Tear drop camper

Aluminum roof is on. It was really tough to keep it from getting wavy but it came out good enough for me. The trim bent perfectly and I didn't have to cut any of it for the bends. I liquid nailed the center of the sheets and plenty of caulking on the seam and edge molding. The aluminum is dirty and I didn't want to clean it until the caulking dried to I can scrape excess off.

 

Got the back hatch aluminum skin on. I need to figure out props to hold it up but that will be easy. I also installed window screen and seals but didn't get a photo of those and its hard to see anyways. Next is finish up lower side trim, install fenders and lights.

 

Didn't get a whole lot done this weekend but I did get lights on and we took it for a test drive. We drove it around the neighborhood and got a lot of looks and compliments. It pulls good(a little bouncy) but should be Ok when loaded and nothing fell off, which is the best part. We need to finish the interior and seal it up a little better.

 

Started polishing the aluminum last night, installed trailer jack and put foam pads on the floor. Still working on it but not as much lately. Today is the safety inspection so I can get it registered. Hopefully lights don't quit on the way there and everything is tight.

 

Don't forget to put in some type of fan (Fantastic fan) to ventilate the trailer. Carbon dioxide buildup is nothing to play with and the tighter the trailer is sealed to more important it is, especially with 4 people in it at once.

Trailer is looking good!

 

We will likely leave the door open and put screen over it. My wife isn't thrilled I tell everyone we need plenty of fart vents on the camper.

 

Put a piece of plywood and D-rings on the front to hold our cooler. I'm going to put a 1/2 inch carriage bolt through the plywood and metal cross beam so I can have the spare tire under the tongue.

 

Got the spare tire installed under the front storage area. I put the bolt through the plywood and metal cross beam. I used a wing nut to hold it and will put a pin in the bolt to keep the nut tight.

 

Great stuff!

 

Looks Good

 

Looks great. Nice job!

 

Got in our first weekend and it worked out well. We went on a couple bad washboard roads and only lost a zerk fitting on the hub so I lost a little grease. Easy fix and I have extra bearing and seals on the way for emergency. The photo of the ruts is the road we had to take to our site and the trailer was fine on it. The photo of interior shows how its setup with 4 people and our sleeping bags.
It wasn't really cold at night and we all slept in our bags unzipped so the camper didn't get too hot. Left the two windows open and there was a good breeze going through it. Drove on interstate around 65 to break it in and put about 150 miles on it with no issues. Its really nice having camp setup so quickly and being able to get into isolated primitive camp sites.

 

That came out great congrats and those are some great pics too!

 

Really cool! Might have to make one this winter.

 

I'm floored. Glad it has worked out so well. Didn't realize it slept 4!

 

If you do look for a used trailer on craiglist for cheap and you can stiffen it up and use a better axle. If I did it again I would go that route but I also had to wait a month to get it registered/licensed since it was a kit I had to assemble. I may go with a bigger axle down the road but it did Ok on this trip so we'll see.

 

My 3 and 5 year old daughter sleep up top. The loft is 5 feet long and my oldest is 4 feet tall so she has room to grow into it.

 

Cool Did you feel it was a little heavy for the trailer?

 

I want a 5 lug rim that will fit a Jeep or Ford rim and 15 inch tire. The axle on this trailer is OK but bearings are metric so hard to replace if you break down as most places don't have that size bearing. I ordered a set of bearings and extra seals so I can have them greased and in the trailer if needed. $25 spent for those is well worth it if we break down in the boondocks.

 

We are almost done with our teardrop and running into a sleeping pad problem. What are you sleeping on? Tough size to find one solid piece. Sweet build!!!