My teardrop trailer project.

[Jesse McNew]

I am currently building a teardrop trailer to tow behind my car on camping trips. It is just big enough for me and my wife to sleep in. The "galley" is located in the back and is accessed from outside. There will be a hatch that closes over the galley... much like a hatchback car or station wagon.

In the close-up of the back of the cabinet door, you can see how I used pocket holes to attach the rails to the stiles. Pocket hole joinery was also used to build the face frame and to attach the face frame to the walls, floor, and counter top.

Pocket hole joinery was also used to attach the roof spars to the walls of the trailer.

[Derek]

What a unique project! I'd love to hear more about it. You can sleep in it, and there's extra storage in the cabinets? What will you keep in there? Camping supplies?

[Jesse McNew]

Derek, there's just enough room for two adults to lay down inside. There's enough headroom to sit up, but it's not tall enough to stand in. Inside, there will be a few cabinets for clothes and other small items. In the outside galley, there will be room for dry goods and cookware. There will not be any built-in plumbing, but there will be both 12v DC and 120v AC power wired in. There will be lights inside and out as well as a powered roof vent. There will be a door on either side. It will also have air conditioning.

Teardrop campers are gaining popularity (again). They were common after WWII, but they are becoming popular again since people want something they can tow behind a small car without hurting their fuel economy too much. My little Scion gets over 30 MPG towing the trailer on the highway.

Most teardrop campers are home-built, but there are a few commercial examples around, such as LittleGuy and T@B (tab). Some are very simple, and others have lots of add-ons, such as A/C, gas stoves, sinks, TVs, and I've even seen a few with bathrooms. Of course, some of the bigger ones might require a large car or a truck to pull, as they can get over 2,000 pounds.

[KregRep]

Great project, Jesse! Extremely unique application for the Kreg Jig. Hopefully you get a ton of use out of it and have a blast camping! Thanks for posting it... can't wait to see the finished result, and what you build next!

[Larwyn]

I used lots of pocket holes while building my teardrop trailer. There are no less than 32 pocket holes in the framing in the attached picture.

[Ron Ralph]

Did you use tongue-in-groove wood for the middle part of the doors?

Did you use a router to makes the rails and stiles?

I need to learn how to make doors. I can make cabinets without any problem. It's the raised panel doors that I have a problem with.

[Ron Ralph]

What do you plan on doing with the trailer once it's complete?

[Jesse McNew]

Yes, I used a router to round over the edges of the stiles and rails and also to cut a groove for the bead board. The bead board is tongue and groove. I didn't make it, I bought it at Home Depot where it is sold as wainscot. Those are the very first cabinet doors I ever made. I'm pretty pleased with them.

Ron Ralph said:

Did you use tongue-in-groove wood for the middle part of the doors?

Did you use a router to makes the rails and stiles?

I need to learn how to make doors. I can make cabinets without any problem. It's the raised panel doors that I have a problem with.

[Jesse McNew]

My wife and I will be using it for camping trips. We've got a baby on the way, so when we outgrow it, I'll probably sell it and make a slightly larger one. I'll be towing it with a subcompact car, so I can't make it too big/heavy. I'm estimating that it is going to weigh about 900 pounds when it is finished, which will be well within my car's 1,900 pound towing capacity... even with some camping gear stowed in it.

Ron Ralph said:

What do you plan on doing with the trailer once it's complete?

[Pete Ticknor]

Do you have any plans available for this great loking little travel trailer????

[Jesse McNew]

Go to the "Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailers" forum, then click on the "Generic Benroy Plans" link near the top of the page. My trailer is loosely based on that design. http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/



Pete Ticknor said:

Do you have any plans available for this great loking little travel trailer????