Day 25

The day started with a run to Home Depot and then back home to do some work on the teardrop.

25 days into this awesome project. It has been slow going with summer classes in full swing. I have less time to work on the trailer than I had originally hoped but I am not discouraged yet. My goal was to get the trailer built before the end of July and it looks like I am still on target for that milestone. It is coming along nicely and I will be very excited to put the angle grinder away for a while. As soon as the trailer is built I will start building the deck. Since it is made out of wood ( a material that I am much more comfortable with) I expect that it will not take me very long. Stay tuned and I will get a picture of the trailer up as soon as it is rolling. 

Day 5

Didn't get any work done yesterday but I was able to get a couple of hours in today. I finished the front of the trailer today. Unfortunately that was the east part. The rear half of the trailer will require a bit more modification. Luckily we have a year to get this built. My current goal is to get the trailer and floor done before the end of July. 

We are heading out to go camping for a few days. Our tent will have to do for now. I plan on spending a big chunk of Sunday working on the trailer so check back for updates then. 

BUILDING THE TRAILER

And so it starts. The trailer looks relatively easy to assemble. There are a few frame modifications I must make. I don't have much experience with an angle grinder but I am excites to give it a shot. I don't think this project would be happening if our current apartment didn't have a garage. Sorry to my neighbors in advance for the noise. 

Day 3

We are committed to making it happen!

To day we ordered the plans to build our teardrop. We also purchased the trailer and some of the tools I was lacking for the build. We are actually going to do it. It will be a great build and an even greater trip! A quick thanks to my very supportive and adventurous wife Kristy. None of this would be possible without her. Thanks Kristy. More to come later. 

DAY 2 06/22/2013

We were lucky enough to come up with this great idea while my parents were visiting from Atlanta. They were thrilled and very encouraging of the idea. What great parents! It is too bad that they live so far from us. It would be great to make them apart of the build process. That is why we will be moving back to the southeast after our proposed big trip. We would like to be closer to our families.

We have talked more about the camper build and the trip and we are getting more excited about making it or next official adventure. Of course, being married to Kristy is an adventure of its own so this will really be an adventure within an adventure.

Unfortunately, my parents are leaving today and my wife will be at work all day. Fortunately, this will give me plenty of time to do a whole bunch of research on teardrops. We are thinking about buying a set of plans from a website and building a teardrop from scratch. Here is the link to the teardrop we are considering building:

http://www.kuffelcreek.com/cubby.htm

The plans will give us everything we need to know about building an affordable teardrop and allow us plenty of room for customizing it to our needs. Off the top of my head I know we would like to work in a 2-bike bike rack, extra interior storage, and probably get rid of the sink.

It is a small trailer for two adults and a 60 pound dog but it is much bigger than the tent we have been using for the last few years. No pictures with our tent but here is a photo of the future tear droppers from a few years ago:

The idea is making us more excited every time we think about it. Stay tuned in to the adventure. 

THE IDEA.

DAY 1 06/21/2013

The idea is in our heads. I am not really sure how it got in our heads but it is in there. Kristy (my wife) and I are going to build a teardrop camper trailer and drive it around the country. What is a teardrop trailer? A teardrop trailer is a mini camper that can be pulled by almost any vehicle. They were really popular back in the hay day of the American automobile boom. They look a lot like this:

We will be moving from Oregon back to somewhere in the southeast after I graduate from college in June of 2014. We have one year to build it and then we will spend a few months driving around the United States visiting everywhere we want to go. We will live out of the teardrop and explore America. 

Again, this is just an idea, but a big idea. The camper is very difficult and expensive to build. We would also have to save up enough money in a year to get us around the U.S. We must look at this as an opportunity for adventure. 

You are now thinking "Kurt, you and Kristy are so awesome. How can I do the same thing?" I would suggest you start by becoming very excited about the blood, sweat and tears, that it will take to build a teardrop. You can start your adventure at this awesome forum:

http://www.tnttt.com/

For those of you who think it is too much to take on, don't worry. You can come help me if I decide to build one. Another set of hands will probably come in handy from time to time. BYOB!