A photo from 1926 of the original tiny house on wheels.
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Caravan's Teardrop Trailer Rentals are First in Portland, Ore.
There are more teardrop rental places popping up around the U.S. and one of them belongs to a tiny house hotel in Portland, Ore. Caravan - The Tiny House Hotel rents out a Little Guy T@G Max trailer and two T@G Max XL trailers named Rosie, Miles and Sunny.
The owners of Caravan - The Tiny House Hotel found out how awesome teardrops are on a trip across western Canada last summer.
"We looked for a teardrop trailer to rent in Portland and discovered that no such rentals existed in Oregon," Kol Peterson of Caravan said. "Eventually, we found one. And after 12 days of traveling with the rental trailer, we were sold! The comfy bed and galley kitchen convinced us that we needed to launch Portland's first teardrop trailer rental company. We already had a good way to manage the rental fleet through the tiny house hotel."
The trailers can be reserved through the Caravan website. If one of the trailers is not available at the time, you can go on a waiting list. Any type of vehicle can tow a T@G, but you will need a 2" ball hitch that can tow around 1,000 lb. and a 4-pin or a 7-pin connector for the trailer brake lights.
Rosie, Miles and Sunny have great amenities including AC and heat (shore power needed), 19 inch TV with DVD player and Bluetooth and CD player and AM/FM radio. Miles and Sunny are extra wide and long and have a full length moonroof above the bed that opens and has a shade and screen.
Other features included in the rentals are:
The owners of Caravan - The Tiny House Hotel found out how awesome teardrops are on a trip across western Canada last summer.
"We looked for a teardrop trailer to rent in Portland and discovered that no such rentals existed in Oregon," Kol Peterson of Caravan said. "Eventually, we found one. And after 12 days of traveling with the rental trailer, we were sold! The comfy bed and galley kitchen convinced us that we needed to launch Portland's first teardrop trailer rental company. We already had a good way to manage the rental fleet through the tiny house hotel."
The trailers can be reserved through the Caravan website. If one of the trailers is not available at the time, you can go on a waiting list. Any type of vehicle can tow a T@G, but you will need a 2" ball hitch that can tow around 1,000 lb. and a 4-pin or a 7-pin connector for the trailer brake lights.
Rosie, Miles and Sunny have great amenities including AC and heat (shore power needed), 19 inch TV with DVD player and Bluetooth and CD player and AM/FM radio. Miles and Sunny are extra wide and long and have a full length moonroof above the bed that opens and has a shade and screen.
Other features included in the rentals are:
- Queen sized memory foam mattresses
- Soft pillows and luxury linens
- Plush blankets and colorful, warm comforters
- Double burner gas cook stove
- Pots, pans, knives and cookware
- Dishes and utensils
- Refrigerator
- Complimentary Fair-Trade and locally roasted coffee from Caravan Coffee Roasters
- Italian percolator-style coffee maker by Bialetti
- Organic olive oil, salt and pepper
- Cutting board
- Sponge, biodegradable soap, hand towels
Caravan also offers a few extras with their rentals including camping chairs, a folding table, tablecloth, battery-operated lantern
, maps and Oregon guidebooks and camping books.
Rosie rents for $80/night (two-night minimum) and is pet friendly. Miles rents for $90/night (two-night minimum) and is pet friendly and Sunny rents for $90/night (two-night minimum).
Photos by Caravan's Teardrop Trailer Rentals
Trailer articles in the Tiny House Magazine
As many of you know, I write a weekly post for the Tiny House Blog. I also write a monthly article about teardrops and trailers in the Tiny House Magazine. This online magazine has some great articles on tiny homes and simple living as well as some awesome photographs. If you are interested in the magazine. It's available for only $2.99 an issue.
Featured Teardrop: Hobbit Hole Trailer
For any The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fans out there, this beautifully crafted teardrop trailer will have you wishing you could enjoy Elevenses out of the back of its galley. Samm1t documented his build on imgur as he worked on it in the evenings and the weekends over the course of two months.
The teardrop is built on a 4x8 foot Harbor Freight trailer kit and has a 2x2 inch wood frame. The bottom is sealed with roof tar and the walls are built with 1/2 inch plywood. The interior walls for the sleeping cabin and the galley are 1x2 and 2x2 inch framing. The plywood walls are stuccoed with vinyl putty and the floors are hardwood to look like an authentic Hobbit house. The roof is three layers: plywood, fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and a last layer of fake grass to give the illusion of being under a hill.
The trailer is wired and has a shore power inlet for 120v which is connected to a surge protector and a charger/converter. The battery is an Optima D31. The trailer has lights and a Fantastic Fan. The interior has small wooden shelves and the quintessential round doors of a classic Hobbit house. Unfortunately, the center door handle idea (as seen in the movies) was not a feasible solution for this teardrop trailer.
The trailer is dedicated to the owner's great grandfather, an electrical engineer who loved to build things.
The teardrop is built on a 4x8 foot Harbor Freight trailer kit and has a 2x2 inch wood frame. The bottom is sealed with roof tar and the walls are built with 1/2 inch plywood. The interior walls for the sleeping cabin and the galley are 1x2 and 2x2 inch framing. The plywood walls are stuccoed with vinyl putty and the floors are hardwood to look like an authentic Hobbit house. The roof is three layers: plywood, fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and a last layer of fake grass to give the illusion of being under a hill.
The trailer is wired and has a shore power inlet for 120v which is connected to a surge protector and a charger/converter. The battery is an Optima D31. The trailer has lights and a Fantastic Fan. The interior has small wooden shelves and the quintessential round doors of a classic Hobbit house. Unfortunately, the center door handle idea (as seen in the movies) was not a feasible solution for this teardrop trailer.
The trailer is dedicated to the owner's great grandfather, an electrical engineer who loved to build things.
Photos by Samm1t
Atma Travelear in Tiny House Magazine
I met David McCamant and his Atma Travelear at the Dam Gathering of the Tears in northern California and fell in love with his Art Deco teardrop design. For his first build, the trailer is a phenomenal work of art with some details I've not seen in other teardrop trailers. This makes sense since David is a local fine and contemporary artist.
You can read about his trailer and his love of teardrop camping in the latest issue of Tiny House Magazine. The magazine is available in an iPad or PDF version.
You can read about his trailer and his love of teardrop camping in the latest issue of Tiny House Magazine. The magazine is available in an iPad or PDF version.
Living in a Teardrop Full Time
My teardrop friend Guy Mazzeo lives full time out of his homemade teardrop trailer with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel/Mini Poodle mix dog. Her name is Butch. For years, Guy traveled around the country working with veterans and helping them to receive their VA benefits. During that time he lived out of his car, but after suffering from congestive heart failure and brain tumors, he realized he needed a little more comfort.
Guy had always been aware of and interested in teardrop trailers, so he decided to design and build his own. Over the course of a year-and-a-half, he built a 12 foot long and 6.5 foot wide wooden teardrop trailer with a kitchen in the back. The interior includes a bed for him and Butch which is raised up on drawers made from milk cartons, a 4x2 table that holds his laptop, a toilet and a closet.
"I might be the only teardropper around who travels around with one or two suits," Guy laughed.
His teardrop also has solar power which runs his 12 volt Dometic refrigerator, some lights and his catalytic heater. The teardrop is very well insulated, and he mentioned that he never even needed air conditioning while traveling in Florida. He uses a Coleman on-demand water heater for hot water and some of his showers.
Guy travels with the weather. In the summer, he camps out at Applegate Lake on the border of Oregon and California and in the winter he heads down to Southern California and Arizona. During his travels, he's learned a few things he had always wanted to do; fishing was one.
"When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I fished," he said. "As an adult, I really wanted to learn it again and now I can. In fact, I just went perch fishing in the surf here in Malibu."
Guy feels his way of life is ideal. With his grown children in jobs or grad school, he has the freedom to roam around the country and see new things and meet new people.
"It's better than sitting on my butt somewhere," he said. He also mentioned that he decided to build a teardrop rather than purchase a conventional RV because a teardrop is the greatest icebreaker in the world.
"When you are in a campground with a teardrop, you can't be anonymous," Guy said. "Right now I'm in a fancy RV park in Malibu with an ocean view and a good half of the park's residents have come over to see me. Many of them have mentioned to me that they once had a teardrop, but over the years have upgraded to something like a Prevost."
Most peoples' reactions to him living full time in a teardrop are positive — especially from fellow campers or young people who are envious of his lifestyle. Other full-time RVers also totally understand the lifestyle.
"However, there are the people who are retired, but are afraid of giving up everything they have," Guy added. "They ask me what I do about doctors and medical issues. Who cares about that stuff? I have primary care physicians in different states and I get veteran's care. My doctors think it's fine to live like I do, but my cardiologist thinks I'm nuts."
Guy does admit that his lifestyle is not for everyone and that some couples may find it to be a challenge. He did mention that he also worries sometimes about safety. During one trip he was limping and did want to be looked upon as prey by any criminals, so he dyed his white hair blond so he would look younger. He admits that there is a loneliness factor, but credits his frequent trips to teardrop gatherings as the best way to keep in touch with his friends.
"If I'm feeling lonely, I just go out for dinner," he said.
Guy is looking forward to spending the holidays down in Malibu, and then heading down to the Arizona desert for a few months to enjoy some mild weather. The sunsets are not too bad either.
"It's a good life," he said.
Photos courtesy of Guy Mazzeo
"I might be the only teardropper around who travels around with one or two suits," Guy laughed.
His teardrop also has solar power which runs his 12 volt Dometic refrigerator, some lights and his catalytic heater. The teardrop is very well insulated, and he mentioned that he never even needed air conditioning while traveling in Florida. He uses a Coleman on-demand water heater for hot water and some of his showers.
Guy travels with the weather. In the summer, he camps out at Applegate Lake on the border of Oregon and California and in the winter he heads down to Southern California and Arizona. During his travels, he's learned a few things he had always wanted to do; fishing was one.
"When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I fished," he said. "As an adult, I really wanted to learn it again and now I can. In fact, I just went perch fishing in the surf here in Malibu."
Guy feels his way of life is ideal. With his grown children in jobs or grad school, he has the freedom to roam around the country and see new things and meet new people.
"It's better than sitting on my butt somewhere," he said. He also mentioned that he decided to build a teardrop rather than purchase a conventional RV because a teardrop is the greatest icebreaker in the world.
"When you are in a campground with a teardrop, you can't be anonymous," Guy said. "Right now I'm in a fancy RV park in Malibu with an ocean view and a good half of the park's residents have come over to see me. Many of them have mentioned to me that they once had a teardrop, but over the years have upgraded to something like a Prevost."
Most peoples' reactions to him living full time in a teardrop are positive — especially from fellow campers or young people who are envious of his lifestyle. Other full-time RVers also totally understand the lifestyle.
"However, there are the people who are retired, but are afraid of giving up everything they have," Guy added. "They ask me what I do about doctors and medical issues. Who cares about that stuff? I have primary care physicians in different states and I get veteran's care. My doctors think it's fine to live like I do, but my cardiologist thinks I'm nuts."
Guy does admit that his lifestyle is not for everyone and that some couples may find it to be a challenge. He did mention that he also worries sometimes about safety. During one trip he was limping and did want to be looked upon as prey by any criminals, so he dyed his white hair blond so he would look younger. He admits that there is a loneliness factor, but credits his frequent trips to teardrop gatherings as the best way to keep in touch with his friends.
"If I'm feeling lonely, I just go out for dinner," he said.
Guy is looking forward to spending the holidays down in Malibu, and then heading down to the Arizona desert for a few months to enjoy some mild weather. The sunsets are not too bad either.
"It's a good life," he said.
Photos courtesy of Guy Mazzeo
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