Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Greetings.

I'm interested in a So-Cal or other quality built teardrop and am requesting opinions/ suggestions on build quality etc, looking at the Sierra 5x9.

thanks

dave

SoCal are great guys and they make a great product. If you want to buy instead of build, and you have the budget for one, I don't think you can go wrong with one of theirs. If my home built ever goes up in flames, I'm going to use the insurance money to buy one of theirs.

Dave, they are excellent folks to deal with and build a high quality product...at present, they have been offering some excellent deals on their teardrops...if I was going to buy instead of build, I would put them on my VERY short list.....
madjack

Guys,

Thanks for the replys and votes of confidence in So-cal. I will be contacting them this week.

Dave

Here's an interesting thread on a So-Cal built to the specs of a Honda Element owner in 2006. It's a beauty. He uses it quite a lot and goes to some teardrop gatherings.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums ... 522&page=5

And this thread on the Element forum, which focuses on my Little Guy teardrop, has even more pictures of that same "Box4Rox" So-Cal in use.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums ... 36&page=66

So-Cal uses a number of photos of his rig on their website. He now usually pulls it with a Subaru.

It's a long (but informative) thread. For the So-Cal pics, check out these posts within the thread:

187-88
208
338
410
421
427
432
438
457
458
596
604
610

Hiker Chick,

Thanks for the link to the Element site. I read all 66 pages, was fun to get more background on your purchase as I've read your posts here. Printed a bunch of the So cal pictures.
I'm very familiar with and really like Springbar products and am considering their Canopy. Have you ever used yours? Thinking that one or two of those zipped togheter would work very well.

Am off tomorrow to the So-cal factory to see their trailers. I had an about to expire ticket and Mike offered to taxi me back and forth. Apparently they are about 5 mins for airport.


Dave

I tried putting up that Springbar once and it was so bleeping heavy I gave up on it.

Almost forgot I have it. The Kirkham's canopy off the back of the Element works so well and is so compact that I've just been using it.

I hope you'll take pics of your So-Cal tour to share with us!

Dave Lackie wrote:Hiker Chick,

Thanks for the link to the Element site. I read all 66 pages, was fun to get more background on your purchase as I've read your posts here. Printed a bunch of the So cal pictures.
I'm very familiar with and really like Springbar products and am considering their Canopy. Have you ever used yours? Thinking that one or two of those zipped togheter would work very well.

Am off tomorrow to the So-cal factory to see their trailers. I had an about to expire ticket and Mike offered to taxi me back and forth. Apparently they are about 5 mins for airport.


Dave

Have a great trip, they are great people which makes for a great business.

Grettings,

Back from the trip to So-Cal with a signed order for a trailer. You guys are really right Mike is great to work with. He took time to explain their ideas on galley and interior set up, then said "we can build whatever you want". Their shop was very clean and organized and was fun seeing the Kenwood project trailers (see so cal website photo gallery projects). Got to see and experience 2- 5x9 sold units plus their off road unit. Fit and finish is really great- only down was the plugs in the birch ply from their suppliers but Mike assured me he would work around as many as he could. I was really impressed with the joints there was less than an 1/8 on any seam (probabaly more like a 1/16) then the joint is calked and trimed. Bottom line for me a great design with high quality workmanship!

Hiker Chick- any interest in selling your springbar canopy? If so PM me and we can talk. I understand about the weight, a friend has a 10x10 tent
which weights about 60 lbs. Once up that sucker is bomb proof just don't want to haul it far.

Dave

Dave - did you take pics during your So-Cal tour?

You know how we are about pics....

On the Springbar, I'm not yet ready to sell. Haven't really given it a chance and it weighs a ton so shipping from DC would be a pain (plus, it's out in storage near the mountains with the teardrop).

Hiker Chick,

I understand about the canopy........many times Iv'e sold something then turned around and wished I still had it. It also seems to me that different campaing areas may require different set ups.

I don't own a camera and never figured out how to use cell phone option....guess that says something about my interest in technology, probably why I opted for a tear. So Cal has alot of good picts on their site.


Dave

Hi, I've been lurking for awhile but now I have to weigh-in and extoll the virtues of my 5x11 So-Cal Deluxe. We (husband and large dog) bought it in March and have taken it on a couple of over nighters nearby and a 4 day cruise up to Lake Siskiyou. We ADORE our trailer, named Comet (because we saw an amazing astral phenomenon our first night out with it) and love showing it off to everyone. The galley has more counter space than my house's kitchen! Consider a So-Cal, they are reasonably priced, thoughtfully designed and a really fun product.

I tow it with a VW Golf - no problem except when climbing mountains!

taryns2 wrote:Hi, I've been lurking for awhile but now I have to weigh-in and extoll the virtues of my 5x11 So-Cal Deluxe. We (husband and large dog) bought it in March and have taken it on a couple of over nighters nearby and a 4 day cruise up to Lake Siskiyou. We ADORE our trailer, named Comet (because we saw an amazing astral phenomenon our first night out with it) and love showing it off to everyone. The galley has more counter space than my house's kitchen! Consider a So-Cal, they are reasonably priced, thoughtfully designed and a really fun product.

I tow it with a VW Golf - no problem except when climbing mountains!

Hi Taryn -- welcome to T&TTT!

You know we're hungry for photos.

Love those So-Cals -- real craftsmanship.

A Golf - wow. Have you pulled your teardrop up the Grapevine? How'd that go?

Yes - the grapevine was no problem, of course my trailer was empty since that was its homecoming trip. I live in the SF Bay Area so the trip to Sisykiyou was its most athletic trip to date. I will say that as soon as I can afford it I will probably upgrade to a more capable tow vehicle..like a Subaru or if I'm lucky, a Honda Ridgeline.