Pictures, FAQs and Tips for Building Your Own Teardrop Trailer

A couple months before our wedding, my mom sent Austin a link to website that showed a homemade teardrop trailer. What she wanted was for him to make her one, but instead he asked if I'd want to build it with him and we could take our honeymoon in it when it was done.

Kind of a no-brainer for me.

So, we spent 3 months, working every Saturday and Sunday building the trailer from the ground up. The days were long too...I'm talking 12 -16 hour days.

We started with a trailer base (8x5') from Northern Tools, wired the car, then started the woodworking.

Neither of us are shy when it comes to power tools, but we're also not the most experienced, so we learned and I hope that we've gotten better with a lot of these things.

I didn't take enough pictures to really detail the entire process here, but we generally followed these instructions, then customized a lot from there. This forum will also answer any questions you can come up with along the way. 

That being said, if you have any questions about a specific step or want to pick my brain about how to build one yourself, please email me. sarah[at]callmefudge[dot]com

Some tips:

• Buy all of your materials for the week ahead of time so you're ready to start working on Saturday. You can waste hours wandering around Home Depot every weekend if you're not careful.
• Design first. Especially the galley kitchen. Decide if you want lots of cabinets, a mini fridge or a cooler, a sink, built-in stove, etc.
• Set a deadline (and give yourself more time than you think). There are a lot of half-finished teardrops out there. We had specific time off work to take our honeymoon so it just had to be done by then. No excuses. If we hadn't, it would have been really hard to resist those days when the weather was perfect for climbing.
• Roll with it. You're going to have to adjust to make things work. Just take this as part of the process or else you'll get real frustrated, real quick.

FAQs

How much did it cost to build? 

This is the biggest question I get. People have claimed to make their teardrop for as little as $3000. Ours came in around $7000. Granted, we didn't skimp on materials, but honestly screws and wood just cost a lot. 

Some of the more expensive parts were the manufactured doors and skylight, but both of those were important to us. We wanted it to feel open and be able to get some fresh air (the windows on the doors have screens).

Do you need to have welding skills?

Yes and no. There may or may not be welding involved (depending on your design). We welded jacks onto the back corners of the trailer frame for stability. Also we had to change the fenders when we got bigger wheels so that required a bit of welding.

Do you need to have carpentry/woodworking skills?

Yes, but they don't need to be super advanced. I took one woodworking class in high school and Austin and I both worked on trail crews, so we were fairly comfortable with power tools, but we were not experts by any means. Lots of cutting and recutting, but hopefully we're better now than when we started.

What tools do you need?

These are all of the (power) tools that we used. You could probably get away with less and in some cases, additional tools would have been nice but we made do.

• Router (essential - just go get one)
• Table Saw
• Miter Saw
• Band Saw
• Skill Saw
• Jigsaw
• Orbital Sander
• Belt Sander
• Drill 
• Impact Driver
• Nail Gun
• Grinder
• Welder

How many hours did it take to build?

400-450

What's the hardest part?

For us, it was the detail work. We are not carpenters, so getting the drawers and hatch to fit perfectly was a challenge. Also, water proofing. After our first trip out, we had to fix a couple of leaks.

When are you going into production?

Never! We decided to build this for ourselves and we put a lot of time and work into it. Now, we just want to go play! 

...but maybe we'll outfit a Sprinter van next :)

Is there anything that would have been nice to know from the beginning?

Umm, everything. But it was fun learning along the way. And it was great to be able to choose every detail ourselves.

Buy one or build one?

If you have the time and patience, build it! If you know that you're not the type of person to finish a project that takes hundreds of hours, go buy one. The price difference is substantial, but you should do whichever will actually let you go play. That's the ultimate goal, right?

To see the whole album and descriptions, click here.

Presently

First trip in the teardrop was a major success!

I feel like this is how I spend most of my time "bouldering."

Pretty good view out the teardrop window at camp.

My favorite person, my favorite pup and my favorite place.

Quick hike above the clouds with the Dingo.

The scary, easy highball.

Someday I'll get strong enough to finish some boulder problems in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Presently

Sorry for the absence, guys. As you can see below, life's been a little hectic lately.

Spent 5 days in Vegas for work.  That's too many days.

Also it was really windy and dusty.

Routering the doors in the outside aluminum skin of the teardrop.

Dingo learned that she can in fact fit through the Dachsund's dog door.

Outside walls skinned and trimmed!

Only time to get outside was really early in the morning so we got up in time to watch the sunrise over the Salt Lake Valley.

Interior complete (sorry OCD people for the compass pillow being rotated).

 Interior cabinet, lit and decorated.

 Done!

What if we just drove away in this and never came back?!

Presently

Since I got to go climbing 'for work' last week, does that make me a professional climber?

Insulated the teardrop.

And attached the hatch!

Facetiming in the whole family for my sister's birthday.

Tiny Hank can crawl!

Nothin' wrong with these afterwork sessions.

Happy Hour: Blackcurrant Vodka Lemonade

Normally, looking at my calendar for the week is oddly relaxing.  I like to know exactly what I need to do and where I need to be - but these days, it's just too crowded.

The rest of the month isn't looking any better.  Neither is May.

Actually, I don't have a free day or weekend until our honeymoon at the end May.  At least it will make me appreciate that time off even more...right?

I don't really like to suggest that you need a drink to unwind or to take a break from your hectic, busy life, 'cause you don't.  But a cold, fresh, blackcurrant lemonade with a splash of vodka...well, it can't hurt.

DIY Light Up Headboard

I have never had a real, grownup bed.  I went straight from my bunkbed (which was awesome) to a just a mattress on box springs.  No headboard.  No footboard.

I don't really know if a headboard and/or footboard is what makes a bed 'real' or 'grownup,' but it does seem like a big step on the path to adulthood.

So, this is my attempt at being 'all grown up.'  Notice, that this is still pretty young and unsophisticated.  But it's super fun!

Salted Caramel

When I think about summer, the usual suspects come to mind.  Campfires, swimming, barbecues, long days, riding bikes and ice cream.

The last one is important.

Actually, I eat ice cream all year and I love it whether it's 100˚ outside or if it's 30˚.  Even though I'm not very discriminate when it comes to my ice cream consumption, I would say that I up my intake pretty significantly once the temps reach about 70˚.

Well, here in Utah, where we apparently don't have winter anymore, it's been 70˚ for over a month already.  Time to make a permanent spot for my ice cream maker in the freezer and start whipping up another batch of this salted caramel for safe keeping.

Presently

The Salt Lake Valley.

The teardrop has lights now!

I'm really liking these afterwork bouldering sessions.

The hatch!!

Who knew this was right above the dorms at the University of Utah? I definitely didn't when I was a student there.

On Friday, I got to go climbing for work, so I'm basically a professional climber. ;)  (Then, Austin crashed the ladies sending party.)

Happy Hour: The Guilty O.J. Cocktail

I don't really like the name of this drink.  I don't feel guilty for putting a little Malibu in my OJ from time to time and I don't like the implication that I should feel guilty.  But that's what it's called, so oh well.

Normally, I'm not much of a rum person, but Malibu falls more into the juice category than the liquor category in taste, so I can make an exception when it's mixed with more juice.

In less than 2 months, Austin and I will be heading off on our honeymoon and we'll hopefully be making our way to the beach at least once.  This drink, warm sand, a floppy sun hat and the crashing waves?  Yeah, that sounds perfect.

I guess we'll have to find some more room for Malibu in the teardrop!

Lemon Meringue Pie

There are some things in life that are worth taking your time with.  Other things may be fine to rush through and 'just get it done,' but others require a little more care and thought put into them.

For me, it's the difference between dinner and dessert.

When I make dinner, it had better be fast and easy and taste good.  It doesn't have to look perfect.  It doesn't have to be photographed (usually) and posted on Instagram.  It just has to give me energy to get through the rest of the night and into the morning.

Dessert, on the other hand, takes some more time.  I like dessert to look good and taste good and have the love worked right into the crust.  I like it to be presented in a pretty dish or on a nice plate and I like to look forward to it all day.

Dessert's not really practical.  You don't technically need dessert - not like you need dinner.  But dessert is what you look forward to.  So maybe you do need it after all.

Making your own lemon meringue pie is exactly the type of exercise in indulgence, patience and meticulousness needed to lift your spirits.  Waiting for the pie crust to cool, stirring the lemon custard until it's thick and glossy, watching the meringues brown through the oven window - it's what makes it special.

Next time you're looking for a special dessert for a special occasion or a special person or a totally un-special weeknight, I think this might just be the thing you're looking for.