The Sunflower Is For Sale

I have decided to sell my Tiny Yellow Teardrop. This is a sad day for me, but I have enjoyed my teardrop trailer for way over a decade and have had some amazing times in it. It has also been the star of this little blog and a great way to meet other teardroppers on the road and around the world.


The Sunflower is for sale on Craigslist for $5000 or best offer. I'm hoping it will go to someone who will appreciate it as much as I have.

Teardrop and Fiberglass Camper Comparison: Pros and Cons


Now that we have been camping in our 1982 Burro fiberglass camper for a few months, we can do a comparison between the teardrop trailer and our small fiberglass standy


We have been camping in Sunflower, the teardrop trailer, for more than 10 years and while it has been so great for us, we were looking for a trailer we could stand up inside and cook inside out of the weather. During some of our teardrop trailer trips, we have experienced desert wind, thunderstorms, pouring rain, and even snow. While it doesn’t stop us from camping, it has either cut some trips short or has made them more difficult than usual.


The Burro (named Wonky Donkey for its not so straight lines), is a 1,100 lb. fiberglass trailer from 1982. We spent about six months fixing it up and turning into a basic, but comfortable camper for weekend or week-long trips. 


It has a deep-cycle battery that runs our lights and a two burner stove that runs off propane. We also have a 10 gallon water tank with a pump faucet and sink, but no shower or toilet. Other than that, we have kept the trailer just as simple as the teardrop by using solar devices to charge our phones and cameras and doing most of our cooking outside on a portable Coleman stove when the weather permits.


So, with a little experience in this new trailer we feel we have a good sense of what makes up the pros and cons between the teardrop and the Burro.

Teardrop trailer pros




Better insulation

Because the teardrop is made of wood with interior insulation, it is much better than the Burro at keeping in heat or keeping out cold. In addition, because the teardrop bed area is so small, it heats up much quicker on a cold night.

A better outdoor cooking space

Because we prefer to cook outside, having the teardrop galley already set up for preparation space is useful. All we do is pull out our stove on a picnic table and use the galley for chopping vegetables or setting up the ingredients.

Lighter and easier to pack up

The teardrop is only 850 lb. and we can actually pick it up and move it around or pull it onto our hitch. Also, because it is smaller and we have been using it for so many years, it is so much quicker to pack up. We have clocked our pack up time to about 10 minutes on a good day.



Teardrop trailer cons




No escaping the wind and storms

While camping in the teardrop, there have been a few times where the weather has either driven us to shelter into the tiny bed area or has forced us to eat at a restaurant since we couldn’t cook outside. When the weather is great, the teardrop is the best camper ever. When the weather is bad, it’s a real challenge.

No or limited views

Much of the time our teardrop trailer “living room” is outside and our views are amazing. When we are inside the trailer, our views are non-existent unless we have the doors wide open. While we are inside the Burro, we can pull back the curtains and enjoy views from the bed or the dinette without having to go outside or be exposed to the elements.

No standing up or interior room

Of course, one of the main reasons to get a standy trailer is so you can stand up inside of it. It’s probably the biggest complaint that most people have about teardrop trailers. There is no headroom and no space inside to put on clothes.


Fiberglass camper pros



We can stand up and move around inside

When we first stepped inside the Burro, we were amazed at how much headroom the tiny trailer had. With its raised trolley roof, the interior has at least 6’2” of headroom in the middle of the trailer. With its less than 13-foot interior space, we can actually move around each other (within reason), change clothes, cook, eat, make the bed, and other chores that can be more challenging in the teardrop.

More storage space for clothes and gear

Along with the extra space comes additional areas for storing gear and clothing. In the teardrop we have been extremely minimal for many years. It works great at keeping camping simple, but we do have to store more stuff such as camera gear inside the car. We now have a hanging closet and easier storage under the bed.

We can cook inside or outside

With just a few Burro trips under our belts, we have cooked both inside and outside the camper. Having that choice is so nice when the temperature drops, the wind picks up, or we just don’t feel like going outside in our pajamas to make coffee. The interior stove is not as powerful as our Coleman, but it does heat up the Burro quickly on a cold morning.



Fiberglass camper cons




No insulation

Because the lightweight Burro is made of two thin pieces of fiberglass, it has no insulation, so it gets darn cold inside in the early morning. We have been experimenting with various blankets and some heaters so this is still a work in progress. However, this can also be a pro since as soon as the sun hits the Burro, it warms up very quickly on a cold morning.

Takes a little longer to set up and take down camp

We are teardrop trailer professionals and can pack up for a trip or pack up camp very quickly. There is a bit of a learning curve with a larger trailer and it takes us a little longer with the Burro. For example, we need to fill up the water tank before taking off, and pack outdoor items away inside the under seat storage area in the correct order.

We are not used to an actual door

With the teardrop we have gotten used to ducking our heads while getting in and out of the doorways. Now we have to get used to stepping up and down out of the Burro. I think the Wonky Donkey has a bit of a lift on the axle, so the step down is taller than most fiberglass campers. While carrying out pots, pans, and ingredients for outdoor cooking, we have to be sure to watch our step and not get frustrated with the constant in and out, in and out.

If you are not sure of what type of tiny trailer to get, check out this video by YouTuber Playing With Sticks to see another teardrop trailer and fiberglass trailer comparison.

The Sunflower's New Big Brother

With multiple snowstorms this winter has not been conducive to teardrop trailer camping. However, we have also been spending our time fixing up our latest project. Late last summer we snagged a 13-foot Burro fiberglass trailer on Craigslist. While we love teardrop camping, for several years now we have been looking for a camper where we can cook and sit inside when the weather turns foul.


We looked at everything from the original Dutchman T@B to the inTech Luna, but nothing really spoke to us. We didn't want a bathroom or shower and we didn't need all the amenities, such as a microwave, offered in some newer small campers. I'd been keeping my eye on small fiberglass campers such as the Casita and Scamp for years, but as most of you know, these get snapped up very quickly.


I happened upon the Burro the day it was posted on Craigslist and we took it home that evening. It was built in 1982 and nothing had really been done with it since that year. It was actually in really good shape, but needed some TLC. We appreciate the over 6-feet headroom and the tiny kitchen. We named him el Burrito Wonky Donkey and he has his own Instagram page.

Stay tuned for an upcoming full tour of Wonky Donkey soon.