This month there are two stories/testimonials that we’d like to share.  The first is from Doug and his dog, RockC, and the second from Ann and the last from Mike.

Doug

Just got home from our road trip. 4800 miles through MO,IA,NB,SD,MT,WY, ID,UT,CO,AR,NM,KS.

Me and the dog had a wonderful time and it was so much fun with our Little Guy Teardrop Trailer.

We met so many fellow travelers, nice folks who just wanted to check out our little camper. From riders on motorcycles to families in self contained motorhomes, they all wanted to check out our rig. I was proud of it. And during the storms, rain and rough roads we traveled, it handled and pulled just fine. I took it places in central Colorado that I should have been in a Jeep!      And…… I slept great everynite.

I am a happy camper.  I’ve got the road atlas out. Planning my next road trip.  BTW, I pulled my 4 wide with a 2wd,4 cylinder Ranger PU. Have not figured my gas mileage yet. But it’s around 22 mpg with a canoe on the roof all the way.

And thanks for your newsletter,

see ya later………..doug and RockC

Ann

I’ve been the talk of the neighborhood since my Little Guy arrived.  There was a crowd watching the unload, then visitors, visitors and more visitors.  I’m still the talk as everyone wants to know when my next trip will be.

On the first trip, to SC, a couple came over and wanted to look.  They did and I gave them a brochure.  On the second trip over Thanksgiving, 2 different groups wanted to see.  They both got brochures.  A couple of my neighbors also wanted brochures.  I’m keeping the last one so I can give people information.

I’ve recently joined Tear Jerkers, which I’m sure you’ve heard of.  So now I have to plan my weekends carefully.  Quite an active group–with a tremendous sense of humor.

My “Journeys with The Bug and Buggy” album has just started but I thought you might want to see what I look like, what Watson the dog (who hates riding in cars) looks like and what I have done to the inside.  Enjoy and use the photos as you wish.

Thanks again for your patience and support and for my little Buggy!
Ann Shirey

Mike

I just returned to Iraq after my 15 day R&R. We stayed 14 days in the Little Guy. We went all over Alaska. We are avid campers and this was the best camping trip I have ever had. The camper was great, both my wife and son loved it. After being away for 10 months I could not dream of a better way to reconnect. I wish I had known about these campers years ago. When things slow down I will put a review on your WEB site. Thanks for all the help getting the camper to Alaska, it made for a great time with the family and I cannot wait for next summer.  If you need anything from Alaska just let me know.

Mike

This story was contributed by Dr. Sharon and Bob Richart from Parish, FL.  We found it to be so liberating, that no matter your RV, teardrop or fifth wheeler, the spirit of adventure lives on and must be shared.  Without further adieu…

The Inspiration

It all started back in September of 2000 when I was living in Torrance, CA. I was looking for plans to build a camper for my Nissan pickup so I could be a little more comfortable while I explored the natural wonders of sunny southern California. After a short search on the Internet with little results, I thought I would take a look for camping trailer plans. It was during that search that I saw my first teardrop. I was intrigued by the compact size and functionality of the teardrop design. After spending the entire night starring at my computer and looking at hundreds of photos I decided that I would indeed build a teardrop.

Searching for Plans

Now that the decision was made all I needed was suitable plans to begin construction. I bought a $60 set of plans for a KIT replica I found online and anxiously awaited their arrival. Disappointed by what I got, I found myself creating my own design by combining the back half of the KIT profile with the chassis design of Larry Sorensen’s Outback Teardrop. Builders today have a much wider selection including some excellent plans from Kevin Hauser at Kuffel Creek.

Construction

I set out ordering axles, wheels, lights, metal, wood and everything else needed to complete my teardrop and waited for the materials to arrive. With every intention of documenting my project like Larry did, I began to build the trailer on my patio and moved to the shared garage of my townhouse once the chassis was complete. As the work progressed, I found myself less intent on the documentation than on the completion of the project (sound familiar to anyone out there). With lots of help and encouragement from Larry, Grant Whipp, and countless others on the discussion board, my completed teardrop rolled out of the garage in time for the Southern California Touring Teardrops Gathering held at Sweetwater County Park in March of 2001.

I have included photos of the original construction and ongoing modifications on the Construction page.

Epilogue

The experience and satisfaction of building and using this little trailer has been priceless. From the challenges of construction to the adventures I have had, I do not regret for one second the decision I made.

To all of my friends in the teardrop community I say thank you and may you always enjoy your teardrop time!

I gave this trailer to my youngest son John in the spring of 2009.

This story was contributed by Barry and Monique Zander, courtesy of RV.net.  We found it to be so liberating, that no matter your RV, teardrop or fifth wheeler, the spirit of adventure lives on and must be shared.  Without further adieu…

We departed Orange County last Friday, eager to begin our on-the-road adventure toward Alaska by staying at an RV park in the Inland Empire of California.  As we headed toward our destination, Monique declared, “Let’s just go!” And two hours later, we were battling a poorly designed dirt entry into a campsite in Red River Canyon State Park, very few miles from Death Valley.

The freedom to not be driven by schedules and calendars is what we consider one of the greatest blessings of our blessed lives. We celebrated our decision to change plans by enjoying a Happy-Hour-for-Two amid temperate breezes that whipped around among the surrounding walls of sandstone etched for millennia by wind, heat and long-forgotten rain.

If you’re a full-timer or RV extensively, you might know the exhilaration of this benefit of the nomadic life.  If you’re still bound by obligations around home but are planning to transition to extended RVing, or still trying to decide whether to make your move, I’ll clue you in on what it took for us.

First of all, Monique and I had the advantage of being in complete agreement on the idea of traveling full-time.  On the road, we meet so many couples who are trying to make it work, even though one member of “the team” is determined to return to a “normal” lifestyle.  Some of those folks have been putting up with compromises for years, and somehow they are still speaking to each other (at least when we’re around).

When Monique proposed our life on the road and I quickly agreed, we began by setting a timeline from that day until we embarked on our journey.  Some of the biggest issues we faced were:  1) separating from our family and jobs; 2) deciding what type of RV to buy, and then what kind of truck to buy to pull it (Monique’s main requirement was a quiet motor and Bose speakers); 3) selling our home; and 4) planning where we wanted to go.

1)      Our timeline included dates for telling our families – we had to tell our seven children, my mother and sister that even if we are crazy, we still intended to go through with our plan.  As for our careers, we both enjoyed providing service to people who appreciated us, with employers who valued us.  Telling them about our decision was hard to do.  We planned it every step of the way to build support before going to those we expected to be less agreeable.

2)      When you are ready to choose an RV, don’t do it without asking lots of questions.  Ol’ Walt, who sold us our first trailer, told us about the couple who bought a pop-up, along with an electric frying pan, toaster, hair dryer, percolator and more.  They returned the next Monday to get an RV that suited them better.  A diesel pusher with granite counter tops may be the life you’re accustomed to, but it may restrict your traveling because of size and operating costs.  We meet people every week happy to have chosen a van conversion, a cab-over, C-Class, a fifth wheel, motor home or a travel trailer.  It’s all about what you hope to do with your RV and the places you want to stay… resort versus primitive, for example.

3)      The hardest part was preparing the house for sale, which was no different for us than for just about anyone else trying to get the most bucks for their home.  We did numerous repairs and sacrificed many valued things that were parts of our lives before calling in a private property inspector.  Next, we interviewed the top Realtors in our area – each one was a revelation!  We sorted, packed and tried to stay calm.  A prospective buyer said “Yes, I want it,” one day after our time-line date.

4)      And the easiest part is where to go.  We meet people who want to go to every major league stadium, every presidential library, every national park, every state capitol, and more often a rotation among their grandchildren’s hometowns.  We have set our sites on camping in every state, with Alaska this year being our 36^th.  No rush.  Meanwhile, we are also looking for the place where we want to live when it’s time to put on the brakes, at least as full-timers.  Part of the joy of looking is that it encourages us to get to know the locals and hear what’s so great about where they live.

We find that the biggest obstacles to living on the road, after you’ve found the financial resources, are health and health insurance.  Although we are healthy and have good health coverage, we know that these are the issues that present the most problems for many wanna-be RVers.  We hope it works out for you.

A camper by the name of Dermott told us early-on, “Without courage, there is no freedom; without freedom, there is no happiness.”

I purchased my Little Guy a few months ago and took my first trip, of any length, during the early part of Oct.– My trip was from Oregon through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Mich. and Wisc.–Total round trip took 3 weeks, traveling 5,200 miles.

This was an inspiring trip for a recently widowed, 74 year old fellow who has always relied upon motels for traveling accommodations. I can’t say enough about the convenience, fun and relaxing experiences this trip afforded me. I went through: snow, rain and wind over the length of the trip and the Little Guy handled without incident. When the weather overcame me with little or no notice, I had no problem finding a place to put down for the night or until the weather pattern changed to more favorable conditions. —Looking forward to my next adventure in the springtime, mainly so I can spend
more time cooking my own meals on the road. I’m in the planning stage of putting together another trip in the Spring. High desert of Oregon to Death Valley, Yosemite, Grand Canyon with a visit to New Mexico and return.

Dean Hatfield
Roseburg, Oregon

By Ken Masden (TOWline25, teardrops.org)

This was our first vintage rally where we actually showed a vintage trailer. It was the 1935 Masterbilt being towed by our 1936 Oldsmobile convertible sedan. Of course Marty and I were just glad to be there basking in the glow of our trailer being shown (having just completed the trailer the day before leaving for Deming and having a few car problems on the way up). There was a steady stream of folks through the trailer with lots of favorable comments. Everyone was amazed by the bathtub. Most everyone took a look through the scrap book Trudy Glassett so kindly made for us and were amazed as to how bad the trailer looked when we drug it home, then when Rod Glassett tore it completely apart and then how nice it came back together. Rod really did most of the “back together” part. Then my friend and neighbor Alan Whitney and I did a lot of work on windows and other details. Ed Kelson did the beautiful exterior paint job and Doug Cronn did the interior paint (which also turned out great). Marty’s friend Carol made our curtains for the final touch. Doug Keister sent us eight great photos he took of the car and trailer at the rally that will be added to the scrap book. The weather was hot and muggy, but everyone was having fun. The speakers did great. Doug Keister’s presentation was superb. Doug autographed his new book Teardrops and Tiny Trailers for everyone. Forrest Bone with TCT did a fine presentation also. The potluck went well with plenty for everyone. The desert potluck went fine also. Pat Ewing, our host, said he was more relaxed than ever before and thus able to enjoy the rally this year. The car died (or almost died) about five times on way to the rally. I think the fuel pump may be weak. After the first time, I figured out that I could hit the electric fuel pump switch and hold it long enough to climb hills and/or accelerate. I also learned how much gas I could give it before it conked out.

During the rally, I took a couple of guys into town. The car died, but Bob Johnson was with me. He had us going again after (hopefully) fixing it for good. Del Little was along also and helped diagnose the electrical problem that we had (not just the weak fuel pump issue this time).

We had no car problems on the way home. This time the Birleys and Jacobsons followed us down the highway. Just to be safe!

I thought this was the best meet that Pat and Joanne have ever hosted. We spent most of the time showing our Masterbilt. Gary and Sally Lodholm’s trailer was beautiful and big crowd draw also. There may have been more trailers than ever before and such a variety too.. So many beautiful ones, we didn’t know where to start looking. We loved the beautiful wood interiors on a lot of trailers. Many were as beautiful as one would see in a fine yacht. It was a great rally – fun to get together with old friends and make new friends. Thanks to Pat and Joanne Ewing (and the many volunteers who helped them make the rally a great success)! A good time was had by all!

“I have always been a fairly keen camper; Scouts, Army and time in PNG. I started with a modest camp kit, slowly building it up, getting the bug to buy more and more stuff, competing with friends for ownership of the latest and best camp gadgetry until someone remarked – “You don’t go camping, you move house for the weekend!”

I got sick and tired of the planning, then the set up and horror upon horror the pack up and clean up when you got home.

I have been interested in a camper trailer for a number of years, making my annual pilgrimage to the Camping and Caravan Show, tantalizing myself looking at all the latest offerings none of which I could afford. Not only that, but I didn’t see anything that interested me or which I felt offered the versatility sufficient enough to motivate me in the direction of my trusty bank loans officer.

Then one day I bought a copy of the Campertrailer Guide. Whilst pleasantly engaged leafing through the comprehensive and spectacularly expensive range of camper trailers on offer, I turned the page and nearly dropped the magazine. There was this miniature caravan, perfect in every detail offering a world of escapism without the need for a 100 series V8 Landcruiser or a Ford F250.

As I had recently disposed of a very nice but costly 4WD myself, and now parked a very modest and rather elderly Toyota Camry in my garage, the size of this tiny caravan was very appealing. Not only that but how handy it would be for those overnight BBQ’s where you either don’t drink, catch a cab home or wake up stiff and sore after a night spent on the lounge room floor!

I sent an E-mail to the address on the article and made an appointment to see for myself the following Saturday. I wasn’t disappointed. As soon as I saw the Teardrop Campers I knew I had to have one. It wasn’t long before Reiner (Who makes them) and Sam (His Lady) were showing me all the ins and outs the Teardrop had to offer. It must have been my lucky day because Reiner had a demo model for sale considerably cheaper than the usual price. I lost no time in convincing my bank manager that a Teardrop Camper was the most vital item necessary to survive the next ten years, and picked up my new pride and joy a week later.

I have every intention of travelling extensively with the T/D (Not the Camry) and to this end have installed a full battery system with solar panel, made improvements to the kitchen and generally customized it to suit myself. I have taken it out camping on every opportunity and it has performed as well as or beyond my expectations. It’s comfortable and convenient, easy and hassle free. It is certainly not one of those things which will sit in the back yard because of the drama involved in moving it.

Your Fellow Teardropper

Leigh