Bitten by the bug

[DougGirling]

Hello,

My wife and I went to a local vintage trailer rally at Demming, WA a few weekends ago and were bitten hard by the teardrop bug. We’ve been trolling the internet since then, looking at the different designs and interpretations, construction techniques, etc.

We're still in the lurking/planning stage, not to mention the empty-the-garage stage. We seem to be zeroing in on a Lil Diner as our first choice or a (possibly stretched) Ken-Skill as our second choice. We've been trying to find a suitable trailer for years, but getting one to fit in a double garage with an 82" high door has eliminated even the fiberglass ones. (The condo association won't let us store it out front, and RV storage costs as much as the trailer) Teardrops fit the bill nicely, and I could use another project that takes up lots of time and space... :-)

Are there any teardroppers in the Seattle/Bellevue WA area that we could meet?

All the best,
Doug

[madjack]

Welcome DG...yep you've been bitten and building is the only cure...in fact it may take building a couple before the urge finally is tamable ...while readin' and researchin' don't forget that we are obsessed with da pics around here...we luv 'em ya know, so get your camera ready and we will be here to answer your questions...maybe even correctly if you post a pic or two
madjack
p.s. a healthy sense of humor will help as wellllllll.............

[Ira]

Doug--I'm paying $75 a month to store mine in a boatyard in South Florida.

Is it that much more expensive up by you?

Remember that your TD is going to be pretty LITTLE, and the boatyards, especially those not located on the water, charge by the foot.

[asianflava]

Since we are probably going to get that Airstream from my dad, I checked to see how much storage costs here. To store a 31ft trailer, I have to get the 35ft site. The cost? $79

[Ira]

Since we are probably going to get that Airstream from my dad, I checked to see how much storage costs here. To store a 31ft trailer, I have to get the 35ft site. The cost? $79

I want to kill you for mentioning how cheap you're gonna pay.

But congrats on deciding to take the trailer!!!

[asianflava]

After you are "finished" you should shop around since you are no longer in a time crunch. It's great that they allow you to work on it but when you are "finished" you can probably look for a cheaper place.

I don't know exactly the code down there but you should be able to bring it home for a few days at a time. People in my neighborhood don't really follow it to the letter but I think you are allowed to keep it in the driveway over the weekend.

[DougGirling]

Thanks all for the warm welcome! I'll soon be pelting everyone with questions.

When we started shopping around for RV storage out here in Bellevue (home of Bill Gates & co.), it seemed that anything nearby was about $200/month so we dropped that idea. Looking around at collapsable/folding/deployable trailers, we concluded that they were too expensive, too complex, too small, or in the case of tent trailers, designed for warehousing lots of kids (we only have fur-kids).

Asianflava (love your TD, BTW), the condo ass'n lets one stage an RV/trailer/etc. for a couple of days at a time, so visiting guests are OK, as is getting it ready for a trip. I know they want to avoid the derelict RV covered in greens slime syndrome, but it is a nuisance. Still, it has led us to the teardrop, so there's a definite silver lining here.

My wife has peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the lower legs) and needs to rest often, which has really cut into our travelling. What started out as "if I just had a place to lay down and rest for a half hour" went through a lot of "feature creep" to a 21' toyhauler. We got the truck to haul it, but never managed to afford the trailer. That has since downsized to a <reverb>Grand Caravan</reverb> with fold-down seats and a foamy. When we went to a local fly-in last year, we both concluded that a large dome tent, cot and porta-potti would be sufficient, but before we got a round tuit, a year had gone by and we fell in love with teardrops.

Now I just have to get to work on it and keep the dreaded feature creep from turning the teardrop into an 18-wheeler!

[apratt]

Wow are guys talking cover storage or out in the open!!!! In my little town of Napavine, Wa. for uncovered storage it only 25 dollars a month and a inside storage 10x20 is 60 dollars a month.

[DougGirling]

Wow are guys talking cover storage or out in the open!!!! In my little town of Napavine, Wa. for uncovered storage it only 25 dollars a month and a inside storage 10x20 is 60 dollars a month.

"Bellevue surcharge?" The stereotype is that everyone here is rich, so people charge accordingly. I honestly don't recall if it was covered or not - it was a couple of years ago.

One of the great things about going the teardrop route is that I can keep it in the garage, so it won't cost me anything extra to store it.

[Miriam C.]

Welcome Doug,
Remember to count the entire height of your build. Mine has 8" wheels but long shackles so it will barely clear the garage door opener. The vent had to be moved to the side to clear the bar.

Enjoy planning and see one in person. Perhaps someone will let uour wife get in make sure it is comfortable. You might look at the Winter Warrior too. Your wife could stand up in it if needed.

[KA]

Welcome, Doug. I live in Olympia and grew up on Mercer Island back in the days when the middle class could afford to live there...know about the stereotypes. I am building a Benroy style of teardrop (slightly modified from the original profile and the Generic Benroy profile) and am going to the welder next week. As I progress with the build, I'll happily share my progress(good and do-ver). I would also recommend checking out T.O.W. of Washington and the Northwest Link on this forum. You can meet a lot of teardrop owners that way. I went to the 4th of July event in Carnation, and the recent LeMay open house in Puyallup, and had a wonderful time. Everyone was friendly and helpful with great ideas.
Kris

[Ira]

:shock: Wow are guys talking cover storage or out in the open!!!! In my little town of Napavine, Wa. for uncovered storage it only 25 dollars a month and a inside storage 10x20 is 60 dollars a month.

Uncovered.

And if you want to buy a small 3/2 townhouse down here, bring about a half-million with you.

And I guarantee you that where YOU live is a lot nicer than where I live.

It's all about the weather.

[apratt]

:shock: Wow are guys talking cover storage or out in the open!!!! In my little town of Napavine, Wa. for uncovered storage it only 25 dollars a month and a inside storage 10x20 is 60 dollars a month.

Uncovered.

And if you want to buy a small 3/2 townhouse down here, bring about a half-million with you.

And I guarantee you that where YOU live is a lot nicer than where I live.

It's all about the weather.

Yea I have to say it is nice here, peaceful and quite not a rat race here. Almost no trafic problems. No huricane or tornados, very seldom any earthquakes, lucky to get 2 inches of snow just lots of rain in the winter and spring.