Let's talk Teardrop Trailers

That makes sense. My initial thought was that the table brackets were guides to make the galley removable. I figured that would be a bit of work.

I've been working on chuckbox v2.0 for my trailer. I got a new table saw a few months ago and now I'm playing around getting a feel for it. I will say, going from a dinky contractor saw to a 3hp cabinet saw is very nice. I also made a curtain for the fantastic fan to block the light, but when I ironed it it shrank and doesn't fit now So, looks like tomorrow I'll be making another curtain for the fantastic fan. I've got a whole list of little things I want to get done, but it's looking like we're going to try and get in a couple of short trips this winter, so I'm weighing what I want to tear into.

 

Welcome!

 

This is my Little Guy. I changed the suspension from a torsion to a Timbren Axel-less and changed the hubs to fit a Toyota 6 Lug. By doing that, it moved the wheels back and it pulls great.

 

The longest established overlandy teardrop manufactuer that I can think of is So-Cal Teardrops. They're based out of California but they have regional builders scattered around the US. If your location is correct, it looks like Michigan is the closest regional builder to you. They also have an agreement of some sort with Adventure Trailer. AT's teardrop is a SoCal body on an AT frame. AT only offers one model of teardrop whereas SoCal offers up quite a few for on road, off road and in between. The AT version comes with a trailing arm and airbag suspension while SoCal's offroad trailers are either leaf sprung or torsion axle. Both can be customized to a certain extent.

SoCal: https://www.socalteardrops.com/page.php?p=1&t=Home

AT: https://adventuretrailers.com/trailers/teardrop/

Camp Inn is another very well established builder. They don't do "offroad" trailers per say, but they do offer the SUV package which allows for slightly larger tires and a higher ride height. You would be a bit limited in tire selection though due to the fender design. Camp Inn's model 560 was the inspiration I used when building my trailer. http://tinycamper.com/ There are enough of 'em on the road that they also have an "unofficial" discussion forum http://campinnforum.com/community/ It isn't run by Camp Inn, but the people from Camp Inn are active members on it.

Also, fwiw, it looks like there's a new company called Vorsheer that is building a trailer remarkably similar to the Moby1, from the same building that Moby1 used to build out of, using at least four of the same employees. They are also actively denying any connection with Moby1. Their business license was created shortly before Moby1 closed shop. Coincidence? Hmmmm... I do find it interesting that their trailers start at 20k for the base model. There's also about a 10k price increase for each step up in trim, topping out at just shy of 40k. For a teardrop. Anyhow, here's their website for shits and giggles: https://www.vorsheershop.com/xoc

 

That's one heck of a fan you've got there Are those awnings ARB with an ARB add-a-room?

 

Hopefully people learned their lesson and won't buy anything from these guys. Starting a new company based on lies is a great business model.

 

That was July 4th in Texas. That fan was awesome lol. Yes both are the ARB awnings. One has the room, the other has the windbreak.

 

as promised, here is a few shots of the Power Dynamics PD4045. It distributes 12v and 120v. It also has a built in battery/trickle charger. I run an Optima deep cycle BlueTop and it charges it just fine



I left excess wiring so I could pull it out if I needed to work on it.


a shot from the top. No longer accessible this way since countertop installed now.


straight on shot without the battery. I added an extra 110v outlet under here and a 12v cut off switch. Like I mentioned above, I have extra wiring run(in a loop), so I could pull out the PD4045 to work on it if needed. All of this is tied up now and pretty

 

Thanks for the lead. The XS510 looks like a great option for me. https://www.socalteardrops.com/page.php?p=44

Their website doesn't have a page where you can configure one with the options you want and see the updated list price, but their "options" section includes everything I would want/need. The Michigan location is certainly closer to me than Utah, and I could make the round trip in a day. However, the address listed is residential - a house in the woods . Anyway, the price looks similar to Escapod, and they have more a-la-carte items to choose from - including giant fridge/freezers . The XS510 has 20" of ground clearance on 30" tires, while the Escapod has 18" on 31"s. I also like that it's running on tried and true leaf springs with adjustable shocks.

Anyway, it's always good to have more than one option, and now I do.

 

Does your rear hatch open all the way with that awning over it? I might get either an awning that can attach to the roof rack on my T@G or something like the PahaQue Wilderness Cottonwood XLT Shelter with Awnings

 

The awnings are on the side. The rear coverage is provided by a tarp and telescopic poles. The rear does open all the way with the tarp in this position. With that being said, you can position the tarp to angle down and use it as a wind break and still be able to open the rear hatch.

 

I haven't seen the Rhino-Rack Dome 1300 Awning on a teardrop but it might work. Little pricey though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0usrqHIupg

 

Glad I stumbled upon this thread. Trying to decide between a Boreas XT and a Timberleaf Off Road.





The Boreas is probably the better bang-for-your-buck as it's loaded with features. But the Timberleaf is a work of art.

 

Do I spy a package A/C unit? How do you like it? Did it keep you cool over July 4th?

 

Oh it was glorious. We had it set on 68 for the cabin and even in the hot sun, it was nice. It wasn't 68 in the camper, however, it was plenty cool to rest after a long ride. I really like it, the only part that's an issue with the climarite is the way it circulates the air. There are two cutouts in the trailer and both tubes hook up to them. One is for air going into the trailer, and one is a return to measure the air, to regulate the temperature in the cabin. Its not that big of a deal, until the wife isn't getting cool air blown on her.

 

Sub’d

 

Not a tear drop exactly. But these guys seems to make some cool trailers. Haven't had the chance to see them in person.

http://sunsettrailers.com
Not the best site

Sunray 139


Sunray 109

 

Very cool!

My criticism of most tow campers is always the same - the build quality stinks. I understand they're trying to come in at a reasonable price point. But they're all making sub-par build quality trailers and then just adding more features or making them bigger as the price goes up.

Where are the high-quality trailers with a few less features?

 

Yeah that's was a bit of contention with me. I could have gotten something larger for a lot less than I paid for my T@G but the build quality seemed to be there with nuCamp RV so I was like I'll give them a go. I was also limited on what I could tow at the time as I only had the Outback, which I'm not mad I have the Tacoma now and could have gotten the T@B 320, it kept me from going way more than I need.