While the items might seem random, we keep the box near our campsite picnic table and access at least one thing during each camping trip. It helps with the "Honey, where is the...?" questions.
Showing posts with label camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camp. Show all posts
Teardrop Miscellaneous Box
While the items might seem random, we keep the box near our campsite picnic table and access at least one thing during each camping trip. It helps with the "Honey, where is the...?" questions.
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.
Friday Teardrop Photo
Believe it or not, now is the time we have to start purchasing our tickets for Burning Man. We go to the wild event in the desert every year and the Sunflower comes along. This photo is from 2012 when we went with our Stargazers friends. Our camp looks crazy but it was cool and comfortable, and we even had a quesadilla and margarita party for the neighborhood.
Woodcraft Camp Kitchen
Various teardrop trailers have a very basic galley. Some of the Little Guy trailers, including the Platforms and Sports, have a simple flat galley with no kitchen storage or cooking implements. This can be remedied by building your own camp kitchen.
Woodcraft Supply has a set of plans for a wooden camp kitchen that is only 30 inches long by 19 inches deep by 17 inches tall. This kitchen is also mobile and can be moved from the galley to a picnic table. It can hold a stove, pots and pans, cups and plates, and it even has a dowel rod for a dish towel. The kitchen can be build with basic stock wood and plywood and painted or stained.
Woodcraft Supply, LLC is one of the nation's oldest and largest suppliers of quality woodworking tools and supplies. You'll find Woodcraft stores in more than 70 major metropolitan areas across the U.S.; and Woodcraft annually distributes 1.5 million catalogs featuring more than 8,000 items to all 50 states and 117 foreign countries. The Woodcraft catalog is a standard among woodworkers as the most complete offering of first rate products for woodworking available anywhere. Woodcraft also publishes six issues of Woodcraft Magazine annually.
Woodcraft Supply has a set of plans for a wooden camp kitchen that is only 30 inches long by 19 inches deep by 17 inches tall. This kitchen is also mobile and can be moved from the galley to a picnic table. It can hold a stove, pots and pans, cups and plates, and it even has a dowel rod for a dish towel. The kitchen can be build with basic stock wood and plywood and painted or stained.
Woodcraft Supply, LLC is one of the nation's oldest and largest suppliers of quality woodworking tools and supplies. You'll find Woodcraft stores in more than 70 major metropolitan areas across the U.S.; and Woodcraft annually distributes 1.5 million catalogs featuring more than 8,000 items to all 50 states and 117 foreign countries. The Woodcraft catalog is a standard among woodworkers as the most complete offering of first rate products for woodworking available anywhere. Woodcraft also publishes six issues of Woodcraft Magazine annually.
Friday Teardrop Photo
I received this photo from Gary Hardy, a teardrop trailer owner in Australia. During an outing to the Little Desert National Park in Victoria, Gary's wife nearly had to share the camp shower with a local emu. Gary was inspired by my teardrop trailer shower post and the couple now have their own nifty shower setup—complete with a prep table.
Teardrop Camping: Plan It or Wing It?
Tiny Yellow Teardrop reader ML recently asked this question:
I'm also curious how often teardroppers plan out their camping trips or if they just wing it. We have done it both ways and I think it comes down to both timing and where you will be camping. A little bit of luck can be thrown in for good measure.
We recently got back from a teardrop camping trip down to the Mount Whitney area (trip post coming soon) and left on a Wednesday afternoon with about 300 miles to go. We had our reserved campsite for the Whitney area, but knew we would need to stop for the night somewhere along the way. Many of the campgrounds in the area along the Eastern Sierra can be reserved, but we were not sure where we would be at around sunset. We were planning on heading to our favorite campground at Convict Lake, but were so tired after a long day, we didn't make it. So we winged it and headed into a campground 10 miles off Highway 395, Twin Lakes. Luck must have been on our side because we pulled into the campground way after dark and got the very last spot next to a bubbling creek.
This doesn't always happen. There have been times when we've tried to wing it on a Thursday or Friday afternoon and have had to drive around to different campgrounds to find a space. This happened to us on the Oregon Coast. We went to four different campgrounds before we were able to squeeze into a space at Humbug Mountain State Park.
Some locations just don't warrant the "wing it" option. Some very popular areas like Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and areas with amazing views like the Gulf Coast or the Pacific Ocean require reservations way in advance. When we went to Yellowstone National Park, we had our spot reserved about seven months ahead. However, when we went to nearby Grand Teton National Park on our way to Yellowstone, we winged it and arrived at the Gros Ventre Campground around 11:00 on a Friday morning and got a great spot just before the weekend groups showed up.
Teardrop cuteness and the "tribe" factor has also gotten us into very last minute camping spots. We wanted to take a quick weekend trip up to the Blue Lakes near our home and left on a Friday after work. We drove through the campground and could not find any open sites. However, just as we turned a corner, a couple was just starting to pack up their own teardrop trailer. We stopped and chatted with them about our darling trailers and they offered to give us their site when they left in about an hour.
So I think my advice to ML would be to first look into where you would like to go and then look up the available campgrounds in the area. Check out Reserve America and Recreation.gov to see if these campgrounds are very popular or can be reserved. Sometimes having a site reserved ahead of time can take a lot of stress off your trip. If they are not popular or cannot be reserved, then just head out and try your luck. Sometimes the hunt for a great campsite is part of the fun of teardrop camping.
"I'd be interested in discussing how much itinerary planning goes into your travels with your teardrop. I'd like to venture out with no particular route in mind, but I feel the need for reservations so I can drive along with confidence. Kind of keeps me from using the camper to the full extent that I should during good camping weather."
I'm also curious how often teardroppers plan out their camping trips or if they just wing it. We have done it both ways and I think it comes down to both timing and where you will be camping. A little bit of luck can be thrown in for good measure.
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| Our "lucky" campsite at Twin Lakes in California. |
We recently got back from a teardrop camping trip down to the Mount Whitney area (trip post coming soon) and left on a Wednesday afternoon with about 300 miles to go. We had our reserved campsite for the Whitney area, but knew we would need to stop for the night somewhere along the way. Many of the campgrounds in the area along the Eastern Sierra can be reserved, but we were not sure where we would be at around sunset. We were planning on heading to our favorite campground at Convict Lake, but were so tired after a long day, we didn't make it. So we winged it and headed into a campground 10 miles off Highway 395, Twin Lakes. Luck must have been on our side because we pulled into the campground way after dark and got the very last spot next to a bubbling creek.
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| Our long-term reserved spot at Madison Campground in Yellowstone NP. |
This doesn't always happen. There have been times when we've tried to wing it on a Thursday or Friday afternoon and have had to drive around to different campgrounds to find a space. This happened to us on the Oregon Coast. We went to four different campgrounds before we were able to squeeze into a space at Humbug Mountain State Park.
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| Our spot at the Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton. In fact, I don't think the campground ever filled up over the weekend. |
Some locations just don't warrant the "wing it" option. Some very popular areas like Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and areas with amazing views like the Gulf Coast or the Pacific Ocean require reservations way in advance. When we went to Yellowstone National Park, we had our spot reserved about seven months ahead. However, when we went to nearby Grand Teton National Park on our way to Yellowstone, we winged it and arrived at the Gros Ventre Campground around 11:00 on a Friday morning and got a great spot just before the weekend groups showed up.
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| Another "lucky" site we got on Friday before Memorial Day at Silver Lake near Lake Tahoe. |
Teardrop cuteness and the "tribe" factor has also gotten us into very last minute camping spots. We wanted to take a quick weekend trip up to the Blue Lakes near our home and left on a Friday after work. We drove through the campground and could not find any open sites. However, just as we turned a corner, a couple was just starting to pack up their own teardrop trailer. We stopped and chatted with them about our darling trailers and they offered to give us their site when they left in about an hour.
So I think my advice to ML would be to first look into where you would like to go and then look up the available campgrounds in the area. Check out Reserve America and Recreation.gov to see if these campgrounds are very popular or can be reserved. Sometimes having a site reserved ahead of time can take a lot of stress off your trip. If they are not popular or cannot be reserved, then just head out and try your luck. Sometimes the hunt for a great campsite is part of the fun of teardrop camping.
My Teardrop Trailer Shower
Many teardroppers feel that a camp shower is a luxury, but I think it's a necessity. After hiking or kayaking all day and then hanging around the smoky campfire, having a shower before bed helps me feel like a cleaner and happier camper. It also keeps our bed sheets clean during a trip.
Our teardrop trailer camp shower is nothing fancy. We have had more elaborate setups in the past—like solar showers hung from trees and poles made of rebar and conduit—but now our shower system is very simple and easy.
It consists of an inexpensive Gear Guide pop-up shower shelter without a floor. This particular shelter is no longer available on Amazon, but they do sell similar showers like this. Since the shower doesn't have a floor, we use a plastic drip pan for hot water tanks. This actually works better than a floor since we can pull it out to dump the water and dry it off. I built a wooden platform out of 2x2 pieces of redwood to either stand on or to put our shoes on. The pop-up shower, the platform and the stakes and guylines for the shower shelter all fit into a round bag that fits right into the drip pan. Towels can be hung from the sides of the shelter and we use a small camp table for soap, shampoo and clean clothes.
For the actual shower portion, we just heat up water in a small pot (just to lukewarm or warm) and then take it into the shower with a small cup. We use the cup to dump the water over our heads (most of it being caught by the drip pan) and then wash with biodegradable soap like Dr. Bronner's. It only takes about 5-6 cups of water to thoroughly wash our bodies and hair. So essentially, this is more of a Navy shower. It feels fantastic and it's so amazing to shower in the cool, fresh air.
The shower takes about five minutes to set up and break down with minimal cleanup. However, I recently purchased a small tarp to put on the floor of the shower—just to keep leaves and bark out of the drip pan.
* Just a tip, before you head into the shower, be sure to have everything you need with you so you don't have to ask for any help.
Our teardrop trailer camp shower is nothing fancy. We have had more elaborate setups in the past—like solar showers hung from trees and poles made of rebar and conduit—but now our shower system is very simple and easy.
It consists of an inexpensive Gear Guide pop-up shower shelter without a floor. This particular shelter is no longer available on Amazon, but they do sell similar showers like this. Since the shower doesn't have a floor, we use a plastic drip pan for hot water tanks. This actually works better than a floor since we can pull it out to dump the water and dry it off. I built a wooden platform out of 2x2 pieces of redwood to either stand on or to put our shoes on. The pop-up shower, the platform and the stakes and guylines for the shower shelter all fit into a round bag that fits right into the drip pan. Towels can be hung from the sides of the shelter and we use a small camp table for soap, shampoo and clean clothes.
For the actual shower portion, we just heat up water in a small pot (just to lukewarm or warm) and then take it into the shower with a small cup. We use the cup to dump the water over our heads (most of it being caught by the drip pan) and then wash with biodegradable soap like Dr. Bronner's. It only takes about 5-6 cups of water to thoroughly wash our bodies and hair. So essentially, this is more of a Navy shower. It feels fantastic and it's so amazing to shower in the cool, fresh air.
The shower takes about five minutes to set up and break down with minimal cleanup. However, I recently purchased a small tarp to put on the floor of the shower—just to keep leaves and bark out of the drip pan.
* Just a tip, before you head into the shower, be sure to have everything you need with you so you don't have to ask for any help.
How to Teardrop with a Dog...and a Parrot
A few months ago, I featured new teardropper AnetaCuse and her Camp-Inn 550 Special teardrop trailer. She and her husband Robert recently returned from their first camping trip to Selkirk Shores State Park on Lake Ontario with their dog...and their parrot. Anyone looking to go camping with their pets—both furry and feathery—will get a kick out of her first teardrop foray into the wilderness.
Sleeping arrangements
Short version:
1. Maintain a relatively low BMI.
2. Don't move.
Long version:
Cooper the parrot has a really large cage at home, and a smaller travel cage where he lives away from home. The smaller travel cage, however, turned out much too big for the teardrop. This forced us to buy an even smaller travel cage, which is ideal for him to sleep in and to take him to the vet, but not big enough to live in for a few days. So we travel with two cages, but this is no big deal since the cargo space in the teardrop freed up a lot of space in the car.
The small cage fits right under the storage cabinets at the foot of the bed to one side. In front of it there is a bathroom rug for Bauer the dog. So together they take up +/- 25% of the sleeping area lengthwise. The rest is for the hubby and I. It is a tight fit, but very doable and cozy.
During the day, Cooper gets transferred to the larger cage, which is put inside the trailer or the car during cold mornings and evenings (parrots being cold sensitive). During the day, he gets to hang out outdoors with us, which includes being taken out of the cage (his wings are clipped).
The parrot was very happy, and the dog was as happy as he gets. He prefers day trips to overnight trips and not even a teardrop will make him love camping.
Overall, our first "rehearsal" trip, as I like to think of it, was a big success. We managed the animals very well, the sleeping was cozy and comfortable, and the cooking was so easy and convenient it was a breeze.
Thank you Aneta!
Photos by AnetaCuse
How to Teardrop with a Parrot and a Dog
Sleeping arrangements
Short version:
1. Maintain a relatively low BMI.
2. Don't move.
Long version:
Cooper the parrot has a really large cage at home, and a smaller travel cage where he lives away from home. The smaller travel cage, however, turned out much too big for the teardrop. This forced us to buy an even smaller travel cage, which is ideal for him to sleep in and to take him to the vet, but not big enough to live in for a few days. So we travel with two cages, but this is no big deal since the cargo space in the teardrop freed up a lot of space in the car.
During the day, Cooper gets transferred to the larger cage, which is put inside the trailer or the car during cold mornings and evenings (parrots being cold sensitive). During the day, he gets to hang out outdoors with us, which includes being taken out of the cage (his wings are clipped).
The parrot was very happy, and the dog was as happy as he gets. He prefers day trips to overnight trips and not even a teardrop will make him love camping.
Overall, our first "rehearsal" trip, as I like to think of it, was a big success. We managed the animals very well, the sleeping was cozy and comfortable, and the cooking was so easy and convenient it was a breeze.
Thank you Aneta!
Photos by AnetaCuse
Friday Teardrop Photo
During our teardrop camping trips I like to bring along a small rug to throw down in front of my side of the trailer. It's a great place to put on and take off shoes and keep dirt out of the trailer. There's nothing worse than stepping out of the trailer in the morning and putting bare feet or socks right onto the dirt or cold pavement.
On the other side, my husband doesn't like to have a rug, stating that it gets in his way, blows away in the wind and gets dirty. Fair enough...as you can tell my rug does get a little dirty. What do you think? Rug or no rug?
Friday Teardrop Photo
A shot of our neighborhood in Black Rock City (3:30 and John Frum) at Burning Man 2013. Can you see the Tiny Yellow Teardrop?
Photo by Harry Thomas
Dutch Oven Burn Party
Because I was out setting fires, I totally blew last Friday's Teardrop Photo.
In the high desert, this time of the year is burn season. This means our county gives us seven days to gather up and burn downed tree branches, yard waste, leaves and pine needles and dead sagebrush. It tends to really pile up over the winter, and burn season is a time of celebration and major yard cleanup in order to keep a defensible space against wildfires.
Of course, this type of hard work doesn't get done without the incentive of having a party. Since burning can be hard and dangerous work, you need help. Each year, we get together with our neighbors to burn collective waste, and celebrate afterwards with a coal fired Dutch oven breakfast.
Teardrop trailers and Dutch ovens go hand in hand, so it's nice to be able to break out the Dutch ovens from winter storage and season them up before taking them on the road. We usually make a Mountain Man breakfast, which comes from Outdoor Cast Iron Cooking's channel and
cornbread or cornbread pudding with bacon and sausages. Of course, we always have hot coffee and Mimosas with orange juice and champagne.
In the high desert, this time of the year is burn season. This means our county gives us seven days to gather up and burn downed tree branches, yard waste, leaves and pine needles and dead sagebrush. It tends to really pile up over the winter, and burn season is a time of celebration and major yard cleanup in order to keep a defensible space against wildfires.
Friday Teardrop Photo
I'm sure my husband is not going to be too thrilled with the photo, but this is the Sunflower and our REI Alcove being used as a crash pad after a margarita party at a neighboring camp during Burning Man 2010. My husband had partaken of too many of the yummy drinks and decided to sleep right on the ground in the desert heat.
At Burning Man we need to keep our cooler up off the ground to preserve the ice as long as possible in the hot desert. The kitty litter boxes are makeshift gray water and trash receptacles since there are no dump stations or trash cans at the event. What you pack in, you have to pack out.
How do your wash your clothes?
I recently got back from a three week trip to Europe and only took two sets of clothes in one small carry on piece of luggage. Traveling so lightly requires a lot of hand washing in various sinks in different countries and washing out items actually becomes a nightly ritual. The same holds true for teardrop camping. Because our teardrop trailer closets are so small, we carry very little clothing and on longer trips, we have to do a fair amount of hand washing along with taking our clothes to a laundry facility.
If we're traveling for a few weeks, we usually take our clothes to a laundry facility every week. However, I do try to wash out underwear, socks, dish towels, T-shirts and tank tops every night and hang them up to dry on our camping clothesline that is strung up between two trees. We keep the clothesline, the clothes pins and some packets of laundry soap in the storage area under the bed, but I will sometimes just wash with Dr. Bronner's soap or even just biodegradable dish soap. Washing usually takes place with water from a spigot or even a river or stream in our regular dishwashing containers. We dump our used water in a campground toilet or a utility sink and never on the ground.
The Scrubba Wash Bag is a little pricey at nearly $70, but this Australian designed washing bag with a built in washing board can probably be taken on any kind of trip...not just a teardrop camping trip. It's very portable and the design is so fun. The Scrubba also donates some of its proceeds to the World Vision Emergency and Preparedness Fund and the Charity:Water fund.
The portable 14 inch Laundry POD washes clothes like a salad spinner. It lets you do a small load of laundry with no electricity. It's designed to fit under sinks, so it could probably fit into a small storage area in a trailer.
The Wonder Wash is a little bit larger than the POD, but I have seen it being used by many tiny house dwellers. It may be too unwieldy for teardrop camping, but could work for people who camp in larger trailers.
If we're traveling for a few weeks, we usually take our clothes to a laundry facility every week. However, I do try to wash out underwear, socks, dish towels, T-shirts and tank tops every night and hang them up to dry on our camping clothesline that is strung up between two trees. We keep the clothesline, the clothes pins and some packets of laundry soap in the storage area under the bed, but I will sometimes just wash with Dr. Bronner's soap or even just biodegradable dish soap. Washing usually takes place with water from a spigot or even a river or stream in our regular dishwashing containers. We dump our used water in a campground toilet or a utility sink and never on the ground.
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This inexpensive clothesline allows you to hang up clothes without the use of pins. Just shove the edges of the clothes into the twisted sections of the bungee.
Since we usually camp in the desert, high desert or the mountains of the West, our clothes dry quickly in the sun and wind, so we can take them down and wear them again in just a few hours. Unlike some hyper-controlled or HOA areas where people live, it doesn't seem to be much of a faux pas to hang your clothes up outside on a clothesline at a campground. We have yet to run into a campground that doesn't let you hang up your clothes to dry.
If we ever need to dry some clothes while on the road (like our swimsuits after bathing in a hot spring), we leave the clothes on the teardrop trailer bed and then drive with the teardrop windows up, letting the wind and sun come in through the screens as we tow the trailer down the road.
* Several Tiny Yellow Teardrop readers responded to this post with some ingenious ideas for washing clothes on the road. Thank you NetDep and AnetaCuse!
The Wonder Wash is a little bit larger than the POD, but I have seen it being used by many tiny house dwellers. It may be too unwieldy for teardrop camping, but could work for people who camp in larger trailers.
Friday Teardrop Photo
This is on Highway 447 just outside of Black Rock City at Burning Man. When we leave the event (usually around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning after the Burn) we drive straight home through the dark desert. Not this time. We were so tired, we decided to pull over on the side of the road with a few other dusty Burners to sleep for a few hours until daylight.
We leave the city early every year to avoid what is called Exodus — the mass migration of nearly 60,000 people leaving the event. It can take up to six hours to get out of the city. It takes us about half an hour.
You CAN crash on the side of the road in a teardrop trailer — just keep the bed area free and clean of other items.
Featured Teardrop: Gary's Full-Time Teardrop Trailer
Last weekend I was at the bank and noticed a small wooden teardrop sitting in the parking lot. Before the poor owner could open his car door and pull out of the space, I ran up to him and began to ask him about his small, wooden trailer. It turns out that the owner, Gary, lives full time out of his home-built Hickory Nut Camper.
"I have not lived in an actual house in 22 years," Gary told me. "I really just wanted to simplify and this custom teardrop trailer only took about five weeks to build. It's perfect for me."
His trailer is made of hickory and alder wood and includes a single door and a small window. Gary has a twin mattress inside so there is room for his clothes, but the trailer can fit a full-size mattress. He mentioned how impressed he was with the beautiful wooden spars along the ceiling. Gary's galley is very simple and includes a ton of storage under the kitchen workspace. He tucks a small bucket in the back to use as a temporary toilet when he's on the road.
Gary has been living this summer down in the Mammoth Lakes area and spends his winters working at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park.
Hickory Nut Campers are built by Glenn in Sparks, Nevada. The trailers have both 110 and 12 volt power, are only 680 lbs. and have a 1,720 lb. capacity. Prices for the Hickory Nut start at $3,300 and the wood for each trailer can be customized.
"I have not lived in an actual house in 22 years," Gary told me. "I really just wanted to simplify and this custom teardrop trailer only took about five weeks to build. It's perfect for me."
His trailer is made of hickory and alder wood and includes a single door and a small window. Gary has a twin mattress inside so there is room for his clothes, but the trailer can fit a full-size mattress. He mentioned how impressed he was with the beautiful wooden spars along the ceiling. Gary's galley is very simple and includes a ton of storage under the kitchen workspace. He tucks a small bucket in the back to use as a temporary toilet when he's on the road.
Gary has been living this summer down in the Mammoth Lakes area and spends his winters working at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park.
Hickory Nut Campers are built by Glenn in Sparks, Nevada. The trailers have both 110 and 12 volt power, are only 680 lbs. and have a 1,720 lb. capacity. Prices for the Hickory Nut start at $3,300 and the wood for each trailer can be customized.
Featured Teardrop: Stargazers Teardrop Trailer
While looking at photos of my Sunflower, you might see another teardrop right next to her at a campsite. My teardrop's little friend is the Stargazers teardrop trailer, which is owned by our neighbors and good friends, Brett and Nancy. Brancy, as we call them, had been tent campers for years when a trip to central Nevada was waylaid by a spring snowstorm. They came home tired, cold and ready for something different. So they borrowed my teardrop on their next trip to Great Basin National Park and came back determined to get their own tiny trailer.
Brancy scoured Craigslist for a few months before finding their 5x8 foot home built teardrop trailer from an independent builder in Clovis, California. They were able to snag the trailer for $3,200, just under the $3,500 asking price. The trip back home from Clovis was also interrupted by rain and a snowstorm in the mountains and their new teardrop filled up with water. That didn't deter them. Ever since buying their teardrop, they've been able to make significant changes and updates to the trailer, like waterproofing, sealing and utilizing pop-up shelters.
They decided to get a teardrop trailer not only because of their great experience with mine, but also because they would not have to buy a larger tow vehicle.
"It's easy and more manageable," Nancy said. "Also, it feels like I'm sleeping on a cloud after we've come back from a 10 mile hike."
The Stargazers teardrop is proof of how much fun you can have with a teardrop theme and decorating. Nancy is very artistic and has decorated the teardrop with a celestial theme that includes glow-in-the-dark curtains, sun and moon bedding, wallpaper and cute details like sleeping suns on the windows. They are proud that their teardrop is 100 percent green. They don't have a deep cycle battery, so they only use rechargeable touch lights, head lamps and a small solar charger for other devices.
Brett said that one of the positives of a teardrop trailer is that it's so quiet inside. He also mentioned that one of the negatives of camping in a teardrop is that you don't have a bathroom.
"Sometimes I'm just too tired to crawl out of the trailer to go pee," he said. "But I've also had trailers in the past with a bathroom and those can also be a pain in the butt."
Nancy added that they have a small bathroom bag with toilet paper, wipes, spray soap and other convenience items they take into campground bathrooms.
Nancy mentioned that one issue they have is organization. The Stargazers trailer has some really large storage cabinets and they are well organized, but she complained that Brett still can't find anything.
"He's always asking me 'Where's this and where's that?'," she laughed.
"You do have to constantly re-organize and re-adjust things," Brett said.
They are both pleased that with a basic home built trailer they can make their own improvements and adjustments and they can change the paint color whenever they want. Their tiny trailer also allows them to really experience the outdoors on their hiking, kayaking, stargazing and meteor shower trips.
"We go camping not just to go camping," Brett said.
Brancy scoured Craigslist for a few months before finding their 5x8 foot home built teardrop trailer from an independent builder in Clovis, California. They were able to snag the trailer for $3,200, just under the $3,500 asking price. The trip back home from Clovis was also interrupted by rain and a snowstorm in the mountains and their new teardrop filled up with water. That didn't deter them. Ever since buying their teardrop, they've been able to make significant changes and updates to the trailer, like waterproofing, sealing and utilizing pop-up shelters.
They decided to get a teardrop trailer not only because of their great experience with mine, but also because they would not have to buy a larger tow vehicle.
"It's easy and more manageable," Nancy said. "Also, it feels like I'm sleeping on a cloud after we've come back from a 10 mile hike."
The Stargazers teardrop is proof of how much fun you can have with a teardrop theme and decorating. Nancy is very artistic and has decorated the teardrop with a celestial theme that includes glow-in-the-dark curtains, sun and moon bedding, wallpaper and cute details like sleeping suns on the windows. They are proud that their teardrop is 100 percent green. They don't have a deep cycle battery, so they only use rechargeable touch lights, head lamps and a small solar charger for other devices.
"Sometimes I'm just too tired to crawl out of the trailer to go pee," he said. "But I've also had trailers in the past with a bathroom and those can also be a pain in the butt."
Nancy added that they have a small bathroom bag with toilet paper, wipes, spray soap and other convenience items they take into campground bathrooms.
Nancy mentioned that one issue they have is organization. The Stargazers trailer has some really large storage cabinets and they are well organized, but she complained that Brett still can't find anything.
"He's always asking me 'Where's this and where's that?'," she laughed.
"You do have to constantly re-organize and re-adjust things," Brett said.
They are both pleased that with a basic home built trailer they can make their own improvements and adjustments and they can change the paint color whenever they want. Their tiny trailer also allows them to really experience the outdoors on their hiking, kayaking, stargazing and meteor shower trips.
"We go camping not just to go camping," Brett said.
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