’t enough

I have an idea for an elongated teardrop trailer that has a small kitchenette in the back for camping

I’ve seriously been thinking about building one for years. Have even done some Fusion 360 designs.
Would be interested in forming a group to design and build one or more… my goal would be to make one out of modular parts using tools like the multi cam to make reproducible precision smaller parts that could be assembled quickly so not a lot of space is needed for construction.

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I would love to help! Anyone have an estimated cost to make this yourself?

I’ve built an off-road teardrop and will hopefully be rebuilding it to correct some huge mistakes I made sometime after the expansion.

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How much money you got? :wink:

Lol, for this project…probably nothing at this time.

That said, I’d be happy to help someone else and figure out how much I would need to save if I decided it was worth making my own.

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I have seen most are around $2500-$3000 when all said and done

I really like this design where the bed folds back and creates a small living space 0b5bfa644350ba5af101d7d579e258d0

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That’s a vistabule. Lots of good YouTube videos of them, including how they’re built at the factory.

My design has a drop floor section and a way to fold the bed back similarly. Ideally, I could almost stand upright in it.

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Would love to learn about those mistakes!

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I converted a cargo trailer. Stripped it to the skin and frame. Added 4 windows, insulation, wiring, plumbing, electrical, ect. So glad I did it this way. 6’3" interior is great. Full inside kitchen mid size refrigerator, induction and gas cooking, portable AC unit and gas and electric heater. 3kva ups for backup power and DC conversion. Easy to park and manually manuver.

I tried out a teardrop once before and can’t take being that cramped and on my knees so much.
I started with a 6x12 single axle cargo trailer. Finished weight is around 1800#. Full size queen bed optionally extends out the rear to give extra interior living space. I used left over and surplus items. I have about $1000 in material cost other than the base cargo trailer.

I know this isn’t quite what you’re asking about, but it’s a great light weight alternative. We’ve been out when it hit 112F last July and recently when it got down to 22F. Both times stayed very comfortable inside. Glad to post interior pics if interested.

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