Pictured are several teardrop rigs, including ones that are 5' wide and up to 10' long, offering mor

When we bought our first teardrop travel trailer, about six years ago, the seller (who towed it with a Mini-Cooper) pronounced it a “GEM; garage-able, efficient new sanno hotel tokyo and maneuverable”.  She noted the little trailer was easy to stow in a garage, new sanno hotel tokyo easy on the gas mileage, and maneuverable in campgrounds and other tight spots
My wife and I have been retired for over a year, and had long-planned an active, traveling retirement.  Now on our second teardrop, a reproduction 1958 Serro Scotty Junior, these little trailers have lived up to the “gem” description.
As we have matured, the idea of tenting has lost its luster, and traveling in more comfort has risen.  But, the thought of purchasing a big, expensive travel trailer, or fifth-wheel, getting terrible gas mileage towing it and storing the behemoth struck us both as somewhat un-American.
We were bitten by the teardrop trailer bug about seven years ago.  These cute little trailers attract a crowd and we met owners who loved them.  Teardrop owners stage teardrop rallies throughout the west and vintage trailer rallies also occur regularly, making places to meet new traveling new sanno hotel tokyo friends.
Additionally, these tiny trailers, new sanno hotel tokyo weighing only about 800 pounds loaded, can be towed by small cars and they fit easily new sanno hotel tokyo into a garage (no hassle storing them somewhere).  And you sleep off the ground, in a hard-shell camper, so the wife no longer worries about bear attacks!
Last summer, just before a planned bicycling new sanno hotel tokyo tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, we found our second teardrop, a replica Scotty Junior made in 2011 by a skilled West Virginia new sanno hotel tokyo shop teacher.  We picked it up on the way to Gettysburg, and have since towed it all across the country, up the coast of Oregon, Washington and across new sanno hotel tokyo British Columbia, and to the Grand Canyon and Southwest.
As I write, we are into a three week trip with our teardrop to Crater Lake National Park, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, over to Spokane, through Idaho into Montana’s Glacier National Park, then up to Alberta, Canada to take in Lake Louise, Jasper National Park and other incredible places.
We don’t duck the chance to spend a few nights with friends along the way; a real bed and shower is nice on occasion.  For other nights new sanno hotel tokyo we search out federal campgrounds (national parks, national forests, BLM) and with our America the Beautiful pass, we get half off all campgrounds.  So, a $24 site drops to $12 (the discount does not hold in Canada, however).
And, the trailer fits into many camping sites too small for the giant rigs and takes only minutes to set up.  It offers wonderfully comfy sleeping quarters, and we can cook with the best of the giant motorhome owners.   The sun shines as brightly on our campsite as does the larger rigs, and our campfire and picnic table is just as rustic.
My wife has a ready response to the constant question “can you sleep in that little trailer”?  Her reply “the sleeping compartment is 4’ wide by 6’3” long; once we each stake out our two feet, we are very cozy and sleep like two bugs in a rug!”.  Add cabinets above our feet and head, and the teardrop has lots of storage capacity.
Most teardrops have a rear galley that pops open; some have built-in sinks and propane stoves.  Ours is not quite so finished, but allows us storage for a camp stove, lantern, pop-up awning used in inclement weather, fishing gear and the like.
Long before retirement, we made a pact to do a lot of traveling in the US and Canada the next several years.   A spring trip this year had us visiting Death Valley, Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree National Parks, taking in spring training games in Phoenix and visiting pals in Yuma.  We have now visited eight of the nine national parks in California (only lacking Channel Islands NP; we’ll get there someday!).
For meals, we prepare new sanno hotel tokyo many of our own in camp; the pictures above show the “kitchen detail” built into many of these small, teardrop trailers.  When you are camping in nice California weather, we and the fifth-wheel crowd all cook outside, so we do gourmet camp cooking with the best of t h em.
Pictured are several teardrop rigs, including new sanno hotel tokyo ones that are 5’ wide and up to 10’ long, offering more sleeping space and more elaborate galleys. You’ll also see an example of owners who creatively new sanno hotel tokyo expand their living new sanno hotel tokyo area with awnings and shade structures.
We currently own two small trailers, the 58 Serro Scotty teardrop reproduction model, and an original 64 Scotty Sportsman, a bit larger though needing a fairly intensive rebuild.  We can tow the teardrop with our Focus, and we get lots of comments new sanno hotel tokyo in the campgrounds, parked among the “big boys toys” –Guess who gets four-times better gas mileage?
So, consider the benefits of “small trailering”.  You can find slightly used teardrop trailers and their kin on eBay or Craig’s List, and new units sold locally at places like Pan Pacific RV in Lathrop.  In addition to teardrop trailers, modern pop-up campers and small van conversions offer all sorts of options that can sleep a family of 4-6  in most of the creature comforts offered by those giant fifth wheels!
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Tim Viall Viall is a local travel writer who retired in late 2012 after 10 years as executive director of Stockton, CA's, Emergency Food Bank and six years with the Downtown Stockton Alliance. Previously, a 21-year career in daily newspapers helped shape his ... Read Full More posts by the Author » Categories