Tear Drop Trailors

Teardrop revival

Fellow campers just can't seem to resist their little tin can of a trailer. With its pudgy little teardrop-shaped body set low on two white sidewall tires, and measuring a diminutive 9feet long by 4½ feet wide, it is the anti-RV.

There is just enough space for two people to cuddle up inside at night and cook out during the day from a rear hatch.

But what the Kosareffs' trailer lacks in amenities it makes up for in efficiency, ease and an indefinable cuteness that is fueling a mini-revival of “The Teardrop Trailer,” which was a familiar sight on America's highways back in the '30s and '40s.

“It's like the best of everything,” says Kosareff, a builder by trade who began making custom Teardrops after arthritis made it difficult for him to continue with his fine carpentry. “You're still camping but you have the convenience of a trailer. You just hook it up and go.”

Longtime campers, the 50-something Camp Meeker couple found themselves tiring of schlepping gear and sleeping on the ground. So after seeing a piece on Teardrop “gatherings” — camp-ins with fellow Teardrop aficionados — featured on the folksy PBS show “California's Gold,” a few years back, Leslie turned to her husband and asked, “Could you build one of those?”

“We were at that age when it was just getting too hard to get up off the ground,” says Joe.

“And then we were having to deal with air mattresses with leaks in them.”

And yet the couple wasn't ready to succumb to an RV when their goal was to get close to nature.

“We're not trailer people,” he says. “We're campers.”

The beauty of the Teardrops is that they're like a hard-sided tent on wheels. The sleeping compartment includes a full-sized bed and built-in storage and drawers for the accourtrements of outdoor living and simple travel.

The back, in typical Teardrop fashion, opens up to reveal a galley kitchen with drawers for pots, pans, plates and flatware, counter space for a cook stove and a deep cabinet for either a refrigerator or big ice chest.

“It just so easy,” says Kosareff, who now custom-builds Teardrop trailers in several sizes starting with a tiny 4- by 8-footer that weights only about 650 pounds. “It's all set up. All you have to do is pack your clothes. If it's midnight when you get to your campsite, you just crawl in.

Teardrop Travel Trailers — A Lot of Bang for the Buck | Travel RVing

Travel RVing is taking a look at the towable travel trailers known as Teardrop Campers. The distinctive shape of the trailer –rounded in the front and tapering toward the rear –makes it appear to be a teardrop lying on its side. But there will be no tears from the RV enthusiast who is looking for inexpensive long week-end getaways once the Teardrop has his/her attention. Teardrops are lightweight, economical, affordable, practical and more fun than you can imagine.

Teardrop travel trailers are generally about 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. Of course, some newer models are now a little bigger. Necessity being the mother of invention, manufacturers build Teardrops to suit. Their small size makes them just what the doctor ordered for one or two people who want to enjoy the outdoors without pulling a large, bulky travel trailer or without having to buy a large towing vehicle. Teardrop campers can be pulled by almost

any vehicle including motorcycles. This not only saves fuel costs, but the unit is easy to tow (driver hardly knows the trailer is back there) and it is a snap to set up and take down. They easily go on or off-road, are easy to park on a camp site (most can be moved around by hand), and when you get home–you can park ‘em in the garage. Homeowners with HOA restrictions disallowing RVs can fully appreciate this.

These tiny travel trailers can comfortably sleep two people and have a kitchen that is accessed from the rear of the trailer. Some models have pull-out shelves for a stove or may even have a complete kitchen hidden away under the hatch-back. Since their setup is so simple and quick, RVers love to take them to tailgate parties at sporting events. While owners of larger RVs spend a lot of time inside their RVs, Teardrop owners are forced to spend their time outside (where camping is supposed to take place). As it turns out, Teardrop camping is a whole lot more convenient than tent camping and a whole lot easier to set up than a pop-up camper.

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