Mrs. Meyers Clean Day VW Thing and Teardrop Trailer

Mrs. Meyers Clean Day wanted to inspire makers of all things to continue creating—no matter how imperfect their creation was. Last fall, the cleaning product company took to the streets (starting in the Chicago Randolph Street Market) with the world's first auto pop-up workshop.

The workshop is a transforming Volkswagen Type 181 "Thing" towing a shiny teardrop trailer. The Thing transforms into a public maker space where visitors can throw their own pots or design their own textiles. Of course, the teardrop has a sink with Mrs. Meyers soaps where makers can wash their messy hands.



To learn more about the Mrs. Meyers #MakeAndTell campaign, visit their website.

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.

Featured Teardrop: SignaTour Campers

The SignaTour Camper reminds me of a pocket knife: small and sleek and just when you think you've found all the tools, another one pops up. These Tampa, Florida teardrop trailers are built to be very lightweight and flexible with a large interior capacity that forgoes the traditional teardrop trailer galley.

You can go both basic or luxury with a SignatTour trailer. Their Sebring trailer is a basic trailer that can be towed by a trike or motorcycle and includes a removable folding tent with a 48" x 84" sleeping area and a foam cushion with a washable cover. Under the tent is a sport trailer with a roof rack that will carry your bike rack or canoe. The Sebring only weighs 295 lbs and costs $4,199. On the more luxurious side, the Venice is five feet wide and includes a front storage box, locking doors, carpeted and wood interior, LED interior and exterior lights and a rear entrance door. The Venice starts at $5,769. SignaTour offers additional rear-entry teardrops like the Biscayne and the off-road Rockledge.

If you still like the idea of having a tent, each of the campers has an optional roof top tent for $1,029 that can be attached to the roof for your guests or children. Other SignaTour options include air conditioning and heat, a side mounted sink and a foldable solar panel.

The company does build a traditional teardrop trailer, the Classic 59 which is a 5x9 trailer that contains a cooktop, microwave, a 24 inch TV with a DVD player, a refrigerator and air conditioning.

 

 

 

 

Photos by SignaTour Campers

Featured Teardrop: Klein Cabine

Fans of Westfalia pop-up campers, take note: Michael Hippenhammer has maybe built the first ever pop-up teardrop trailer that you can actually stand up in. His 9 by 4 foot trailer was built by hand with Douglas fir 2x6 construction and his beautiful work was featured in the photocentric Tiny House Swoon.

Michael named his teardrop the Klein Cabine, which means "little cabin" in German. The trailer contains two six volt golf cart batteries, a 40 amp charger, 110 volt break box and a 300 watt inverter. The trailer has lights, forward storage, a mechanical area, an overhead cabinet in the bed area as well as storage under the bed. The 3-panel bed can be adjusted to become seating area as well.

The 1,140 lb trailer does not have a traditional galley kitchen in the back, but the door can be built out to become a small kitchen or additional storage space. The best part of the trailer is the roof that pops up so you can get dressed standing up.

Michael also said that this trailer is nearly bear proof. Perfect for camping in Yellowstone.

 

Photos by Michael Hippenhammer