Greetings from Brantford, ON, Canada

[markpulham]

I have been looking at these great little travelers for a few years now and decided that I am going to give it a try and build my own.
I am a Licensed Industrial Millwright(Mechanic) and Industrial Electrician and I have had my hands in saw dust since I can remember.
My grandfather was a cabinet maker and well, my dad built pretty much everything he could himself instead of having someone else do it for him.
I am trying to keep that tradition up.
I am 57 years old and need something like this for just my wife and myself to travel around with using our small cars to do it. Now that we are "almost" empty nesters its time to do something for ourselves.
Have to stay economical these days and go as green as possible.
I plan on building a 4 x 8 traditional teardrop and add my (and my wife's) personal touches.
I just spent two days cleaning my garage to fit a trailer so now the hunt is on for a "economical" yet safe trailer to begin with.

We have the technology, we can do it!

Cheers,
Mark Pulham

[drhill]

Welcome to the forum.

Be careful about going a little too economical on your build. It could end up costing you more in the long run (building the second trailer). Before you build a 4' wide, go have a look at one. Preferably with your wife and spend an hour or two laying in it. A double bed mattress is 54" wide and I really wouldn't want a teardrop any narrower. And guys our age get up in the night so two doors is a must. Actually, even to change the sheets the second door is almost essential. And a 5' wide galley has way more room than a 4' wide galley.

In my opinion the places you can save money are to leave out electrical (battery powered LED lights, puck lights and Petzels are great) and leave out that cute but rather useless little sink. I went with just a clear finish as I have a garage to put it in when not in use, but the poor mans fiberglass that is talked about a lot on this forum also looks like a good way to avoid spending a lot on aluminum cladding.

Have a great time planning and building.

[Shadow Catcher]

There are many who have a 4 wide that wish they had a 5 wide there are few that have a 5 wide that wish they had a 4 wide. We have a 6 X 10 and it is not too large.

[pchast]

Many recommend a 5 wide... My wife and I have a 4 wide and are satisfied with it. 2 doors are a minimum in my mind... We have no galley as we use the unit to travel between family and do not 'camp' as such.

If you can try a 4 or 5 wide. Lay it and take a nap if possible..... Otherwise Refrigerator boxes can be used to make a mock-up test situation.

Remember you can not fall out of bed. The bed stretches to the walls. It makes a difference.

[glenpinpat]

Welcome aboard! On my third build. build whatever you want , you can always build another . There are about 18 teardrops gathering at Killbear PP on the weekend of September 23 and you are more than welcome to come and take a look but be warned our theme is Oktoberfest!

[Roly Nelson]

Welcome aboard. Oh boy, 6 wide, 5 wide, 4 wide and my one of a kind 3 wide. 4 wide worked fine for the wife and I. Easy to pull, easy to back up and manuver, easy to re-varnish once a year, easy to park and store, and a whole lot cheaper than buying wider and longer stuff to simply make a lightweight, compact, comfortable, normal looking, one of a kind, wonderful teardrop trailer that has 30,000 miles on it. Besides, my little ol' Chevy Cruse, with a 4 banger turbo engine works just fine for such a little rig. Woo hoo.
Roly of So Calif woody fame, so to speak.