I think, on the next one, I will — Have a “custom” frame made. I built on the Harbor Freight 1740# which is a perfectly serviceable frame. But, it did introduce a number of additional elements to the build.

The custom frame would be built long enough (roughly 120″) that I would not have to lengthen the frame by about eleven inches to get the body length I wanted. It would allow me to have a proper (large) tongue box to store wet dirty camping stuff someplace other then my bed (which I don’t have now).

My custom frame would be wide enough (roughly 62″) that I would be able to fit a standard queen size mattress inside the camper and still have the wheels completely outside (not under) the floor. If I had this, then I would not have had to build a (wood) frame under the floor to gain support for the overhanging edges . Or raise the floor to gain additional space for the wheels under the bed. Having the wheels under the floor also meant that I had to build wheel wells that protruded through the floor into the cabin. Which, of course, caused me to cut the mattress to fit the wheel wells as well as custom build “shallow” fenders to cover the wheels. Finally, having the wheels completely outside the body would make placing the axle in the correct fore/aft position to obtain the correct balance much easier and I could “order” the correct ride height instead of “flipping” the axle above the leaf springs to lower the frame.

I think, on the next one, I will — Have a two sunroofs instead of one.With the right pair of sunroofs, I could place them side by side in a manner that exactly matches the curved profile of the tear. On my first build, I defied common sense and forced a compound curve into the roof. All this to fit the profile, that curves front to back, with the glass, that curves from left to right. Note: I would not eliminate the sunroof entirely as the views of the night sky from a campsite far from the city lights is simply amazing.

I think, on the next one, I will — Have a different profile.I really like the Grumman-II profile that I used on the first, but the curves at/near the floor did add some complexity to the whole thing. So, which profile would I use? I am not sure, but I really like the looks of the “Windsong” and would seriously consider that profile.

I think, on the next one, I will — Use more “standard RV hardware”.Using the RV door hardware and designs from someplace like Lil Bear will keep me from re-engineering the doors, or more precisely, ignoring the advice of the folks on the list. On the first build, I didn’t and it took me a lot longer to construct, seal, and (probably) in the future, replace. Using household hinges and locksets on my first build sure added to the challenge and undoubtedly cost me a lot of time and frustration (time better spent camping). Oh, and the time spent fitting, wiring and recessing the tail lights, license plate, latches, and handles in the galley hatch, probably also better spent camping. Speaking of the Galley hatch, I would use the Draw Type latches in place of my own pieced together system. Sure, mine works okay and looks nice (well, from the outside), but the time and effort were probably not worth it.

I think, on the next one, I will — Frame the walls with plywood.On the first tear, I “stick built” the wall framing using 3/4″ lumber and pocket screws. In the next iteration, I will seriously consider starting with full sheets of plywood and removing the “non-frame” areas before insulating and skinning both sides to reduce build time. This would apply to the door also, I would build them in place and then use a router and guide to cut them out. I am not sure why more people don’t start with plywood, but it may have something to do with having all that “waste” when they are done. Not that you can’t put a lot of it to good use (heck, a person could gather a bunch of them and use them for leveling blocks if nothing else).

I think, on the next one, I will — Have a “wet wall”.The wall between the cabin and galley was the perfect place to use as a “service corridor” – if I would have planned a bit more. So, the next one will have space inside this wall for almost all of the electrical wiring. In addition, I will move the battery to the galley and box it in so the battery and most of the electrical controls/fuses were accessible from a small panel on the outside of the tear (sealed off from the inside)

I think, on the next one, I will — Remember that, for me, it’s just a camper.I went overboard on the cabinet work on the first tear (not that it is that nice, it was just allot of extra work). On number two, I don’t think I will make as many drawers and doors. Most of the interior cabinets would work just as well using cutouts in place of doors. In the galley, I would probably keep a simplified version of my upper cabinets and one row of drawers. With the rest of the space open to store clear plastic bins or odd shaped items. Maybe on flat slide outs mounted to the floor. Oh, and the upper galley cabinets would be a bit deeper while the cabin storage could be a bit shallower.

Oh, and this time, I will definitely buy all the hardware before I need it. This may allow me to notice the little things like: The hurricane hinge requires nice square corners – in relation to the roof line (which most likely IS NOT perpendicular to the floor). Or, the perfect fittings I remember so vividly either went out of style years ago or have never existed.

Is it a bad thing when the hardware weighs more then the frame?

Following the instructions from the Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers forum, I applied a light layer of soot from a household candle before heating the aluminum with a propane torch. The soot burns away at the correct temperature to prevent you from heating the aluminum to much. After the metal has cooled, it is much easier to bend to the desired shape. Of course, before I could bend the pieces, I had to drill the holes for the stainless steel screws every four inches along the length of each piece.

While I was driving all of the screws today (thank goodness for power tools) I began to wonder just how many screws go into a camper this size. By my estimate, I have right around 400 screws in the camper so far! Is it a bad thing when the hardware weighs more then the frame?

I also completed the installation and wiring of the battery this weekend. Now the camper has enough power to last for a few days of dry camping as well as a number of plugs inside and out for when the campsite has power. It even has a built in charger so I can keep the battery topped off and ready to camp at a moments notice. Now, if I can just get it finished before the snow files…

This is so much better then tent camping!!! It only took us about 7 minutes to setup camp, and tear down we timed at just 8 minutes. It really seems like we can have “grab abd go” camping if we keep things stocked and ready. The galley worked out well, but we still need to get a line on where stuff goes both in camp and on the road. The bed was very comfortable and we even spent some time in the cabin playing Yahtzee after the sun went down. We are keeping a small pad of paper handy while camping to take notes on what we want to change for the next trip but so far, there is not that much to change.

We went to one of my favorite areas around here (11 mile canyon) and stayed in the Springer Gulch campground. It is a great place to camp at this time of year. Even the fishing was good on this trip! On Saturday, I caught a nice 14″ rainbow trout that we cooked up for dinner in the campfire. Then, I went out again on Sunday and fished for a few hours after breakfast and brought home two more nice trout that are waiting in the freezer.

A lot of teardrop builders seem to have the most trouble with the hatch. For me however, it has been the doors. I just don’t like how they are built. I guess it is because I thought I had a great idea on how they should be built and didn’t pay attention to those folks with more experience. Imagine that… For now, I think they will work, but I have added another item to my “next time” list.

Let’s see, what else have we knocked off the ToDo list? Curtain rods are installed and curtain material is waiting to stitched. Lights have all been installed and tested. Drip rail has been installed. Galley latches have been installed…

It looks like the entire teardrop build will end up taking just over a year of occasional nights and weekends. Not to bad for a duffer like me. Now, I just want to get it out camping at least once this year – but more would be better! My new goal is to take it out for its first “public” event at the “Last Gasp of Summer” in September. It sounds like a fun event with a great group of folks.

I also got some of the electrical work done. I wasn’t satisfied with the side marker lights that I had for the front end of the tear, so I went to the local auto parts store and picked out a set of matching oval lights. They look so much better then the square ones that I was going to use. In addition to the side lights, I also installed the tail lights and the inside galley light.

I am not a painter by any means, so my first stop was the local “Paint Spot” to get some supplies and, more importantly, advice. After talking with the friendly staff there, I left the store with everything I needed to cover up all that plywood and filler and give the tear some color.

That is, if white is some color. I chose a gloss white for a number of reasons, but most importantly, to keep the inside of the tear as cool as possible while we were camping. Originally, I wanted to get a semi-gloss or satin finish, but I neglected to tell the folks mixing the paint. Oops. However, the high gloss finish is starting to grow on me.

We did run into a problem though, the rollers we used shed quite a bit, so now we have a fuzzy textured finish. Right now, my plan is to let the current coats cure and then do some light sanding with some fine sandpaper. Then I will follow that up with a final coat of paint using a quality roller that (hopefully) won’t shed. I may even talk to the folks at the Paint Spot and see if a semi-gloss or satin coat can be applied over the existing gloss.

After working through several variations on the props ranging from a stick (still kinda like that idea by the way) through automotive hood springs, I settled on hinging a prop for each side from the interior of the hatch to the side wall of the galley. I fabricated a couple of mounting plates for the sides where a ball pin on the hatch prop locks in place. While opening the hatch you just swing down the props, place the pin into the hole in the plate and push, the pin snaps into place and supports the hatch. To lower the hatch, just pull the ring on each pin to disengage it and swing the props back up to the hatch.

Of course, it would probably be a good idea to hold the hatch in place while you are doing this if you don’t want to dent your head. (Please, don’t ask how I know this)

Some of the items accomplished from the To-Do List include:

• Installed the VIN/Identification plate
• Installed hatch/body electrical connectors
• Installed the bottom trim board below hatch
• Wired the hatch for galley light, tail lights and license plate light
• Installed corner trim on the counter top
• Made a handle for the stabilizer jack
• Tied back all of the wiring for running lights
• Installed the receiver and safety chains
• Cutout the holes for the tail lights
• Cutout and framed in the depression for the license plate
• Drilled out the hatch for the T-handle