I never really understood tent campers. If I have to pitch a tent, why not just pitch a tent?! If I have to haul a trailer, I want to be WARM and protected from the bears. A thin layer of canvas really isn’t any protection whether it’s on the ground or folded out of a camper.
After seeing the Adventure Campers from Australia, however, I kind of understand a tent camper much better. When I watched this overview video, I wasn’t very impressed. I thought, “Meh, so it has power. So it has water. So it packs up small. I still have to pitch a tent.”
When I saw this video, however, I was blown away. He shows how long in REAL time how to break camp and he does it all by himself with no help.
He was able to pack up the tent, awning and kitchen in less than ten minutes! I was shocked! I’ve seen people with motorhomes take longer to pack up to leave! Now, I realize that he has had a lot of practice with this trailer, so he’s making it look easier than it would be for a beginner. Mike and I however, have just as much practice setting up and breaking camp. We’ve timed ourselves breaking camp and the fastest time to date is just over forty minutes.
Too bad these campers are only available in Australia right now, because they marry the light weight of a teardrop camper with the utility of tent camping.
When I realized that the reason I hated the A-Frame trailers is because they were so very ugly, I knew that I had to stick with the teardrop design. Since a tiny teardrop was out of the question due to my husband’s claustrophobia, I started looking at the full-sized teardrop trailers.
I like that they are aluminum framed, so they are really light. Of course, I still couldn’t tow it with my Prius. I didn’t care about the “amenities” like the TVs and all of that chestnut cabinetry, but I was attracted to the bathroom and shower. Even though they have the retro design, the graphics on the side look so modern that they look a little wrong.
I love that I can still have the benefits of a classic teardrop trailer with the kitchen outside the trailer with the luxury of a bathroom and shower. The exterior graphics are STILL a problem, however. The design is so retro, but the graphics look so out of place.
What DOESN’T look out of place are the graphics on the side of the Serro Scotty trailers. These brand new trailers look EXACTLY like what I was hoping for in a trailer. I could have a completely modern interior with the PERFECT exterior design.
Here is a tour of the HiLander:
The Serro Scotty is eerily similar to the trailer that started this entire journey:
So, why don’t I own a Serro Scotty HiLander right now? It’s EXACTLY what I wanted in a trailer. Why wasn’t I rushing to the midwest to pick up my ideal trailer? I have enough money saved that I could actually BUY one. Why wasn’t I buying one?
That was the day when I realized that I didn’t want a trailer. No matter how obsessed I was, I still preferred tent camping.
The whole process took me a couple of months of SERIOUS obsession to get past. Honestly, I still catch myself looking at used trailers online. When I do, however, I remind myself of the Serro Scotty HiLander. It was the absolute PERFECT trailer for me and I still didn’t buy it.
When I gave up on the Wild Goose, I came across these A-Frame Trailers. They are made by quite a few manufacturers and they all seem to have similar features. The best feature is that you can set them up in less than a minute. Here is a video showing an Aliner being set up.
These kind of trailers are available from the following manufacturers:
My personal favorite is the Chalet XL trailers. Here is a video of the XL 1935:
The Chalet XL 1938 is the only folding trailer with a full sized bathroom.
My problem with the A-Frame trailers is that they are so UGLY when they are all folded up and going down the road. I know I shouldn’t care about that because they are lightweight and easy to tow, but, honestly, I do. Part of the reason I’m attracted to having a trailer is having a cute dollhouse that I can personalize and decorate. These trailers are so very utilitarian that I can’t envision any enjoyment in making them my own.
When I considered building a Wild Goose teardrop trailer of my own, I thought that I might change the design and have the trailer open from the back instead of the midsection. It seems that I wasn’t the first to think of that design.
The most notable is Woodwind Caravans. Unfortunately, they have stopped production on their teardrops, but you can still enjoy their design beauty in their videos. Here is the setup video for their FreeSpace Trailer.
They also had a design called The Gypsy King that was simply beautiful.
I even found an animated GIF for a folding teardrop trailer with no record of where it came from.
The Alto Trailer from Safari Condo is still in production, but they are in Canada, so finding one in the States is a little difficult. This video is adorable. He is so excited to show how it lifts up.
The inside looks roomy and the sides are windows instead of canvas.
The difficulty of obtaining one of those trailers from Canada stopped me from owning one now, but I sure do love these variations on the Wild Goose theme.
Update 12-09-14
The Australian-made trailer Conqueror UEV-360 is another Wild Goose Variation.
Here is a video of its easy popup features. Fast forward to 2:20 minutes to see the trailer in action.
I love the ease of setup with this trailer, even though it’s smaller than a normal Wild Goose. Why does Australia get all the cool trailers?
Update 02-26-15
Back in 2006, A-Liner made a Wild Goose variation. I found this one in August 2014 at a campground and wrote about it here:
When Mike told me he wasn’t willing to sleep in a teardrop trailer because they were so small that they induced claustrophobia, I began to look at roomier designs. I immediately liked the Wild Goose.
The design originally was published in the April 1953 Popular Mechanics Magazine and can be seen here:
Unlike the typical teardrop, the kitchen area is within the trailer. The hatchback opens up and a tent is erected around the opened area allowing for more room within the trailer, but keeping the low profile of a teardrop. Here are a few photos of the design.
I liked this design because of the transformer aspect, but in the end, it’s just a tent all over again. I was attracted to a trailer because I wanted to be warm in the cold. I already HAVE a tent, so making a trailer that just turns into a tent seemed wrong to me. The best and warmest tent made on the planet fits into a space the size of half my trunk in the Prius. The thought of hauling a trailer down the road just so I could have a tent sounds crazy to me, so I left the dreams of building my own Wild Goose unfulfilled.
Update 10-12-12
Sara pointed out that one of my photos was of her Adventure Drop, which she took across the country in 2009. These pictures of her in the snow are particularly spectacular!
Fifth-Wheel Trailers usually hitch onto a pickup-truck cargo bed, but this new Shadow design from Harmon Industries, Warrensburg, Mo. tags onto a passenger-car rooftop. A removable steel plate, bolted to brackets along the roof gutters, take advantage of the roll-resistance built into modern roofs to firmly anchor the trailer hitch. Great maneuverability and easy tow handling are claimed for these rigs. Models of 18, 23, and 27 feet are being produced, and unfinished units are available for extra savings. Shell for the Shadow 18-foot Mini will start at about $1700; price is $6500 for the completed 27-footer fully equipped. Driver reports indicate the design is aerodynamically suitable and does not buffet at speed or in strong winds.
Here is another video of something called the Dynamik Tev that also hooked up to the top of a car:
Here’s a picture of a Cadillac towing a fifth wheel trailer:
It’s not too difficult to know why these trailers never really succeeded. Most small cars are just not strong enough to safely tow a trailer without blowing out the transmission. That is the reason people buy huge pickups to tow their fifth-wheels. Sadly, the Shadow trailer and the Dynamik Tev have disappeared in the history of camping to become oddities.
Update 01-08-12: Here is another video that shows this fifth wheel camper in action:
If I had let my obsession get the best of me and I had no one else in my life to consider but myself, I would be building the Trailer for Two right now. It was a design that was in the September 1947 Mechanix Illustrated magazine and it’s my favorite.
It’s also the favorite of most of the people who have built their own teardrops, so far better builders have figured out how to make it using a pre-fab Harbor Freight Trailer. Here is a link for the plans for this trailer built on the 4′ X 8′ Harbor Freight Trailer:
I actually looked at the trailer at my local Harbor Freight store, but Mike told me in no uncertain terms that I was welcome to build a teardrop trailer, but he would never sleep in one. They are just too claustrophobic for him to even consider sleeping in.
So ended my love affair with the Trailer for Two. If the love of my life won’t sleep in it, then it’s not for me.
I am coming down off a serious case of Teardrop Trailer Obsession. It all started the summer we had an awesome trip to Disneyland in Pat’s Motorhome. I loved that I could just sit in the motorhome and play with my Barbies while Carol drove. It didn’t feel like a road trip at all. It was so much better!
Actually, I think my obsession might go back a little further than that. Maybe it all started when I got the Barbie Star Traveler.
I played with that toy so much that it was a worn out wreck by the time I reached puberty. I don’t know how many adventures Barbie took in the backyard with the Star Traveler, but I can tell you that I hauled that toy from Salt Lake City to Billings every summer until I was fourteen.
I think my recent obsession started back in June when I saw this adorable trailer and truck setup at the car show.
I know this trailer isn’t a teardrop, but the efficient floor plan and the way it matched its truck made me start looking. Teardrop trailers are actually TINY trailers with a galley off the back. They can usually only sleep one or two people. They are basically a bed and a camp kitchen on wheels. I don’t know where I saw my first teardrop trailer, but I do know what video made me fall in love. It’s this one.
Kermit and Diane look so happy camping in this trailer. The song is so comforting. I wanted to have the same fun they have coordinating their outfits to match their truck and trailer. I find myself humming, “Honey, hook up the teardrop, I’m on my way,” all day long.
After looking at a few videos of teardrop trailer gatherings, however, I began to notice something. Can you see it?
Almost every trailer has a canopy or a tent near it. I noticed that every teardrop owner showed their trailer at its campsite with a tent pitched nearby. If I have to pitch a tent anyway, why don’t I just sleep in it? In fact, the camp kitchen I have is actually a little better than the kitchens on the back of the teardrops because I can put it under the shelter at the campsite near the picnic table.
No matter how I looked at it, a teardrop trailer didn’t make any sense for me. I’d much rather sleep in my large tent and be able to change clothes standing up than try to wiggle into my pajamas while in a tiny trailer. Even though a teardrop is so light that a normal car could tow it, there’s still some question about whether a Prius could handle towing one and I wasn’t willing to buy a new vehicle just for this obsession.
In the end, I realized that this trailer obsession has been a combination of a desire to camp all year long coupled with the latent childlike desire to build a doll house that I could decorate however I wanted. When I realized that, it was easy to decide to buy a four season tent and customize it.
Now I just need to change the words of that song, “Throw the tent in the hatchback, I’m on my way!”
Photo shows a Stoddard-Dayton camping car built for engineer and politician Thomas Coleman du Pont (1863-1930). Du Pont used the vehicle during his supervision of the construction of the DuPont Highway through the state of Delaware.
We actually have similar technology for hatchback cars today. One company is called Sportz Dome To Go.
Before buying my Springbar, I seriously looked at these tents, but I had problems with it. I like to set up camp, but sometimes we need to take the car for supplies, to head to the lake or even make a trip into town. If my tent is attached to my car, I’d have to break camp in order to make a firewood run.
One thing I liked about it was that I could sleep in the car and let the heater keep me warm, but since the tent is situated at the back of the car, I’d be constantly worried about car exhaust setting my tent on fire. It just wasn’t something that would work for me.
After looking at this video for the setup in a pickup, I have NO desire to own one of these tents. There are EIGHT poles?! Why does this tent need to be so complicated when my Springbar goes up in fifteen minutes?!
In the end, I prefer to use my car as a transport vehicle and keep my shelter separate from it. It appears that Thomas Coleman du Pont, however, did not agree with me.
