The Five Best Books for a Teardrop Trailer Library

These days, it seems the only time I ever get a chance to read is on vacation. This includes teardrop camping. There is something really wonderful about being able to curl up inside your teardrop with a good mystery or fiction book that has been languishing on your bedside, especially if the weather is less than ideal. I keep a set of books in my trailer for these opportunities and I have a few that are my tried-and-true favorites.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

This book about hiking the Appalachian Trail by the amazing storyteller, Bill Bryson, is made even more hilarious by the addition of his portly and foul-mouthed sidekick, Katz. A Walk in the Woods not only shows you how NOT to go hiking in the woods, but gives you an incredible view of the history and ecology of one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.
 

The Anna Pigeon Mystery Series by Nevada Barr

There are nearly 20 books in the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr. A good place to start is with the prequel, The Rope, a super exciting murder mystery that takes place in the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. In fact, each of the books about park ranger Pigeon takes place in a different U.S. national or state park and actually becomes a character in the story. Some of her books are pretty scary and edgy, but many feature nature as a main theme.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I guess you can tell that I like to hike. This is a newer book about hiking another long trail: the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from Mexico to the Canadian border. This very popular book was fun to read, but I was a bit disappointed that the author never hiked the Washington state portion of the trail. A sequel might be necessary. If you want another book about hiking the PCT, try Zero Days, about 10-year-old Mary's hike along the Crest with her parents.

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

Most teardroppers go out of their way to take the back roads, and Steinbeck's classic tale of traveling 1960's America with his standard poodle, Charley will have you wanting to pack up the trailer and hit the road.

Teardrops and Tiny Trailers by Douglas Keister

Of course, no teardrop library would be complete without the bible of teardrop trailers by Douglas Keister. I was lucky to meet the talented photographer when the book was just coming out and he really captures the beauty and simplicity of teardrops and smaller trailers like the Canadian Boler. This is also a good book to show your many teardrop admirers.

Teardrop Trailer Updates

For the summer camping season, I just finished a few updates on the Sunflower. Since these trailers are so small, any minor improvement you make to your teardrop can really make a big difference...and these improvements don't cost too much. This year, I put up some new curtains, added some storage boxes to the galley and installed a netting hammock above the bed for additional storage.
 

When camping, we tend to shove any extra sweaters, vests or fleeces under or around our pillows. It makes for a soft, comfortable sleeping arrangement, but when it's cold, the extra clothing items really add up. We wanted a storage space where we could just throw up our sweaters when we were inside the teardrop. We installed a car/truck cargo netting just above our pillows. Since it's located in the curve of the teardrop roof, it stays out of our way. We can also unhook it if we want to take it out.

 

 

I also installed some new curtains. Originally we had some flannel curtains made from some old pillow cases, but it got so dark inside the bed area, we ended up sleeping in way too late. These curtains are light panels from Wal-Mart that were longer than the teardrop windows, but I hemmed them up about halfway up the panel. This gives us a darker shade on the bottom so the morning sun doesn't hit us right in the face, and a lighter shade on top for letting in more light.

 

 

We also needed some additional storage in the galley for some cups, our coffee and tea and some random spices and sauces. My galley space is limited, but we did have a small area next to the stove and under the main shelf. I found some soft storage boxes at Target that fit perfectly under the shelf. They also don't slide around when we are towing the trailer.

 

And last, but not least, I added a custom bumper sticker to the back of the trailer with my blog URL...just for those readers on the road.