Tiny House Blog

The Blonde Coyote travels the backroads of the American West with a pair of trusty canines, a Subaru named “Raven” and a handcrafted teardrop trailer named “Rattler”. Mary Caperton Morton (aka The Blonde Coyote) is a freelance science and travel writer, photographer and a professional housesitter who has spent the past couple of years moving around the country every four to six months. Mary used to live out of her car in between housesitting jobs and carried her camping gear on the car’s roof rack – until she fell in love with teardrop trailers.

“I saw my first teardrop at a campground at Guadalupe National Park in Texas and fell instantly in love,” Mary said. “Less than a month later, I bought my own. I had been casting about for the next iteration of my life on the road. After 7 years of living out of my car in between housesitting gigs, I was craving some personal space, but I wasn’t willing to settle in one place. The teardrop was the perfect solution!” Continue Reading »

The T@B is back! Dutchmen, the original manufacturers of the T@B, discontinued the production and support of the colorful, stylish little trailer in 2009, much to the chagrin of die-hard T@B owners and fans. One reason for this might have been because of the high cost of the various parts of the trailer that came from Europe. The rights to the popular trailer has now been acquired by Little Guy Worldwide, a company that makes teardrop trailers. Little Guy has partnered with Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers (the people who built my teardrop) to build the T@Bs. The Ohio-based company was also considering acquiring the T@B name and business at the same time as Little Guy, but instead decided to partner with Little Guy and their large fan-base.

The new 15-foot long T@B has the same smart and sassy design, options and details as the original, but is still in the initial floor plan phase. Little Guy has added some additional amenities such as an outdoor shower with a 2.5 gallon heated tank, a 3-way refrigerator that can run off 12 volt, 110 or propane and a detachable screen door. The trailer is about 1,500 pounds fully loaded, contains a sink and a 2-burner LP stove, a propane tank and battery attached to the front and has a 5 gallon fresh water tank. The interior has birch cabinetry, storage under and over the seating/Queen bed combo, a small closet, a Port-a-Potty, an LP furnace/CoolCat air conditioner and several upholstery designs.

Continue Reading »

For those of us who want summer to go on for just a little bit longer, here are some tiny teardrop trailers that exemplify the ease of summer camping. MiniTears are beautifully designed and built by Kurt Bowden in Northern California for MINI Cooper enthusiasts and other small car owners. They are custom made for each MINI that tows it and feature a spacious sleeping compartment with handcrafted cabinetry and LED lighting and a full-size galley with a stainless steel sink, lighting, and a 12 volt battery pack. Each MiniTear only weighs about 876 pound and they start at about $7,995. Additional options like a 12 volt video screen, custom paint, a variety of cabinet options and 120 volt plugs are available.

Since 1985, Kurt has owned and operated Fine Line Design, a custom home design firm located north of Redding, California. The recent downturn in home construction allowed him the free time to get back to his woodshop where “MiniTears” began to take shape in 2008. Kurt’s background in home design and construction, along with the fabricating skills his father passed on to him, gave him everything he needs to build these beautiful Teardrop Trailers.

You can see a video of Kurt’s MiniTear here.

Photos courtesy of MiniTears

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The owner of this unique teardrop-style travel trailer has lived in it for a few months and is now selling it on eBay. She said it held up really well during the Canadian winter. It was built in 2010 and is 20 feet long. The trailer has been road tested for nearly 4,000 miles through high crosswinds and in extreme temperatures with no issues. You can view more photos at the owner’s website, Tiny Home Teardrop Trailer or on the eBay page.

Trailer Features and Specifications:

Exterior:
20′ overall length 10′ 4” overall height
8′ by 8′ by 16′ body
High tensile rustproof steel
Fir panel sides with cedar trim
Entire roof, front and back sheathed in waterproofing membrane.
Refurbished travel trailer chassis

Interior:
6’2” headroom in kitchen area
7’6” height in front
Sitting cove with long L shaped couch
4′ by 6’3” loft bed on hinge raises to for more ceiling height in front
two small windows an lots of shelving in loft area
Couch can turn into bed below to sleep more people
Large skylight and windows
bright spacious interior feels much larger than most comparable and even larger RV’s
Tile floor in entry way and bathroom
Engineered hardwood floor in kitchen and sitting nook
2 manual roof vents and one solar fan vent for air circulation
Custom Pine cabinets and countertops
Lots of counter space for eating and preparing food or working at.
Origo Alcohol stove
Stainless steel 2 basin sink
Cold air cooler built into kitchen cabinet
Under seating storage

Plumbing:
20 gallon fresh water tank
Pressure controlled water pump
Pex water pipes with brass quick connect fittings
On demand propane hot water heater
Brand new Moen shower faucet and kitchen faucet

Electrical:
120 volt circuit for lights and outlets
12 volt circuit for water pump and heater fan
2 deep cycle batteries
2 – 20 watt solar panels mounted on hing to raise and lower on roof
1000 watt inverter
Outside covered male receptacle to plugin to external power
All warm and neutral led lighting inside
Standard connector to towing vehicle powers brake and signal lights, electric brakes and charges battery

Heating and insulation:
High density foam core walls offer r 8 insulative value
10000 btu sig marine diesel heater
9 gallon diesel tank
4” galvanized exhaust flue

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Back in January George one of my readers shared his vardo project that he was in the process of building. Recently George sent me an update on his completed vardo and shared that he had been using it regularly. Following is an update from George.

This is my home-built trailer using classic and modern building techniques and style. Based on traveler’s and “gypsy” wagons from Britain and France as well as sheep wagons from the western U.S. I am keeping this to the absolute minimum in size and weight. I don’t plan to live in it so it can be thought of a base camp. I have mulled it over for a very long time and was torn between this style and a teardop design. Each have advantages but this just seems to suit me better.

My final design is certainly not perfect but fit within the very tight parameters I set for myself. Small, light, and relatively cheap were important as were ascetics and traditional building techniques. Unlike modern RVs where people may spend large quantities of time inside the structure, I want this to be used more like early pioneer or “Gypsy” wagons where most of the actual living is done “outside”. The teardrop RV community has taken this to heart, often with a very modern and high-tech design, including microwave ovens, television and entertainment centers, and very modern kitchens. Continue Reading »

I am in Southern California today after delivering my daughters car to her and will be driving back home here shortly. Eight hours on the road. Fun…

This is a cool little teardrop, built like a piece of furniture and with a price tag to go with it. Thank you Ben for spotting this.

William Landivar, 60, of Boulder Creek, has constructed a one-of-a-kind teardrop trailer that is a sight to be seen. Made of rich mahogany and white oak wood, the teardrop is 15 feet long and 7 feet wide and weighs 1,700 pounds.

Photos by Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

Continue Reading »