Blast from the Past: The Teardrop Trailer

As budgets crunch, many outdoors-men and women shed a silent tear as they look at their travel trailers or motor-homes and realize that their beast of comfort may only make it out of the driveway once or twice this season, instead of the weekly ventures of years past. It is steadily becoming apparent that it is simply too expensive for many to make the trek outdoors with the convenience of generators, hook-ups, and the classic 9-15 miles per gallon to travel with it all.

However, there is a steadily growing group of outdoors-people who are still left smiling. They have found a way to haul their home-away-from-home behind mini coopers, PT cruisers, SMART cars, and even the occasional motorcycle. They are the owners of the tiny trailers commonly known as the Teardrop Trailer, a name given due to their unique shape.

Teardrops celebrated amazing popularity from their introduction in the 1930's through sometime in the 1960's where their cute compactness was replaced by the roomier and more home-like travel trailers and motor-homes that we are all familiar with today. The teardrop design began to re-emerge in small groups of enthusiasts enamored with all things vintage, often accompanying classic cars and trucks as an added rarity. But by the 1990's tear-drop travel groups began to form, and as time rolled on plans for building the space-efficient trailers were easily available to anyone interested on creating their own unique camping experience.

Today, Teardrops are seeing another surge in popularity as they are available to build or purchase at a fraction of the cost of a standard trailer. Generally roomy enough to sleep two adults and with the added functionality of a kitchen space and multiple storage compartments, Teardrops are the perfect fit for small families and retirees alike. Their distinctive design makes them a low-cost and low-maintenance travel option with the added benefit of being cool, unique, and easily personalized extension of the owner's own taste and personality.

Although still not entirely mainstream, Teardrop Trailers aren't hard to find if you know where to look. Do a Google search on them and hundreds of results abound, showing links of national Teardrop Trailer travel clubs, newsletters and where to buy or build a trailer of your own. Be careful though, taking the time to look at this fun and creative way to get outdoors may just cause you to become a fan of the camp-style that surrounds these tiny trailers. I know I have!

For more information on Teardrop Trailers, check out these sites:

Tales and Trails teardrop trailer and micro-caravan newsletter here.

For plans to build or restore your own Teardrop Trailer here.

Little Guy: A U.S. Manufacturer of Teardrop Trailers of all sizes here.