Tiny House Blog

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]

For fans of small fiberglass trailers, the popular and efficient Trillium is back on the road…with a new modern look. The original Trillium trailer was built in the 1970s and some are still being towed around after 35 years of use. The quality materials, cute design and useful floor plans of these original trailers are being used in the new design. Trillium RV has been set up by the former VP of operations of the original Trillium plant, which was in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Tom oversaw 10 years of manufacturing, sales, service and much of the design work of the original Trillium.

Today’s Trilliums are built utilizing the original models. So the quality, design, and floor plans are true to the former manufacturing standards. The overall look of the fiberglass body remains the same. Big improvements are in the area of newer, high tech appliances, modern cushion materials, curtains, and exterior graphics. The trailers have the same dimensions, but will weigh a little more. This is due to the addition of more equipment that users have requested in the trailers. Continue Reading »

Let’s hold onto summer for a bit longer, shall we? Actually, many of these tiny fiberglass trailers can probably insulate you pretty well from the impending winter.

Fiberglass trailers first became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but since then several dozen companies and manufacturers of fiberglass trailers have been developed.

A fiberglass trailer is usually built out of two parts. A top part and a bottom part. Each created from a mold or form and then attached together. The benefits of this is there are fewer parts to create and replace and the insulation is more effective. Continue Reading »

Throughout the year, owners of tiny trailers will gather together for rallys or gatherings, in order to show off their designs, bargains or builds. The best way to get ideas for a tiny trailer is to go to one of these trailer gatherings. You will also end up meeting a wide range of really great people.

I recently went to a teardrop trailer gathering outside of Austin, NV. This was my third gathering and while there were only about 20 trailers, it was a wonderful way to see what other teardrop enthusiasts are capable of building and creating. Most gatherings will have over a hundred trailers. Continue Reading »