Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I got an idea after seeing another clamshell design in the hall of fame so I fired up Autocad and started playing with some profiles till I found one I liked...

Specs:
8' long
5'-5 1/2" tall when closed
5'-9 1/2" wide
65"x80" bed
plenty of storage
Pretty streamline/aerodynamic
Area for 40+ gallon fresh water tank/pump under the bed
Possible slide out stove under the front of the bed
Open sides and rear would be covered by canvas when open, then rolled up into the top to close it...

After seeing how much mine is going to weigh, I would guess full of water and gear probably in the 900lb range give or take...

Pics:







Jess

I like your ideas on a clamshell style trailer.

Conqueror has one that I like the styling of.

Looks pretty different. Still have the sharp side edge from roof to side panel. Everything else is rounded. To load into sleep area, looks like you need to pop up and setup. Maybe look for door access to lay stuff on top of bed, ie. clothing, weather clothing, sheets, sleeping bags, etc. Stuff that you throw in/take out before/after each camping trip.

Access door big enough for the weekend cold/wet cooler as well as the warm/dry cooler?

Rather than roll up fabric into the top, what about storing the fabric in a compartment that had a lid in the lower box area (in the wall) or in a compartment that didn't let the fabric roll to on top of the bedding when lowering the top? Think of dew and rain when putting up/down. How about adding a zipper portion and a fold under portion similar to that of a Jeep? That way, any wetness they can be pulled and laid out to dry.

What about holding the top and securing it up?

Add a storage box on top that is similarly in shape for the aerodynamics and look on a roof rack. You could also add a lower storage box/drawer under the frame in front of the axle, but this would hold large camping items: popup awning, chairs, cook irons, pole for canvas, fire poker, stuff like that.

What I don't really like is the access to the storage compartment under the bed. I know its usable space, but you have to have the bed not used to be able to pop the top up. Then how high will the top open will depend on how heavy the bedding stuff is. If the top opens high, then the bedding stuff will pile up on itself as it will fall off the top.

Looks good overall. Great job for the idea.

jagular7 wrote:Looks pretty different. Still have the sharp side edge from roof to side panel. Everything else is rounded. To load into sleep area, looks like you need to pop up and setup. Maybe look for door access to lay stuff on top of bed, ie. clothing, weather clothing, sheets, sleeping bags, etc. Stuff that you throw in/take out before/after each camping trip.

Yeah some sort of side doors on the top or a rear hatch could be put in pretty easy...

jagular7 wrote:Access door big enough for the weekend cold/wet cooler as well as the warm/dry cooler?

Currently its limited to about 12" of vertical space under the bed for storage. The lower rear storage at the foot of the bed could be re-arranged to accept a standard size cooler probably...

jagular7 wrote:Rather than roll up fabric into the top, what about storing the fabric in a compartment that had a lid in the lower box area (in the wall) or in a compartment that didn't let the fabric roll to on top of the bedding when lowering the top? Think of dew and rain when putting up/down. How about adding a zipper portion and a fold under portion similar to that of a Jeep? That way, any wetness they can be pulled and laid out to dry.

My thinking is if the canvas is wet, you'd want to air it out when you got home anyway just like a normal pop up trailer. I was thinking the sides and rear could be rolled up and actually fastened inside the lid so the bedding does not get wet. I was also thinking about zippers and/or velcro for fastening the corners so it could all be removable...

jagular7 wrote:What about holding the top and securing it up?

Strong gas struts would hold it up I believe and if not, some sort of legs could be made to hold the top up I suppose...

jagular7 wrote:Add a storage box on top that is similarly in shape for the aerodynamics and look on a roof rack. You could also add a lower storage box/drawer under the frame in front of the axle, but this would hold large camping items: popup awning, chairs, cook irons, pole for canvas, fire poker, stuff like that.

I agree you could run some sort of rack on top for larger or long items. Storage under the trailer would be sketchy I think. Being its an off road type trailer, you'd want to keep your ground clearance as high as possible.

jagular7 wrote:What I don't really like is the access to the storage compartment under the bed. I know its usable space, but you have to have the bed not used to be able to pop the top up. Then how high will the top open will depend on how heavy the bedding stuff is. If the top opens high, then the bedding stuff will pile up on itself as it will fall off the top.

The storage under the bed is for permanent items that doint need to be accessed all the time, ie: water tank, water pump, batteries... etc...

jagular7 wrote:Looks good overall. Great job for the idea.

Thanks for the good feedback. Its just an idea I was playing with. Its nice to see comments about it though because I never think of everything. Just trying to help others brainstorm and get a little inspiration to build something...

Jess

Hey

The biggest problem I see is the lack of rain protection when entering and exiting, you also miss having a complete galley unless you were to use a slide out tray in one of the side storage doors. There again with height as low as it is, you could not attach a awning to cover the cook area, you would have to use a ez-up type of setup which could be stored inside if it was dry. Late night bathroom runs? Getting dressed inside? Nice look though, maybe some fine tuning. Hard to beat that traditional tear design in it's various forms, personally I like your off-road design that you have now.


Pete Wilson


P.S. How about a raised roof center section which would allow one to sit up in the center with the hatch closed for bathroom breaks, dressing and use two twin size matresses with a small isle way between. One could crawl in through the back hatch/door. Have a 3 foot high in the bed area, and 4+ foot in the isleway, or something along that idea. A custom aluminum roof rack could secure a couple of simple awnings for rain protection (1 in back for entry/exit and 1 on side for slide out kitchen area)

pete.wilson wrote:Hey

The biggest problem I see is the lack of rain protection when entering and exiting, you also miss having a complete galley unless you were to use a slide out tray in one of the side storage doors. There again with height as low as it is, you could not attach a awning to cover the cook area, you would have to use a ez-up type of setup which could be stored inside if it was dry. Late night bathroom runs? Getting dressed inside? Nice look though, maybe some fine tuning. Hard to beat that traditional tear design in it's various forms, personally I like your off-road design that you have now.


Pete Wilson


P.S. How about a raised roof center section which would allow one to sit up in the center with the hatch closed for bathroom breaks, dressing and use two twin size matresses with a small isle way between. One could crawl in through the back hatch/door. Have a 3 foot high in the bed area, and 4+ foot in the isleway, or something along that idea. A custom aluminum roof rack could secure a couple of simple awnings for rain protection (1 in back for entry/exit and 1 on side for slide out kitchen area)

Hey Pete-
I think the new screen shots will help you understand better whats going on. Yes you do loose a full galley with this design but I think a pull out stove would work and the low profile/high ground clearance is suited for rough off road travel. I raised the bed up 4" so you can fit a couple 34qt coolers opposite the stove.

Thanks for the comments. I personally like my current project too... Just doin a little spitballin here. Maybe someone will get some inspiration from it...

Jess

Dude! That is Awsome!

I've been following your Sawtooth build and I like how you think! Keep up the good work.

Happy Trails

Hey

Very good, I didn't think of the sides in that manner; I like that idea. I do like how that collapses down, you could mount a roof rack on it if so desired. Looking good!

Here's an idea, move the stove to the rear opening on the same side, and an engel freezer on the front pullout where the stove is now. Maybe a modified tent type enclosure on the back to provide a out of the weather area for eating and lounging. Add a propane tank on the tongue, maybe.


Note: Warpony has a hard sided design not to different other than the slope of the roof, but it's a rear door layout.

I like it, but would prefer hard sides. This could easily be done, the green line shows panel breaks, the red lines represent hinges. The sides fold in, the back folds up and rests on top of the sides in the closed position.

You'd loose a lot of storage going with hard sides plus sealing it would be a PITA I think. Its do-able but i don't think its as practical as canvas or nylon sides...

Stomper,
I like your idea. It has alot of potential. I would have an awning or ez-up at the back end and probably figure out a way to have/store the stove, ice box and removable table there.

How heavy do you think the top would be?

bhoogeboom wrote:Stomper,
I like your idea. It has alot of potential. I would have an awning or ez-up at the back end and probably figure out a way to have/store the stove, ice box and removable table there.

How heavy do you think the top would be?

I'd guess probably around 75 lbs plus or minus. Not a whole lot...

Resurrecting an older thread...

stomperxj wrote:I think the new screen shots will help you understand better whats going on. Yes you do loose a full galley with this design but I think a pull out stove would work and the low profile/high ground clearance is suited for rough off road travel. I raised the bed up 4" so you can fit a couple 34qt coolers opposite the stove.

Thanks for the comments. I personally like my current project too... Just doin a little spitballin here. Maybe someone will get some inspiration from it...

Jess

Definitely caught my attention with this one. Could well be a decent compromise between my thoughts on a soft-sided tear and something hard shell for durability.

Would probably lower it to normal height since I'm not concerned with off road usage.

Has anybody actually built one? Curious about the end weight. What was used for a door, etc.

Any good way to estimate what something like this would weigh if one has never been built?

TJinPgh wrote:Resurrecting an older thread...

Definitely caught my attention with this one. Could well be a decent compromise between my thoughts on a soft-sided tear and something hard shell for durability.

Would probably lower it to normal height since I'm not concerned with off road usage.

Has anybody actually built one? Curious about the end weight. What was used for a door, etc.

Any good way to estimate what something like this would weigh if one has never been built?

No one has ever asked for the drawings or the 3D model so none has ever been built. My guess is it would weigh around 1000-1200lbs with gear and supplies but thats just a guess based on what the Sawtooth weighs...

A canvas door like on a tent would work fine I would imagine. Having the canvas made would be kind of expensive though unless you did it yourself...

Jess

I don't know where I saved these photos from, but here is a really clever little fold-up trailer:







The 'canvas' work on the folding top is even cleverer than the trailer.