SoCal Tear Drop Owners! Post up!

[Doug E]

DELAV:

So far, we have NO qualms about our upgraded road trailer. We have no interest in rock crawling or other heroics, and really believe that our trailer can be towed anywhere our lifted AWD van can go.

Since we view our teardrop as simply a comfortable wood and metal tent, we have taken a somewhat minimalist approach to things, and what we have done has been primarily in response to the needs of our pack of 5 big dogs. We have no fridge. Our 40 qt ice chest is mainly used to keep meat cold for the dogs, and we don't need the cooling power of an ARB. We make hot water on the stove, not in a hot water heater. We wash off with sponge baths, not a shower system. We pour water from jerry cans, and have no pump setup. We have no heater but rather a down comforter, and when camping, we prefer to be outside rather than hanging out in the trailer. We have no TV, no microwave, no whatever, and we use almost no electricity - we do have LED lighting - and so have no solar system. Our awning is attached to our tow vehicle since we often go on day trips without the trailer and still want shade. We have no rack on the trailer. What would we use it for? On the road, the trailer is a big empty box and can hold whatever. Etc.

We carry 5+ gallons of water in the van, and 20 gallons in jerry cans on the teardrop. Since we go through <5 gallons per day, depending on the dogs, we are good for five or more self supported days, which is enough for us.

So, what is it that you really want to do with your Teardrop??

 

[DELAV]

DELAV:

So far, we have NO qualms about our upgraded road trailer. We have no interest in rock crawling or other heroics, and really believe that our trailer can be towed anywhere our lifted AWD van can go.

Since we view our teardrop as simply a comfortable wood and metal tent, we have taken a somewhat minimalist approach to things, and what we have done has been primarily in response to the needs of our pack of 5 big dogs. We have no fridge. Our 40 qt ice chest is mainly used to keep meat cold for the dogs, and we don't need the cooling power of an ARB. We make hot water on the stove, not in a hot water heater. We wash off with sponge baths, not a shower system. We pour water from jerry cans, and have no pump setup. We have no heater but rather a down comforter, and when camping, we prefer to be outside rather than hanging out in the trailer. We have no TV, no microwave, no whatever, and we use almost no electricity - we do have LED lighting - and so have no solar system. Our awning is attached to our tow vehicle since we often go on day trips without the trailer and still want shade. We have no rack on the trailer. What would we use it for? On the road, the trailer is a big empty box and can hold whatever. Etc.

We carry 5+ gallons of water in the van, and 20 gallons in jerry cans on the teardrop. Since we go through <5 gallons per day, depending on the dogs, we are good for five or more self supported days, which is enough for us.

So, what is it that you really want to do with your Teardrop??

Hi Doug, thanks for the thoughtful reply. As you're alluding to, what we (I) want and what we actually need are probably two different things.

My wife is finally done with medical residency, and we've decided an outfitted teardrop trailer would be a great way to celebrate and make up for lost time. In moving to the PNW, or goal is to be able to camp and adventure frequently (original thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/159224-Teardrop-Advice-for-a-Newbie.

If we were to remain here in UT, I'd certainly be looking at an off road model as we like to spend time roaming the desert of Southern Utah and would hope to do more of that in the coming years. However, our usage will probably be more centered upon longer road trips into Canada, Idaho, Central Oregon and Washington, and along the coastline. While I don't think we'll be travelling too many rough trails, we will be venturing out on forest roads and intermediate trails. It's unlikely we will be off the grid for extended periods of time, so a 20 gallon water system probably isn't really necessary.

Similar to you guys, we're looking for a 'hard sided tent' rather than a RV to spend time in. We like to be outside, and will set up our trailer with a roof rack so we can carry bikes, kayaks, firewood, camp chairs, etc and would like to install awnings as well.

At this point, we're looking at either building a SoCal unit with the 'road chassis upgrade' or perhaps picking up a pre-owned unit I found up for sale and seems similarly built although a bit small for our needs.

Thanks guys!

 

[Yulli]

My brother and I went to the NW Overland Rally this last weekend. We drove from the small town where the rally was at to the touristy town just south of it to get lunch and look around at the shops. As we drove on the little highway to take us into town I came across what looked like to be a white double cab Toyota Tacoma with a SoCal teardrop behind it. It was parked on the side of the road with some other cars. Not sure if there was a park or some kind of trail head there. It was on a different road that ran along side the little highway I was on on the other side of the train tracks than ran between the 2 roads. I know he wasn't at the rally cuz I never saw another SoCal teardrop that weekend. I wish I had turned around and drove over to it. Pretty crazy seeing another Socal TD around. Especially in the middle of no where.

 

[MtnToSea]

Took the trailer out for a couple of days on a test run, everything worked great. The Jeep pulled it great up to almost 9000 feet where we camped.

 

[AdvWife]

Love it!

We ordered our trailer from Jon at Canyon Country Teardrops about 3 years ago and we couldn't be happier. We got the extended Crawler model because A) the hubby likes leg room and B) we travel with two larges dogs.

The hubby built his own roof rack and to that we mounted a Foxwing and a Sunseeker. We were one of the firsts to ask for the external shower box because it was a huge must for us as we backcountry camp for a week and who doesn't like a warm shower before bed!?

It mostly gets towed behind my Rubicon, which for the most part does well but we're not winning any uphill races. But the trailer will go anywhere I point my Jeep. I don't write on this site much, but I write about our adventures with it here: http://adventurewife.blogspot.com/

 

[rjudice]

The hubby built his own roof rack and to that we mounted a Foxwing and a Sunseeker. We were one of the firsts to ask for the external shower box because it was a huge must for us as we backcountry camp for a week and who doesn't like a warm shower before bed!?

@AdvWife, thanks for posting. Great job with your blog. Like you, we travel with two pets: one Corgi and a cat. Robin and I pull our SoCal teardrop behind our Jeep around the Pacific Northwest. I was curious about your Foxwing awning and what looks like an OzTent attached to it. How do you manage the awning with the galley hatch? From your pictures, I can see that you have the awning deployed both with the hatch open and closed. Do you simply partially roll the awning up when you're ready to close the hatch? How does the awning perform keeping the galley dry during rain? Could you say more about the OzTent attachment? Model? How do you use it?

Thanks in advance for addressing so many questions.

Ross

 

[AdvWife]

@AdvWife, thanks for posting. Great job with your blog. Like you, we travel with two pets: one Corgi and a cat. Robin and I pull our SoCal teardrop behind our Jeep around the Pacific Northwest. I was curious about your Foxwing awning and what looks like an OzTent attached to it. How do you manage the awning with the galley hatch? From your pictures, I can see that you have the awning deployed both with the hatch open and closed. Do you simply partially roll the awning up when you're ready to close the hatch? How does the awning perform keeping the galley dry during rain? Could you say more about the OzTent attachment? Model? How do you use it?

Thanks in advance for addressing so many questions.

Ross

Thanks!

We just release the Foxwing from the last stake and push it out of the way to either open or close the hatch. Then redeploy and secure the Foxwing. Takes just a few seconds and not much of a hassle at all.

The open hatch does okay during a really light rain but otherwise rain gets on the top shelf of the open hatch. A friend and I were scheming up how to add detachable awning fabric to those sides during a rain so we could leave the hatch fully open. Once we figure that out, I'll be sure to let you know. Other than the top sides, the Foxwing keeps the rest of the hatch dry during storms.

We have the Oztent TagaLong tent that we will deploy during base camp trips. It zips directly to the Foxwing and is a great place to store extra gear, house dogs, etc. It is a pretty decent size and would comfortably sleep 2-3 people if needed. It doesn't take too long to set up and overall can be handy. We don't deploy the tent as often as we use the tapered walls. They've proven invaluable. They zip together and can make your Foxwing into a quasi tent. Great for wind, rain and snow ( as we found out during the 2015 Overland expo snow storm haha!). We also splurged on the Foxwing ground covering. It is the exact shape of the deployed Foxwing and keeps dust/mud down under your awning.

I can't say enough good things about the Foxwing. We love it.

Same about the trailer. Once I figure out a fix for the hatch sides during rain, I'll be 100% satisfied.

 

[Luckytibbs]

This is great information. I have the arb awnjng and it does nothing for cooking in the rain. I think I'm going to switch. Thanks for the post. Love my trailer. The dogs and I do great

 

[Doug E]

...Pretty crazy seeing another Socal TD around. Especially in the middle of no where.

So random, but yesterday morning, headed south out of Colorado, we turned off Co hwy 17 onto a forest service road towards the continental divide where we spent the night. And what did we see at the turn-off? Another SoCal trailer by Voyager Adventure. Did we stop to chat? You bet. Anyone we know? You bet. Debbie (LuckyTibbs). And I now suffer from a major case of gnarly tire envy!

Slightly blurry shot looking south from our campsite at 10,600 feet. It may be difficult to see, but one of my more useful additions to the TD is the "secondary handle" on the left side of kitchen drawer.
.

Enlargement below :

 

[Doug E]

No trailer in the picture, but a better shot of the view from camp.

 

[Luckytibbs]

No trailer in the picture, but a better shot of the view from camp.
View attachment 354339[/QUOTE

Well Doug! I'm in Salida CO right now! I know, running into another So Cal was awesome! I hoped you liked the trail. The camp was fantastic. I found a couple great spots these last couple of days. Sometime we will have to meet there! Loved talking with you and meeting your crew! The trailer is doing awesome

 

[KEENO]

I just returned from a 4500+ mile round trip to Colorado (yesterday)... I've look everywhere, and stared at oncoming traffic for hours, but have never seen another So Cal Teardrop in action. It looks like I might have been close to sighting over the last 2 weeks...
Here's a pic of my set up in San Juan Mountains near Silverton.


KEENO

 

[MtnToSea]

It looks like you had an amazing view from that camp site!

 

[DELAV]

Thanks to recent pictures from Keeno, DougE, and MtnToSea, AdvWife and others. This has certainly helped push our build over the line.

My wife and I have just plunked down our deposit to begin our own SoCal build through Michael at Wanderlust Overland in Portland Oregon. Based on some of our requirements (cost, weight, space, intended use) we arrived at a 5x9 Sierra, with the off-road frame upgrade, brakes, 31" tires and a handful of upgrades. Pretty Similar to DougE's trailer, with a safari rack, front storage basket and eventually a few awnings and bike carriers. Should be light enough for the Subaru to tow, and sturdy enough for forest road duties behind the 4Runner. Full off-road suspension upgrades may come later if the adventures require it, but for now I think we'll be pretty well setup to explore the Northwest and Mountain West.

Looking forward to picking up my rig and sharing with each of you. Thanks for all the help, and big thanks to Mike at Wanderlust for his expert knowledge!

 

[MtnToSea]

Congratulations DELAV on your trailer order, you will love it! What is your projected build date?