Ultimate Bug Out (towed) Vehicle?

[SeerSavant]

Was doing some research on a teardrop trailer set up as a homebuilt/replacing the tent as a primary... teardrops are slightly larger than a micro camper...

After the last camping trip in which I seriously began considering building a friggin Ark, I realized a few things...
1; I'm getting too damn old for camping in a tent.... on the ground.... in a thunderstorm, waiting for branches to crack and crash thru the half inch fiberglass pole that's supporting the paper thin NOT REALLY WATERPROOF nylon shell that is giving me the ILLUSION that i'm protected in any real fashion...
2; I'm not going so far as to buy a pop top (which although better is not quite that much... Had one years ago that suffered an invasion of psychotic squirrel banditos that ruined every last piece of cloth inside it!)
3; I damn sure am not ready to go to an RV, or a 5th wheel, although they are nice, they don't have the off road capacity that a nice lightweight trailer can do, and yes, my Yukon can tow one, but my Ranger cannot... A teardrop can be towed by any normal sedan...
4; Better protection against zombies attacking while i'm sleeping off too many "wobble pops" after a night of fire gazing and too much home made chilli.
5; Price, most home builts are roughly 1500 to 4500 bucks depending on how far you go and how much skillsets you have to offer.

Anyway, I figure, this is more than just a tent, which can be part of a bug out plan...
You can have all of your gear stored in the trailer, so that you back the vehicle up and hook the trailer and go...
You can insulate the trailer, run both 12 volt and 110 thru it, you can even trickle charge the batts with a rooftop solar panel..
It's in many ways, a perfect compromise...

And the teardrop has been around since before world war 2....

There are many other designs, and shapes, depending on the purpose of what your using it for...
So I've been in full research mode, and have got a rough idea what I can expect if I decide to build one... Off road design, room for two comfortably or more depending on design...
And then.....
Looking thru the links....
I found this company..... and nearly wet myself.

I WANT!








So whattya think?

A lot of people always treat mock bug outs as a testing of frontier or pure have nothing survival skills... Which is a good base of information, but if you think about it....
You have a rifle, because even though a bow and arrow will do, you know that modern advances are in fact a better design and more efficient.
You can make a fire with a striker, or a bowdrill, but you still carry a bic lighter, because it's a better tool.

You can tent camp, and have the gear (I know I do) but if there's a better way that can go wherever your vehicle can (unlike large travel trailers) and as far off road as your vehicle can...



Isn't it better?

[SeerSavant]

Looking at a lot of the home made builds, and they vary, from the ultra cheap found materials build.......


This guy built his from primarily found and old work items, it's skinned in garage doors.

Here's a close up of one of the detail pics.. Notice anything???

The thread was from 08 before I got to ZS, but i wonder if the poster is still around here...




Some of the designs are less travel trailer and more escape pod....




Here's one at the opposite end of the scale, all steel construction, welded and painted... Dunno what he finished the inside at, but it's pretty damn cool...

[Regulator]

That UEV 490.. very cool, but for 58k I'd have to live in it full time, forever. While it would cost a lot to build something comparable, I think you could build something very nice and comfortable much cheaper. Sounds like a good project.

[SeerSavant]

I'm thinking of a standard Weekender( http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/design.html ), sorta a squared off teardrop design, a comfy coffin in the back to sleep in and a hatch at the rear for a full mess kit...



I don't think building it will be a problem, but A; cost will be kinda high, and B; I'm worried about the building materials, a lot of complaints were of the plywood, (good ply, not cheap box store secondary grade crap) delaminating after a few wet trips, and having to be patched... But it doesn't look like a difficult build.
I thought about a aluminum skin, but it doesn't expand and contract the same as the plywood does, so it would have to be glued on with some kind of flexible glue....
I'm in research mode...

Desperately wanting one, and without deep pockets, I've learned how to build pretty well...


One thing i'm thinking hard on is a fiberglass outer shell... Used to do body work for a living, and fabricating with fiberglass isn't that hard...

[Tater Raider]

I would go with the fiberglass. Lightweight and weather-tight is a hard combo to beat, especially if you can do your own repairs.

[SeerSavant]

Fiberglass is what i've been thinking too... But it looks like I'm gonna have to do some serious schooling on the build though....

[dukman]

$58k for a.. a... TENT TRAILER I would pass.

For just a small, lightweight, easily towed trailer to sleep in, I would look at getting a Scamp.

[cygor98]

Its a bit more than just a tent trailer, but for 58 k you could make something yourself that has almost all of that, and buy all the tools to do so.

[Tater Raider]

The Scamp is a cute trailer, but not really able to go off road with those tiny wheels.

After doing much research, I think that having an off-road trailer with the same wheels and tires as Dusty would be the way to go for me. It would provide the ground clearance needed as well as give me 2 or 3 spare tires for my BOV. I bring this up because the thought occurred to me that you could get a M-416 with a good frame, strip it down to said frame, convert it to 12v DC, and rebuild it with the proper sized tires as a teardrop trailer. Or you could order a towable frame from one of the aftermarket trailer folks that specialize in "Jeep Trailers" like Sierra 4x4 and build a teardrop on that. Finally, you could spend more money than I think it's worth and even though you said no pop-up trailers get an off-road pop-up trailer from MOPAR, Adventure Trailers, or someone similar.

I personally like the idea of starting with the frame, axle, suspension, and wiring done and growing from there. This way all the engineering is done and the creative design and build is left for me to complete as I see fit.

On a side note, I have communicated with the guy that runs Sierra 4x4 and he was quick to say that yes, he will do any sort of customization I wanted including changing the A frame tongue to a straight tongue and making it as long or short as I would like (even though the standard length might be optimal for smooth towing), installing whatever wheels and tire size I desired, and omitting items that come standard on his trailer like the tongue deck. I plan to do business with him some day and am (obviously) not ashamed to recommend that folk consider his product.

[JoeTosco]

That thing is almost perfect!

But after a reality check I think I'll have to build a teardrop myself.

[TacAir]

These folks
http://www.outbackteardrop.com/
have a step by step documentation site for their offroad teardrop.


THis fellow
http://www.asolidfoundation.com/dd_shell_1.shtml
has a very well documented set of "how to" build an offroad teardrop


Or, if you want, you can buy something off the shelf

[SeerSavant]

Yeah, the Aussie one is pretty expensive, but whoa is it awesome...


The scamp is something you can tow to an RV park... But if your going, even a little rough, it's a no go...

What I'm thinking is a teardrop, weight staying under 1500 pounds, is about perfect... I'm also thinking that the capacity to run highway speeds and to do some off road travel (not for sport, so no rock climbing, no running the Baja, but measured travel) a teardrop or similar type, with wheel/tire combos that match the tow vehicle would be perfect.

THis fellow
http://www.asolidfoundation.com/dd_shell_1.shtml
has a very well documented set of "how to" build an offroad teardrop

Thanks for the link, I've seen the others before, but this one i'm gonna dig into....



The point of the post wasn't really to broadcast my intentions (albeit, I do now plan on building one during the next year, and will probably document it and post pics and whatnot in a thread ) But to wonder if anyone else had thought seriously about this as a bug out option...

It seems like everyone is thinking along the what can I pack in my vehicle, and yet, this seems a better choice... A lightweight trailer can be ready to go at any time, it's light enough to tow behind most any vehicles, it can behave as a home on wheels...

I've read stories about home builts that were taken by traveling workers during the depression era and it was a simple matter of cost, a trailer is your home while you travel from job to job, and far less expensive than staying at hotels...

If you find yourself homeless due to economic cutbacks, if you have to travel searching for jobs, if you find a job that requires constant travel and/or have a need for lodgings, this seems pretty good. Set up, do your job, and head off for another gig.
If your like me, and your ideal camping trip is far FAR off the beaten path, then this has a host of advantages...

Add to that the idea that you can build one to suit your needs relatively inexpensive, and with a solar panel, you can make it borderline self sustaining, long term.

How many of you would consider building one?



I never really thought about it until a depressing fail dealing with weather on the last camping trip...

But when your normal ideal (in my case, tent camping) suffers a drawback, you diagnose the failure, and regroup, looking for not only a way to avoid the same mistakes, but to make things like weather, things you cannot control, irrelevant for when the time comes and you don't simply pack up and go home.

My love of tent camping guided my design and preps for living temp off the grid... I thought it was tent, pop up camper, or camper trailer/RV... The teardrop wasn't on the radar, but I got home and began to research how I could negate the issues...

And I get to build something that I have a hand in designing... I've built tables, done some serious auto work, but this actually excites me...


So in essence, from what you've read...

Anyone else gonna try a build?

I'm already thinking of where to find the donor trailer, what kind of axle I might need, etc...

The average labor hour is about 180, but for a first build, at least double that I think, so this is a long term project... Figure if a few of you start in as well, we might have something of a underappreciated tool for survival here...


I know that Safecastle Royal is now selling basic teardrops as bug out trailers, (found them while cruising the survival podcast forums) for roughly 10 grand...

Seriously, I figure 2500 dollars should be a rough estimate for the build....

[TacAir]

Yeah, (SNIP)

THis fellow
http://www.asolidfoundation.com/dd_shell_1.shtml
has a very well documented set of "how to" build an offroad teardrop

Thanks for the link, I've seen the others before, but this one i'm gonna dig into....

(SNIP) Seriously, I figure 2500 dollars should be a rough estimate for the build....

My brother used that site for ideas as he built a teardrop for himself. He towed it (TX to Flagstaff, AZ) and later sold it. Put some dough in his pocket./

I'm lazy, I found a 21 foot 5th wheel, one of the smallest with dual tires. real freezer and all. Love it. Cost was resonalble and with the spring over axel mod, I take all over Alaska.

But you are correct, a 'hard tent' with weather proof cover, a nice matress and maybe even a heater makes living away from a home a bit easier.

Or, if you like to parts bash:

make a truck-bed trailer and add a camper shell.

I pulled something like this -

from Las Vegas to Anchorage Ak via the ALCAN. No problems and it was big enough to sleep in. Redneck RV, eh? Sold it for more than I paid, so win-win.

[SeerSavant]

Redneck RV... The price was probably right, and it did the job, so.... it's fulla win...


Vegas to Alaska? Man, I envy that... I havent had an quality journey for over 5 years, when I did a month and ran thru six states in a long arc starting here, running towards DC, thru Shanendoah, into a few states west of the appalachains, cutting back across until I hit Charleston SC then north again, stopping all over the place...
Ran/broke down/fixed/brokedown again, and fixed again a mid 90s ford Aerostar, with a tent set up, and spent roughly 2000 bucks, but once you take away the repairs (about 500 bucks) and you have a damn cheap month of what I called a our wanderlust trip...
Even on the worst of days (torrential rains, the break downs; primarily a brake meltdown crossing the appalachians the second time) it was better than day to day 9 to 5 normality...
I absolutely love that kinda vacation....

Figure it's getting about time for another....

[dukman]

The Scamp is a cute trailer, but not really able to go off road with those tiny wheels.

Tires, wheels, axles, those are the easy things to modify. The lightweight body is harder to make. Stock the whole thing only weighs 1/2 ton.

[JoeTosco]

Tater Raider's post has reminded me of a trailer a neighbor has had for many years and I said to his daughter a few months ago that I wanted to buy it someday.

She said no problem, it would be there waiting for me. Well, maybe now it's time to buy it.

I'm pretty sure I could make something along the lines of those off roads trailers with it.

Here it is:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/97/img1559g.jpg/

[SeerSavant]

Tater Raider's post has reminded me of a trailer a neighbor has had for many years and I said to his daughter a few months ago that I wanted to buy it someday.

She said no problem, it would be there waiting for me. Well, maybe now it's time to buy it.

I'm pretty sure I could make something along the lines of those off roads trailers with it.

Here it is:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/97/img1559g.jpg/

It looks like something you would use with a MOAB trailer.....






The thing that attracts me to a solid, camper trailer or teardrop trailer, is the lack of tent material... It's great in good weather, but cold and wet kinda kills it...

I imagine that Brazil has pretty decent weather, but never been farther south than Belize in the Americas...

So that being said, I'd imagine the biggest problem would be humidity...

Here we have humidity issues, but it really hits when it turns brutal cold in the night with 80 percent humidity... That just kills any kind of sleep I attempt...

But an insulated trailer, even barely bigger than a coffin, can keep me cozy, and a lot of camping that we do is in late fall up in the mountains, so for that you want toasty..

But a lot depends on when and where you camp...


Again though, I've seen builds where 12 volt systems have been paired with automotive air conditioners and heaters, mmm mmm comfy....

[DaisyCutter]

Three horse slant bumper pull trailer. Steel construction, 2 axles, room for cots and a stove.

[JoeTosco]

SeerSavant, here in Rio the weather is hot and humid, imagine for exemple today, is still winter, but it's sunny and about 25º celcius...

I was thinking about something related to that trailer, after seing some pics of those off road trailers the idea of converting this one seemed good.

I don't know if you noticed but it has a refrigerator in the front. The body is made of fiberglass, wich is good for weather protection.

If I put one of those roof rack tents on the lid, the rest of the trailer can hold cargo. The side panels have a lot of free space so I could also install a couple of those jerry can holders, so the interior could carry even more stuff.

I'm considering converting my beetle to a baja or class 11, something like that, so the mini off road trailer would fit perfectly. I'll have to replace those old busted tires anyway...

[eugene]

I looked at and had a design all laid out for a teardrop but we had kids and it just seemed a little crowded for a family of 4.
I went the camp in the bed of a truck route, I can still squeeze in normal parking spaces when traveling.

[SeerSavant]

Joe, if it's anything like here, the humidity is the killer, hot weather becomes dank and miserable, cold weather is bone chilling and just clammy...

I just got tired of waking up with water drenching the floor of the tent, or the air mattress (back issues) deflating by morning, or the fact that when the weather turns suddenly, that tent material really sucks...
Then when you get home, you have to set it up and let it air out for a week or it smells moldy forever...

I started out with the idea of a pop top camper, but the more I read, the more I think a teardrop would work for me... Everyone has different areas and weather concerns...

Rooftop camping units seemed the perfect compromise, but I'm getting older, and like the idea of a mattress, and a cold turn in the night starts to get really uncomfortable... but a larger camper would remove how far off the beaten path I can get to...
The best part, is that you can run a standard sized RV fan on a 12 volt system, and in a smaller cabin, the air really gets pushed around, and if you insulate the build, it can stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter...

Sides, I never built one before, so... gotta try

Pulling behind a beetle, if the weather is okay, a flip open tent sounds perfect...

I looked at and had a design all laid out for a teardrop but we had kids and it just seemed a little crowded for a family of 4.
I went the camp in the bed of a truck route, I can still squeeze in normal parking spaces when traveling.

Simple, build something a little bigger... I wish I could find it, but I remember watching one guy's youtube video, where he had a teardrop built on a 5 X 10 trailer, but the front was rounded over, and had a small couch that actually converted into 5 foot long bunk beds for the guy's kids...


That's part of the appeal of building your own, you can make it fit your needs...

[ZombieSoldier01]

ahhh see im about to throw a wrench into your thought process.


while the homemade tear drops are cool, and can be done on a $1500-$2000 budget, (which i'm really contemplating doing) i am also thinking of buying a pickup truck bed that matches my truck and make it into a trailer, putting a topper on it, and making that into a little retreat, but wait there is more... on top of the topper i want to put a RTT, or a roof top tent. perfect for the kiddos.

[aa1pr]

That UEV 490 looks very heavy adn quite large.

I enjoyed TEOTWAWKI thread on his rig & trailer,, I started looking for my owm to build

I found an M101, which later decided was too large & too heavy, so I settled on an M416 just last weekend

I want to mod it like this guy's maybe: http://www.muttmotorpool.com/M416_camper.html

[SeerSavant]

ahhh see im about to throw a wrench into your thought process.


while the homemade tear drops are cool, and can be done on a $1500-$2000 budget, (which i'm really contemplating doing) i am also thinking of buying a pickup truck bed that matches my truck and make it into a trailer, putting a topper on it, and making that into a little retreat, but wait there is more... on top of the topper i want to put a RTT, or a roof top tent. perfect for the kiddos.

So kinda build this;




I like it, I was thinking about some kind of roof racking for the teardrop, but it can easily be replaced with a rooftop tent...