Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Just wonder how many have or are building with no real plans to speak of. I drew up some ruff sketchs before I ever started but haven't looked at them since I started building. Just kind of making it up as I go along
Thanks Scott

OH gosh no, I could never build with out plans. That way when I screw something up I can point to the drawings and say HA SEE it wasn't me!!!!

Mk

If I screw something up I just tell people "I ment to do that", with no plans who would really know how it should have been

I had basic sketches of shape, size and placement. I also had a list of things that were a must. I kind of made it up as I went. For example when I was putting in the roof ribs I "engineered" as I went. I did some documintation after I installed things like wiring so I knew what and where things were.

I didn't have any plans at all. When I started, all I had was a full sized pattern and the drawings printed off Andrew's webpage. I had a general idea of what I was going to do, make sandwich walls and install an a/c unit. The rest, I made up from there.

I had no plans either . I knew how wide , long ,
and tall I wanted it .Then took a 20 foot piece of 1/4 " round rod and bowed it to the shape I like .
Has anybody thought of or tried using an old time car body ? Like cut it off at the fire wall and round it off neat and clean . I know it's not a tear. But might be cool . Kerry

OH gosh no, I never build with plans... I guess it's all according to what you are used to? I may sketch out some ideas beforehand, but I generally don't follow them. I kind of adapt & adjust as I go along too. I'm not knocking working from plans; I'm just more comfortable doing it my way.

I had a few rough sketches and measurements on the Camp Inn Trailer. It was designed as I went along, and also took a lot of advice from my Father in Law. He is a builder and flyer of home built aircraft, and has 60 years carpenter and cabinet making experience. He did let me build it and make my own mistakes. He taught me a lot of woodworking tricks that will be remembered for years to come.



My Father in Law with two grandsons and His Franklin Woodsy Homebuilt plane in the background. (PS those are my sons 12 years ago.)

It's good to see I'm not the only one who plans as I go, it means my tear might work out . I just feel more comfortable planning and making changes as I go. I like to think I have the ability to see the finished product as I go which helps me to build planless.

My father in law said he designed a lot of his plane as he went along over a ten year period. He had several sets of plans and combined them into his finished product. Oh and yes he has been flying it almost two years now and he is 77 years old.
jplock

Plans---HA. I had a plan and Mike S. helped with the profile. The rest came straight from here and the generic benroy. My framing came from Phil (JP Lock). The rest is bits and pieces from everyone.

And some of it is inside me.

jplock wrote:My father in law said he designed a lot of his plane as he went along over a ten year period. He had several sets of plans and combined them into his finished product. Oh and yes he has been flying it almost two years now and he is 77 years old.
jplock

That's wonderful I can only hope to be that good someday. And a very nice looking plane.

The Kasperwing sleeper was made from concepts not plans. Ok my build was not as nice as some of the other builds on this site but building without plans was half the fun for me. I Built and refined the concepts as I built it. I am in no way saying that anyone can work like this and end up with an acceptable outcome but I seem to go through life much like I built the Kasperwing sleeper.

How did you build it?

I used the contour of a traditional teardrop and traced it onto plywood with a LCD projector.

I used a snowmobile trailer frame as my base template and simply laid out a floor plan for what I wanted to include inside the trailer (shower, bed, kitchen and such)

I located all the mechanicals under the sleeping area

I used common sense and basic skills

I checked this website and posted my concerns and found plenty of helpful folks who have done this before who offered the correct answers to any of my questions

If you’re going to build without plans then you found the correct website. Mike (admin) is very generous with his advice and offers well worded criticism without being offensive (Thanks Mike you rock)

I don’t think you need plans to build a teardrop. In my mind if you build from plans you are building "someone else’s teardrop". The thing that makes this website so desirable is the diverse and unique designs. If you’re going to build from plans then you might as well just buy a manufactured teardrop. It’s probably cheaper in the end. In my opinion it’s best to start with a concept and paint your design in your mind as you go. No doubt things will change along the way and you may waste some time and materials (and money)... but I have to ask....why else would you want to build your own ??????

My 2 cents...because I only have 2 cents after my build

Regards
Chris


http://www.kasperwing.com/teardrop.htm

Hi Scott, Just for today I will have a plan, I may not stick to it but at least it will save me from 2 pests hurry and indecision, All the best, Evan.