Teardrop vs tent, break even point

For those who have bought teardrops, at what point (trips per year etc) have you felt it was a worthwhile purchase over tent camping ?

I'm only going to camp by myself for the most part (on mountain biking trips) and maybe will go 3-4 times per year at most. It would be nice to have something more wind/noise proof than a tent but not sure if they (teardrops) are that great of an improvement over a tent that the cost will balance out.

 

I don't have a teardrop but I imagine it can't ever even out unless I'm misreading what you're asking. If you buy a tent, its cost also decreases as you use it. $400 tent over 5 years is $80/year. Can you get a teardrop to $80/year? Maybe. But maybe the tent lasts longer than that or costs less. Plus the trailer costs gas

 

Camper shell on the taco would be windproof and cost way less

bikes on the hitch receiver

 

I thought about that but I've got a sort bed (regret not getting long bed now) and I'm over 6 feet. I had also considered a rooftop tent but honestly night time bathroom breaks would make that a pain

 

piss bottle

 

100% this. Heck, I have a piss bottle in my normal tent. I don't want to go out in sub-freezing temps in the middle of the night while still half drunk.

edit:

$5 Nalgene Titan Wide Mouth Water Bottle, Blue, 48oz, Model Number: 340607

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H8BIKW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hey quick follow up for those who own teardrops, Can I tow in S-5 with ECT, S-4 is just kind of a deal breaker, I already have pretty bad hearing and the high RPM buzz in S-4 would bug the sh-t outta me..I figure I'd be no more than 1000 lbs

 

My girlfriend always is like thats gross and refuses to use a piss bottle. Then complains about having to pee. I just use my bottle and go back to sleep. Offred to get here this to use with the bottle lol.

Not sure if thats actually the guys wiener lol.

 

I pull a teardrop with mine and I’m mainly in 5th with ECT. Pulls great and only kicks down to 4 on long grades.

As far as cost, you’re not going to beat a tent. That being said, I camp way more than I used to now that I’m off the ground and dry. It’s such a huge upgrade from a tent. Tents still have a place for me when I want to go way off the path, but 90% of the time the tear works for me. I absolutely love it.

If you go the teardrop route, do your research on weights. They make some that are quite heavy and then you’ve got your own gear. Mine was 900lbs with none of my add ons. Now I’m around 1500lbs. Still plenty of wiggle room with the taco, but it’s fun to tow at this weight.

 

Thanks very much, thjis is my first Taco and I want to keep it for a long time and didnt want to risk hurting the trans. I know these put out most of their power at higher RPM's but honestly the thought a S-4 and RPM's over 2600 for hours on end doesnt appeal to me. I drive around 65 mph and the taco had a nice smooth RPM range at that speed that makes for a great trip so I'm wary af doing something to rock the applecart

 

This is now a piss bottle thread

 

If you start with at low cost tent you can't beat the price. Trailers cost more but you are going to be more comfortable. Teardrop would be too small for me. If you can wait all these people buying trailers probably will be selling them if they find they don't really use them. Buy a tent and wait, for a good used deal on a small tailer.

 

Teardrop.

Otherwise, in a tent you're sleeping on the ground or on an air mattress.

Teardrop should offer more comfort and better odds of staying dry.

 

I don't think anyone buys a trailer to save money. In my opinion a trailer will be much more comfortable than a tent in many ways. Tents also have the advantage of not having to tow something all the time. Here in the east you can stay in a motel cheaper than at a campground, no need for tent or trailer, just not my style.

 

Most state parks average $30-$40 per night. I don't think I'd like to stay in a $40 motel.

 

Hmmm....interesting.

When we were camping with the pop-up, the most expensive campground was at Fort Wilderness (Disney Resort) at $50/night. Most state campgrounds were less than $20/night, some were $10/night.

What motel can you stay for less than $50/night? Hourly flop house??

These prices are from 2010, but I doubt if they've increased to be more than a motel.

 

Just throwing out an idea because I've used it before, ice tents. Super easy to set up and take down by yourself insulated or not, plenty of room for a tall cot and gear sub $500.

 

If you’re young, healthy, and no aches and pains I don’t think, cost wise, you’ll ever best a tent. At our age when th health issues and all the aches and pains the tiny camper fits our needs way better. It’s just what works for us. A dry warm safe place to sleep. Ours are a very simple fretty much a hard sded tent on wheels no indoor bathroom or kitchen. We spend most of our time outside. I’ll not tell anyone this is what you need that is an individual thing. The added bennifits are that we can keep all our gear stored in it ready to go

 

I played this mind game a few years ago when I moved from a tent to a pop up.

Here is how I justified it. My tent camping got stupid complicated. By the time I pitched the tent, set up the bed, set up the kitchen, and set any other toys and gadgets out, it took me 2-3 hours to set up, and another 2-3 hours to strike. It quickly got to the point where it wasn't worth camping unless it was a minimum 3 nights.

So at that point I had a choice - simplify the setup or move into the trailer game.



Put a price on what you'd be willing to pay for an evenings worth of fun. I came up with the completely out-of-my-ass arbitrary figure of 100 dollars per night. I came up with this by rounding the average difference between a hotel and a campsite, with the idea that the trailer would also serve to replace the situations when I would use a hotel. Therefore, that's the cost of entertainment that I'm willing to pay. So if I were to purchase a $12000 trailer and the thing linearily depreciated to jack shit at 5 years of use, my justification point was roughly 25 additional nights per year over the nights I spent 2015 in a tent (a pathetic 5). So 25-30 nights per year would make me feel good about purchasing a trailer. Easily done.

It's an admittedly weird exercise in mental gymnastics but it worked for me.


In reality there is no solid argument that it's a wise financial decision. It isn't. But it does provide a unique entertainment value that's slightly different from tenting. Put a price on what you're willing to pay for that night. Use similar comparable values to determine your price, like the cost of a rental RV or the cost of a hotel, but in the end it boils down to what your are willing to pay for one evenings worth of sleeping in a trailer. Then predict if you'll get a return on your entertainment value out of the purchase.

 

I love this, great formula to figure it out. After a long day or riding (then drinking lol) it would be nice to get better sleep as that people in the campground making the slightest noise wakes me up. So in that regards a teardrop is a win. I had read a lot of people saying Taco's didnt tow well and such so that also came into play but I figure they should easily handle a 1500 low wind resistance teardrop.

I like the idea also suggested to wait out this year, many people likely did buy them and once covid passes will look to sell them or want something bigger.

Thanks again for all replies/suggestions