Towing a teardrop trailer in the snow

There will probably come a point in your teardropping life when you have to tow in snowy conditions. We have towed the Sunflower in several blizzards and on icy and snow covered roads (she has a good set of tires) without any issues by following these few tips — tips you will be familiar with if you live in colder climates.


1. Slow down. This is a no-brainer. You and your vehicle (and the trailer) will be more responsive to traffic, accidents, ice and slick roads when you are driving 10-15 miles below the speed limit. Another tip is to avoid changing lanes. Stick to the slow lane.

2. Don't brake; downshift. Braking hard on slick roads can cause your car to skid. Instead, when you are coming to a stop, slow down and downshift to a lower gear and then brake lightly.

3. Take the backroads. While some secondary or backroads might not be plowed, they are also less congested. You will have the freedom to drive the speed you need to and less vehicles to deal with. In fact, some secondary roads are owned by counties rather than cities and actually get plowed first or more often.

4. If you begin to slide. Try to correct as soon as possible. The trailer will follow you, but because you are longer than a normal vehicle, the trailer could hit a median, a curb or another vehicle. On very slick roads, the trailer could jack knife. The good thing is that if you do jack knife the trailer, teardrops are so small they won't block as much traffic as a larger trailer. However, it is best to get off the road as soon as possible.

5. Park it until conditions improve. If the conditions are just too dangerous, pull over and get a hotel room (or camp) for the night. You might even need to unhitch the trailer and leave it somewhere until you can come back and retrieve it during calmer weather.

Friday Teardrop Photo


This darling retro camper gingerbread "house" was made by Monica Eskridge of Paper Flour Ink in Houston, Texas for Sugar and Cloth. You can see the entire recipe on the Sugar and Cloth website.

Happy Holidays!

November/December Cool Tears and Tiny Campers Magazine


The November/December issue of Cool Tears and Tiny Campers Magazine is now available online. This issue features Tara and Marcus's year of living in a teardrop trailer, tips for teardropping in Alaska and a eulogy to Christopher Walker of Hemet, California. The teardrop designer and builder passed away this year.

Friday Teardrop Photo



Some wonderful camping details can be seen on this teardrop from the Vintage Camper Trailers Facebook page. Pink flamingos AND an Italian espresso maker.

5 Gifts for Teardrop Trailer Owners Around $30

Even if you are a little late shopping for your holiday gifts, these five gifts for the teardrop trailer owner in your life can be ordered or picked up quickly and inexpensively. Some of them might event fit into a camper themed stocking.



Sisters Get Their Kicks on Route 66

Sisters on the Fly, the national women’s camping and fishing group, have another book out about their adventures on Route 66. This year, 300 of the Sisters toured the 2,448 mile historic route with various vintage trailers in tow. The book has over 500 color photos of their stops at rodeos, dances, museums, markets, national parks, tourist sites, dirt roads and wrong turns.

$29.95 on Amazon



Roll of Reflectix

This simple material (reflective bubble wrap) has become our go-to material for lining ice chests, using as a bottom tent liner, as a small seat to throw on the ground while hiking and as a way to keep food hot on the picnic table. Reflectix comes in various sized rolls and can be cut to any size and shape you want.

Home Depot $21.65 (24 inch by 25 foot length)



Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine Subscription

Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine is a glossy, bi-monthly magazine highlighting vintage camper rallys, restorations, designs and decor and all things vintage. The magazine is shipped to both the U.S. and Canada

$32 per year


Travel Trailer Fabric from vitamini

The Etsy shop, vitamini, has some charming retro teardrop and standy trailer illustrations that she sells on various items like calendars, stamps, framed photos and cards. For anyone who sews their own teardrop trailer curtains or tablecloths, her fabric is darling.

$30 per yard



Handmade Teardrop Trailer Mug

Mary Van Dusen of Cattle Track Pottery in Scottsdale, Ariz. makes and sells various pottery items. She has found a niche in the teardrop trailer crowd and makes fun and creative items for trailer owners including mugs, magnets, trivets and luminaries.

$25 per handmade mug




Friday Teardrop Photo


We are in the process of planning our 2016 teardrop camping trips and Glacier National Park is on the list. We will be staying at the Saint Mary/East Glacier KOA on the east side of the park and their main Google image is, of course, a teardrop trailer.

Sylvain's Little Guy Shoe Storage Hack

I really love it when owners of manufactured teardrop trailers do their own hacks. Sylvain Rioux (desktoprover on the Little Guy Forums) of Canada sent me a great storage solution for shoes (and other dirty items) that are usually stored on the ground under a teardrop trailer.


JhnR of the Little Guy Forums used a cement mixing tub for his "Sylvain Shoe Hack"

Sylvain screwed two 58 inch aluminum U bars (channels) underneath his trailer that hold two 30 liter Sterlite bins for shoes, tools, cleaning cloths, etc. There is a bin inserted under each side of the trailer while at camp and removed during transit. He used self drilling screws to screw the 1x1 1/8 inch and 1/8 inch thick channels into the underside of his Little Guy Silver Shadow. The channels can be found at various hardware stores or ordered from Online Metals.




Photos by Sylvain Rioux and JhnR



Friday Teardrop Photo


I loved camping in the snow so much that I went looking for other hardy snow campers and found this photo from Teton Gravity Research. What a great way to get an early start on the slopes.