Tear Drop Plus

Our happy trails intercepted at Lost Dutchman State Park where I had a pleasant visit with the Arizona Tearjerkers. Scott's was the first one on site and we talked about the various merits of the super-small RV. They figured out how to pack in most things one might need and set it up for outside living. Doesn't take a lot of pull to put one of these on the road.

 Here's one of the plus trailers. This club is about teardrop trailers but they have several of these other trailers at their outings, being free-spirited about the concept. This one got a new skin job and it's even brighter than this photo suggests.









My camera work on the interior is inferior, but you can see the creative work of the owners. If you know what that shelf holding the lunch boxes was originally for the owner would like to know. It fits lunch boxes really well.

In high school I spent a little time riding in a Ford just about like this with Jay Yost. It was cool then and it's great to see it matched up with that super trailer it hauls.








Another of those 50s Fords, here with a teardrop. One man was selling DYI plans for trailers like this so you could have your own in a season or so. Below is still another variation on Ford that is  a nostalgic view of traveling.

Finally, this is the rig I considered when we first got the RV bug. A convertible puller (this one's top will retract) and a Travel Trailer. I just couldn't imagine traveling with one this small. These people are normal size, happy and camping well, and it was a sunny weekend in Arizona!

So if your car looks small and your budget is strapped, you might consider a teardrop trailer like the lady we met at the bar in Borrego Springs. She can't wait to put one on the back of her little car to head off on a road trip!

Rolling Home

In the backyard

What's to like about TC's (truck or travel campers, take your pick)? It varies according to where you live. Here's my checklist on the TC side: 1. No wheels! That means there are no tires to buy, no bearings to pack (every 2 years), no brakes to service, no alignment service, no blow outs to worry about and a minor point, no stupid little chrome hubs that rust 9 months after you change them! 2. In California there is no license or registration required for a TC. Hauling a TC is like a load of sand. That means no separate insurance & no special fees. Are you adding up the bucks on items 1 & 2? 3. When the RV use is over, remove the TC and you have a full-use truck for hauling. 4. Parking with a TC takes little more caution than parking the truck without it. The rearview mirrors are the widest part of the rig and unless your TC hangs out the back a lot, the length is about the same. 5. Fuel economy is much improved, I'm seeing 15% more miles in every gallon! Good for the pocket book, good for global warming! 6. Back up there with no-wheels I assume you noted there's no engine, no transmission, no coolant, etc. Hey, they all cost money to maintain! 7. Camp nearly anywhere as there are few campsites short of backpacking that don't provide enough space for a TC and getting into the space will require little of the special backing skills required with a trailer or motor home. This also works for storing at home. Often owners drop the TC to a rolling platform and push into the garage. I don't have a garage, but that sounds great. In my case, the #1 issue is getting home on a one-lane difficult road and the TC fits the bill here!

On the downside, TC's cost more per cubic inch than most other RV's. On the new end, we found our Travel Trailer was only a little more expensive at 25 feet as the same brand's campers. Seemed hard to understand then, and still seems high today. My friend Steve bought a huge used 30-foot motorhome for a few bucks more than our 16-foot TC. His has a V-10 engine, more doors, A/C lots of beds and windows and looks like a castle by comparison. So if larger matters to you a TC is not going to do the job.

Travels with Trailer

Alaska on Cook Inlet

These are some my favorite travel and camping photos from our 8 years with the BigFoot travel trailer. We sold it last month to some folks in Oregon so it will be seen on the road up in the northwest some more.

Monument Valley Mittens

We've downsized to the travel camper you can see in earlier posts. It is easier to haul and park while improving our fuel economy about 15%. The benefits are considerable, and the size is...much smaller.

The best part of having the trailer was using it in camp! A comfortable base for everything outdoors.

Borrego Springs, CA

Top of the World Road, Alaska

If you have any doubt about why I was willing to let it go, then you haven't driven to my house which is on a tiny one-lane road curving between many trees and big bolders. My biggest concern over the years was getting it safely home after a big road trip.

Mojave Desert, CA

Our private road is the most trailer-unfriendly road I ever took the BigFoot on. Well, there was this Canadian circle camp ground where I barely squeezed everything between the trees while I held my breath and an unfriendly "turn around" at Joshua Tree NP that took 1.5 hours to negotiate. I recall a nasty cul de sac too small by half for the 48 feet of truck & trailer too. Those trick moves I won't miss!

Sequoia, Nat'l Park

Zion National Park, Utah

We spent well over a year (total) traveling with the trailer from Big Bend National Park in Texas, to most the places the road goes in Alaska. We traveled British Columbia, Yukon and saw the sights in the Canadian Rockies. Ask me some time & I'll recite every state, provence and park not here on the list!

Many good trips and such good memories shared with friends and family we traveled with or saw on the way or those who became friends on the road or campground.

From here on we will be a little more fleet in the campsites and more easily navigating the urban landscape as well. I'll let you know how comparison seems later on. After a couple week's experience I still prefer the camper! I can park in most shopping and city street parking places that the truck would fit in without the camper, so much simpler.

At home in the shade