Let's talk Teardrop Trailers

Finally made it out last weekend and headed out again for the 4th. Rained on us riday and Saturday but we were prepared. Cool mountain nights for sleeping. Parks were only at 50% capacity it was very peaceful.

 

Ok- I'll prefix this with "I'll never go this route again"... I seriously wish I had gone the route of finding a local welder, getting exactly what I wanted and going through the pain of licensing a homebuilt trailer, instead of the pain of retrofitting something not perfect for the job.

Went with the soft-ride springs and a custom length axle from Compact Camping Concepts- https://www.compactcampingconcepts.com/
15" wheels (5x4.5 spacing)
2x2" steel beam to reinforce the tongue (runs from back to front under the HF channel and up through the V nose
tack welded a bunch of points on the frame
bedlinered the whole thing

Working on fenders/steps this weekend... which are a PITA because of the narrowness of the trailer in comparison to the camper on top- another reason I'd go custom in the future (still might, I can always move the camper over and use this for something else in a few years).

 

That is an awesome setup, would love to have something like that one day

 

@IMXPLRN Which model did you go with? Looks like the OR.
Wife and I are starting to look into the Deluxe

 

You need to make an appt with Warren at Roadtrip camping in Orange and go see what he offers. Worth looking anyway

 

It's a 5x9 Offroad.

 

Awesome. We are looking at the 5x9 Highway

 

We are definitely loving it so far! Spent a couple more nights in it this weekend.

 

Hi all. New here. First post. I’ve got 100 miles on my first Tacoma. Coming off 17 years and 252,000 miles with a 2003 F150. Used to be an O/O truck driver, so pulling a trailer is something I’m familiar with.

Question: how well does the Tacoma pull the trailers represented in this thread? I have an Escapod on order and am hoping your experience tells me pulling it in the Western US won’t be an issue. Also, any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

I see that the Escapod weighs 1,700 to 2,300 lbs so I think you will tow it fine if you have the 6 cyl. Tacoma. You'll feel if for sure in the mountains but keep it in ECT and S mode and avoid 5th and 6th gears except on flat highway stretches. (I'm assuming an automatic transmission.) My trailer is lighter but taller so headwinds play a definite role with me. Depending on how much other gear you haul, and the number of people in the truck you may want to consider air bags or SumoSprings. I have the latter and swear by them.

 

I'll be heading out to Utah next month to pick our Escapod up. I'll be taking a month off bringing it back to the east coast. Really looking forward to it!

I can imagine with your experience, you're way ahead of most of us when it comes to towing. Looking at the numbers the Taco should do fine.

 

Thanks for the reply. Good to hear. Thoughts on whether trailer brakes are necessary?

 

You’ve gotta be excited. Have a safe, fun trip! How long have you been waiting? Mine’s not ready until June next year.

 

It's been a long wait...15 months...but I think their lead times are down to about 9 months due to moving into their new facility. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be worth the wait. Definitely looking forward to it on lots of levels, not least taking a month of from the daily grind!

 

Have you picked up the Escapod yet? Found this thread recently and the wife and I are also looking to get out of the RTT because of space with a 9 month old and 2 dogs but dont want to commit to a full size. We both love the Escapod after looking at many others and wanted to keep the RTT to mount to the top. Just looking for real world reviews before we put in an order that will take 11 months to complete. Thanks for the help!

Also, we just rented a 16' airstream to see if we liked it and surprisingly found we don't need nearly that much camper to enjoy ourselves. So teardrop was the middle ground. Porta toilet, shower tent, full queen bed, and water storage is all we "need".

 

Hey guys, wanted to introduce to you a new concept to the teardrop. Not quite a teardrop but more of its big brother for small familys or groups of 4. It will be pricey but I can tell you the products and materials where throwing at it are top notch. I work for Boreas and am the main designer there with a wide background of engineering the past 10 years and this has been a passion project for me to get to the market during Covid.

Wanted to introduce the concept and get some ideas/opinions on this as we released it for 2021 orders a few weeks ago. Its in the prototype stages and that is progressing nicely. More info on its components and systems can be found here: https://boreascampers.com/campers/xt-12-camper-trailer/

Its inspired on Australian style outback "caravans" with a Colorado's outbackcountry intentions 100% american made, 4 seasons and taco towable. Hope you guys like it, I want my own someday!

 

I think that is a great design! I'm not a big fan of slide out kitchens because I like the flexibility of setting up my kitchen away from the trailer. I use an ARB awning and tent room on the side of my square drop and don't usually want to cook in it unless the weather forces me to. For bear country, especially, I'd rather cook away from the trailer when possible. Other than that nit I love your design.

 

Thank you and ya we will never do an inside kitchen. Just our m.o. really as we push for outside activities always including cooking. I am a little worried about heat and damage caused in that kitchen slideout and have some ideas to alleviate those potential mishaps.

Our 23zero awnings do attach annex/tent rooms as well and theirs always the possibility to splice off the propane line to detach a kitchen setup. Might be something worth designing myself. The massive fridge/freezer is accessible inside for beers/drinks/snacks and with the roof down is legal to camp in bear country. We are using heavy duty rafting/boat canvas up there plastic welded. I appreciate the feedback from users as I myself have never had the pleasure of owning one.

 

So you have the Taxa Cricket design right down to the floor plan