hi everyone

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hi everyone

Postby h2a2p » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:27 am

hiya! i'm mike, from colorado. been logging some major hours searching this site lately, and thought i'd say hello!

i don't think i'd ever seen a 'teardrop' trailer until just over a year ago. i was at a big campout last year and i saw someone camping with the smallest camper i had ever seen. i forget but i'm pretty sure it was a 'little guy'. i looked them up online after getting home, but i had just looked up that one web site and didn't catch on to the whole teardrop concept. at the time i had a big truck and i was looking into getting a larger travel trailer. the little guy seemed like a novelty to me. like the 'bivy sack' of rv's
;)

well i went to the same camping event this year, and again i saw someone camped in the same area with a micro trailer, probably the same person, but i couldn't remember that well. this time i was like hmmmmm.... better check those out again! this time i did catch on to the teardrop concept and history, and i have been looking into them pretty hard since!

i sold the truck this spring and picked up a subaru forester. and now the teardrop concept seems like a perfect option for me. sounds like subaru owners at this site are having no problems towing and are still getting decent mpg. and i can see it all coming together... the dog gated in the trunk, rear seats folded down for luggage, bicycles or gear on the roof rack... a little bedroom and kitchen on the back is just what we need!

i did quite a bit of research before mentioning this to my lady. we tent camp and have discussed wanting some sort of rv, but not sure what she would say about this... she might say it looks like a coffin on wheels, who knows! but when i showed her the little guy website the other day she was like 'oh wow, whats that?'. i gave her the rundown on it. then i gave her the online photo tour of the camp-inn ultra or whatever they picture on their site. her eyes lit up right away and she was like 'OH WOW!'.
:thumbsup:

it was great finding this forum also. excellent resource! unfortunately building a trailer is not for me. I don't have the space, i don't have the tools, i don't have the experience (so it would probably look like some little kids built a play fort), and number one, i just don't have the time. so i think ordering one or finding a used teardrop is the best (i mean only) way for me. oh i will still try to deck it out somehow though, don't worry! and if i am able to take a loan from my bank, i'm guessing the payments could be as low as $200/mo.! (many variable to that though!)

we're gonna go visit a 'little guy' dealer that isn't too far from here so we can atleast crawl into a teardrop before we do anything else. See if we can handle a 4-foot or want 5-foot, etc. and otherwise i've just been comparing, looking over features, reading all of your experiences, etc. I probably won't post here too much unless there is something i can add or if i have some questions.

one thing i haven't seen much of yet is outside accessible storage space. yah i know things are tight. but maybe a space running under the width of the galley that is accessible from a hatch on the outside. or a taller model, with the same inside dims, but with one foot high of cargo storage underneath, accessible from flip down doors on either side, like a greyhound bus has underneath storage. somewhere where you could toss your ez-up and camp chairs and tarps or whatever. anyway, i'm rambling. i'm sure all this has been discussed in detail and i just haven't seen it yet.

ok thats enough about me. is that good enough of an intro??? wow, you are still reading?
:)


Tear On!
"what do you need a hitch for? you can't tow anything with a subaru!"
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Postby oklahomajewel » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:58 am

Welcome!!! Glad you found this forum, you'll find a wealth of information, support, and encouragement from the fine folks here.

My advice is like you mentioned - crawl inside and see what you think. Go to a campout and look at more than one ( or scour the hall of fame here) and you will see the great thing about teardrops is that you can make it as fancy or plain, as tall or wide, and as fun or functional as you want. Great to customize for your travels and abilities.

Most of all --- have fun !!!

Julie

ps... a few of us will be at the Alb, NM balloon fiesta in 3 wks!
Some things are way over my head !! ...but it keeps me looking UP!
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Re: hi everyone

Postby Ira » Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:38 am

h2a2p wrote:one thing i haven't seen much of yet is outside accessible storage space. yah i know things are tight. but maybe a space running under the width of the galley that is accessible from a hatch on the outside.


Welcome, Mike!

One or two guys here did drawers under the frame, accessible on both sides. I would gladly point you to a link to them if I wasn't so senile and forgot who those guys were.

Guess the most difficult part of this is waterproofing, with water splashing up when it's raining.

But it seems like you've done your homework, and that you realize that when towing, you have a TON of storage space in your cabin. I guess it's a matter of adjusting what you THINK you'll need with what you REALLY need:

Stuff that you think you want to keep in those drawers can easily go in plastic tubs in the cabin when towing, and removed when setting up at the site.

Tear on--wish I thought of that.
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Postby TRAIL-OF-TEARS » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:09 am

Welcome Mike,
We will be heading up to Colorado on Saturday we will be staying at the Colorado Springs KOA if you would like to stop by you are more than welcome to take a look. I can not guarantee we will be there (lots to do in the area) but if we are please stop and say hi.

P.S. I had no space to build and I have very limited skills and few tools. It can be done
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Postby sdtripper2 » Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:05 pm

Hello, Mike :

Welcome to the forum.

Looking forward to your questions and inputs. 8)
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is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards." -------Theodore Roosevelt

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Postby h2a2p » Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:17 pm

cool, thanks everyone.

trail of tears, thanks for the offer, i would totally try to take you up on that, but unfortunately i will be out of town this weekend.
"what do you need a hitch for? you can't tow anything with a subaru!"
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Postby TRAIL-OF-TEARS » Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:08 pm

h2a2p wrote:cool, thanks everyone.

trail of tears, thanks for the offer, i would totally try to take you up on that, but unfortunately i will be out of town this weekend.


Sorry to hear that but we will be getting there the 24th and leave the 29th in the morning.
What part of Colorado are you from?
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Postby h2a2p » Tue Sep 19, 2006 5:39 pm

ah ok, well i'll be around during the week. actually i work in colorado springs about 15 mins from the koa in fountain. maybe i'll try to swing through!
"what do you need a hitch for? you can't tow anything with a subaru!"
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Postby h2a2p » Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:35 am

wow, so pretty much right after i showed them to her online, my girlfriend said she already saw a teardrop on her way to work today pulling into the local mcdonalds. she said she liked the looks of it.

i appreciate all the comments about building something yourself. i think i'm gonna do a small project and see how it goes. i need a road case for some audio equipment that i have. basically a big box with lift-off lid. so i think i am going to try to build one, with tear construction in mind.

i'm thinking a wood frame with foam board insulation sandwiched between some 1/8 ply and aluminum outer skin. then it will be filled with foam to cradle the gear. does my travel box need to be insulated? no. and maybe it will be thicker than it needs to be. but i think it will be a good experiment in finding the right materials around here and working with them.

:twisted:
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Postby Miriam C. » Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:02 am

:o Welcome H2,
Fun is the key. :D My prior building was a book shelf, some sheet rock, and repairs on furniture at home. I do have some tools and a very supportive spouse. The forum has enough information on it to build and even make a fancy custom job. You just have to go for it.

Enjoy
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