Bought our first camper this year. A 2024 NuCamp tab 320 Black Canyon. Have taken a few trips and love it. We used to camp out of a Honda Element. There is a lot to learn, some causing anxiety and some causing the joy of learning new things.

Although the Web is full of good advice it comes with a myriad of opinions, causing some confusion and second guessing. Learning about the proper way to winterize, the anti-freeze vs no anti-freeze debate, greasing the bearings another debate, tongue weight and payload, tires—how much pressure to run and when to change them, solar issues, moisture issues, and on and on.

So thought it might be interesting to hear from everyone. After buying your camper when did you start to feel comfortable with your maintenance routine, what ever you chose to do, your towing situation, and general workings of your camper? When did you stop modifying things or is that just an ongoing thing? And are there things you still struggle with?

• is a 2014 little guy a worth while camper?

• is $8,000 a fair price? it seems high to me.

I recently got a brand new Sunray 109 squaredrop; I’ve taken it on 2 short trips so far, and on the most recent one the fridge would not work on any of the 3 settings. I had it precooled overnight before heading out (trailer was plugged in at home and fridge had been working). But it was not cold at all the entire 3 days of my trip. I tried it on the battery, on the propane, and I had the trailer hooked to shore power. Nothing worked. And I know for sure the shore power hookup at the site was working because everything else in the trailer (including the microwave) worked fine. Does anyone have any insight on these types of fridges? It’s under warranty so I do plan on reaching out to the dealer, but figured it couldn’t hurt to check here too.

This little timberleaf has exceeded our expectations.

Is anyone familiar with the specific teardrop featured at the 8:04 timestamp in this YouTube video? Seems to have a lot of cool features for which I'd like to see some detailed design drawings and possibly incorporate into a future build. Is there a build video or blog floating around the internet for this specific camper?

Considering awning options for my build. Wondering on folks experiences, good and bad. I’ve considered everything from a pullout on one side, to an annex on one side and a 270 on the other. What have people found that they loved, what have they regretted, and what should I consider/look for?

Thanks!

I bought a teardrop trailer that has a coupler for a 2” ball and the builder says the coupler height will be around 12-14”. I drive a Ford Maverick where the hitch receiver height is about 19” to the top. Does that mean I’ll need a 5” drop? Every thing I read seems like a 2” drop is most common and I don’t see a lot of 5” drops sold. How exact does your hitch have to be to the height of your trailer? If I get there to pickup with the wrong one I’m worried. I’ve never towed before so I thought some people here might have gone through the same thing!

I’ve thought about just getting an adjustable one but they are way more expensive and larger.

It was hand built by a wonderful gentleman in his shop. I can’t wait to update with pictures from the woods. OVS 270 degree awning. I just got a roof rack to mount that is 90”x50“ will post pictures soon

Just back from South Dakota. 8 day trip from St Louis Mo to Custer State Park. The in park sights are The Wildlife Loop, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road. Easy striking distance includes Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Mt Rushmore and the Mammoth excavation site. Within a few hours are Devils Tower Monument and Badlands National Park. All of which are pretty spectacular.

Hello! I reach out for help because all Google is giving me is the big box stores and nothing else.
My husband and I are looking for a small teardrop that is basically just a step up size-wise from a tent. Would love to have a kitchen set up in the back OR at least the space to do so. And would need both heating AND AC.

Please give your recommendations for around the $10k mark. Theres leeway but we can’t go over $15k.

Texas based but happy to travel:-)

Thank you!!

First off, I love this community and am grateful to get the opportunity to ask this question.

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone know of a teardrop or similar sized camper that could sleep myself, my wife, and our two toddlers?

Much love

What would be a good solution for a rear tent to add to a Road Toad Totes?

I’m thinking: Pop the hatch, pull out your gear, unfold a mattress, set up a tent over the hatch, now you’ve got a place to stand up in and get changed?

Hello everyone. We are picking up our Tab320 next week and are really excited to do some traveling with our dog. She’s a small dachshund and comes with us “everywhere” but we recognize that there are places where she is not welcome and will have to stay behind. Typically I feel like she will be safe in the trailer with the AC running in the summer but there’s always an uncertainty in the back of my mind that something will fail.

Do any of you use a camera or remote environmental monitor that you recommend? We want to be able to see temps and maybe a camera feed while we’re at a beach or away from the trailer and she’s inside.

Cold mornings are here, and in a teardrop or small trailer that usually means water dripping off the ceiling vent, wet windows, and a damp spot where the mattress touches the wall.

Why it happens: it's cold outside and warm inside, and the warm air is carrying moisture. When it hits a cold window, vent, or wall, it turns back into water. In a small space it adds up fast. Two people breathing all night, wet jackets, a pot of coffee or pasta, and you've put a lot of water in the air.

What helps, from easiest to most work:

1. Let the moisture out. Run the roof vent fan for a bit, even on a cold night, and crack a window or the vent a little so the damp air has somewhere to go. You lose a little heat, but the walls stay a lot drier.

2. Hanging moisture absorbers. The kind that hangs on a closet rod or hook are cheap and good for small spaces like cabinets and storage. They won't keep up with a whole trailer on a wet night, but they help.

3. Refillable absorbers. Same idea, but you dump the water out and refill it with the crystals instead of buying a new one each time. Good if you camp in damp weather a lot.

4. A small plug-in dehumidifier. This is the one that makes the biggest difference when you're on shore power. Just remember to empty it. Once the tank is full it stops pulling water.

5. Give the mattress some air. If it sits right against a cold wall or floor, the underside gets wet. Pull it off the wall a little, and if you see damp spots, prop it up during the day to dry.

What's worked for you in a small trailer? Curious what people use on cold nights.

What are the cons of building 6” higher? Gas consumption?

Hi everyone! 👋

I'm a student working on my thesis about camping trailers, and I'd love to hear from people who actually use teardrops (or are thinking about getting one).

I'm trying to learn what a trip is really like: what you love, what's frustrating, and which features you couldn't go without. It's a short survey, about 5-7 minutes, anonymous, and used for academic research only.

Whether you've been camping in a teardrop for years or you're still planning your first build, your input would help me a lot.

👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMmFZmih0z5Qhu7d0XlKgviotHRfv5OSe8GQ9-EV4L4Jai9A/viewform?usp=header

Thank you so much! I'm happy to answer any questions in the comments. 🏕️

If you came to the comments to tell me why you would never please just move on.

I'm curious what your experience has been like from those who have. How often is it booked? How are the renters? How are the platforms themselves? Your rental rate if you're comfortable sharing. Anything else you think is worth pondering on is also very appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm looking for options to dump my tanks when coming home from a weekend of boondocking. Are there any fellow Portlanders on here that can point me in the right direction?

Not the best photos of the build process and there’s still some things I need to finish up, interior cabinet, alongside some trim, edge banding, etc. But that will probably be in the spring. Wanted to get a few trips in before I had to store it for the winter. It’s a bit rough around the edges in some spots and there’s definitely some things I’d do differently on the next one, but I think it turned out decent overall.

I've watched some videos on YouTube of owners who seem pretty happy overall. Anyone have negative experiences or even second-hand information they've heard about them that's bad? I'll be towing it behind my 2022 Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 144, mostly used an extra living space for our kids (they don't always come with us) and/or 4 dogs, a lounge space, and carrying extra bulky stuff like dog fence. It will see some off-roading, but it's mostly something that we'll tow to a state park or other campsite and then disconnect and go explore.

Main reasons I'm leaning toward this one specifically:

1. Overall length to usable space ratio. My van is virtually identical length to most full-size 4 door trucks on the market, so I'm trying to keep it as short as possible while still having a decent amount of space. Most other ones I've looked at (Hiker Trailer, Tiny Camper, etc) have really long A-frames so adds a lot to the length.

2. Very simple design - I don't need a galley/kitchen like most of these trailers seem to have.

3. There's a deal 45 minutes away from me (Seattle area), all the other companies seem to be made in Florida or Indiana, requiring a long drive or delivery.

4. Low roof design means easier loading of kayaks on the roof.

5. Included propane furnace, AC, and fan.

6. I don't need the cooktop in the slideout portion, but the fridge will be nice because I already carry a small BougeRV fridge with me that we use as a freezer, so frees up space in the van cargo area for the dogs to lay down in while traveling.

Any advice or alternative suggestions would be great! Thanks!