Many of you have followed Jeff Paisley's teardrop camper project on this blog. Jeff sends us this article that he wrote about the process:
TEARDROPS – THE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR RETREAT
I started discussing building a teardrop camper a couple of years ago with my old friend from flyfishmagazine. He liked to make jokes about "those little campers", but I had a feeling, teardrops would be the perfect camping machine for us fish crazy people. After researching a number of designs I was set to start building my first Teardrop.
The design I longed to build was the vintage 1937, 4’ x 8’ Teardrop. First I had to find a set of plans. Next, I reviewed them and customized the plans to fit my needs. Then I started out on the scavenger hunt of a lifetime. Once completed, I had all the needed materials to build my Teardrop. After three and a half months of working on the weekends and missing a few fishing trips, the Teardrop was ready for it’s first voyage. My wife and I loaded the little camper and headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway where we spent a couple of wonderful nights.
We setup camp in about five minutes. We just backed the Teardrop in and popped the hatch. Wow! How easy is that? As we set around the campfire, we discussed how effortlessly camping had become with the Teardrop. By now it was time to turn in for the night. The next morning was met with great enthusiasm. My wife loved the camper. It was warm, comfortable and relaxing. Making our trip most enjoyable. The amount of room in the Teardrop was amazing to. There was enough room to move in the cabin without disturbing each other.
The next night the temperature dropped to 35 degrees and the wind was blowing about 20 mph. It was very chilly so we turned in early. Once we entered the Teardrop and closed the door, it was like sitting in your living room. The howling wind couldn't penetrate the walls, leaving the Teardrop warm and relaxing. In minutes we were fast asleep in the comfort of our new little camper. The next morning when I woke up I knew the Teardrop was the ultimate fishing retreat because of all the advantages it brings to the table.
Teardrops are great little campers with many purposes but I would suggest them for the avid fisherman like myself. It only took one trip for me to understand how great these little campers are. There is little set up time involved, allowing more time on the water. The comfort is unparalleled by any tent, air mattress and sleeping bag. You wake up refreshed and ready to go fight those big fish again. Another advantage of this style of camper is it can be towed by small cars with little effort. Because the camper only weighs 700 pounds, it also doesn't impact gas mileage very much, if any? Maybe one of the greatest advantages is you can park it almost anywhere. The numerous advantages of the Teardrop sure outweigh the small size of these units. I’ll be a Teardrop owner for many years to come. Hope to see you out on the Teardrop trail one day. If you have questions about Teardrops please let me know and I’ll try to help if possible.
Here is a link to all of our coverage of Jeff's build. Remember if you are a fly fisher who is into DIY let us know about your project.
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