Tear drop trailer

pairofpears

Been looking at a few tear drop trailers over the weekend and hoping to rent one in July from Buckled Wheel in Fethard.

Has anyone built one up themselves as they look to be a manageable enough project if planned properly from blogs I have written. Looking to see if others have made them at home to get any tips and tricks.

My thoughts for one would be an Ifor Williams flat 10ft x 5ft trailer as the base chassis using the plywood floor as the base floor for the tear drop itself. Would have an aluminium frame welded up and wrap it in aluminium sheeting for the outer skin. Would put a breathable membrane inside this then line the frame with insulation and cover that with a moisture resistant mdf for the inner walls. Wiring would be basic enough so would run the wiring through the frame with charging ports and some lights inside and out. Would make the galley up out of a moisture resistant mdf and spray paint up similar to the Bean Stock trailer as it seems very smart in its design.

I would also put a battery/tool box on the front of the trailer and a towbar on the back of it for a bike rack. Would have to have a roof rack as well for it and thats where the design would get trick as I would like the roof rack to be an extension of the aluminium frame but sealing the holes around the protruding metal may prove the hardest point. Would be simple enough to seal if I dodnt go with a roof rack in my opinion but I would ahve to have a roof tent for the kids.

Am I missing anything major?

dory

http://www.tnttt.com/ IS a great website for information on all thing teardrops.

I absolutely love them. I would love to get one and then get an awning to cook in.

There's lots of people on youtube who make them. I watched a lot of videos by a guy called Camp and Camera.

I spoke to someone about making one and they said you'd have to be very good to be able to make one that will withstand the Irish dampness.

The law is the trailer has to be tested if made after 2012. Now, how they'll know when it's made....

I'd love to try making one. I'm afraid half of it will blow off on the motorway. There's a company that sells kits, but they probably don't ship to Ireland.

pairofpears

Do you know the name of the company making the kits?
I saw a video of a manufacturer saying on the inside of the aluminium skin where it meets the frame they use a double sided butyl putty tape and then where the aluminium skin over laps from the roof to the wall they use another strip of tape and then rivet a strip of angle down onto that into the frame. Those guys were in Canada so they deal with snow but moisture is moisture so their sealing idea should hold up for Irish conditions.
I have a few engineering companies near me so if I got cad drawings done I could get the frame welded together and some of the sheeting cut to size. I would try an aluminium frame to keep weight down but an Ifor Williams 10x5 trailer wont fly away on you either.
I would buy the door in from an American company that does them so its sealed correctly and cut the side wall to suit the door and not the other way around.
Strangely enough my wife is all for this project.

dory

And why wouldn't she! Lots of women (myself included) love camping!


Chesapeake is the name of the company. https://www.clcboats.com/teardrop
It's not cheap, but they're really nice to look at.

I see a guy on DoneDeal is selling a very basic one for €3k. I'd be tempted. Better to build it yourself if you have the skills so you'd know how well its insulated.

pairofpears

She loves camping its just any project I usually come up with gets rejected so its strange she will allow this one.

Theres a guy in NI who makes a fibreglass kit or the full unit if required. The kit starts at 2k GBP. Irishrovercampers on Instagram and Facebook.

Kellys of Dublin in Santry make them as well and they come in at about €8k. Kellys wont be making them until March they told me yesterday.