Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Well , the FS has no inner ‘furniture’ , nothing to structurally hold the trailer together... designed to be a large room full of pillows and cushions, wall storage , easy to re-arrange for the task at hand ... ... I’m just saying a trailer is small enough to begin with without trying to turn it into something it’s not ... We’ve all gone to RV shows and seen how much c**p manufacturers can cram into a tiny space ( weighing thousands of pounds) ... Then People think all trailers (or busses) should be little clones of their homes with all the conveniences and amenities...needing a Semi to tow it... not my idea of a”Camper” ...
If there's a need to have furniture/cabinets /etc. to support the walls , maybe it’s the design at fault ... There are many ways to make even a simple box stronger without involving massive structures within. ... That being said , a Canned Ham structure is inherently very strong because of the curvature of the whole trailer , by it’s nature (design) ... Done right , shouldn’t “need” any internal structure...
The reason for discussing this is , being an airplane builder , we know how quickly , weight can add up ... And as we found by building interiors into Kustom vans (remember those ? ) it doesn’t take much and you’re over GVW with the interior , so forget passengers, the cooler of beer, the dog, food , your Bong ... All would only ADD to the already overburdened vehicle.
Bottom line is , the lighter the trailer , the more of your own “stuff” you can bring along ... Be WISE when Adding interiors ...

And while we’re having a bit of a rant ... Let’s not forget how much the Outer Skin holds everything together.. That in reality , is the STRENGTH of a Foamie' (plus a good design naturally) ... And another thing , seems everyone has ignored the need for “reinforcing strips “ under the skins/ coverings in high stress areas like wall to floor, and wall to roof junctions ... Going for a “look” ( social acceptance ) rather than STRENGTH... If I didn’t think reinforcing strips were really really important , I’d have never mentioned them ... Cheers !!!

And I don't think they detract from the look at all.

GPW wrote:And while we’re having a bit of a rant ... Let’s not forget how much the Outer Skin holds everything together.. That in reality , is the STRENGTH of a Foamie' (plus a good design naturally) ... And another thing , seems everyone has ignored the need for “reinforcing strips “ under the skins/ coverings in high stress areas like wall to floor, and wall to roof junctions ... Going for a “look” ( social acceptance ) rather than STRENGTH... If I didn’t think reinforcing strips were really really important , I’d have never mentioned them ... Cheers !!!

Not everybody goes for social acceptance and forgets reinforcement. We just enjoy it when our TD implodes at 70 mph and the 18 wheeler passes us leaving nothing behind but the Lazy-boy recliner, 1,000 watt surround sound stereo, & 50" flat screen TV. You know, just the essentials.

That's why we build with tissue paper & chewing gum and reinforce with plenty of 4x4 structural members & steel nailers. I personally like using steel I-beams for reinforcement because they give it that solid reassurance and don't stress my Vespa tow vehicle.

Now there is a nice bike. I just posted 2 of my BMWs for sale.

Wolffarmer wrote:Now there is a nice bike. I just posted 2 of my BMWs for sale.

Linky?

We’re looking for a Messerschmitt or Saab 96V4 ... Been watching too many car shows lately ...

I added a few more cross members to the framing so that I could split the decking into 5 sheets. 2 sheets cover the rear and in the front there is one sheet over the cooler and one on each side. I ended up using 19/32 OSB sheeting. It was a fraction of the price of plywood but added 12-15 lbs more weight than the plywood would have been. Unlike the flooring, if I don't like it, I can change it out easily. So I didn't feel too bad about choosing economy over weight on this purchase. The decking doesn't flex at all. The wife and I bounced around on it (No that isn't a euphemism for something more exciting) and there was no sign of deflection or creaking.

I used 1/4 plywood to section off the cargo compartment and the cooler compartment. Actually it may not even be 1/4 inch thick, it was given to me by a neighbor who had it leftover from another project. It was free and it worked great so I have no complaints. I used a staple gun to attach it to the stick framing.

The "face" of the bed platform still needs to be added and I'm working on that. My plan is to add a face piece to the cooler dolly too. Actually, I have lots of left over foam so I am thinking about creating a foam box around the cooler on the dolly. It may not help much but it certainly won't hurt at keeping the cooler cool.



The wife wanted a shoe cubby so that is what is on the left side of the cooler at the floor. Storage spaces to the left and right of the cooler are accessed from above and will most likely be used to store bedding, pillows, sleeping bags and other soft stuff.

Now that is keeping your beer handy.

"A question of Balance “ ... doesn’t that put a LOT of weight on the rear of the trailer ??? (depending on the amount of BEER carried ) ... Then it becomes a question of how it will tow .

GPW wrote:"A question of Balance “ ... doesn’t that put a LOT of weight on the rear of the trailer ??? (depending on the amount of BEER carried ) ... Then it becomes a question of how it will tow .

The cooler (and thus beer) sits pretty much right on top of the axle. I did spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out where to put the axle so that I ended up with 10-15% tongue weight. Actually I tried to err on the heavier side since my tow vehicle won't notice the extra weight. I created a spreadsheet with the estimated the weight of each component and its centroid. Components behind the axle lighten the load at the tongue, components in front of it make it heavier. This required a fair amount of educated guessing and sometimes weighing selected items. The spreadsheet was nice because I could change the axle location by changing a single number and all of the other numbers were recalculated automatically.

It will be interesting to see if my educated guess on total weight and tongue weight is close when I am done.

Your trailer looks Great! Your build has inspired me to begin building a stand-up foamy that will meet all the criterion required, by my better half, to enjoy a lightweight (re: small) camp trailer. I'll begin posting after I've made some progress with my new design. Keep up the good work, you'll be camping in no time!

Towing will tell the story .... it looks Great !! Good Luck on that !!!

How are you fastening your bed frame to the walls/floor?