Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

All,

Well, I SHOULD be getting an old Coleman popup from my brother this weekend, and I'll be using it as a basis for my trailer. I'm not sure of the dimensions of the frame offhand, but think it's 96x60, although it may be larger. I DO remember that it was my parents' trailer, and they had a pretty large one. It has two queens, or possibly a queen and a king, for the slide outs.

In any case, I want to build one that will sleep four, be a standy, have a toilet in it (but not necessarily a shower: open to that, but the toilet is pretty much a must-have if I build a standy), and (here's the kicker!) be around 1000-1200 pounds! My CR-V has a 1500 pound tow limit, and I want to be under that dry weight, if possible.

I've seen a number of designs on here, and some list weight that is where I want to be, while many others either don't list the weight or or too heavy for me. I'm wondering about having either a fold-out or a slide-out to help give sleeping space, but there's the weight issue again, as well as I'm not sure of how to do that just yet.

I'm thinking of having basically a bunk-bed situation, at the moment. This will allow for sleeping four, make it easy enough to make the beds, and not require a storage area for mattresses and the like. An outside galley is fine, at this point, I think, but am not averse to an inside galley, either. I'm thinking of having the toilet at the front of the trailer, along with a bit of cabinetry that includes a desk area. I'm a photographer, and I shoot a lot at off road triathlons and mountain bike races, so I want to have a space to work on images after a race. That's about as far as I've gotten in my "design" at this point. I've been waiting for details until I actually get the trailer here.

Any helpful ideas would be GREATLY appreciated it! This will be my first attempt at anything like this! I first saw a Lil Guy trailer at a dealer near one of the mountain bike race venues in Burnet, TX, a couple of years ago, liked what I saw, but wasn't really thinking I could afford one. Then, my wife suggested building one, so that's why I'm here!

Sam

Check this out!

http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear47.htm

Mike...

Mike,

Yep, I saw that one after you told me about it earlier. However, it's not QUITE what I'm looking for. I want one in which I can stand up in, and would like a bit more length. But this looks like it could possibly serve as a starting point. I also saw the Compact design, and I like it, as well, particularly with the hard folding sides, which would alleviate the need to get some suitable canvas. I wish I remembered the dimensions of the trailer I'll be getting so I would have a better idea of length, but I THINK I could make it 120" without an issue, minus the tongue.

Are there resources listed on here for things like slider parts, i.e., roller bearing slides and the like? I'm thinking possibly of having at least one slider for a bed, depending on how much it would increase the weight.

Thanks for the reply, Mike!
Sam

I don't think I've seen sliders, but sdtripper has catagorized most of the other stuff here: viewtopic.php?t=12276

Mike...

Bunk beds seem obvious. Little ones seem to be able to sleep anywhere, so theirs can be lightweight and fold up. Yours, maybe more permanent.

A convertible couch to bed is a solution, but I an tell you from experience, building a bed every night gets tiresome. Double bed in back, bunks in front. Galley outside under double bed. "Desk" would be the dinette.