anyone done long term #trailerlife with a teardrop or similar?

[nomad_games]

what's up folks. I've been nomadic off and on over the years. I never manage to stay in one apartment longer than 6 months. In March, I lost my job to the pandemic and hit the road. I've been fully nomadic since then, although I'm now working remotely. For most of the last 6 months, I've been living out of my 4runner on BLM land around the west. Ski season is starting, and I'm a big skier. I'm still not wanting to settle into a place. So I'm looking at winter vanlife-ing it. or trailerlife, as the case may be. I've got a 2019 4runner that I absolutely love and am reluctant to get rid of, but it's just too goddamn small to live in when the weather sucks. So I'm looking at doing a trailer of some type, teardrop or otherwise. I know there's going to be some drawbacks, like not being able to stand up, high chance of trailer theft if I leave it anywhere, more difficult to find parking, not being able to get into the front seat from the sleeping area, etc. I have the skills and tools and time to build my own trailer, which in some ways seems like less of a hassle than selling a perfectly good vehicle I know the history of and finding one to buy that i don't know the history of.

anyone here done long term trailer living? pros, cons?

 

[ttengineer]

I would think the biggest draw back to a tear drop would be exiting the inside to cook or reach the vehicle. Especially in winter conditions.

Other than that, it’s really just a place to lay down. Tear drops aren’t really full time friendly in my opinion though.

If I wag dirt bagging or ski bumming I’d want a van.


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[1000arms]

@Teardropper is a forum member His book might be of interest to you:

Building a Teardrop Trailer: Plans and Methods for Crafting an Heirloom Camper: Latham, Tony H: 9798601731911: Amazon.com: Books

Building a Teardrop Trailer: Plans and Methods for Crafting an Heirloom Camper [Latham, Tony H] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Building a Teardrop Trailer: Plans and Methods for Crafting an Heirloom Camper

www.amazon.com

His thread about his book is:

Eighteen months in the making... here's the book: Building a Teardrop Trailer: Plans and Methods for Crafting an Heirloom Camper

A long-term project that I'm quite pleased with. I have watched so many teardrop builders struggle (which is probably just part of the process). I hope this takes some of the angst out of creating one of these remarkable campers. 192 pages, 221 photos and 31 pencil biting chapters...

expeditionportal.com

 

[billiebob]

I would think the biggest draw back to a tear drop would be exiting the inside to cook or reach the vehicle. Especially in winter conditions.

Other than that, it’s really just a place to lay down. Tear drops aren’t really full time friendly in my opinion though.

If I wag dirt bagging or ski bumming I’d want a van.


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yes, I hear you....

That said what I love about a tear drop is the outside kitchen and the need for an outhouse or someone elses toilet... ie a restaurant.
I've done winter camping, ski touring, mountaineering, I rate my tear drop to an extension of that. But again, we rented a Class A Motorhome on our honeymoon and well it was heaven in the rain.

No doubt, a tear drop year round needs great awnings, maybe smaller awnings so the don't collapse under a snow load. And great outdoor furniture too. When I did this kind of winter ski touring, the tent was only used 3 or 4 consecutive nights, followed by a night in a motel or hostel or the Banff Springs lol and a dining room, lounge, bar meal..... plus a day at the local pool or hot springs.

I'm not thinking a tear drop in the winter is done on a tight budget.
But if you can afford lift tickets, you can do it well.

 

[nomad_games]

yes, I hear you....

That said what I love about a tear drop is the outside kitchen and the need for an outhouse or someone elses toilet... ie a restaurant.
I've done winter camping, ski touring, mountaineering, I rate my tear drop to an extension of that. But again, we rented a Class A Motorhome on our honeymoon and well it was heaven in the rain.

No doubt, a tear drop year round needs great awnings, maybe smaller awnings so the don't collapse under a snow load. And great outdoor furniture too. When I did this kind of winter ski touring, the tent was only used 3 or 4 consecutive nights, followed by a night in a motel or hostel or the Banff Springs lol and a dining room, lounge, bar meal..... plus a day at the local pool or hot springs.

I'm not thinking a tear drop in the winter is done on a tight budget.
But if you can afford lift tickets, you can do it well.

my lift tickets are already paid for. Ikon pass I bought quite a while ago. I also do a lot of backcountry skiing, i.e. no lift ticket. doing a hotel once a week or so is what I've already been doing. it gets expensive. maybe a van or an airbnb then.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Why not get a Scamper or Castia travel trailer? Far more comfortable than a tear drop and you can have an indoor shower, small kitchen and you can stand up to put your pants on.

 

[Teardropper]

Other than that, it’s really just a place to lay down. Tear drops aren’t really full time friendly in my opinion though.

We've been teardrop camping for nineteen seasons. 20 -35 nights a year.

With a teardrop, you cook outside. You (generally) eat outside. They are a superb bed-on-wheels. If you like being outside and but really need a comfy bed, they are for you.

I watch a member of the Jayco crowd once. It was at a gorgeous lake in western Montana. The weather was perfect. They pulled in, spent thirty minutes getting leveled and unhitched, and then disappeared inside. We were there for two more nights and never did see them again.

If you want to cook inside, eat inside and watch TV, they aren't for you. They're not for everyone.

The longest we've been out with ours is just short of a month. It's our standard 3-4 week April trip to the South West. It didn't happen this year because of the pandemic.

Two years ago, I spotted a teardrop camped a few miles from our home here in Idaho. I pulled in and introduced myself. The camper was a Camp Inn. They had been living out of it for five years. They had spent the previous winter in Florida.

That lifestyle isn't for me. But teardrop camping is.

It's camping.

Tony

 

[nomad_games]

We've been teardrop camping for nineteen seasons. 20 -35 nights a year.

With a teardrop, you cook outside. You (generally) eat outside. They are a superb bed-on-wheels. If you like being outside and but really need a comfy bed, they are for you.

I watch a member of the Jayco crowd once. It was at a gorgeous lake in western Montana. The weather was perfect. They pulled in, spent thirty minutes getting leveled and unhitched, and then disappeared inside. We were there for two more nights and never did see them again.

If you want to cook inside, eat inside and watch TV, they aren't for you. They're not for everyone.

The longest we've been out with ours is just short of a month. It's our standard 3-4 week April trip to the South West. It didn't happen this year because of the pandemic.

Two years ago, I spotted a teardrop camped a few miles from our home here in Idaho. I pulled in and introduced myself. The camper was a Camp Inn. They had been living out of it for five years. They had spent the previous winter in Florida.

That lifestyle isn't for me. But teardrop camping is.

It's camping.

Tony

I agree with you about the folks that stay in their RV's the whole time they're camping. Don't really see the point. If you're going to just stay inside the whole time, why go through the hassle and expense of driving a **************** home to somewhere far away?

teardrop sounds like a good idea for biking or offroading trips. I dunno that I want to be in one all winter and standing outside to make food, even though I love winter. plus i need a desk to work. I thought about coworking space but I dunno. van maybe.

 

[kwill]

These aren't great pictures but might show another option with small trailers. For extended stays in one spot we have an ARB awning with the room that attaches to it. We also have a tent room that attaches to the back of our square drop. In our trailer the bed can be converted into a comfortable couch and has a pop up table. It's nice to be able to sit inside if there is a bad storm.

 

[Teardropper]

We don't winter camp with our 'drop at least not here in Idaho. My days of snow camping are behind me. (Even though we have a Propex heater in our new camper.)

But we do head south in late winter.

Tony

 

[nomad_games]

These aren't great pictures but might show another option with small trailers. For extended stays in one spot we have an ARB awning with the room that attaches to it. We also have a tent room that attaches to the back of our square drop. In our trailer the bed can be converted into a comfortable couch and has a pop up table. It's nice to be able to sit inside if there is a bad storm.

what trailer is that?

 

[kwill]

It is a VRV Flyer. It is a great square drop--all welded aluminum frame, Dexter axle, Baltic birch cabinetry, quality electrics, etc. Unfortunately out of business. The creator collaborated with Intech and they make a similar trailer.

 

[ttengineer]

We've been teardrop camping for nineteen seasons. 20 -35 nights a year.

With a teardrop, you cook outside. You (generally) eat outside. They are a superb bed-on-wheels. If you like being outside and but really need a comfy bed, they are for you.

I watch a member of the Jayco crowd once. It was at a gorgeous lake in western Montana. The weather was perfect. They pulled in, spent thirty minutes getting leveled and unhitched, and then disappeared inside. We were there for two more nights and never did see them again.

If you want to cook inside, eat inside and watch TV, they aren't for you. They're not for everyone.

The longest we've been out with ours is just short of a month. It's our standard 3-4 week April trip to the South West. It didn't happen this year because of the pandemic.

Two years ago, I spotted a teardrop camped a few miles from our home here in Idaho. I pulled in and introduced myself. The camper was a Camp Inn. They had been living out of it for five years. They had spent the previous winter in Florida.

That lifestyle isn't for me. But teardrop camping is.

It's camping.

Tony

To your point ... it’s camping.

The OP is considering it full time ... in the winter ... in the mountains.

Like you said the people youve seen full time spent the winter in FL and you go out in April.

A teardrop, in a snow storm, while fun for a weekend, is not my idea of a quality full time living situation. It snows weekly in the mountains at the peak of winter. That would be tuff to deal with for cooking dinner and breakfast everyday at a ski location.

Plus it already hard enough to find parking in mountain towns. Towing an additional 12’ does not seem fun in a snow covered town with little parking to begin with.

I again think the best option for what the OP is looking to do is not a tear drop. But it’s doable, just not ideal in my opinion.


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[kwill]

I agree but it is an upgrade from living in your car, which the OP says he has been doing for awhile.

 

[nomad_games]

I agree but it is an upgrade from living in your car, which the OP says he has been doing for awhile.

yeah, mostly because i've been procrastinating about making a decision about whether to get a trailer or van or settle down somewhere even temporarily. plus the weather's been nice so i've been able to be outside. I think i'm probably just going to get an airbnb or month to month near one of the mountains on my pass until I have a better handle on what my new job will be like.