Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The side doors on most of the teardrops I've seen in pictures seem to have some "threshold" height (first picture - bottom of door not flush with the floor). Is there a reason for this? It seems that having it flush with the floor (second picture) would allow you to sweep out the teardrop easily. It also seems that you could sit in the teardrop with your legs hanging out without having the threshold dig into you legs. You also get a large door opening. Any opinions or comments?

Thanks,
Archie

4" Threshold
[img]http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?image_id=6490][/img]

Threshold flush with floor

The way I looked at it. I made my threshold height one half the thickness of the mattress. If it's a 4" mattress then make the threshold height 2". My mattress is 8" thick and my threshold height is 4" and I don't even feel it when sitting on the bed. With it not being flush with the floor, it also helps to keep bedding and such inside the tear and not hanging out the door. But if your looking for the rule. Build it the way you would like. In other words, there are no rules on how you build your doors. If you feel that it better suits you to build it flush then go for it.



Have a good day.

eieio1 wrote:The side doors on most of the teardrops I've seen in pictures seem to have some "threshold" height (first picture - bottom of door not flush with the floor). Is there a reason for this?

I'm incorporating 3" of threshold into my ultralight design because I think having a few inches of threshold adds a significant amount of vertical strength to the side panels.

Mitheral wrote: <snip>
I'm incorporating 3" of threshold into my ultralight design because I think having a few inches of threshold adds a significant amount of vertical strength to the side panels.

And if you are going to use a 4" mattress, you will feel the threshold on the back of your legs when sitting on the edge of the mattress. But then again you may never sit on the edge of the mattress for any reason.

Have a good day.

I don't really sit on the edge (since I haven't camped in mine yet) but I do find it easier to get in and out of because you don't rack your shins or rake the back of your legs.

I think gage has a good "rule of thumb" half the thickness of the mattress. I made some thresholds flush with the floor and the mattress & bedding bulged out the door. So much so you almost had to make the bed up again just to shut the door.

Another trick is if your threshold is digging you in the back of the leg store something under the mattress in that area to raise it. I just laid a piece of 1X3 in there. Made all the difference, it raises the mattress another inch and takes the pressure off of my legs.

Happy Trails

Len

Gage wrote:And if you are going to use a 4" mattress, you will feel the threshold on the back of your legs when sitting on the edge of the mattress. But then again you may never sit on the edge of the mattress for any reason.

We'll, I'm a bit of a wuss, we're going to have a 6" mattress, same as home.

Archie
I made my floor level with the threshold. Indoor/outdoor carpeting, a 2" self inflating mattress and sleeping bags are all that we will use.

This works for us. You just deside what works for you.

SmokeyBob wrote:I made my floor level with the threshold. Indoor/outdoor carpeting, a 2" self inflating mattress and sleeping bags are all that we will use.

This works for us. You just deside what works for you.

If I had to do it again, this is what I would do. Make it flush.

Carpeting here too, with vinyl pads, sleeping bags or other to use when we're actually slepping.

Mitheral wrote:We'll, I'm a bit of a wuss, we're going to have a 6" mattress, same as home.

You didn't look at my mattress very close, did you? Almost the same as you except it's 8" thick. I bought it, laid it on the floor and then built the tear around it. Love a good nights sleep and a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

SmokeyBob wrote:Archie
This works for us. You just deside what works for you.

How do you know it works for you? You haven't used it yet.

Have a good day.

I made mine 1/2 the height of my mattress too. I sit in the door all the time and its fine. I have never hit my shins on it because I just sit down in the door and lift my legs to get in.

Bruce

Half the height om my matress too. I don't find too much dirt inside but when I need to clean it out I use my shop vac at home. The small threshold keeps the matress an bedding in buy is low enough that you can sit on the edge and not feel it on the back of your legs.

Thanks for all of the replies. It sounds like about half the mattress height is the way to go.

Archie

Gage wrote:

How do you know it works for you? You haven't used it yet

Yes we have, it's called a tent.

SmokeyBob wrote:Gage wrote:

How do you know it works for you? You haven't used it yet

Yes we have, it's called a tent.

I'll have to remember that.

Have a good day.