Well I am going to begin my build of what I am calling the Micro Outdoorsman after the holiday. I own three vintage campers a 66 beeline, a 65 COX, & a 65 Apache. I have however been intrigued with teardrops and have been lurking around this site for a while. Well a month ago I seen a CL trailer two hours away that I thought would be a good way to transport my bike to Sturgis. The guy advertised it as rust free frame, good tires, 5 x 8 x 6, but ad had bad pictures. Well it was none of those things. I drove all the way there to find out it was 4 x 7 x 5. Tires dry rotted, frame rusty. After sharing my displeasure with his honesty I began my drive home since this trailer served me no purpose. He flagged me down as I was leaving and said what would you give me, I said it was worth no more than $100 to me. Well he accepted so I took back roads all the way home and went slow. Figured I just use for storage.
The more I sit on this I began to think I could use it as a proof of concept project and build a teardrop-ish one man camping, fishing, hunting, kayaking, biking micro trailer. My plan is to tear down to the frame, media blast or wire wheel, make repairs and repaint, rebuild axle, and replace springs and hardware. I might flip axle? The metal skin is shot so I will replace or try PMF. The trailer walls have many bolts through it with the way it’s built and I want to keep existing framework since it’s strong and not a drop has leaked inside since I got it. So a clean skin is a no go. Or I put the bolts through it and paint to match siding and seal so they do not leak. All corners are a brackets that bolts and sandwiches the walls together and an L-Channel on the bottom fastening it to the trailer. All very strong! I want to try my hand at solar, insulating, interior finishes, wall mounted cot or folding bed, etc… I figure I could try some building concepts without building a teardrop yet. When done I will have the room of a 2 man tent with a bit more headroom. Bike will easily fit in transit, fishing rods inside or underneath, Kayak on top or keep on tow vehicle. This will be my winter project this year. The only challenge will be painting anything since I do not have a garage at this house. I am 6’1”, 205 so it will be a tight fit but should be a fun project! I will be asking for advice along the way I am sure. Rick