Gorgeous woody teardrop trailer with matching rowboat!

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick fans with an eye to beauty,

Okay, completely off topic, but it is an example of such wonderful woodworking that it deserves a peek.  Someone is selling a custom made 2000 woody teardrop trailer with a matching wood rowboat that mounts on the top:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/One-of-a-kind-custom-woody-teardrop-trailer-with-matching-boat/282906777756

Here is a photo from the eBay listing:



The workmanship and artistry is amazing!  It is the sort of thing that I would expect could find it's way into a museum!

Enjoy! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[Super65lark]

Someone put some nice work in there!
Thing is, if you bring along a lady friend, what does she do when she needs a tinkle in the night? It's easy for us guys.

[elagache]

Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick owners with a taste for adventure,

Someone put some nice work in there!

It really is a work of art.  It would be a crime to actually use it in some grungy camp ground.

Thing is, if you bring along a lady friend, what does she do when she needs a tinkle in the night? It's easy for us guys.

That's just one of the reasons I'm aiming for a larger Airstream trailer.  Teardrops are basically a bedroom with outside kitchen.  So if the weather turns bad, you can't cook or eat.   Even as a bedroom there is one obvious problem - no place to change your clothes!  Most serious teardrop trailers at least provide a tent in front of the doors where you can stand.  That way you have some privacy while getting in and out your adventure clothing.

Still, these trailers started out in the 1930s and are still popular to this day.  In places like California, there are perfectly suitable for the summer at parks with public restrooms.  Sure that something of a compromise, but the difference in cost between these little trailers and something with an inside bathroom and kitchen is more than enough to get some people to make the compromise!

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners with an itch to pull something behind your Buick,

Something is attracting woody teardrop trailers out of the woodwork and onto eBay.  Here is another one.  It isn't nearly as nice as the first, but it is still very well crafted:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-Custom-Woodie-Teardrop-Travel-Trailer-built-like-32-34-Ford-Woodie/112915451852

Here is a photo as a teaser:



I'm sorry to see people placing such finely crafted trailers on eBay.  To sell something like this, an ad in Hemming's and a lot of patience is far more likely to end up locating a buyer who understands the quality of what they are purchasing.

Oh well, . . . . Edouard

[dsags]

I'm sorry to see people placing such finely crafted trailers on eBay.  To sell something like this, an ad in Hemming's and a lot of patience is far more likely to end up locating a buyer who understands the quality of what they are purchasing.

Oh well, . . . . Edouard

Many people seem to use eBay as a place to advertise and if it sells while listed that’s a plus.

Dan

[Psalm65]

I would not mind traveling the USA in something like that. That's real nice work and old school. Definitely on my bucket list. Have any of you done a big road trip in something similar?

[elagache]

Dear Ronnie and mid-60s Buick owners with road trip aspirations,

I would not mind traveling the USA in something like that. That's real nice work and old school. Definitely on my bucket list.

In the 1990s I first ran into teardrop trailers when I learned about a rally near San Diego where I was living at the time.  I have to admit I kind of fell in love with them.  They are so cute and really practical in their use of space.   They are definitely having another revival right now.  There is a free online magazine devoted to teardrop trailers:

https://www.cooltears.com/

Teardrop trailers have another intriguing aspect they are within range of building your own if you have a modest DIY skillset.  The parts to complete your trailer are increasingly available.  For example here is one vendor who claims to be the largest supplier of teardrop trailer parts:

https://www.teardroptrailerparts.com/

There are also a large number of outfits making teardrop trailers.  You can get a sense of what is out there by keeping an eye on eBay teardrop trailers for sale.   This link might get you a listing:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=50060&_nkw=teardrop&_dmpt=RVs_Campers

Have any of you done a big road trip in something similar?

As Iain pointed out, these trailers just aren't that practical especially for a longer trip.  I've never had one but I've used my wagon as a "bedroom," and it is plenty rough.  I have used my wagon for both camping to reach dark skies for amateur astronomy and after scuba diving trips.  Once I did both.  Here are two pictures I took the morning after. 



My telescope is at the extreme left.  I put my sleeping bag on the roof!  The next picture is a close up of the picnic table:



You can see the scuba tanks underneath.  There is an ice chest on the seat.  The yellow-orange thing is a propane camp stove and on the right is a plastic tub with my wet-suit.  This is the mess generated after just 1 night for 1 person!

If I won the lottery, in addition to my vintage Airstream, I would build myself a custom teardrop trailer and get myself a 1965 GS convertible to pull it.  However, these little trailers aren't aren't suited for much more than a quick weekend trip.  If you want to cruise the country, you need a trailer where you can sleep, cook, and eat inside.

Cheers, Edouard   
 

[Super65lark]

Fantastic pictures, Edouard. Thanks for sharing. And good luck in your quest for just the right trailer.

[Psalm65]

Thanks for the tip about needing a bigger trailer to do a cross country run, your right but the teardrop is still cool in book and can see myself using one for small runs. Here is a cool picture.

[dsags]

The trailer sold. $8,000.    Dan

[elagache]

Dear Ronnie, Dan, and mid-60s Buick owners with an itch for road trips,

Thanks for the tip about needing a bigger trailer to do a cross country run, your right but the teardrop is still cool in book and can see myself using one for small runs. Here is a cool picture.

In a perfect world I would like to have both a large cross-country trailer and a teardrop.  Certainly in California and other regions with dry summers you can put a teardrop to good use.  I've done enough tent camping that it doesn't feel too much of a imposition to use a teardrop.  It is neither here nor there, but I'm happy that they are still popular.  Certainly one of the reasons for their comeback is as a hot rod or classic car accessory.

Thanks for sharing the picture!  There have been some really bizarre travel trailers over the years.  Eventually sounder engineering prevailed!

The trailer sold. $8,000.    Dan

The second and less ornate trailer sold but not the first.  I'm glad at least one of these trailers found a home.

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. There is a 1957 Sportsmen Serro Scotty trailer listed on eBay right now:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-Sportsman-Serro-Scotty-Retro-Vintage-Travel-Trailer/263598663408?

The seller apparently didn't realize this is also a teardrop trailer so it was listed only as vintage trailer!  This is an example of aircraft construction technology (like Airstreams) being applied to teardrops.  Definitely a lot of design and engineering went into travel trailers over the decades.

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners with an "itch" for road trips,

I've been looking at vintage trailers for years, but continue to stumble into unexpected designs.  Here is a 1952 Nomad teardrop:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-Nomad-tear-drop-trailer/292523723098

There is even a video made by the owner with this trailer and a 1961 Impala station wagon.

https://youtu.be/VAwSEWYBzCY

This one is just big enough that you can change inside.  That's a big improvement over the classic teardrop design and it isn't so complicated that it couldn't be built in a garage if you have the skills and tools.  Recreational vehicles aren't an obvious place to look for human ingenuity, but over the years, people have tried every combination they could manage to squeeze a little more functionality out of what amount to incredibly tiny houses.

Cheers, Edouard   

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners with an appreciation of quality woodwork,

There is another woody teardrop trailer on eBay right now.  This one comes with a matching 1929 Ford Model-A Woodie:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Woodie-Vintage-Teardrop-Camper-Trailer-w-Matching-1929-Ford-Model-A-Woodie/323387208001



These things decorated to absurdity by my tastes, but even so, they make for a cute pair.

Enjoy!

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners who have that "itch" to tow something vintage,

I've been so swamped by the "holidaze" that gave up on eBay for most of December.  This afternoon I had a bit of time and finally did some daydreaming on the eBay Airstream listings.  There are two trailers that really fun to look at simply because of the pictures.  The first is a 1963 Silver Streak:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Silver-Streak-Airstream-Rival-22-Guest-House-Air-B-B/323638105174

It was part of a classic car museum and was kept indoors like this!



The other is a 1973 23' Airstream Safari that has also been recently restored:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-Airstream-Trailer/303020848838

This seller was clever and took the trailer to a beach front to take some really amazing pictures against the sunset.  Here is just one:



So if you need a pick-me-up from the winter weather this sort of "window shopping" is most definitely free!

Enjoy!

Cheers, Edouard 

[option B9]

  Edouard  Those Airstreams are really cool, someone in my area has a really big Airstream that gets pulled by a GMC Suburban  4X4. We not the camping type, but i do like the style.
If i came home with the woody wagon & the trailer my wife Karen would have no problem burying me in that casket mounted on the trailer    !!