KOA Memberships: Are they worth it?

Answer: It depends.

This summer we stayed in several KOA Kampgrounds and had a wide range of experiences and amenities. Whether or not you decide to get and keep a KOA membership will depend on the places you end up staying.

KOA Kampgrounds are privately held campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada. There are over 500 of them scattered around North America and they typically cater to larger RVs with dump stations, water, power and cable hookups. They also offer showers, laundry facilities, breakfast and coffee, and other amenities like lounges and playgrounds for children. KOA Kampgrounds also have some beautiful deluxe "kabins." These little wood cabins cater to people who don't have a camper and don't want to sleep in a tent.

We decided to try out a KOA membership for the year and see how they ranked. We purchased a $30 Value Kard to save 10 percent every time we camped at a KOA. You can also earn redeemable points for each stay. Depending on the location, it would still cost us about $40-$75 per night, so the 10 percent didn't really do anything for us. I don't think we will re-purchase the card, but I think we will still stay at a KOA while on the road. This is why:

The five best things KOAs have going are:

1. They are conveniently located

Those little red and yellow signs on the side of the road mean that a KOA is within just a few hundred yards of a highway exit. This is great when you are tired and don't want to drive to a state or National Park for a camp site. Also, many KOA Kampgrounds are within just a few miles of many National Parks and scenic areas. Our St. Mary KOA, while not the best place to camp, was five minutes from the park entrance.

2. They have a great KOA directory

Both the online and print KOA directory is very helpful when looking for a place to stay. I planned my "western state" trip around the availability of KOA Kampgrounds. The paper book came in real handy when cell service was unavailable.

3. Members get priority

From both the KOA App and via phone, you can make a campsite reservation at any location. If you are a member, you get priority if the campground is filling up. This is useful in more popular areas.

4. Showers and laundry

At each KOA we stayed at, the showers and laundry facilities were clean and convenient. The Great Falls KOA in Montana was hands-down one of the most beautiful campgrounds I've ever been in and had amazing showers in an atrium full of plants.

5. Other amenities

It was a blessing to swim in the Green River, Utah KOA swimming pool when the temperatures hovered around 100 degrees. It was also great to have fast WiFi in other parks. These amenities (if they are consistent and useful) will keep me coming back to a KOA.

However, teardroppers might not get as much bang for their buck at a KOA. We do have a choice to stay in a tent spot with no hookups or in a convenient pull-through spot with power and water. However, the price difference is negligible. I stayed in tent sites that were around $35 and a pull-through spot that was $45 per night.

When you stay at a KOA, you are paying for the amenities. So when searching around for a place to stay, check on those and weigh whether or not the extra cost is worth it to you.

What I learned from living out of my teardrop trailer for three weeks

We recently returned from a teardrop trailer trip to Glacier National Park. On the way back, my husband flew home to Nevada and I took a road trip down to Colorado Springs through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and across the Silver State.

After nearly 20 days of full-time traveling in a 5x8 teardrop trailer (my longest trip yet) I learned a few things about life on the road. Here are the top five.

1. I could be a full time nomad

When I returned home from my trip, I went into a slight depression. I couldn't figure out why at first, but then realized that I really loved being on the road. I loved stopping in a different location every night and waking up to a different landscape every morning. Traveling full-time is tough on your system, but it's a lot of fun and is something I wouldn't mind doing as a lifestyle.

2. You need a lot less than you think

When on the road, I only used about 60 percent of the clothing I brought with me and never used any of the "emergency" items that we bring along. When I returned home, I did a mass purge of items in my house and thought more about we really need while traveling and camping.

3. Get some downtime

Even though I was traveling by myself much of the time, I still needed some downtime. I camped in a few KOA and private campgrounds on the way to and from Colorado, and with my yellow teardrop I was the center of attention. It's sometimes difficult to get away people when you are traveling in a teardrop, so plan to camp in more secluded locations and take breaks away from urban and more popular areas.

4. Take the back roads

Through most of the trip, I stuck to secondary roads. The only time I was on a main freeway was on Interstate 70 near Denver and Interstate 80 through part of Wyoming. Both times I didn't like the traffic and went out of my way to find alternate routes. Along those routes I found some amazing places that I plan on going back to.

5. Rest stops are one of your best friends

In the western states, rest stops are few and far between, so take advantage of them as much as you can. The rest stops in Idaho were some of the best with beautiful bathrooms, maps, road guides and water fountains. We used the stops to take a nap, fill up our water, eat snacks and use the bathroom.

In addition to these five things, I realized how much I appreciate having a teardrop trailer and a comfortable and quiet place to sleep. While the teardrop did well in good weather, it was a challenge during some heavy rainstorms in Montana and Colorado, but I still wouldn't trade it for anything.

Off to Glacier!

The Sunflower is currently traveling in Montana and Glacier National Park. While the park's iconic red tour buses are not teardrop trailers, wouldn't it be fun if they towed them around?

See you soon!

Photo by Glacier National Park Lodges

Don’t Rely on Your GPS

The other day, a friend was coming to my house so we could go hiking. I gave her the address, but warned her that some GPS units and phones like to take people on a dirt access road behind my house and told her to follow my directions. She ended up on the dirt road behind my house with her GPS unit chiming, “You have arrived.”

I’m morbidly fascinated with dumb GPS mistakes. Lately there have been an influx of deaths (many in Death Valley, of course) of people blindly following their GPS units or Siri's voice onto dangerous dirt roads, into lakes and mud holes and nearly off the sides of cliffs. GPS is a wonderful tool, but just like any tool (that can break) don’t rely solely on it if you are traveling in unfamiliar locations.

If you have a medical question, you usually don’t go with one source or one piece of advice. You ask several medical experts, do some of your own research and maybe read some books or articles. Do the same when you are traveling. If you have to get to a specific location, use several sources and compare how the information is given to you.

1. Google Maps and Google Earth:

Before you leave on your trip, use Google Maps to see the various routes that you can take to your destination. Another problem with relying on a GPS is that you blindly follow one route (usually the shortest, but not always the best) without knowing what else is around. 

I’ve met people who have become so reliant on their GPS that they don’t even know how to read a map anymore. They don’t know which way is north, south, east and west and they don’t recognize the difference between a secondary road and topographic line.

Google Maps at least allows you get a feeling for directions, time, surrounding terrain and various obstacles. It shows you nearby towns, services and other attractions. The 3D options of Google Earth shows road types, canyons, mountains and tall buildings that don’t translate well to paper or GPS.

2. Paper Maps: 

Since some remote areas are not always mapped by GPS, always take a paper map of your desired location. Some of the best maps are the Rand McNally Road Atlas, Benchmarks Maps & Atlases and specific trail and park maps offered by REI. I’m a paper map junkie and love to pore over them before, during and after a trip. I love to see where we are going and what we will see and experience on the way to and from our destination. A GPS can’t give you that holistic satisfaction.

The best thing about paper? You can write all over it. Mark your location, any special notes or issues you have noticed on Google Maps.

3. Ask the locals: 

No matter if you are going to New York City or Oatmeal, Texas, there will be a local who knows more about the area than you do. Ask for directions and about attractions from cops, coffee shop owners, grocery clerks, librarians, RV hosts and adventurous teens. You might make a new friend and won’t have to contend with Siri’s annoying voice for miles of unending dirt roads.

Friday Teardrop Photo

Taken at the crossroads last summer. The Sunflower is headed into the desert for the Memorial Day Weekend. See you soon.

Friday Teardrop Photo

This photo is of the Sunflower parked at the Inyo National Forest ranger station in California —the crossroads between Mount Whitney and Death Valley. We are in the process of planning some more intense summer and fall hikes and my teardrop will be a welcome respite.

Why so many darn keys?

The Sunflower has two sets of keys on two sunflower themed key holders. That's a lot of keys! We always like to have two separate sets in case we lose one set which would be a slight disaster. This is because the various doors and functions on the trailer each have a key.

Here are the keys that we drag along with us on each camping trip:

1. Key for the two teardrop doors
2. Key for the galley door
3. Key for the coupler lock (which we always take with us to deter theft at the campsite)
4. Key for the trailer hitch lock (always use one of these when towing)
5. Two keys for the "bear proof" Yeti cooler lock

It's not the most streamlined way to go camping, but it seems like we have a lot of items that need to be locked up.

Friday Teardrop Photo

We're off to see the wizard.

100 Routes Across America

100 Routes Across America is a personal blog written and edited by freelance writer and blogger Shannon Entin. Her desire to experience more out of life while dealing with weight issues and a heart condition was the catalyst for starting this blog that features both routes and small town destinations across America. The blog is named after the U.S. Highways numbers 1 to 100.

The blog covers routes in the Eastern, Central and Western sections of the country as well as travel for enrichment and wellness, travel tips, reviews and itineraries. Most of the blog focuses on family travel, but also touches on the out of the way places that are worth visiting during a road trip. For some reason, I'm dying to take the teardrop to Wall Drug in South Dakota.

Photos by Shannon Entin

Friday Teardrop Photo

From one of my new favorite sites comes this photo of a homemade teardrop trailer...for a dog. Maggie's owner wanted to keep his dog safe while traveling around the country with her and his motorcycle. Maggie has her own 2.5x4 foot trailer that weighs 225 lbs. The little trailer, cut with a CNC router, has rigid foam insulation, interior padding, a front porthole and even a little step for Maggie to jump into her trailer.

Photo and story by Do It Yourself RV

Burning Man Teardrop Camp Setup

The Sunflower is heading out to Burning Man this week for her 6th year out on the Playa. There will be several teardrop campers out there this year including my friends from Trailer Trash Camp. I wrote a post last year about how to bring your teardrop trailer out to the desert event.


This took a while, but we finally got a video of us setting up our camp for Burning Man 2012. Our teardrop friends, the Stargazers, joined us and we took a timelapse of what it's like to set up camp at Burning Man. Our camp configuration changes every year, but that year it was nice to have two "bedroom" teardrop trailers and a central living room and lounging area.

Long, Long Honeymoon Meetup in Marrakech

I'm finally back from my long trip to Spain and Morocco. It was a true adventure with lots of tapas and Spanish cider, camel treks, crazy Moroccan drivers and souks, but I'm glad to be back in time for camping season. On our travels through Marrakech we were so lucky (and stunned) to run into fellow campers and travelers, Sean and Kristy Michael of the Long, Long Honeymoon blog and video series.

Sean and Kristy have traveled and camped around the entire country in their Airstream Classic and their video series is one of my favorites on the Web. While their aluminum trailer is much larger and more luxurious than a teardrop trailer, their videos on their love of camping, the outdoors and their helpful tips are entertaining, detailed and beautifully filmed. In fact, it was their videos of Grand Teton that inspired us to stay in the same campground.

Photo courtesy of Sean and Kristy Michael

Updated Google Maps

A few months ago, Google updated their online maps to be more interactive, easier to use and better integrated with Google photos and Google Earth. This makes deciding where to tow your teardrop much easier. You can even sign in to your Google account and star specific areas that you can pull up again on your phone or other mobile device.

Each map you pull up is now entirely interactive. Clicking anywhere on the map will focus the location and show you local sites, related places and the best way to get there. Speaking of the best way to get places, the maps now compares multiple modes of transportation (bike, drive and public transit) and the traffic areas affected. You can indicate what time of day you want to see and the map will show easy flow traffic (green lines) and more congested traffic (orange and red lines).

 The new Google Maps still shows you street views and photos, but in a more condensed and easy-to-see form. Just click on the little yellow person on the lower right hand corner and and click on the street area you want to see. Click "Back to Map" on the lower left hand corner to return. To search for specific places, e.g. "gas" or "Starbucks",  just type it into the search bar on the upper left corner.

At any time you can click on "Explore" to see photos of your specific area. When you scroll over a photo on the bottom bar, an interactive line will appear indicating where that landmark is located on the map. Clicking on the photo will bring up a larger version.

 

Before heading out on a road trip, I like to not only get ideas about where to go, but I like to have a comprehensive idea of what an area looks like and where specific things like airports, mountain ranges, campgrounds, lakes and towns are. Mapquest is a great way to get specific directions, but I think Google Maps does a better job at giving a "big picture" view of a new location to explore.

Review: Historic Camping & Teardrop Trailers DVD

Mark Janke of Overland Trailer recently sent me a DVD he created on teardrop trailers and their role in the history of camping. The 46-minute DVD, Historic Camping & Teardrop Trailers covers everything from the history of camping, small campers, Mark's own build, manufacturers and restorers all with a little American history thrown in. The soundtrack is a nice highlight and the Glacier National Park footage was incredible.

This DVD might be one of the most comprehensive videos on teardrop trailers and their history. I really enjoyed watching it and looking at some trailers I'd never seen before. In the video, Mark crosses the country in his own trailer doing interviews with historians and teardrop owners, park rangers, teardrop restorers and adults who grew up camping in the tiny trailers. I was most impressed with the historic footage and photos that Mark was able to dig up from the U.S. Library of Congress and Ford Motor Company.

One of the DVD highlights was a great interview with Debra Kellerman and her restored teardrop trailers. Debra began to restore trailers after a long emotional career working with people and wanted something totally different. Her initial experience with standard RVs was not positive, but her love of all things vintage brought her to teardrop trailers and her current Benroy, Kampster and Kit.

"For me it's a passage in my life, it was permitting me to work with my hands and do something completely different," Debra says in the DVD. "Now I can actually go camping in comfort, but keep the creatures of comfort to a minimum."

Mark also visits the Camp-Inn factory in Wisconsin where the owners show the various configurations of the Camp-Inn as well as the manufacturing area.

"What I'm really proud of is when our customers come to pick up their trailers, and the look on their face of admiration and enthusiasm makes it all worth it," Craig Edevold, co-founder of Camp-Inn, said.

The DVD ends with a visit to the RV and Motorhome Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana where Mark checks out the world's oldest RV towed with a Model T, various vintage trailers and pre-WWII homebuilt trailers. Mark finishes up the DVD with some great footage from Larry Shank and his family's homebuilt teardrop trailer, built after WWII.

As a teacher, Mark created the DVD to be used for educational purposes. When you purchase the DVD, funds are provided to send copies to high school educators. Over 170 schools around the world have copies of the DVD.

The outtakes are funny too.

DVD stills courtesy of Mark Janke and Overland Trailer

Featured Teardrop: Leah and Amelia's Alligator

Leah Houghtaling is a Jill of All Trades. When she's not running her cocktail bar, Felicia's Atomic Lounge, with her partner Amelia in Ithaca, NY, Leah is creating woodworking projects with her Groove Woodworking business. Her woodworking skills took her into the world of teardrop trailers when she decided to build a trailer to enjoy the outdoors in more comfort. Leah and Amelia have documented their "Alligator" build and their various trips on their blog. Leah was also kind enough to give me some more information on their handmade trailer (with a galley measured by a Grey Goose bottle) and their next building project.

 Tell me a little about yourself.

I'm a woodworker, a banjo player and a cocktail lounge owner (Felicia's Atomic Lounge). I like to create things, whether it's a cocktail or a piece of furniture.

Why did you decide to build your own teardrop trailer? What did you know about the trailers before you started?

l love the outdoors and camping, but the older I get, the less appealing it is to sleep on the ground. I didn't know anything about trailers or teardrops. I looked at a few and decided why buy one when I could build one (that seems to be one of my life mantras). I'm the person who thinks, I want ______, then I figure out how to build it. If you can think it, you can make it. Do it.

 What did you like most and least about the building process?

There's nothing I didn't like about building the Teardrop. I think many people are scared of failing when trying new things. For me, making mistakes is part of the process of learning. There is no success without perceived failure. I messed up some things here and there and learned how to fix it. Every time I turned around, there was something else to figure out: How can I keep this from falling apart when I'm barreling down the highway at 65 mph? How do I wire 12 volt electricity? How do I install a solar panel? How do I bend this aluminum angle iron to match the curve of the teardrop? (Hint: A blow torch was involved.) The Internet was my best friend.

What details and functionality did you want in your teardrop?

I wanted to be true to the original tiny teardrops: How small could I make it and still be comfortable? My wife insisted it hold a full-size bed so we wouldn't have to compromise comfort for a custom mattress, so it's five feet wide. This was a great decision. It is light enough for our 4-cylinder truck to pull and there's a door on each side so we don't have to crawl over each other. I insulated the entire thing so we are warm even if it's 25 degrees outsides, and installed a fan in the ceiling to keep it cool on hot nights. I also hooked up a solar panel so we can be entirely off the grid.

The design of the galley was inspired by my love of eating and drinking. If we're going to be camping, then darn it, we're going to eat well!

When designing the galley cupboards, the first thing I did was find the tallest bottle of liquor I could find (Grey Goose) and used it to determine the height of the cupboards. I vertically mounted draw slides for the cupboard doors so they opened up, not out, therefore not interfering with counter space when they were open. I'm a woodworker, so I used a lot of different species of hardwood in the galley which adds to its character. The counter is a butternut slab.

What do you like best about teardrop camping? What do you like the least?

The freedom! We've got a vacation home on wheels with no mortgage payments, stocked with everything we need, and we can go anywhere we want. We're essentially tent camping in a hard shell, so we are protected from the elements, and from bears (small bears).

What I like least is campers with no awareness and respect for their surroundings or the campers around them. Things like playing a guitar through an amp in their campsite, bringing a barking dog, playing bongo drums into the wee hours. And cold rain, cold rain sucks. I've done...some....ahem, "things"...to remedy these situations.  I can't tell you what, but it felt good!!


Where do you like to go camping? What's on your bucket list?

Maine and the Adirondacks are my favorites. We spend January in Florida; this year we'll go as far as the Keys. We'd love to get out to the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, and Texas.


What are some of your favorite camping items or products?

Ball jars. Camp Chef stove. French press. Manual coffee grinder. Coleman camp oven (bread!). Ball jars. LL Bean nylon tarp. Old school folding lawn chairs. Ball jars. Mimosas with fresh squeezed orange juice (in ball jars). Bicycles. Head lamp. Solar lights. Rechargeable batteries.  Did I mention Ball jars? A good bottle of Cognac. A side of Ball jar.

Tell me a little about your latest trailer project.

My next teardrop design is inspired by our camping misadventures this past January in Central and Northern Florida. (Can you say "Polar Vortex?") We had multiple days and nights below 30 degrees with 30-40 mile an hour winds. While we were cozy laying in bed at night, there was nowhere warm to sit during the day so we sought shelter from the cold in various Barnes & Noble bookstores.

I'm staying with the teardrop shape though. I don't want to get too Rain Drop or Canned Ham, it'll be more of a Slouchy. The next teardrop will be six feet wide, twelve feet long, and five feet high, with a section of dropped floor next to the bed so we can stand up to change our clothes. There will be a separate small seating area inside. I'll still have an outdoor galley; I always love cooking outdoors. It'll be bigger, but it will still be a teardrop. I plan to start building it late spring or early summer.

You can follow the build progress on my blog.


Photos courtesy of Alligator Teardrop

Featured Teardrop: Overland Trailer

While researching the Teardrop Camping with Children article, I was charmed by the beautiful photographs shot by Mark Janke of Overland Trailer. His company designs and builds custom teardrop trailers, and his photos capture the beautiful places he and his family have camped in their own off-road jPod teardrop. The Overland Trailers were featured in the August 2013 Cool Tears Magazine and because Mark is a teacher and wanted others to learn more about teardrop trailers, he made a documentary on the history of the teardrop trailer and historic camping. Mark was kind enough to chat with me about his trailer, his favorite camp spots and and some great tips for newbie teardroppers.

How did you get into building and camping in teardrop trailers?

I built my first teardrop (the prototype on the Overland site) after buying a Jeep. My original plan was to get a roof top tent and rack (we like to camp out in the wilderness and a rooftop tent can keep big furry creatures at a distance). My friend Nathan (now business partner at Overland trailer) had one and I really liked it. However, my wife wanted to have children and didn't want to have to pack them up and down a ladder at night. Her wisdom prevailed.

I started searching for other solutions. Google spit out this result on a forum somewhere and I was suddenly taken with it. I'd seen teardrops before (in photos from my grandparents) but hadn't seen one for off-road use. So I modified the design, drew up some plans and worked on logistics for four months before actually spending a penny.

The way our business started was pretty much accidental. I was blogging about the entire prototype build so my dad (who was riding his bicycle across the the U.S. from Pacific to Atlantic to raise funds for American Lung) could keep up with my progress. One of my blog posts got picked up by Consumer Reports and traffic boomed. Then I made the documentary film to use in my classroom. From that film, I was recognized by our first customers while I was at a concert.  They practically demanded I make them a trailer.  I caught their passion, called Nathan, and I started a total overhaul of my previous design. That was our first sale.

The 58 Heald Model is named after our first customers!  I'm very happy to have named that line after them.  I'm also glad that their name wasn't Przbyszewski or something like that. That's a pretty tough marketing deal there!

What makes your teardrops unique or special?

We build with love! LOL! That's true, but often doesn't get someone to like our product any more than than another company's!

No, really there are a few things. We are the only company to skin our trailers with stainless steel. It is much more durable and doesn't tarnish while adding minimal weight over that of aluminum (about 30 lbs). We also have done some custom cabinetry (something that you can't get with a big box manufacturer). We offer a solid slide out bunk in the 8 foot trailer that our customers really like. We've also custom painted items like a camp stove to match the trailer.  Our overall idea is to be pretty true to the past while providing those things that people want in a teardrop camper today.

One last feature we have for our customers is a private photo gallery of their trailer being built. We also do live video streaming  and archived video footage of their trailer being built too. This way they can watch us paint the color they chose, install the custom cabinet they requested, and literally watch their idea and dream come to life.  Plus it is just fun for us to do!  I am a film maker, film teacher, and geek after all!

What do you like the most about teardrop camping?

In a practical sense: Small Mobility. I can take the Jeep and trailer out to 9,000 feet on a two track trail and still sleep on a flat mattress and eat fresh cinnamon rolls. Within five minutes of being parked, I'm set up and enjoying the scenery. I really like tent camping too but there is something to be said for the convenience of not having to find a level spot of ground, clear it, and spend 1/2 an hour setting up camp.

In an actual sense: Camping with my family. A teardrop is a good way to stay close with your family. My wife and I plus our two kids all sleep together in there and it is a great bonding experience. Those are the best memories. Plus, it is so convenient that camping with a five week old baby isn't a big deal (as you found on my site).

 What do you like the least about teardrop camping?

Having to go home. Seriously, I can't think of anything.  I've camped in 15 to 100 degree weather in many types of climates. We've traveled the U.S. and Canada in the trailer and plan to always do that. No big RV for us. Simple is less stressful.

What are some of your favorite camping supplies?

1. 10" Dutch oven
2. 10" Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
3. Engle Refrigerator
4. Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven
5. Welding gloves (for cooking and for use with hot dogs or marshmallows over a fire).
6. A box of ratchet straps (for tarps, clothes lines, hammocks, and to hold an axle on if it breaks.)
7. An Italian coffee maker
8. A camera or five
9. A shovel (to dig the jeep out and for Nature's calls when we're roughing it).

Where are your favorite places to go camping?

1. Glacier National Park is a favorite.  It's typical campground camping but the hiking and raw beauty is spectacular.

2. Lolo Motorway in the Nez Perce National Forest. It's a trail dating back to before Lewis and Clark and they actually used that trail. It is high altitude rough camping. There are people out there but it's pretty rare to see them. The unique part of that trail is that you can take a teardrop up to places that usually only backpackers can reach. Here's a video of our first trip out there.

3. Tahoe National Park. Recently I've been making some trips into Tahoe. Again, raw beauty jagged mountains, some burly hiking.

4. Banff National Park (Canada). Some great wildlife to be found there. Mostly private camping if you pick the right places.

5. Eldorado National Forest. I haven't camped here yet but this place is made for rough teardrop camping. There are thousands of dirt roads and trails.  I have all of the maps for the forest (six of them) and they cover my entire living room floor. Each map is covered with backcountry trails that are accessible by jeep and trailer. Fees? $10 per year for a camp fire...if you want one. I have a friend who was inspired to build his own teardrop after seeing mine and he's camped there a lot and likes it.

6. I also know of those secret back country areas on private land and have arrangements with owners or businesses to camp there. These are pretty great too!

What's your advice for first time tear-droppers?

Space in a teardrop is precious. This means you should pack efficiently. Before heading out on your first trip, stop at an office supply store and buy a pad of paper, a pen, and some little stickers. Everything you use in the trailer, on that first trip, gets a sticker. Write down any supplies that you wish you had packed. Then when you return home, remove all items without a sticker from the trailer. You may keep a few that you'll want in special circumstances (rain ponchos, etc). Then go to the store and buy those supplies that were on you list.  I'd start with backpacking supplies. Those supplies will often be compact, collapsible, and light.  Sometimes, though, they are a bit flimsy so shop with wisdom.

Also, take some mints for stinky breath (it is a small space after all).  I suppose if foot odors are also a problem, take care of that too. Most of all on the first trip, it's wise to leave the media devices at home. This will force you to really explore how the trailer works on a camping trip.  You will also be more "present" making observations. For my family, we've been camping like this for years and we do it to get away from all of the media and buzz.

 

Photos courtesy of Overland Trailer

The Five Best Music Albums for a Road Trip

One of my favorite things to do when we head out on the road for a teardrop trailer trip is to create a road trip playlist, or download a great music album to listen to full blast on the stereo. There are certain songs that just sound really good when you're speeding down a lonely desert highway. Here are five of my favorites.

Into the Wild

The movie soundtrack by Eddie Vedder not only profiles the singer's dusky, raw voice, but reflects the amazing outdoor scenes from the film. The movie, about Christopher McCandless's wanderings and fateful trip to Alaska, can be summarized in the best song on the album: "Hard Sun".

The Greatest: The Number Ones by Johnny Cash

If you are into vintage style when it comes to your teardrop trailer, you would have to love Johnny Cash. The Number Ones album covers his greatest songs including "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" and "Ring of Fire".

Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi

The boys from New Jersey are still going strong, but their 1986 album, Slippery When Wet, is the epitome of a road trip album. You can't help but turn up the volume when songs like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Raise Your Hands" come up. Just don't run off the road while headbanging.

Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers

After some rock and country, it's time to chill out with some reggae. The undisputed king of reggae's greatest hits includes the beautiful "Three Little Birds", "One Love" and "Redemption Song". Listen to this album with the windows down and a warm breeze blowing.

The Best of Jefferson Airplane

I just noticed that this list leans toward male performers, so I had to throw in Jefferson Airplane and the amazing vocals of Grace Slick (as well as the excellent guitars) in the Best of Jefferson Airplane album. From the instrumentals in "Embryonic Journey" to the trippy lyrics in "White Rabbit", this album will both calm and energize you. This album is for those teardroppers who love to decorate their trailer in tie-dye.