# Teardrop camper made of wood



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Nice looking. But it's a teardrop, which means it's a place to sleep, and it sure beats putting up and taking down a tent, especially if it is raining. There is a cooking area, but it's at the back, and outside. Another bummer if it's raining. Can't stand up inside, and all the space inside is pretty much taken up by the mattress. If you don't care for this build, then do an on-line search and you'll find dozens upon dozens of free plans, dating as far back as the 30s, maybe more.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Te...-Wood/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

They are neat trailers, but if I were going to make one, I'd make it a little long, and at least enough to be able to stand in it. I'd make darn sure to have space enough for a composting toilet too. We had an outdoor loo until I was in the 7th grade, and believe me, it is NOT fun going out in a driving rain, blizzard, or dead of night. You don't need a shower, you can always take a sponge bath. But I consider an indoor loo a downright necessity, not a luxury.

Here's a couple of examples of larger teardrops, even a pop top version. I like the steampunk model. The square one is a Casual Turtle, not a teardrop.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

My family and I tent camped for years and never had any real problems. We would set up the tent, put a screen shelter over the picnic table and put a huge tarp over the whole schmear, put down a piece of Astroturf between the picnic area and the tent so we had a dry place if it did rain. The only thing about camping, either with a tent, camper or motor home, Mama still had to cook, clean, etc. Yes, we also helped. Not much of a vacation for her. A friend once said that his idea of roughing it was staying in a motel with a black-and-white TV. Haven't camped in years as the wife has back trouble; sleeping on the ground or even a cot doesn't do her any good.
Those teardrop campers are seen more and more frequently. Lightweight so they can be pulled by the smaller vehicles.
My uncle had a little Serro Scotty (remember those?) that he used when he went to the New Jersey coast for surf fishing. It sat in the back yard and served as a man cave for listening to the Phillies while enjoying a Rolling Rock brew.
Edit- My wife, several years ago, called me to the living room. There was a club rally of people who salvaged campers from the 40s and 50s, restored them to original. Some were quite elegant with stained wood inside- no paneling, either.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Knothead47 said:


> My uncle had a little Serro Scotty (remember those?) that he used when he went to the New Jersey coast for surf fishing. It sat in the back yard and served as a man cave for listening to the Phillies while enjoying a Rolling Rock brew.


Remember them? I don't know if they are still making them, or started again, but check this out. I like the Sportsman myself. https://serroscottytrailers.com/ Remember Rolling Rock too, they still make it, but apparently it is not as popular as it once was. Good brew. 

I'm too damn old anymore, and a bad back, and just don't want to mess with a tent. Or a trailer. When/if I do get something I can do some traveling with I want something self-contained, maybe put a high top on a Suburban or van. I want something I can leave the driver's seat, and go to the loo, eat, relax, sleep, whatever, all inside. Also, figure if I do get something and start traveling, it is possible I will be camping in bear country on occasion. I want something more than a tent between me and one of them. Never have liked being around things willing to eat me. But whatever I wind up with, I want something I can stand up in.


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## Garyk (Dec 29, 2011)

It's semantics I know but we have lived in a motorhome for a while now and every time my wife says we are "camping" I gently reminder her that camping in when you take everything with you , usually on your back. Trailers and motorhomes are RVing. lol Now days all most All manufacturers have their own version of small trailers as that has become more popular with the younger generation. We started out using a a trailer with a pop up tent when our kids were young and thoroughly enjoyed those years. Now this sucker I have is a money pit and FOR SALE. I never had to change the oil, service the tranny, carry outrageous insurance, dodge idiots that cut you off (12 tons doesn't stop quickly) nor have a "special license" that our state requires. And that's the short list. So the simplicity of the teardrop has its endearing qualities. Even the pop ups now have a shower and a "loo" lol On the upside, my steps automatically come out and I can walk upright into my "camper". I'm too old to slither in like a snake. It's all in how you look at it.. (I do have side bays to carry my Router)


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

I think a self-contained outfit is the way to go. But, if I had to have a trailer, I know just what I want. A workable boat, on a trailer. Not an open boat, but one with all the amenities, indoor loo, heat in the winter, cooking area, etc. Wooden, and self-built, so I get what I want, not what someone else thinks I want. Nothing huge, but towable by a pickup or standard size SUV or car. That is my idea of trailer camper.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I camped when I was young. Hated it then, despise it now. Give me an OK hotel or motel room instead. My wife keeps making camping noises, even thought about a teardrop. She came to her senses when nature started calling suddenly and frequently.

Sleeping under the stars is nice, as long as there's a roof and maybe a couple of floors between me and the sky. And I don't like some of the critters out there. My wife and I used to live by a park that followed a sream that flowed down a narrow valley where two hikers were killed by pumas. Nature? Humbug!


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

DesertRatTom said:


> She came to her senses when nature started calling suddenly and frequently.
> I used to live by a park that followed a sream that flowed down a narrow valley where two hikers were killed by pumas. Nature? Humbug!


I used to be on a Tiny House forum. Those people would ooh and aah about some "cute" little house, with no indoor toilet. I used to tell them it ain't fun going outside, and go into details. They kicked me off, and I still can't figure out why.
>

I was thinking more along the lines of bears, but pumas pretty much fit in the same category. Which is one reason I want something with a hard shell, and to be able to leave the driver's seat, use the loo, whatever, without getting out, until I stop at a gas station, diner, or such. Now 'that' is proper camping. in my book.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

JOAT said:


> I used to be on a Tiny House forum. Those people would ooh and aah about some "cute" little house, with no indoor toilet. I used to tell them it ain't fun going outside, and go into details. They kicked me off, and I still can't figure out why.
> >
> 
> I was thinking more along the lines of bears, but pumas pretty much fit in the same category. Which is one reason I want something with a hard shell, and to be able to leave the driver's seat, use the loo, whatever, without getting out, until I stop at a gas station, diner, or such. Now 'that' is proper camping. in my book.


Thanks for the wit and wisdom of Snuffy Smith and Al Capp.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

A lady related a story that she accompanied her brothers and father on an elk hunting trip in Idaho, if I recall the state. Yep, it was primitive camping. She had to go in the middle of the night. It startled her when the rock under her started moving! A land turtle protested at being awakened to a deluge.
I have a hard time understanding how people can live in a tiny house. My wife, two kids, me and and my parents spent a rainy weekend in my parents' motorhome. I was surprising that there wasn't a mass killing! Too small for six people.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Knothead47 said:


> My uncle had a little Serro Scotty (remember those?) that he used when he went to the New Jersey coast for surf fishing. It sat in the back yard and served as a man cave for listening to the Phillies while enjoying a Rolling Rock brew.


Serro's used to be built in Irwin Pa. bout a half hour away from me. I can still remember seeing all of those campers for sale on the hilliside. Then there is the old Rolling Rock brewery  in Latrobe Pa. 15 minutes in the other direction. I havn't had a drink in over 30 years, but when I did drink, Rolling Rock ponies on ice were as good as it got! The origin and purpose of the "33" remains a mystery...


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Rolling Rock, FWIW, was golfer Arnold Palmer's favorite. Many golf courses carried it for him when he played that venue. Latrobe was his hometown.


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