Starling Travel

Joe Barrett, owner of Aqua Terra Toys designed this pop up camper, called The Ark.

It starts out nice and flat for easy towing.

It sets up in about ten minutes into a nice pup tent-shaped trailer with a shelf on the back for your galley.

I’m sure you could design something very similar to this on your own using a flatbed utility trailer and some ingenuity. I absolutely love all the different ideas that are out there for tiny trailers.

YouTube videographer, FilteredInc, posted this video of a very unique little teardrop trailer that pops up.

I took some screen shots to showcase it fully. When popped up, it’s completely hard sided.

It looks like it folds up almost as flat as a tent trailer, except for the rounded bit. It’s unfortunate that the rounded bit isn’t on the front of the trailer, instead of the back.

This is the best view of the passenger side of the trailer. It looks like it has a door and a window. It’s probably a cozy place to sleep.

If you notice, the trailer was parked (and deployed) at a Walmart for overnight camping. I never tried to boondock at a Walmart because I didn’t have a bathroom in my teardrop trailer, but I guess if the Walmart was a 24 hour kind, we could have just used their facilities. I prefer to stay in a campground, usually, but I like the idea of being able to sleep at a Walmart if we are desperate.

I found this trailer in my local classifieds: 1964 14′ CAMP trailer with custom tip-out: ksl.com

Here is the description:

14′ camp trailer with a tip out that has a dinette that seats 6 adults and folds in to a large bed. this leaves you with a open floor space of over 4 by 8 feet. Ther is bunkbed overhead in back. Kithcen area with sink, stove, and ice box in front. It comes with 3 new tires and rims. This is a small lite trailer with ground clearance to get up in those tite spots on dirt roads with stream crossings.

I can’t really tell from the interior shots where the tip out tips in.

I do love the retro colored stove, though.

I can’t tell from the photos and I couldn’t find anything online about a trailer like this that tips out on the side. I LOVE the design, but I’d be worried about leaking. What keeps the rain and the snow out of the trailer when it’s stored and when it’s tipped out?

I’ve talked before about tiny trailers that also double as toy haulers here:

• Starling Travel: The Utilitoy: The Perfect Toy Hauler and Teardrop Camper Combined

It looks like a craftsman in Utah has created a similar thing for himself. I found it on the KSL Classifieds.

It might look simple from the outside, but Eric has gone to a lot of trouble to design a trailer that is useful as a toy hauler AND a camper. You can see more after the break… (Continue Reading…)

Many times, I’ve thought about building my own teardrop trailer, but my skills are lacking right now. When I was looking at the local classifieds, I came across this camper: $3,000 Custom built trailer Murray, UT

This looks EXACTLY like what I was looking for in an inexpensive trailer.

I AM worried about how the roof is attached, however.

It doesn’t have a full sized door, but it does look much more roomy than a teardrop.

According to the description:

This trailer is 11′ long, 5′ wide, and 6′ high. The table folds to a queen size bed. Lots of storage.

It looks like there are lots of cupboards for storage in the trailer.

Here is the view from the outside, looking in.

The reason I decided to look for a teardrop trailer instead of building my own is because I don’t think I could have built anything better or cuter than this. Instead, I found the American Teardrop Outbacker and fell in love with it.

Sometimes it’s better to just buy the camper of your dreams rather than try to build it yourself.

Although it sounds like a description rather than a name, the Popup Teardrop Camper has an interesting take on design.

There is a middle section of the teardrop camper that pops up so that you can stand and change clothes.

Here is a video tour of it on YouTube:

Instead of the kitchen in a back hatch, the sink and stove are inside the trailer right as you walk into the door and under the popup section. There is also a porta potty tucked under the sink.

The bed is to the left of the door and can be converted into a dinette.

The website for this camper seems slightly unfinished, but the idea for a pop top teardrop is intriguing as long as the pop hatch doesn’t leak. It’s yet another choice for you when you decide you want to take an epic adventure.

The Grasshopper teardrop trailers might not be all slopes and rounded beauty, but they are a teardrop camper in the basic sense. There is a kitchen galley out back and a sleeping quarters in the front. They were built from 1978 to 1980, so if you find one, it will probably be in pretty good shape.

I first saw a Grasshopper on the Jeep Wrangler Forum. Stimpy posted these photos there:

You can see the rest after the break: (Continue Reading…)

Ever since hearing about The Return of the T@B Clamshell yesterday, I have been thinking about one with a bathroom. Their catalog said that it could be ordered with a bathroom, but gave no indication where it would go.

I made a mockup of what I thought the floorplan would look like with a bathroom.

I don’t think that window over the bench would still be feasible, but it would be nice if it could stay. I guess I have a dream of sitting on that little bench and looking out the window while Mike sleeps.

Of course, the bed would still be far too small for Michael, but it would the absolute dream teardrop trailer for me. I can just sit here, fantasizing about it all day while you folks kill yourself in Black Friday lines and gorge on leftover turkey.

Back in March, Mike and I looked at an old T@B clamshell trailer at an RV dealership. I found out then that the current T@B manufacturers were planning on making the clamshell model again. I talked about it here:

• Starling Travel » The T@B Clamshell: When Will It Come Back?

I had no idea of the greatness they had up their sleeves, however. Not only have they started manufacturing the clamshell design again, they have added a model with a bathroom. EVEN better, you can order the clamshell design WITH A BATHROOM! It makes me want to abandon my beloved tent trailer on the spot!

You can read more after the break… (Continue Reading…)

“I’ve been obsessed with teardrop trailers lately,” I said to Matt back in March. This was before I bought the Teardrop American Outbacker (and sold it) and even before we bought the Palomino tent trailer.

“Yeah, me too.” He answered, which surprised me.

“Really? I’ve been trying to convince Mike to let me build one,” I confided.

“Want to see my design for the one I want to build?” He asked.

He pulled up a Sketchup design for a teardrop that could hold his two motorcycles during the drive, but then fold down to a bed for him, Christy and the kids once they got to the campground. It was ingenious and I told him so, but neither of us have the woodworking skills to make our teardrop trailers happen.

Fast forward to November and I was perusing the Net when I came across Utilitoy. It’s a teardrop trailer that is meant to haul your gear and then turn into a couple of beds at the campground. I was shocked at how similar the design was to Matt’s.

Here’s a video giving you a tour:

I love that it’s waterproof on the inside so that you can just hose the mud from the motorcycles out after you haul them home.

I also love the design for the bed. The origami metal fold outs are AWESOME!

Those huge doors on the back make this trailer so useful for hauling gear, antiques or whatever you would have used a pickup for.

Check out how easy it is to put a motorcycle in the Utilitoy.

According to Utilitoy’s Facebook Page, the Utilitoy is very reasonably priced (especially compared to other teardrop trailers):

Brand new fully loaded Utilitoy with AC and 19″ High Def flat screen TV available now for $8700 factory direct.

I, of course, immediately emailed Matt the information about this eerily similar teardrop camper and toy hauler. Matt’s reply? Only three words…

“Requesting a quote!”