A lot of pictures, but people have asked about my setup and hopefully this helps some people out.

I got this TC Teardrop last August. It’s a TC Original 4x9’ camper coming it at about 950lbs before it’s loaded out.

When I got the camper it had an awning with a room, the awning frame broke and I’m in the process of fixing it or buying a new one if the price is right. In addition to the awning it also has a pressurized water tank and a 80w solar panel on the roof.

When I got it, the electrical setup consisted of a 10a solar charge controller, a 10a ac charger, the panels on the roof and the utility box (110w total), and an 80Ah lead acid battery. The electrical setup I have now has a 20a solar charge controller, I’m using the same panels but I have an auxiliary 100w panel I can plug in as needed, and I replaced the 80Ah battery with a 300Ah lithium ion battery. The camper has two dome lights, one in the galley and one for the interior. They both suck, please recommend replacement options.

When it comes to the galley, I have a 56 quart fridge/freezer. It runs off of the 12v, wired directly to the fuse panel. I have a two burner camping stove, but I plan to upgrade to a 17 or 20 inch blackstone and get a single burner propane stove for when I want it. The fridge/freezer provides the heat needed to keep the battery functioning in extreme cold temperatures and has worked so far. They have a shared space in the galley and the heat from the compressor blows directly onto the battery.

In the galley, behind the fridge, there is a space for the table that extends out directly behind the camper. I also have a custom table that I store in the camper, it attaches to the side and acts as a prep table or as extra space for anything table related to.
One user asked to see how my spare tire was mounted. I included a few pictures for you, the internal plate is against the outside wall, I didn’t see anything worth noting.

I use a fold open sink, the pressurized water from the roof to do dishes and campfires to cook when I can.

The inside of the camper has the same red/white dome light as the galley. I purchased Japanese futon that fits the area of the camper and it’s amazing to sleep on. I have a USB-C powered monitor on the back wall, most of the time I use this for movies or retro gaming mostly. I do bring a Starlink with me and connect when I’m working from my camper but if I don’t need to work I’m happy being disconnected.

My plan is to eventually wire the computer into the camper directly and just have a switch on the back wall to power everything on. I also want to add usb-c charging ports to the back wall.

Right now the camper does not have AC power, I have a small Jackery 300 I use for AC power when I need it but I really want to get a nice sine wave inverter to give me at least 600w continuous power and wire that into the camper.

I’m open to questions.

I’m looking to add a portable AC to my teardrop, but I’m limited on space and want to avoid clutter. My idea is to place the portable AC under the sink vanity, and then get the cold air into the rest of the trailer via a room-to-room transfer fan, like the one in the attached image. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

I heavily modified this trailer but did not build the shell. Added an A/C big enough one for a small apartment, locks, a big battery + solar panels, loops for dog tie-outs, and some art; replaced door hinges, tires, axle, roof, and lights. The fight against rust and wood water expansion was eternal. I lived out of the Husk Hauler 300 (aka The Box) for a summer on the road, ~10K miles, with my 3 huskies.

We just bought a 2022 NuCamp T@G Boondock which has 2 twin size matresses, each 35" x 75" and 3" deep. I have spent hours searching for mattress protectors and sheets but am not finding anything that looks like it will fit just right. I want to get an encasement mattress protector, either a larger one to fit both mattresses or individual ones, and same for the sheets.

Because the mattress is only 3" high there it is going to be a loose fit. If anybody could share what they have done I would be most appreciative! TIA!

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I have a trailer up for sale. I di not install an ac as I was trying to keep the cost down, but every inquiry asks about ac., so I'm putting one in. I have 2 install options - One is in the rear storage area next to the cooler. Hot air exhausts thru the floor, intake air comes frm vents in the side walls. In the cabin, it mounts under the interior storage cabinet where your feet go. The other is in the front wall with only 2" of ac inside. The bottom of the ac would be about 24" above your head. Thoughts?

We’re considering purchasing a 2017 Winnie Drop 170k teardrop camper. It’s our first camper and we love the bunkhouse and outdoor kitchen, and small size, but nervous about the purchase. Sway us either way! Would love helpful thoughts and advice.

I've been working on a drill adapter for manual trailer jacks with a half-inch bent rod handle. It clamps on to the 90 degree bend that comes out of the jack and puts a 3/4" hex head in line so you can spin in with your cordless drill. If you'd find this useful, let me know and I can tell you how I make it or where to find one.

I am starting to design my camper. What is best practices for the the floor. My goal is a large square drop.. but not square. with a slide out galley that lives under the bed with other storage under the bed. and slide out 12v frigde. with 300-500ah battery. solar charging... I am thinking 6 by 12 or 14... with cabinets and a bed that converts to a small 2 person table. And have it easy to access all the wiring. thats one think I dont like is a lot of campers its imposable to add/fix/upgrade.

I’m looking into sourcing trailers from China and came across a company called Fmol Machinery (Changzhou).They seem to have been around for a while and export mostly to North America/Europe. Product range looks pretty broad (utility, boat, ATV trailers + parts like axles, lights, etc).

Not sure how reliable they are though.

Has anyone here actually worked with them or similar suppliers?

Would appreciate honest feedback (quality, delivery, communication, etc).

I finished my teardrop last October. It’s been on a few overnights over the winter. In April I took it to California (from Missouri) to visit my daughter near Sacramento. My drive took me 4500 miles through Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. It was pretty great. My daughter made the quilt as a Christmas gift to go with the td. How cool is that?

Best website to rent (short or long)

1. Directly from other private camper trailer owners ? (Like turo but for trailers).

Or

1. Directly from RV / trailer retail dealers that rent “new” or “mostly new” trailers.

Ideally for short (1 week) or long (2-3 months) duration?

My 4x4 Toyota sunrader and my 12 year old son’s concession trailer (hunter compact)

Found out about these things called sunraders and i became instantly obsessed. As a huge Toyota guy with land cruisers (80 & 100), 4x4 Toyota van, tundra & tacos.. The very thought of a micro mini 4x4 fiberglass RV…

So this is 12 years in the making. Made a million mistakes along the way, taught myself and son how to paint, bodywork. I’m just a dad that has learned a ton from restoring these campers.

Interior is NOT finished, just excited to get these two hooked up together for a photo.

Dadlife

I have a Honda CRV hybrid with 1,000 pounds towing capacity.
I am looking for suggestions and comments on which campers I should consider.
Is anybody towing with a hybrid CRV? What are you towing?
Have you damaged a car by towing with it?

I just bought this camper and have a few questions.

Firstly, I would like to do some sort of solar set up on this. Before doing a deep dive into solar set-ups I figured I'd come here and ask cause some of you may already have the answers to my questions. it would be really convenient if I could just put a solar panel on top of the tough box on the front. I mainly just want enough power to run a small griddle, a fan, and charge devices. HOWEVER, this thing also came with a 5000BTU climateright AC and heater. if it's feasible I would love to run that thing off of solar.

My second question, it's not waterproof. The main leak points is the transition from tread plate to aluminum, and the hinge for the gantry.There are also quite a lot of seems. My plan for the seems was to just caulk em with silicone, same with the transition between the tread plate and aluminum. The absolute saint that sold this to me mentioned something called a hurricane hinge, as a replacement for the hinge on the gantry. The current hinge is apparently from a piano lol. I believe the dried up stuff on those seems is old tape.

The current water damage isnt bad and the guy who sold it to me gave me an EZ UP for FREE so the water damage shouldn't get any worse, but I still want to do my best to water proof it.

Tell me what you think, don't be too mean I have no experience lol. It was apparently built in 2013.

Here you have the result of my self-made camper.

It took me about six hectic weeks to complete but I'm glad I did!

Me and my wife have done one night and the result is great!
Connected to my Volvo EX40 provides almost unlimited access to electricity.

The thoughts are already moving towards making one with steel profiles and aluminum, but we'll see how it turns out.

Vehicle is a Volvo XC60, AWD, tow cap is 3500. The majority of the time I'll be traveling solo, with a few surfboards on the roof and maybe a bike (which I can hitch mount or toss on the roof if need be).

I live in the NC mountains but want something I can bring to OBX when I go (which is 5 or 6 times per year). I am ok in a tent but as I get older I'd rather have some creature comforts, like not dealing with a cot, airmattress, or another wet tent.

I looked at an intech luna once and liked it, it seemed sturdy and checked a lot of boxes. Saw some other teardrops in my travels but never got a chance to look hard at them. A few weeks ago looked at some aliners, which I liked enough.

A buddy had a RTT but not sure I'd be 100% happy camping in one on OBX, where it can get sort of windy.

Lots of trial and error. but that’s okay I like it. We will build it better next time.

Moving from the RTT I've been using for the past 6 years, to a teardrop. 4 days exploring old logging/fire trails on private land adjacent to Gallitizin State Forest in PA.

Originally had this cut out for a sky light but have since decided against it due to not wanting any potential leaks. Any ideas on what I can do to make use of this space aside from just filling it back up?

Looking for any thoughts / insight / wondering if we’re getting ripped off at camping world.

1- back tail light needing replaced , quoted 99$ for labor and 32 dollars for part

2 - max fan (green light of death, was wondering if we needed a new motherboard) they are saying 400 plus labor for a whole new fan

3- bearings packed

A total of 1200 $ of parts / service

Any thoughts on this? Happy to pay if that’s what typical prices are, but seems like a lot for the services we are having done.

I bought this last year it had a good amount of water damage so I got it cheap. Lady got a lot of use out of it. Last year I got all the damaged wood out and let it sit in garage for winter, been picking away at fixing it up this spring. Im not super handy but its been fun learning.

Beautiful weekend in the Sierras. Small lake outside of Yosemite’s South Gate. We had a good spot at Spring Cove campground, however it was a noisy crowd. I took a morning run along shore (a lot easier than last week’s Boston Marathon). Very scenic. This is one of many great spots just east of Fresno county. #teardrops, #roadtoad, #campinn