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Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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Posted by nelson_c (My Page) on Thu, Nov 17, 05 at 2:40
| I am considering building either a truck camper or a teardrop camper to use for hunting. How weel does a teardrop work for camping in the winter? I have concerns with the kitchen being outside. How do you heat and cool a teardrop? I haven't seen any pictures with air conditioners or heaters. Can teardrops be wired for electricity? I have seen some interiors with lighting and I assume they were either 12 volt or battery lights.
Thanks in advance for the advise. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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My former employer had one. It was handy for a 2 person camping weekend, or even cross country!
The rear kitchen area was under a large lid which lifted up on props. He had a canvas cover that covered the whole kitchen area, and had room for a small table and several chairs. There was a filler panel of canvas that covered the gap under the trailer at the kitchen area!
On one side, there was a canvas room that hooked over several rods, by the door, where one could stand in there to get dressed! (Try getting dressed while lying in bed, or sitting, and not putting yer feet on the floor! When you finally finish the task, you'll come out looking like you had tangled with wild-cats! Hence the little side room.
As for lights, you can install a car battery on the tongue, and run a charge line to the + post of the car battery, back to the trailer battery. but, you must make sure the trailer is grounded to the frame of the car, so it will charge! The hitch will not be enough! A separate wire must be used!
As for heat--well, i don't know what to say about that. Those trailers were designed for summer use, not to go deer hunting or snowmobiling in the dead of winter! You might run the risk of Carbon monoxide poisoning, with the use of any of the popular heating devices, since the windows are small. But leaving a door cracked, or propped open a bit might negate the CO problem!
I have a motor home, and don't use the furnace, or leave any heat on during the night, but do leave a window open.
Remember this: Those popular "No fumes" propane heaters, which shut off when the oxygen runs low, are NOT safe if used all night in any enclosed space! And: Carbon monoxide gathers at the floor first, leaving the heater to go on burning! Especially if the propane heater is set higher than the floor.
So--the CO gathers at floor level, rises to your nose level, enters yer lungs, and puts you to sleep permanently, while the heater goes on burning merrily, until it runs out of fuel, or your friends wonder why you aren't coming out of yer trailer, even when its late in the day!
The only safe heater is electric, but some campgrounds don't want you to use electric heaters! They are terrific wasters of power!
Rustyj |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| Whether I decide upon a teardrop or truck camper, chances are that there will only be primitive camping facilities where I will be camping. Most of the state and federal refuges I plan to visit are rather remote and improved camping areas are scarce. If I do decide to build my own teardrop camper, I will most likely build one of the larger 10ft. models. |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| Either way you go, both have their advantages and dis-advantages. The good thing about a trailer is that when you get to where your going, un-hitch at the campsite and then you have your vehicle to roam around in. The down side is extra care has to be taken just driving down the highway, and you have the extra maintnance like the trailer tires and wheel bearings. An old timer in our camping/fishing gang, who has had everything from a truck camper to a travel trailer to a popup, now has only a full sized pick-up truck; regular cab and 8'cargo bed, with a custom (color matching) fiberglass shell for the bed, has curtains, a fanned roof vent, along with screens for the windows and back. He's got that thing set up with a bed and storage space for all his gear. When he gets to where ever he's going, he pitches a dome tent at the campsite and unloads a lot of the gear in it - will even sleep in the tent if that becomes necessary. I'm not so sure but what he's really on to something for the likes of us who get back into the boonies from time to time. Dale |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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Dale
That became very poplar here during the 70's. People would use 2x4's to make an L shaped frame that lay across the width of the truck bed inside of the shell. Then lay 3/4 plywood on the frame. Add a matress and you had a mobile motel. A few people here still use them. But not like they use to. It was a great system in my opinion. I bought a Ford cargo van once for $500.00 that did not have any windows except for the doors. Built a bed and added a few other extras. When you opened the rear doors. You were looking at my mobile tackle shop. Rods on a wall built between the bed and the rear of the van. Boots, vest, tackle boxes..
When I wanted to head out on a fishing trip. I did not have to worry about a warm, dry place to stay.
Everyone called it the Hippy van. Thus I became the "Hippy". I finally sold the van to another fisherman for $500 after three years of use. And honestly regretted it a little ever since. |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| Anything you have with an engine will soon become a money pit, thus the teardrop. We deer/bear hunt with tents alone and are not as cozy as you'll be in a teardrop with a down comforter or bag! Of course heaters are only for use when you're inside awake, be sure to turn them off when it's lights out! Only high-dollar truck campers with jacks to seperate the truck from the camper will excel, IMHO, and even then you'll want a GMC TurboMax diesel with a long (8') bed to keep fuel costs reasonable. Another advantage, the engine/Allison trans package WILL run "forever". |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| "Anything you have with an engine will soon become a money pit.." 1989 Cheverolet S10 with 275,000 miles. Two fuel pumps at $60.00 each. 1995 Chevrolet 2500 with 150,000 miles. Nothing yet. 1997 Ford Mustang GT. 93,000 miles. Oxygen sensor which cost $89.00. 2004 Chevrolet Dura Max diesel with Auto trans. Less than 10,000 miles. No problems yet. BUT it stays parked. 12 miles per gallon and diesel costing $3.35 a gallon. Well you get my drift. If you want a money pit. Just buy a truck and treat it like you stole it. Take care of them with good maintence and you will be rewarded with a truck that last for many years. |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| Yeah, Hippy, it's not all that uncommon to put 200.000 + miles on a domestic pick'em-up in this day and time. Use to be 100,000 was a lot of miles; now-a-days that's just broke in! I've run two pick-ups to 200,000 in the last 20 years. Granted, they were not worked that hard, and as you noted, they were taken care of. But I swung over to the pick-up truck side of life so long ago that I don't act right in another kind of vehicle anymore! Dale |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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Hippy is correct, I'm talking RVs here for folks who don't wrench their own. Your Silverado has a great Allison transmission that's the gold standard, IMHO.
There's a hill of difference in labor between an auto or truck and an RV with an engine in it. The Left Coast is very mountainous and it gets old fast to be on an incline pulling your boat/quads/trailer/horses at 45 and be passed by a DuraMax doing 75. And you'll wish you were getting 12 mpg pulling that horse trailer at 45. The current GMC engines are 200,000 mile designs (Sierra, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon) and the diesels (DuraMax) are 500,000 mile designs. Teardrops will have lower height which will pay off in mileage and many nicer campsites will be an option, where the truck campers (popups and crankups excluded here) will be scraping a few branches or down in the meadow. Of course, it's easier to back up a truck camper so there's a world of options out there. I've sold a ton of GMC trucks and as a Ford man let me say they're hard to beat. |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| Nelson - I see there's a 2004 Tear Drop Kit Kamper ('47 replica) trailer for sale on e-Bay, the bidding to end tomorrow. The e-Bay item number is 4591440756 Thought I'd post it just for your information. Dale |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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Here is a link that might be useful: Teadrop Trailer Information
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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| Lots of folks camp in their teardrop in the winter (a good site to check out is www.mikenchell.com/forums). Ours is wired, also has a marine battery. Came with an air conditioner for the summer, a small heater ($15 from Lowes) for heating in the winter. Five minutes on for each and it's either warm enough or cool enough, depending on the season. One of the fellas who posts regularly on the above site lives in Alaska. Gail |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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Your best bet is to do a search for teardrops, find one you like and learn from their design. Yes teardrops now a days come with heaters and A/C, plumbing and lighting. I think TAB is one. From Indianna I think - I will find the link. My thinking, go with the teardrop, build a kitchen into it ont he inside, this way you can leave your kill in the back of your truck until you are ready to clean it. Maybe even design an outside spigot to help with cleaning. Another plus with a trailer is that if youhave trouble with your tow vehicle, your whole home is not in the shop getting fixed, it is easy enough to rent a car while your truck gets fixed.
Here is the link for the TAB teardrop trailer
http://www.tab-rv.com/ |
RE: Teardrop vs. Truck camper
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off road campers |
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