Teardrop Recommendations

[luk4mud]

Just starting to research trailers. As my wife and I approach the empty nest days, we look to travel more. She does not sleep in a tent willingly and does not do any offroading beyond maybe a difficult forest service road. We plan to camp remotely for a couple days at a time them get a motel room and cleanup/ get more supplies, then go back out again.

So here is my perfect teardrop, with the above in mind.
-Queenbed, ceiling vent/ fan
-5X9 or 5x10 offroad frame
-Big doors with lots of screen space, front window
-On board water, 10 gal will do
-Small 12 volt rechargeable system with on board 12 volt, do not need 110 though
-Batteries- enough juice for 3 days' dry camping, wife will use a 12v electric blanket
-Galley space and tie downs for a Yeti, do not need a 12 volt fridge
-Propane storage with external hookup for bbq
-Galley drawer for removable 2 burner stove, usable for other storage as well
-Heavier duty axle, full offroad suspension (no torsion axle) and larger tires, pintle hitch system
-Dry weight around 1500 or less
-What we dont need: heater, a/c, stereo, shore power, etc
-Well made at a reasonable price (12-15k)


Any and all advice is welcome! What options are there out there?

 

[Hilldweller]

As you know, I have a 6x10 Little Guy Silver Shadow with a Rough Rider package added. Two Optima D31 batteries, king bed, 33" tires, ARB fridge, pintle, etc.
You wouldn't need the skid plates if you're not taking it to the nasty bits.
http://www.golittleguy.com/teardrops/models/silver-shadow/
They make a very nice trailer. They don't understand the offroad market ---- so if you order away from the menu, talk to Scott Hubble at the factory.
It all turned out well in the end and I hear that they learned from their mistakes. I'm not holding a grudge at all.

I'm 6'5" so I understand the need for a real bed...

 

[matthewp]

So here is my perfect teardrop, with the above in mind.
-King bed, ceiling vent/ fan

That's going to be difficult. Your looking at inside dimensions for the sleep-cab being 76" wide!

-Big doors with lots of screen space

If you're building it yourself, that wouldn't be an issue. it should be fairly easy to design in.

-On board water, 10 gal will do

Easy! That's a small water tank compared to some of us.

-Small 12 volt rechargeable system with on board 12 volt, do not need 110 though

That would be very easy. In fact, my design is using solar, shore-line and tow-vehicle charging.

-Galley space and tie downs for a Yeti, do not need a 12 volt fridge

Once again, easy for you or a custom builder to accomplish.

-2 burner stove and propane storage with external hookup for bbq

I am also doing an external hook-up for a BBQ on my trailer, it's even remote from the 20lb tank. not hard at all.

-Heavier duty axle and larger tires, pintle hitch system

www.etrailer.com or www.trailerpart.com

-Dry weight around 1000 or less

That is going to possibly be hard, but I think it's doable.

-Well made at a reasonable price

"Well-made" and "reasonably priced" are two terms that don't neccessarily go together in this targetted market. Building it myself (With an outsourced fabricated frame), I'm looking at about $10,000 for my trailer. I would HIGHLY recommend you consider building it yourself, if for no other reason than the size bed you want.

 

[obscurotron]

As a former teardrop owner and builder, you won't get the price-point you want with the features and quality you want from any 'factory-style' manufacturer. While certain aspects of mass production can reduce cost, the scale of teardrop production and demand, in general, tends to negate many aspects of cost savings. Labor isn't cheap if you want attentive, skilled craftsmanship and materials in bulk only lower pricing so much.

Your best option really is to BIY - Build It Yourself. The benefits are that you know the quality and construction inside and out. The detriments are that you probably exceed the price of a factory-build when you factor in the value of your labor and the loss of bulk-purchase discounting for materials.

One thing I discovered a decade ago is that teardrop builds with friends are amazingly fun, educational and worthwhile. I also learned that the build is really the best part. The design, construction, problem-solving, learning to use new tools and materials - it all adds up to a tremendous experience. When she's ready to roll, the 'luster' is gone for me, and I was on to the next one. So this could be a great buddy project if you are not terribly handy with tools. Even if you are handy, cross-pollination of skillsets is still pretty cool.

Look at it this way - it's your 'drop, your sweat and blood (mine literally had some blood soaked into the wood!!) and your joy. It's not some souless factory contraption (as cool as they are, nothing beats BIY). YMMV, of course.

 

[matthewp]

As a former teardrop owner and builder, you won't get the price-point you want with the features and quality you want from any 'factory-style' manufacturer. While certain aspects of mass production can reduce cost, the scale of teardrop production and demand, in general, tends to negate many aspects of cost savings. Labor isn't cheap if you want attentive, skilled craftsmanship and materials in bulk only lower pricing so much.

Your best option really is to BIY - Build It Yourself. The benefits are that you know the quality and construction inside and out. The detriments are that you probably exceed the price of a factory-build when you factor in the value of your labor and the loss of bulk-purchase discounting for materials.

One thing I discovered a decade ago is that teardrop builds with friends are amazingly fun, educational and worthwhile. I also learned that the build is really the best part. The design, construction, problem-solving, learning to use new tools and materials - it all adds up to a tremendous experience. When she's ready to roll, the 'luster' is gone for me, and I was on to the next one. So this could be a great buddy project if you are not terribly handy with tools. Even if you are handy, cross-pollination of skillsets is still pretty cool.

Look at it this way - it's your 'drop, your sweat and blood (mine literally had some blood soaked into the wood!!) and your joy. It's not some souless factory contraption (as cool as they are, nothing beats BIY). YMMV, of course.

Well said! That in itself, is another great reason to build your own!

 

[skersfan]

I build a couple of these a year. Nothing is for free. Quality products/craftsmanship/attention to detail, are things that mass production sometimes over looks. I would recommend you build it your self. Most build with a base frame and an upper plywood box attached. This is not rocket science by any means. Draw out what you want, figure how to fit it on the frame and have at it. Friends helping/teaching make it more yours than any other way. Think out side the box, always think about future needs.

You most likely will find that your top end budget, is going to grow on a daily basis. Building one yourself, not counting time invested is going to be close to 10K. Makes a great winter project!!!

 

[luk4mud]

Great insight, keep it coming!

I do not have the skills nor the time to build one unfortunately. So I guess I will need to raise the bar on price a bit or lower it on quality.

Anyone have any experience with Lil Buddy trailers? I have a family member who has recently passed away and the estate is offering me a deal on one.

 

[NetDep]

I have a Little Guy (www.golittleguy.com) 6X10 Rough Rider/Silver Shadow. I mention them slashed because it really is two trailers - the Silver Shadow has the birch interior - very classy and finished and the Rough Rider frame is beefy with a skid plate that would go over the head of a nail!! I really do like my trailer and will try to address your concerns from my persepective -- sounds like we had a similar mission in mind.....

-King bed, ceiling vent/ fan
Yes - king size bed and it surprises a lot of people -- with the addition of pillow topper it is very comfortable -- and huge!! The fan (Fantastic three speed fan) is awesome!
-Big doors with lots of screen space
Yes - the doors are pretty standard - with windows that go up and screens that are very nice. This is a quality trailer and the addition of the "Stargazer" window is nice as well.
-On board water, 10 gal will do
You can get various options -- I have the sink/stove and there is onboard water.
-Small 12 volt rechargeable system with on board 12 volt, do not need 110 though
You got it - along with 110...30 amp for parks and I got the 80W solar panels with the factory done plug ins as well
-Galley space and tie downs for a Yeti, do not need a 12 volt fridge
Sounds like we are brothers from another mother -- I got a Yeti shortly before my trailer and opted not for the fridge....
-2 burner stove and propane storage with external hookup for bbq
Get the stove option -- very nice stove that you can hook a green propane thing into - or with an adaptor a larger tank....I have this option but usually just me so I still use my single burner Camp Chef that I love....
-Heavier duty axle and larger tires, pintle hitch system
Check - I had matching wheels/tires to my Toyota Tacoma -- this was a chore but it is doable and glad I did - and check...I like the pintle system and it is standard on the Rough Rider
-Dry weight around 1000 or less
Not so sure with the skid plate -- mine comes in at around 2k fully loaded......
-What we dont need: heater, a/c, stereo, shore power, etc
That will save you some weight - I have the upgraded TV and shore power....
-Well made at a reasonable price
This is all up to what you call reasonable -- I would say give Chris Baum a call at Little Guy -- their numbers are on their website....they are quite responsive!!

Best of luck - keeping an eye on this thread because I can ALWAYS get tips/tricks....speaking of which -- there is a forum on the LG website that you can ask some stuff too.......I wanted and off-road capable teardrop - not something to take the N. Pole -- well maybe - but also important was comfort.....

 

[luk4mud]

NetDep, you are the guy I want to talk to. That is a really nice looking rig and we have very similar tastes and uses in mind. The Little Guy thread Hilldweller started scared the ^%&* out of me, so I struck LG from my potential list pretty fast. Your experience suggests that I should reconsider?

Would you mind sharing what your setup cost?

 

[rowerwet]

a king size bed is going to make a wide trailer, unless you drive a hummer it will be wider than the TV. narrow roads will scratch up the sides without extra attention.

 

[matthewp]

a king size bed is going to make a wide trailer, unless you drive a hummer it will be wider than the TV. narrow roads will scratch up the sides without extra attention.

My thoughts exactly, but I am impressed to see someone makes a teardrop with a king sized bed!

 

[pennieslj]

We have a Little Guy Rough Rider 5 wide that we enjoy very much. The build quality is good and it is handling what we put it through very well. I would love a Moby1 or AT teardrop, but our trailer fits our needs and didn't break the bank. The standard Rough Rider model that we have would not cover all of your needs, but the combo model like Hilldweller and NetDep would probably work very well for you. Good luck with your search.

 

[Martinjmpr]

First off, you probably need to get registered here:

http://www.tnttt.com
http://www.tearjerkers.net

There's no point in reinventing the wheel - chances are if you've got a problem or a question somebody on those two forums has run into the same problem and figured out an answer already.

Next, I'll second those who say build it yourself. For the specs you want, a factory built trailer will run you $10k easy.

Note that a 5' width will get you a queen sized bed, which is what the wife and I have (see the link in my signature.) We've found the queen bed to be perfectly adequate when camping (in fact our teardrop's bed is longer than the bed we sleep in at home, by about 6".) Having said that, there are lots of 4' wide teardrops out there that work perfectly well, even for couples.

As for cooking surfaces - we deliberately did not put one in ours because we want the flexibility of cooking where we want to. For example, we may use the side of the teardrop to shelter the cook stove from the wind. If your cooking surface is permanently mounted, you're pretty much restricted to cooking in one place.

Go to the websites I listed above and you will find more ideas than you can imagine in your wildest dreams. I swear teardrop builders are some of the craziest and most creative people I've ever met.

Good luck!

 

[NetDep]

NetDep, you are the guy I want to talk to. That is a really nice looking rig and we have very similar tastes and uses in mind. The Little Guy thread Hilldweller started scared the ^%&* out of me, so I struck LG from my potential list pretty fast. Your experience suggests that I should reconsider?

Would you mind sharing what your setup cost?

Thank you!! Someone mentioned Moby1 and Adventure Trailers - I looked at those and others -- my research actually took me the better part of a year before I even started to spec out a trailer to a particular builder. The right combination of features, options and local service (LG has a dealer close to me - with any of the other custom builders I either depend on having it right the first time or getting it back to their shop for work)...all important considerations for me. I will tell you - as way of preface - that the cost of my trailer is very competitive with those others mentioned and it was in the $20k neighborhood. This is not to say yours would be this -- I had several options (color matching added nearly $1k and the upgraded TV/entertainment that as well --- so you are seeing some appreciable savings with things you don't even want). If you insist on the king size bed - 6X10 - the trailer will possibly track outside your tow vehicle - it does for me but it is not the end of the world since, like you, I will not likely be on much rougher than Forest Service Roads or roads passable to BLM camp sites.

I have no stake in Little Guy but am glad I went with them - I am NOT a handy kind of guy. If I even tried to build a trailer I am afraid it would not even find a home for the dog!! I spent a lot of time on this forum (it is where I got the idea for matching trailer wheels/tires to my tow vehicle) as well as on the LG site as well as ttnt and a couple of folks who lve in their teardrops -- The Blonde Coyote (http://theblondecoyote.com/2012/04/02/a-teardrop-is-born/) has a great blog and http://tinyyellowteardrop.blogspot.com is fun and entertaining to read. Decide what it is you want - what your want your trailer to do (I consider my truck/trailer one unit and pack/manage/treat it as such) - make a list of must haves and live withouts --- then shop. I think deciding what to spend and cutting off all other avenues might not leave you with the trailer that you want you and your wife to enjoy -- and that is what it is about -- enjoy the darn thing!!!! You can always trim here and there or make a change - but start with your list and make some calls - get some estimates - if you live near a builder go to the shop and poke around.

And again - at the sake of being a broken record - have fun!! I spend fifteen nights in my trailer since I had it -- not a lot? For me - with work it is!!

Here is a link to my flickr page with some pics about truck & trailer -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/netdep/sets/72157626824134599/ And I attached a couple of more pics - the interior was pretty new but you get the idea -- the bed is made and there are some more "touches" inside.

 

[nwoods]

http://www.socalteardrops.com/ builds a nice rig, and does custom stuff too. I've crawled all over Dave Druck's trailer, and I really liked it.