Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Has anyone seen one of these or is there a build?

Don

I haven't seen one of those, but do like the lines on it. Got a name for it? Doug

I'm pretty sure someone posted a link in one of the Winter Warrior threads - but I can't find it now.

Google found this
http://atomicaddiction.blogspot.com/2009/07/best-pop-up-camper-ever.html

but if you search for 'Odyssey' travel trailers - you get Australia.

I was hoping for more info

Ok so that blog does not exist anymore. Any other info on this trailer? It looks awesome and reminds me of a 50's era Corvette. I would like to see it set up. Where were these pics taken?

Should be able to emulate the lines with stick and ply construction. I did a search myself about a year ago when the wild goose profile was rambling around in my brain. Didnt come up with anything different than you did. Good Luck searching or building one!

Hi,

It is called the "Odyssey". Was built in the late 1950's.

I have never seen the inside. I mailed the guy who's trailer that is (when the thread was still live), but he never opened the trailer up.

I have a few other photos of the trailer. I'll see if I can find it.....

I really like the loo, hope someone builds one someday

Hi,

I found this image of the patent document in my album. Still looking for the other pics...

Hi,

By the way, I wanted to build something like this, but on a smaller scale. I crunched the numbers, and realized that this design will only work if the trailer is as long as the original Odyssey (about 16 feet, if my memory serves me right). I tried to adapt the trailer for a ten footer, but if the length is shortened to ten feet, the roof will not lift high enough for a person to stand in.

The second problem is packing space. In the original Odyssey this wouldn't have been a problem, since it is huge. If it is scaled down, packing space becomes a problem.

If someone can adapt this to a smaller dimension, it would be cool. However, as far as practical and small designs are concerned, I think Mike's Rockhopper is probably a better design.

Hi,

Okay, here it is, as promised...

















I even did a mockup of this on SketchUp... (In 2008).




Lastly, and probably most important: the patent number. 2,920,919. If you search the US Patent Office, you can see exactly how it worked...

Barrie,
Thanks for posting those pics....I have been looking for that design for some time. I think a design something like that could work rather well made of foam (at least the top lifting part) and if the front was hinged a lot lower down, ample headroom could probably be created with a shorter overall length if the front profile was changed enough......off to the drawing board.

Hi,

I am glad I could help.

When you study the patent documents of the Odyssey, you will notice that the top of the trailer lifts at the back AND the front. . It does not simply hinge at the front, but lifts almost the entire height of the trailer. Doing something like this with a homebuild will certainly complicate the build considerably. That is why I believe that Mike's Rockhopper design is better suited to homebuilders. The front of the Rockhopper is much higher than the Odyssey, which allows for a simple hinge and not the more difficult pulley lifting mechanism (at the front).

Hi Barrie,

Thanks for posting the pics. I always thought the Odyssey an
interesting TT, but had only seen about three pics of it.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

By the way, the SketchUp picture of the Odyssey (above) is where I tried to shorten it. In that picture the trailer was shortened to 12 feet, or 3.6m.

The Odyssey design might work as a homebuilt if the front profile is heightened (made higher). Doing that will essentially transform the Odyssey into Mike's Rockhopper. Personally I would have hinged the Rockhopper more to the front, which would have given more headroom.

I would have hinged the Rockhopper something like this (notice the grey line):