SoCal Tear Drop Owners! Post up!

[Chris Cordes]

1. Cost as you said
2. The room. Haha I repeat THE ROOM. it's nice to have the option although the the ARB awning will be a little more difficult to set up. Can't beat so cals awning for simplicity

 

[Rick Rockey]

I to would be interested in knowing what length ARB awning is being used as I just bought a ARB 2500 and received it before my Gobi rack that is going on the JKUR, so it's still new in the box. Now that we're getting a teardrop I'm thinking maybe I should see if I can send it back for the 2000 plus room with floor.
Oh and Chris it was me that asked about the roof fan, and I thank you for the information as I will stay with the larger one.
A month ago I would have never thought I would spend this many $$$ on a teardrop trailer. But it's going to be very cool when finished.

 

[fireball]

Hi Chris, thanks for sharing the info on your experiences. I'd like to hear more about towing the TD and what type of trails you've done with it. I really think a TD is the right solution for our family, but out here in the east the trails are fairly tight and lots of trees. The intent would be to not take the TD through the really tough stuff, but this weekend we did a 3 day VT Overland beer safari and next week we are doing the Trans NH expedition. Both of these are events with easier trails, but still might be a handful with a big TD behind you. I think my real question is do you think there would be an appreciable difference in "trailability" b/w a 4.5x9, 5x9 and 5x10 TD?

Thanks!

 

[Yulli]

I to would be interested in knowing what length ARB awning is being used as I just bought a ARB 2500 and received it before my Gobi rack that is going on the JKUR, so it's still new in the box. Now that we're getting a teardrop I'm thinking maybe I should see if I can send it back for the 2000 plus room with floor.
Oh and Chris it was me that asked about the roof fan, and I thank you for the information as I will stay with the larger one.
A month ago I would have never thought I would spend this many $$$ on a teardrop trailer. But it's going to be very cool when finished.

Rick, I have the 2000x2500 on my SoCal. You can fit a 2500 but you'll want the brackets to stick out some so that when you open the galley, it doesn't hit. That's if you have the awning centered with trailer/roof rack. But, I think it's best to have the awning sit back over the edge of the roof that way it blocks any rain coming in between the roof and awning. On mine, I have it almost flush to the edge but it blocks any chance of rain coming in between the two. I have mine a little off centered still but the 2000 doesn't look as bad off centered than the 2500 if you were to run it like I did. It extends out 8ft see tons of space once you get the room set up. I have a tiny bit of clearance from the end of the awning to the galley door, worked out perfect.

Hi Chris, thanks for sharing the info on your experiences. I'd like to hear more about towing the TD and what type of trails you've done with it. I really think a TD is the right solution for our family, but out here in the east the trails are fairly tight and lots of trees. The intent would be to not take the TD through the really tough stuff, but this weekend we did a 3 day VT Overland beer safari and next week we are doing the Trans NH expedition. Both of these are events with easier trails, but still might be a handful with a big TD behind you. I think my real question is do you think there would be an appreciable difference in "trailability" b/w a 4.5x9, 5x9 and 5x10 TD?

Thanks!

Fireball, I dunno whatever happened to ya when you came here to WA to pick up your new rig. I would have been more than happy to show the trailer and get a feel of the 459. I even sent you a PM and never heard back.

 

[Chris Cordes]

Yup the 2000 would be better. I checked and that's what I measured and ordered as well.

And don't worry! The trailer will hold its value and be around for years to come. Whenever my life transitions away from this job I will be living out of mine for a year or so traveling.

Fireball if your trails are really tight get the 459. I can negotiate mine through tigjt spaces easily but I have a lot of practice towing off road haha

 

[MikeH]

Just to throw out our experiences with trailers on trails, I find the 510 fairly easy to deal with on most trails we do. We had a trailer I built for off road use that was a little smaller then the tear drop. The only places I've found a noticeable difference is really tight switchbacks. This trailer is a little longer and swings inside more. Never been an issue but you do have to drive accordingly. As for width, it does have trail scratches but nothing to cause any issues.

If your adding stuff to the trailer, you might consider the water tanks. They are pricey but it's the easiest way to carry 30 gallons of water. We also added an Ecotemp hot water heater in an enclosure on he side of the trailer. Nothing beats a hot shower after hiking while you're at camp.

We have the portable campfire too! That thing gets used a lot. Especially when we get into fire season and burning get banned.

On the trailer foot, I cut off the original foot and found a wheel kit and a foot kit that I swap out as needed. I put the foot on while camping so the trailer is stable. Then I put the wheel on for storage so I can move it around the garage easily. Found them both on Amazon.

 

[Rick Rockey]

Just what to say Thank's for all the postings. It's really helpful to a "Newbie" when it comes to this mode of adventure travel. With all the information I have picked up here...our TD will be really COOL!!

 

[Yulli]

Rick I was in the same boat as you before I ordered. I had so many questions and I know people out there have the Socal TD, I just couldn't find info from other owners.

 

[MikeH]

Not sure if anybody is in Arizona or passing through, but I'd be happy so let you check out our trailer. It's a pretty well equipped 510, with water tanks, water heater, outside LEDs, the upgraded kitchen and side rails for the front area. I added a self made roof rack and mounted a Foxwing awning to it. We carry 2 solar panels modified into a book with a piano hinge and a latch for storage. I added 2 Optimas, that seem to keep up with the fridge and radio even at warmer campsites. We've done several weekend trips and a few weeklong trips with it so far. The trailer is constantly evolving after each big trip.

 

[Rick Rockey]

Mike, we live in La Quinta, CA next time we head to Tucson too visit the grandkids I may give you a holler. In the meantime if you have any pictures of your upgraded kitchen and roof rack set up you would be able to post, it would be great to see what you have done, as we are still adding to our build. We've just about added all the standard options but their could be some custom things that we haven't thought of as yet.

 

[BlackRubiX]

Is anyone running an A/C unit? I'm having a Climate Right A/C unit installed and was curious how well it works and if a 2 battery setup and Solar panels can keep up with the load? I plan on only running it to cool off the trailer at night and not for very long periods.

http://www.climaterightair.com/applications/rv-trailer-air-conditioning-and-heating.html/

 

[Yulli]

I didn't do A/C since I live in WA. Our nights are never that hot and where I usually go camping there's trees for plenty of shade to park the trailer in.

I am going to the NW Overland Rally at the end of this month and it's supposed to be in the upper 80s to low 90s in the day but gets cool once the sun goes down.

 

[Rick Rockey]

From what I have found out about the AC unit you have listed, is that you will need a generator, like a Honda 2000 or ground power. At least this is what I found out talking to Canyon Country TD. But you might give any of the SoCal builders a call. I don't think I'll go that direction, just to costly for the few times we might use it. I'm getting this thing to get away from the heat and not camp in it. Today it's already 103 and climbing.

 

[fireball]

@Yulli - I am a slow learner and just now realizing that it was you who I spoke with before my trip. You had a screenname change right? Sorry I'm slow. My trip was really hectic, ended up having to spend an extra night in BC before crossing the border, and then heading immediately down to Torfab to replace two broken exhaust mounts, so my time near Seattle was limited. If it's any consolation, instead of hanging out checking out your TD I did get to do some pretty amazing hikes in the Ho Rainforest and most of the Olympic Loop.

@Chris - you recommend the smaller trailer....mainly for width or for length or for both? There aren't many (any?!) switchbacks here in the east, just tight trails through the woods and a decent amount of trees. The 100-series is ~72"W tire footprint, so I imagine I would want the trailer to be as close to that as possible. SoCal lists total trailer width of 80" and 84" for the 459 and 510 respectively. Is that correct? 4.5'W cabin = 54". Add a 12"W tire on each side plus a few inches of clearance b/w tire and cabin so that sounds about right.

 

[MikeH]

Mike, we live in La Quinta, CA next time we head to Tucson too visit the grandkids I may give you a holler. In the meantime if you have any pictures of your upgraded kitchen and roof rack set up you would be able to post, it would be great to see what you have done, as we are still adding to our build. We've just about added all the standard options but their could be some custom things that we haven't thought of as yet.

Just give me a heads up when you're heading this way. I'm realizing I don't have a lot of close pictures of the trailer. I'll post up some of the better ones, if you want to see more details let me know. The roof rack is just a 1" square tube frame with expanded metal for a platform. I made a wind deflector on the front to push wind over the cargo. The kitchen is probably best shown on the website. Hope this helps. We really like our trailer.

White trailer in the bottom pic is the other trailer I was referring to in a previous post. You can see the length difference.

Trail Pics.

Water Heater

Kitchen and awning