BlackRubiX
Overlander
Awesome trailer!
SoCal Tear Drop Owners! Post up!
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coastsider
Adventurer
Thanks guys! We are loving it!
Voyager shakedown
We have now taken two shakedown trips in the TD and are loving it!. First, a few pictures of trip #1.
Where we're headed:
Chilling:
And why we do what we do:
And now some shots of mods/additions I made to the TD:
Before we ever left home, I made provisions for three jerry cans on the tongue and two more in the galley. First, a shot of the aluminum jerry can holder on the tongue. I wanted the cans across to keep the weight back as far as possible.
And on the camping trips, I realized that we needed a propane tank rather than the Coleman disposables, so I built a holder mounted on the fender. Since we have a table (passenger side), we felt we could easily forgo a small portion of the fender, and it's small enough that it doesn't preclude me from standing on the fender. ADVICE - Order the propane tank and holder!
The two water cans in the galley. The one on the left is from Frontrunner, and gives us convenient access to water without a sink and plumbing. The hose is held up by a broom handle holder
Finally, the most recently completed project - LOTS of chargers, with four (2 12 v and 2 USB) located in the cabin behind a latching flap. This lets us avoid dangling wires and also contains all the electronic cr@p we can't seem to do without, such as, two hand held Garmin GPS units, a bunch of radio collars for the dogs, walkie-talkies, etc.
Note the addition of a second switch on the radio panel. Since the charging ports are hidden when the flap is closed, they are powered on/off with that switch. There is also a cheap volt-meter below the radio which glows when the charging switch is on.
See you guys somewhere out in the arid Southwest. Right?
We have now taken two shakedown trips in the TD and are loving it!. First, a few pictures of trip #1.
Where we're headed:
Chilling:
And why we do what we do:
And now some shots of mods/additions I made to the TD:
Before we ever left home, I made provisions for three jerry cans on the tongue and two more in the galley. First, a shot of the aluminum jerry can holder on the tongue. I wanted the cans across to keep the weight back as far as possible.
And on the camping trips, I realized that we needed a propane tank rather than the Coleman disposables, so I built a holder mounted on the fender. Since we have a table (passenger side), we felt we could easily forgo a small portion of the fender, and it's small enough that it doesn't preclude me from standing on the fender. ADVICE - Order the propane tank and holder!
The two water cans in the galley. The one on the left is from Frontrunner, and gives us convenient access to water without a sink and plumbing. The hose is held up by a broom handle holder
Finally, the most recently completed project - LOTS of chargers, with four (2 12 v and 2 USB) located in the cabin behind a latching flap. This lets us avoid dangling wires and also contains all the electronic cr@p we can't seem to do without, such as, two hand held Garmin GPS units, a bunch of radio collars for the dogs, walkie-talkies, etc.
Note the addition of a second switch on the radio panel. Since the charging ports are hidden when the flap is closed, they are powered on/off with that switch. There is also a cheap volt-meter below the radio which glows when the charging switch is on.
See you guys somewhere out in the arid Southwest. Right?
Last edited:
coastsider
Adventurer
Nice mods! I particularly like the charging station.
Thanks, but I had to laugh. Back in the day, camping/hiking required a $5.00 USGS map, a magnetic compass, and a pencil. Who'da thunk it would evolve(?) into something requiring over $1,000 in electronics and digital topo maps, along with a half dozen chargers?
coastsider
Adventurer
Posting a couple of our kitchen set up pics. We have the Partner stove, ARB fridge, and smaller draw set up due to the propane cabin heater. What's your set up?
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coastsider
Adventurer
It will come to you Ron. I waited over three years till the time was right for us.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Kevin's right. We talked for years before we we finally in a position to get the TD. The final straw was the night we spent in a leaky tent in a rainstorm while the dogs slept in the back of the van. Aarg.
Two more pictures of my kitchen along with some decisions on compromises. First, all storage compartments open.
We compromised on the refrigerator and left room for a 40 Qt Icey-Tech. Since we dry camp far from any electrical outlets, we didn't want the power draw of a fridge. Also, the extra space could accommodate the jerry cans to the left, and by mounting the sliding cooler shelf high, it left room under it for additional storage. Traveling with 5 big dogs means we are in effect feeding 7, although they eat and drink more than we! Also, the room between the cooler and the stove is plenty for us to use the counter even with the stove and the cooler open.
The plastic bins you see are mostly Snap-ware, which fit the available space with only a little bit of trimming. It was also nice that we bought a cardbord storage box and got a lot of free printer paper.
Now, ready to ride. Well, not quite. Need to fill the bins with kitchen stuff.
More Snap-ware. The hatch clears the plastic bins on the counter by several millimeters. We also secure everything with light utility straps. BTW, only after I had mounted the sliding shelf did I realize the lock-ins on both slides was, for us, both unnecessary and a real PITA. I took my cut-off blade to the left lock-in. We now have dual lock-outs but only the right slide locks in.
Finally, with respect to the charging station set-up in the cabin. The cheap Chinese volt meter died hours after I took the previous picture, and it wasn't really accurate enough to be useful. I have replaced it with a Murata digital panel meter I bought from Mouser. Yes, $45 instead of $5, but it has .02 volt accuracy and is good enough to estimate remaining battery life when used with a voltage vs state-of-charge chart. A warning though. it requires a 30.5 mm hole, not the more usual 28 mm, and I had to thin the panel where it installed since it is intended for no more than .35" panel thickness. But it's easier to read and looks way cooler. It's wired so that it only reads out (draws power) when the charging switch on the left is up.
Two more pictures of my kitchen along with some decisions on compromises. First, all storage compartments open.
We compromised on the refrigerator and left room for a 40 Qt Icey-Tech. Since we dry camp far from any electrical outlets, we didn't want the power draw of a fridge. Also, the extra space could accommodate the jerry cans to the left, and by mounting the sliding cooler shelf high, it left room under it for additional storage. Traveling with 5 big dogs means we are in effect feeding 7, although they eat and drink more than we! Also, the room between the cooler and the stove is plenty for us to use the counter even with the stove and the cooler open.
The plastic bins you see are mostly Snap-ware, which fit the available space with only a little bit of trimming. It was also nice that we bought a cardbord storage box and got a lot of free printer paper.
Now, ready to ride. Well, not quite. Need to fill the bins with kitchen stuff.
More Snap-ware. The hatch clears the plastic bins on the counter by several millimeters. We also secure everything with light utility straps. BTW, only after I had mounted the sliding shelf did I realize the lock-ins on both slides was, for us, both unnecessary and a real PITA. I took my cut-off blade to the left lock-in. We now have dual lock-outs but only the right slide locks in.
Finally, with respect to the charging station set-up in the cabin. The cheap Chinese volt meter died hours after I took the previous picture, and it wasn't really accurate enough to be useful. I have replaced it with a Murata digital panel meter I bought from Mouser. Yes, $45 instead of $5, but it has .02 volt accuracy and is good enough to estimate remaining battery life when used with a voltage vs state-of-charge chart. A warning though. it requires a 30.5 mm hole, not the more usual 28 mm, and I had to thin the panel where it installed since it is intended for no more than .35" panel thickness. But it's easier to read and looks way cooler. It's wired so that it only reads out (draws power) when the charging switch on the left is up.
coastsider
Adventurer
My niece LOVES hanging out in our teardrop.
My roof rack set up with the HiLift jack.
And the extended nose set up with the RotoPax cans.
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My roof rack set up with the HiLift jack.
And the extended nose set up with the RotoPax cans.
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Chris Cordes
Expedition Leader
Coastsider, how do you find the propane tank to last with the heater. I'm deciding if I want to run a second small tank like you or upgrade to a large tank for the heater.
coastsider
Adventurer
Hey Chris. The rig is very new to us and have only been on one very short trip so far so difficult to gauge how long a tank will last just yet, but it's easy to hook up any size tank to so I don't see a problem as we always carry spares. We will be using it to wash dishes as well as ourselves so it will get daily use for sure. I can say it's wonderful having super hot water though and if you get one you won't be disappointed! I'll try to monitor over our next trip.
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mvbeggs
Adventurer
Heater Efficiency
Chris,
I think you'll find the HeatSource heaters sip propane. I had one of the portable "toolbox" HeatSource heaters with the Chaser and now have the same heater in the teardrop.
I've used the heater for a week long hunt in Kansas where the night time lows were in the teens- this was while in the Chaser and sleeping in the EziAwn Globetrotter tent. The heater puts out a ton of heat. If I recall correctly, I used about 5 lbs of propane the entire week. The propane consumption was not exclusively for heating the tent. We used the same propane tank for cooking, cleaning, and showering. There were two of us. (as a side note, I carry 2-11 lb propane tanks on the teardrop)
In the teardrop, the heater will run you out of the place! I've used the teardrop's heater on a couple occasions.
Just for reference, here's the specifications from AT's website:
BTW, If you ran the heater continuously, your teardrop would quickly become a sweat lodge.
Chris,
I think you'll find the HeatSource heaters sip propane. I had one of the portable "toolbox" HeatSource heaters with the Chaser and now have the same heater in the teardrop.
I've used the heater for a week long hunt in Kansas where the night time lows were in the teens- this was while in the Chaser and sleeping in the EziAwn Globetrotter tent. The heater puts out a ton of heat. If I recall correctly, I used about 5 lbs of propane the entire week. The propane consumption was not exclusively for heating the tent. We used the same propane tank for cooking, cleaning, and showering. There were two of us. (as a side note, I carry 2-11 lb propane tanks on the teardrop)
In the teardrop, the heater will run you out of the place! I've used the teardrop's heater on a couple occasions.
Just for reference, here's the specifications from AT's website:
ECONOMY
Consumption of propane running continuously:
HS2000 at 6483 BTU, 3.2 hours on 1 lb. of propane.
HS2800 at 9554 BTU, 2.0 hours on 1 lb. of propane.
Consumption of propane running continuously:
HS2000 at 6483 BTU, 3.2 hours on 1 lb. of propane.
HS2800 at 9554 BTU, 2.0 hours on 1 lb. of propane.
BTW, If you ran the heater continuously, your teardrop would quickly become a sweat lodge.
mvbeggs
Adventurer
Heater Male Propane Quick Connect Cap
While we are on the subject of heaters, does anyone know where you can purchase a cap to cover the male fitting of a quick connect coupler? The teardrop's heater uses this type of fitting for the propane line. (see photo below) I've been using blue painters tape to keep bugs and dust out of the heater.
Thanks
While we are on the subject of heaters, does anyone know where you can purchase a cap to cover the male fitting of a quick connect coupler? The teardrop's heater uses this type of fitting for the propane line. (see photo below) I've been using blue painters tape to keep bugs and dust out of the heater.
Thanks