After spending the last year scouring the net for data and lurking in various forums, I have decided to pull the trigger and start building a Teardrop trailer.

I remember seeing these little trailers as a kid at many of the car shows my dad and I would go to. Most of them were setup to compliment their tow vehicle with really nice paint jobs and lots of chrome. I remember thinking how cool it would be traveling from car show to car show, living out of trailer. There was also a guy, who lived around the corner from our first place, who, over the period of a year or so, hand built a 20' AirStream type travel trailer. At the time I didn't have the space (or the skills) to even think of undertaking such a project, but I filed it in the back of my mind as something I would like to do in the future.

Flash forward to more recent times and I now have enough space, I've honed my woodworking skills enough to consider myself proficient, I have basic CAD and welding skills (that I acquired when going back to ARC to get my AS in Mechtronics) and I am old enough to appreciate no longer sleeping on the ground while camping. But building a full travel trailer is a BIG project, so to make sure I have the skills (and patience) to complete such a project, I need a slightly smaller project to start with. Thinking back to those cool little trailers at the car shows, I remember them having many of the same components that a big camper has, just in a much smaller package. Exactly the type of project I am looking for.

Searching the net, looking for any data I can find on these trailers, I have learned that the trailers are called teardrops, and most are based around plans first published in magazines, like Mechanix Illustrated, back in the 30's and 40's. Through these searches I found Larry and Diane's Outback Teardrop Trailer. Though a little more robust than what I need, it looks like the perfect trailer for quick, last minute camping trips. Reading their blog I have become convinced that a teardrop is the way to go - both to satisfy my urge to build my own travel trailer and as a way to get us out camping more often.

Depending on cash flow, I figure it will take 12 - 18 months to completely finish the project, but hopefully we'll be taking it on some nearby camping trips before then.

I will use these pages to document my trials and tribulations in an effort to help some future builder with their build. Because of the length and complexity of the project, I have separate pages for each section of the build and will add to each of these sections as I complete more of that part of the project.

• Teardrop Sites
• The Plan
• Tools
• Trailer
• Materials
• Body/Hatch
• Materials
• Cabin/Galley
• Materials