First trip in "Our Little Tin Can"

[gregp136]

We spent the weekend at Governor Dodge State Park here in Wisconsin, and the Teardrop performed better than expected. We had the teardrop, and a tent for our daughter and her friend.



The galley of the teardrop, with the table from our Honda CRV, worked great. Hard to believe, but it all worked just as we planned it.



It rained on the way to the Park, and it rained while we were there the first night, and Our Little Tin Can was dry. We did have some leaky coolers, but that will not be hard to deal with. A few pics of our activities below:








We had a great time. The teardrop made cooking, and packing up when we were ready to leave much smoother. It was also wonderful to sleep in. We had no problem it being a 4 wide.

The only problem we encountered was on the way back. It seemed to bounce more as we pulled it along. Not sure if this is because it weighed less with no ice and little food in the back, or if this is a result of needed to balance the trailer tires. We will be exploring this.

Thank you all for your support and information that made this a reality.

Greg (and Laurie)

[goramsey]

Beautiful!!

[Mary K]

Time to do the TEARDROP Dance!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!




Couldn't ask for a better First Outing!!

Thanks for sharing!

[teardrop_focus]

Mary K

Time to do the TEARDROP Dance!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!

Okay...

gregp

Beautiful pictures! Sounds and looks like a truly idyllic time.

The only problem we encountered was on the way back. It seemed to bounce more as we pulled it along. Not sure if this is because it weighed less with no ice and little food in the back, or if this is a result of needed to balance the trailer tires.

[If additional, pre-trip loaded weight won't solve the issue, ook into buying radial-ply tires in the same size as the chinese bias-ply tires that came w/ that trailer. The original tires can be sub-par quality and may never balance out very well, and radials will "feel" smoother, too. Just be sure to run decent air pressures (at least 28 or 30 psi) to maximize the new tires' service life.

If after that you still have bouncing issues and more ballast won't cure it, sell the axle you have now when you've purchased and installed a more appropriate spring rating. But you already knew this...
Good luck with all that, and I always enjoy your posts!]

Great job all around, Greg!

[CliffinGA]

Congrats on the first trip out Greg (and Laurie)!!!! You'll find that on the second and the third trips you will change the way you pack and set up that makes it faster or slower depending what you do!! Beautiful pics and thaks for sharing!!!

Cliff

[hiker chick]

Excellent photos! And a sharp-looking teardrop setup.

[Bob Dodgens]

Greg'
Congrats on first outing, looks like you had a good one. They will just get better as you go.
Hope you have a great trip to the Outer Banks, and a safe one. We will meet you somewhere soon. Bob and Brenda

[gregp136]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. We are leaving tonight for our "Big" first trip. Leaving Milwaukee for the Outer Banks of North Carolina, with an overnight stop on the way at Pilot Mountain. Then up the coast to Richmond, VA. and Bethesda, MD. On the way home we will be stopping at a "private" campground right into PA, then Ohiopyle State Park in PA. Might watch the Brewers Play the Pirates on Thursday, then up to Ann Arbor and home. Long wonderful 10 days away from Work and responsibilities. Wave if you see us on the way.




Greg(and Laurie)

[starleen2]

thanks for sharing the pictures - looks like a great time - be sure to let us know when you get back and post the

[Ratkity]

Have a wonderful time on your Big trip!!

I look forward to seeing more picts and hearing stories.

Hugs,
Ratkity

[rboser]

Congrats on a successful first outing! Your set-up looks great.


Hope you have a great trip to the Outer Banks.

[grizz]

Neat.

Looks great set up too.

[canned o minimum]

Thought I would interject MY experience with towin a teardrop. Depends on how much yer trailer weighs....

I have a 2005 Little Guy 4 wide. It weighs around 775lbs empty and prolly bout 900-950lbs with all my campin gear.

Bought it "salvage" and rebuilt it myself without a galley because I also use the trailer in "car shows" . I belong to vintage VW car club and have a 1965 VW Beetle that tows my trailer EVERYWHERE !

It has been on 5-7 hour road trips...up the mountains...thru the desert...and along the beach.

Living in So.Cal. I drive it a LOT and tow the trailer all over the Southwest. I confess to having the motor upgraded to a 1776cc and installed an oil cooler, but my little VW pulls that trailer just FINE

Not sure if I am so much stating the facts or braggin ...but that's MY story. I hope it helps ya sum how.