Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Just a thought to simplify the aerodynamic build.
Simple box trailer plus air deflector on tow vehicle like
Transport trucks. If you have a roof rack on the station wagon, should be easy enough to do.
As for the drag inefficiency and trailer design, wonder if it's limited gain vs complex build.
Look at large transport design and the minimal aerodynamics. Ideological vs practical.

ghcoe wrote:

YannG wrote:

Socal Tom wrote:

YannG wrote: Basically just a charging station for phones, speakers, small usb fan, lights. I don't plan at making crazy electrical work. .

Go with a Jackery, or similar power station, all in one and portable.
https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable ... lp13n_t4im

I have been all over with battery's Jackery style batteries for me (Ammo can's) with 100 watt solar,
My trolling motor should always be with me
Cigarette style charger for bad day's or traveling,
O wait I don't have a wire inside my trailer yet; one day soon I will get the urge.
George does have some tricks I need to refresh; before I Make one to pull behind
Sleep with your feet forward and keep the front low, it's your's.

skyl4rk wrote:Lowering the rear end of the trailer body will have a greater effect on aerodynamics than rounding the front end.

Very true.

Terra6 wrote:Just a thought to simplify the aerodynamic build.
Simple box trailer plus air deflector on tow vehicle like
Transport trucks. If you have a roof rack on the station wagon, should be easy enough to do.
As for the drag inefficiency and trailer design, wonder if it's limited gain vs complex build.
Look at large transport design and the minimal aerodynamics. Ideological vs practical.

IMO, this is misguided. The goal of commercial over the road trucking is to move a lot of cargo efficiently. A big square/rectangular box suits palletized goods well, and the tractors will almost always be towing a trailer, so it makes sense to put the aerodynamic feature there, rather than cutting into the cargo capacity.

OTOH, the camper is a portable bed, so just needs enough headroom to sit up and lay down, plus space for "some" strategically placed cargo; and the TV will most often not be towing. Putting a deflector on the TV is just one more set up/take down hassle thing, and a waste of mpg when not towing.

twisted lines wrote:

ghcoe wrote:

YannG wrote:

Socal Tom wrote:

YannG wrote: Basically just a charging station for phones, speakers, small usb fan, lights. I don't plan at making crazy electrical work. .

Go with a Jackery, or similar power station, all in one and portable.
https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable ... lp13n_t4im

I have been all over with battery's Jackery style batteries for me (Ammo can's) with 100 watt solar,
My trolling motor should always be with me
Cigarette style charger for bad day's or traveling,
O wait I don't have a wire inside my trailer yet; one day soon I will get the urge.
George does have some tricks I need to refresh; before I Make one to pull behind
Sleep with your feet forward and keep the front low, it's your's.

These things seem very practical and not too bulky for the features they have.

Pmullen503 wrote:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback

I tried the best I could to design something with a slope towards the back but can't really accomplish something that is pleasant to eyes. The best I could do was a slight slop of 8 inches but not sure if it would make a significant difference.

On a side note, I can buy white marine paint ( alkyd enamel) for 10$ a gallon. Would that work or exterior latex is the way to go?

I plan at doing tb2-canvas-paint.

So if alkyd is fine, I would most likely have to do Tb2-canvas-oil primer and alkyd paint for top coat?

Yann, exterior latex works great , is easy , and you can re coat later on without any further prep ( other than just cleaning ) …  Oops paint is pretty inexpensive …. just make sure it’s exterior paint …

YannG wrote:

Pmullen503 wrote:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback

I tried the best I could to design something with a slope towards the back but can't really accomplish something that is pleasant to eyes. The best I could do was a slight slop of 8 inches but not sure if it would make a significant difference.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this and researching it when I did an extension on the back of my old short bus. You can spend days researching this over on the "Ecomodder" forums and not get a clear answer. In the end I believe I over tapered based on some of the diagrams I used from over there.

After my own experience, I would think that 8" would be plenty of taper over 8 to 10 feet. Look at a minivan like the Honda Odyssey which has one of the highest in it's class mpg and check out how minimal the taper is. I would guess it might even be less than 8" over the length of car.

Also remember that the most important factor is staying as much within the slipstream of the tow vehicle as possible. That itself is 90% of the battle. Don't kill yourself or go crazy over the other 10%.

Good luck!

We went full on Bullet shape for our trailer and even though it’s larger than the standard 4X4X8 ,and sticks up above the TV , it tows like nothing is there … Was it worth the effort ? YES !!!

For simply rounding the roof in front , heat bending eliminates kerfing , makes for a stronger build , and reduces the inherent stresses on the unit ( no springback ) … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WVKttqb6HQ&t=24s

That is a neat method for bending the foam but would it be possible over a 4 ft wide sheet and 2 inch thick? Has it been done?

Also thanks for the reply on the paint. Saw some today at home depot. Glidden exterior primer and sealer and also the Glidden exterior latex. That should do. No oops available. I guess I can replace the TBII by the exterior primer sealer.

Funny today I was outside and was talking with my neighbor about the foamie project. First thing he asked is " Will you put your studs at 16 or 24 inches? " When I said there would be no studs, first reaction was "well, you will not reach the end of the street before it falls apart". I guess I will have to prove him wrong.

YannG wrote:Funny today I was outside and was talking with my neighbor about the foamie project. First thing he asked is " Will you put your studs at 16 or 24 inches? " When I said there would be no studs, first reaction was "well, you will not reach the end of the street before it falls apart". I guess I will have to prove him wrong.

I have been beating on this one for nearly 3 years in the back country. I think it has held up better than most traditional builds would. https://youtu.be/ezGjlBj2KzA . It is also built on a terrible Harbor Freight trailer that should have fallen apart on the first trip. Both are still going strong....

Funny , when this first started , skeptical people would argue ( incessantly ) about how they would blow up on the road … Never happened !!!!

My trailer is not so perfect for this I think but that's what I have so that's what I gonna used. It is light and not so sturdy. Small landscape trailer build from thin angle iron, floor is mesh. But I had this trailer for nearly 15 years and always been good to me. Not sure if those HF trailer are flimsy but mine is. I would think that once the foam box is in with its good floor, things will sturdy up. No HF or NT here in Canada. We have trailer manufacturers and stores like HD and Canadian Tire sell small trailers but they are not $300-500 and probably not much better than what I have. Maybe a welding shop could weld a few pieces of square tubing to make it a bit stronger but weight will add up quickly.

Side note. A sheet of OSB 11/16" OSB is approaching $80 in Canada. Crazy.

I will start some test pieces next weekend with some foam, primer and the roll of canvas I got for free from a water pipe insulation company. I do have some 8oz drop cloth on stand by but hoping that the water pipe insulation stuff will work. No seams in that. Drop cloths are 12 x 15 so there is a seam every 4 ft. Not perfect.