Daryl May's travel writing draws from his visits to forty-five U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces, and sixty countries. Whether as a notable hiker or a lowly hitchhiker - or in cars, boats, bulldozers, planes and RVs - his stories are generally wistful and self-deprecating as he faces adversity and extricates himself without losing his sense of humor. Follow his journey as he builds his own trailer and learn the basics of how RVs are constructed.



Trailer Parts
Tommy, the teardrop travel trailer, is taking shape – not just in my mind, but also in my garage.

 

I love working with my hands. In my teens, I planned to build a boat – until my studies got in the way. As a young adult, I planned to build a country cottage. Family responsibilities intervened. In middle age, I restored some antique roadsters, taking an eternity to rebuild cars that were good for local shows – but not worth risking for long distances.

 

In retirement, I’m going to build a travel trailer. And drive it cross-country.

 

As time goes by, Jennifer and I are discovering minimalist living. Our country acre near Seattle has given way to a townhouse in Tampa. Our boats have long ago been sold.  We are now empty nesters, and even without dogs and cats. We eat more simply than we used to. Download movies rather than head out to the cinema. Go to bed early, and rise early. Take pleasure in simple things.

 

My home-built teardrop trailer is going to be largely my own – and small as befits our emerging minimalist lifestyle.

 

As many readers know, teardrop trailers are low, curvacious travel trailers small enough for the family car to tow.  And streamlined and light enough to not much affect fuel consumption. They came of age in the 1930s, when families mainly had one car anyway - and no RV, or pick-up dedicated to hauling a large trailer. Built mainly of wood initially, the post-WW2 versions were sometimes skinned with war-surplus aluminum. The economic conditions that made them popular in the 1930s and 1940s have somewhat returned in the 2010s. Lightweight trailers have become popular again, and teardrops are a retro subset of that class.

 

Typical teardrop kitchen
Teardrop trailers are six to 10 ft long, and four to five feet wide. They’re sometimes used in conjunction with a tent. Lacking the amenities and privacy of regular-size RVs, they’re not for the squeamish. I will report in future articles how well we adapt to ours. For ease of manufacture, there’ll just be the one room. We’ll carry our rudimentary cooking facilities from the room to an outdoor table. If it’s raining, we’ll eat cheese sandwiches inside. It wouldn’t make much sense to open a hatch to cook in the rain anyway.

 

Though Jennifer insists she’ll call the trailer by the multisyllabic name of Thomasina, I suspect that the name will quickly evolve to just Tommy. Tommy’s foundation is a five foot by eight foot trailer kit that I selected for rigidity and safety.  It has C-section steel beams that, pleasingly, had been hardened at important stress points like the axle-attachment area. On top of the frame, I’ve now constructed a sandwich-panel composed of foamboard between wood sheets, screwed and glued on to the steel beams. The foamboard affords some rigidity to the floor, and some thermal insulation for comfort.

 

Trailer Platform
Inexpensively licensed and insured, the trailer conveniently fits in our garage. After adding lights and license plate, I took it for an uneventful test drive. Its next job is to provide the platform for transporting the materials to construct the cabin. I have to get the larger components home on the trailer before I construct that. The larger parts won’t be transportable on the trailer once there is a built-up camper structure.

 

I’ve also been busy ordering the windows and roof vent, and deciding the electrical system layout. The windows dictate the door size, and both the door size and the roof vent dictate the placement of the frames that will support the walls and roof. The electrical system layout must be known so as to route the cables inside the walls where they’ll be tidily out of the way. It wouldn’t make sense to build the structure and then decide the windows, doors and electrical system.

 

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Although I don’t know the exact weight yet, I am estimating 1100 pounds, which is less than the car’s towing limit of a mere 1500 pounds. The trailer itself is rated to 2000 pounds, and my car’s tow hitch is therefore a Class 1. At this point, I am hoping the axle position will produce the right tongue weight, but that’s something to check later. If necessary, the axle can be repositioned fore-and-aft, though I’ll first try to load the trailer to achieve the correct tongue weight before moving the axle.

 

Tommy won’t be the most attractive teardrop trailer ever built. I’m emphasizing ease and strength of construction, and storage space, over sleek lines. Doors and windows will be plentiful and large. We’re planning to camp out in Monument Valley, and watch the moon and the stars over the buttes – enjoying all the comfort that a 42-inch ceiling height allows. Will keep you posted!


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