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!”
I’m a tent camper, but I’ve been obsessed with camping with a trailer lately. I’ve looked at owning a trailer seriously and I can’t justify the expense and difficulty of owning a trailer. No matter how I look at it, tent camping comes out ahead.
Tent Camping is Cheaper
When you take into account the cost of the trailer, the vehicle to tow it, the gasoline to get it there and the increased fees at the campsites, tent camping is MUCH cheaper. I asked Reed what MPG he gets on his truck when he’s towing his trailer and he said 12 miles to the gallon. Compared to the 40 mpg I get with my Prius (fully loaded to the ceiling with camping gear), I can go three times further away for the same money.
Then, there are the charges for the trailer when I’m NOT camping. Unless I could store it on my own property, I’d have to find an RV storage facility. When I checked some storage places near my home, the prices ranged from $50 a month to $150. To store my camping gear, I stuff it in the garage. Even if I needed a storage unit for my camping gear, I could get one for FAR less than that.
Finally, I don’t need to pay license, registration and taxes on my tent, whereas a trailer has those fees in addition to insurance riders. I really can’t see any financial advantage to having a trailer over a tent.
Tent Camping is Interchangeable
When I get sick of my tent, it costs me very little money to trade it out for a different one. If it starts leaking or mold has started growing on it, I can just toss it and buy a new one. If I don’t like my camping stove (or it starts leaking), I can exchange it without having to worry about ripping it out of a permanent fixture. I just leave the old gear at home and take the new gear next time we leave.
With a trailer, changing elements is a difficult task, requiring handiwork and knowledge of electrical, sewer or propane lines. Changing the entire trailer is not only costly, but a giant pain in the butt when it comes time to get rid of the old one. If you thought storing one trailer was expensive, try storing two. Storing two tents, on the other hand, is entirely doable.
Tents Never Flip My Car in the Wind
There is a lot of talk on the trailer forums about how to avoid sway. On windy days, even the best sway control and driving abilities will tip your trailer right over, damaging it, your car and maybe even injuring you. This video shows an RV that was blown over by the wind. The driver wasn’t injured and looks like he was driving slowly and safely, but the wind pushed him over anyway.
Now, a fifth-wheel might have survived that wind gust a little better, but if it didn’t, then the truck AND the trailer would have been on their sides, skidding down the road. My tent in the trunk of my Prius, as heavy as it is, will never catch enough wind to wreck my car.
Black Water Is Black Water
Having a toilet and shower in a trailer might seem like a way to enjoy the comforts of your home, but in the end, you have to deal with the gray and black water tanks. It’s not like at home where the stinky stuff disappears down the drain never to be seen again. With a trailer, you have to empty out every “deposit” you make.
If you have to deal with the unpleasantness of emptying a black water tank, then you can just as easily empty a port-a-potty. The most expensive portable toilet I found on Amazon was just under $150 (Thetford 25112 Porta Potti 365 Level Gauge and Lid Latch with Piston Pump Flush). Emptying a black water tank is no different than emptying a portable toilet. They’re both gross.
Propane Heat is Dangerous
The biggest reason I wanted a trailer is because I thought it would be warmer than my tent. The REASON why it’s warmer, however, is due to propane heat. Propane heaters are the same devices that kill at least one or two hunting parties every year in the mountains of Utah. If I have to worry about carbon monoxide and low oxygen monitors, I’m not going to use the device, so I’ll be freezing in a trailer just as much as I freeze in a tent.
If I have electricity, I can use an electric heater in my Springbar tent and be toasty warm all night long. It’s the electricity hookup at the campsite that makes the difference, not the trailer.
Trailers Don’t Have Generators
I was shocked to learn that trailers don’t come equipped with their own generators. If you want to boondock or camp at a site without electricity, you have to buy a separate generator to power your trailer. I could do that while tent camping just as easily as a trailer can. The trailer doesn’t provide the electricity to charge my cell phone or run an electric heater, the campsite or generator does.
Setting Up A Tent Doesn’t Take As Long As You Think
Another attraction for trailers to me was the thought that I could just pull up and start camping, but disconnecting the trailer from the truck, attaching it to the hookups, opening the slide-outs, leveling it and setting up the awnings can take as long as setting up a tent and camp kitchen. Mike and I have camp setup down to a science and it only takes us about an hour to set up or pack up. I’ve watched many a truck inch forward and back trying to line up correctly with the trailer hitch for longer than that at the campground.
These videos showing the setup procedure for a trailer convinced me that camping in a trailer is ANYTHING but just pulling up and camping.
Compare that video to this video of the setup procedure for my Springbar tent. It’s not filmed in real time, and honestly, pounding in those stakes is what takes MOST of the time, but Mike and I can get our tent up in about fifteen minutes.
Sure, the first time you set up a new piece of equipment, it will take a long time, but every time after that, you gain a little speed. Once Mike and I timed ourselves, we realized that setting up a tent doesn’t take as long as I thought. Ironically, I’ve watched people setting up a trailer take FAR longer than I would have expected.
Setting Up Camp Is Kinda Fun
I know this might sound crazy, but I enjoy getting to a new campsite and deciding where everything is going to go. It’s like I get to decorate my campsite differently every time we go camping. This time, I might put the camp kitchen near the picnic table so I have double the counter space. Next time, we might abandon the picnic table altogether.
I decide where the awning is going to be and how I position my shady area for my chairs. I’m not at the mercy of the floor plan of my trailer. I don’t have to always have my awning on the passenger side of the camper, irregardless of the sunshine. I get to choose where everything goes and it can be different every time.
Does It Count As Camping When You’re in a Trailer?
When I sleep in a tent, I hear every little crunching footstep of the animals outside. When I am cooking at a propane stove on a picnic table, I feel the wind on my face and the chill of the early morning. When I sit by the campfire, I see bats swishing above me, eating all those pesky mosquitoes.
I realize that I could do all those things with a trailer, but would I? If I have a trailer, am I going to sleep in a tent outside just so I can hear all the animals as I fall asleep? If it’s chilly outside, am I going to bring my propane stove out to the picnic table, or am I going to just cook on the stove inside the trailer? Would I even start a campfire when the propane heater in the trailer could keep me so warm?
At some point, it’s no longer camping. It’s just living in a tiny, tiny house. The simplicity of that has an appeal, but it’s completely different than what I get from camping in a tent.
Despite all these reasons that I think tent camping is better than trailer camping, I have to admit that I’m still attracted to owning a trailer. Even building my own teardrop trailer in my garage still sounds appealing, even though I have absolutely no use for it. I can look at it logically, but there is something about the idea of a trailer that attracts me. For now, Mike and I are staying tent campers, but I can’t say that I will always feel the same in the future.
Update 03-31-12: After months of fighting a teardrop trailer obsession and several cold and unsuccessful camping attempts, we have finally bought a trailer. I revisit how teardrop trailer camping compares to tent camping again here:
I will provide updates on how camping with the teardrop is different than a tent over the next few months.
Update 01-03-13: After adding a ten year old boy to our family, we couldn’t fit in the teardrop anymore, so we got a cheap tent trailer and our adventures continue. We haul it with our Prius and still get 29 mpg, so we have been very happy with our camper. We literally have the best of both worlds because we have the exact same car as we used to tent camp with, but we have access to the campsites with electricity, so winter camping is WAY warmer than it was in a tent. If RV parks would just let tent campers have electricity at their sites, we probably would still be camping in a tent today, but as it is, the tent trailer has been great.
Michael and I were at the car show last week and we saw this truly awesome truck and camper. Click on it to see it full-sized.
I stepped inside and took a peek at the camper and it was the most efficient little space I had ever seen. I imagined myself going to Yellowstone in the sixties and feeding bears out of the window. Maybe we would have taken it to see Old Faithful.
Motorhomes and trailers today are HUGE. I have never camped in a trailer, but I think that a small one like this might be enough to tempt me.
I have an image in my mind of the perfect trailer I would like to travel the country with. Something small and compact, but more livable than VW Westfalia bus conversion. If the aqua stripes were replaced by maroon or red ones, this would be my dream trailer.
Thank you, unwiredadventures, for taking photos of my dream trailer.
When you take into account the cost of the trailer, the vehicle to tow it, the gasoline to get it there and the increased fees at the campsites, tent camping is MUCH cheaper. I asked Reed what MPG he gets on his truck when he’s towing his trailer and he said 12 miles to the gallon. Compared to the 40 mpg I get with my Prius (fully loaded to the ceiling with camping gear), I can go three times further away for the same money. 
The biggest reason I wanted a trailer is because I thought it would be warmer than my tent. The REASON why it’s warmer, however, is due to propane heat. Propane heaters are the same devices that kill at least one or two hunting parties every year in the mountains of Utah. If I have to worry about carbon monoxide and low oxygen monitors, I’m not going to use the device, so I’ll be freezing in a trailer just as much as I freeze in a tent. 
I know this might sound crazy, but I enjoy getting to a new campsite and deciding where everything is going to go. It’s like I get to decorate my campsite differently every time we go camping. This time, I might put the camp kitchen near the picnic table so I have double the counter space. Next time, we might abandon the picnic table altogether. 
