Hi Drew! Thank you so much for profiling my blog on your gorgeous video series. I've actually been watching your videos for Scamp ideas since the Tiny Yellow Teardrop now has a big brother. :-) He's a 13-foot Burro fiberglass trailer, so keep an eye out for a future post and video on him. Due to working on the Burro, work, family health issues, and some crappy winter weather, the teardrop and I have not been able to go adventuring lately. However, I'm so touched that you were inspired by my blog and video to start your own teardropping journey! We will eventually make it up to Alaska and we hope to see you on the road. :-)
How cool! We weren't expecting to hear from "Chistina." Honestly, you truly were the one who inspired our family to get out there and start living the good life. You are going to have so much fun in that Burro of yours. We love the Burro trailers. There is something about the rounded headlights that make them look so appealing to the eyes. If you ever do head up here let us know. We would love to sit around a campfire with you and hear your stories. Thanks for checking out our channel Christina.
Oops, I think our first reply disappeared. How neat to hear from you Christina! You are going to have so much fun in that Burro of yours. It really is the perfect sibling for your teardrop. Sorry to hear about the family health issues. We thought you were busy on a side project, which didn't allow you to post lately. Looking forward to seeing posts about how you balance burro and teardrop life outings. They both are so great in different ways! Definitely contact us if you are coming up here to Alaska. We would love to sit around the camp fire and here some of your many tales from the road.
My husband uses glow-in-the-dark tape to label everything in storage, and along the edges of kid bunk beds even in our home. It's easier to navigage the sometimes dark spaces, and everything is organized. Great in kids rooms, too. My younger kids have a dresser where every drawer is labeled.
Thanks for all your great tips Drew! I have a 24 foot Lance, and I just love learning what other people do, think, and say. It’s such a wonderful world out there, isn’t it!!
Glad you enjoyed the tips Annie! Also glad they slightly carried over to the RV world. Up here in Alaska we are pretty picky. You don't see a lot of trailers around. However, Lance is one of the major brands on the road which says a lot about them if Alaskans are choosing them. It truly is a wonderful world Annie! That comment of yours made our day. It is people like you that makes us love doing this!
Hanging Closet organizer. I got the shoe size pockets. 24 pockets. Water bottles, toilet paper, flashlights, glasses, books, napkins, utensils, towels, clothing,...even shoes! I cut mine in half and hang on seat backs, but have seen them hung on camper walls.
Hi Mike! We use the hanging closet organizer as well during our teardrop travels. But, like you said we keep it in our car mounted on our seat backs. We have noticed in the forums that many people cut them down into single rows and attach them to the sides and foot of their teardrop beds. Pretty simple little hack. I like the idea of hanging them on camper walls. We see this one used quite often with runaway trailers, beings most of them come without cabinets.
Nice tips! I use a lot of these!Some other hacks I like to use: 1. Suction cups! 2. Lynx levelers, lighter than wood and they have many uses 3. Reflective tarps over the camper/cooler/tent area when in full sun 4. Solar shower bags for water, we have three, they pack up super small! 5. Hanging storage. I mounted shoe pockets on clothes hangers, which can be hung anywhere
Great tips. We have the suction cups, the solar bags, and the shoe storage. We would agree these are great. As for the levelers and reflective tarps, we don't use them yet, but I bet they will be relevant as we continue moving down the road. Each year we find more things we realize we don't need anymore and then things we never knew we should have.
Awesome tips! We just bought a teardrop trailer last September and are planning to take it out a lot this summer. Any tips and tricks are greatly appreciated. I'll be checking out the blog for sure! Love watching your little one explore.
Thanks Mimaroo! You are going to have so much fun out in your teardrop. It honestly was life changing for our family. Especially beings May is a bit more of a glamper than a camper. Now instead of camping every few weeks, she wants out in the teardrop the majority of the week. We really just come back for church on Sundays. But, other than that, we are out in it all summer.
After these comments we are going to try to add pool noodles to the tongue as well for extra protection if for some reason we overlook the glowing strips.
Your channel is getting better and better!!! thank you so much for the great tips... especially the Tiny Yellow Teardrop website and Cool Tears Magazine! I love all your tips -- even the panty hose soap one LoL ~ many blessings! happy camping! ~ Maria
Thank you for the really encouraging comment! We are about 1 week away from actual camping again, we are super excited! Just shot the videos for de-winterizing and cleaning up the teardrop for spring. Now we are just sneaking glances of the teardrop in the garage in anticipation of getting out on the road.
Thanks guys for commenting. We truly do love watching you guys. If anyone reads this comment you definitely need to check out Hangin with Herky. They have a Runaway camper and their story telling is so enjoyable!
Love your channel. I have a teardrop really similar to the one you have. My wife and I love watching your videos. You've inspired us to start a youtube channel of our own. Thanks.
We use cleaned out half gallon milk jugs for our ice. Fill them 3/4 of the way and freeze. we have 2 of them depending on how long of a trip we need them for, but that way they take up less space then a gallon jug and as they melt you gave ice cold drinking water.
That is a great idea! We have never heard anything like that. Thank you guys! We have been toying with ice solutions for some time now, but haven't found the ideal setup yet. Looks like next weekend we will be bringing the half gallon milk jug. This weekend we tried the ice in a glass Rubbermaid like Christina suggested. The ice did melt a lot slower than usual. But it was 48 degrees out, so that could have had something to do with it :)
@@PlayingwithSticks ya the jugs work well. 1/2 gallon jugs are better the 1 one gallon because the smaller size is more versatile and lay in the cooler better. We sometimes fill one with juice so when it melts we have ice cold juice.
Glad you enjoyed the tips. We love knowing people are viewing these videos from all over the world. About 14 years ago Drew took a trip to a small community in the Netherlands to visit one of our friends who was an au pair. What a lovely country you live in.
Playing with Sticks , Thanks for the answer. The Netherlands is nice! I will have my first teardrop Trailer in June, the are building it now. I will send you Some pictures later this year! Best regards, Guido
That is so awesome to hear. Big fans of the bunk beds. So my guess is that you are looking at a Colorado Teardrop, Vistabule, or maybe a Bean Teardrop? Not many folks putting bunks in out there.
Is that myminitrailor? I really like the option where the table folds down in the back allowing you a pass-through door to the galley. A really neat design. Love that you’re getting your teardrop locally!
@@PlayingwithSticks it is! I love their story and I prefer to work with family companies. After all, teardrop communities are family-like from what I've noticed :)
Glad you enjoyed this one Andrei. The Tiny Yellow Teardrop has a been a great resource for us. She has some really interesting posts. Especially her Burning Man posts. She attends every year in her tiny yellow teardrop.
Her website has some amazing tips! She now has both a teardrop and a fiberglass Burro trailer. This to us has really added to the fun of her website. Now the tips fit a little larger crowd of us small camper enthusiasts.
Bear Proof Food Locker: I purchased a smaller Rigid Tool box, approximately 24" x 36" x 18" high to store our dry goods in. It is heavy steel and goes in the back of our pickup truck when traveling and just sits on the ground at camp. It locks with two padlocks and is totally bear proof and holds a lot. I did have to plug some drain holes to keep insects out. One can even cable it to a tree so it doesn't walk off, and it is a great extra coffee table or seat.
Wow, some great tips. I will check out the blog for sure. The only tip I had a problem with was that darn reflectix! It does have its uses but no one seems to remember that its main advantage is as a radiant heat barrier - not as insulation. That shinny metalic surface REFLECTS the heat waves passing through the air (think heat from fireplace on your face). That means it needs an air gap in order to be more useful than plain bubble wrap. Sorry for the rant!
That makes complete sense, same concept with the reflective survival blankets right? Thank you for this comment. Reflectix is new to us, but after doing some research it seems to be pretty popular in the van, rv, camper world.
Tip-my T@g has two doors. I already have one of those mesh screens that hang from a curtain rod (sold in Walmart and other places for less than $10). I separated the two panels and velcroed (sp?) each one over the inside of each door. The length of the panels are long, so it hangs to the ground. The mesh can be trimmed, but I like it the way it is. Plus, the magnets on the side and bottom let me stick it to the outside of the trailer when I'm rummaging under the mattress.
Thanks for the tip. Our brother-in-law has a T@g as well. Great trailers! He took his family of 5 all the way up the Alaska highway in it. Pretty bold move in such a small trailer. They survived, but weren't huge fans of the tight space.
@@PlayingwithSticks I can't imagine going on a road trip with 5 kids in any kind of camper. Even one that looks like a house on wheels. After a few days, I'd be losing my mind. Your brother-in-law is a very brave man to do such a long trip in a Teardrop camper. WOW!
When we are going to use the ice cooler on a trip, I freeze water in a cake pan that fits in the bottom of the cooler. It goes in upside down and will float on the melted water and keep most things fairly dry.
For water, we have 4 2-gallon white RotoPax hanging on the rear sides of the trailer. We just loosen up the bracket so that we can tip them to pour out the water. We've used the pop-up garbage bin for a long time now and they work great. We just flatten them down enough to slide under the trailer to keep the racoons out (no bears in our neck of the woods). I do need to get some magnetic hooks.
We love the slim look of the RotoPax. We aren't sure about all the magnetic hooks out there, but we do know the ones from Lowes and Home Depot support weight well.
Thanks so much for telki g us about and using the words " tips and tricks" instead of "hacks"! This is used so much by people who dont even know the definition of the word "hack" when they use it, making them sound silly just to be'cool', or "trendy"!
Coolers are a real pain in the arse. I had one in my teardrop when I went round Australia a few years ago. $300 of ice to keep a $100 worth of food cool! Bought a fridge for my car as soon as I got home. Love teardrop can't wait for this Covid thing to be over and the borders open to get out there again. Don't have much trouble with rain and mud here, I think I have had less than half a dozen wet days in my trailer in the 4 years I have had it.
We couldn't agree more about the coolers! We just got our first 12 volt cooler and have only ran home tests of it running off our solar portable generator. Pretty impressive inside, now to see how it works on the road with opening and shutting the lid and staying in cramped vehicles with low air flow and hot temperatures. Hope you are able to get out soon. We are out and about and it feels amazing! We are a bit envious of your lack of rain. For us there are usually more rainy days than dry days. But, hey that is Alaska for you.
Great idea! I didn't even know they made those. And only $1.75. Thanks I will post a link on here for anyone who may be interested www.amazon.com/CURT-21801-Trailer-Ball-Cover/dp/B000P3WWC6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=rubber+receiver+ball+cover&qid=1558548337&s=gateway&sr=8-2
Haha. I had to change my pronunciation of quite a few words the past few years. I don't want my kids learning melk vs miik. I was raised by a beautiful mother with a lisp and a bit of a unique vocabulary. Still relearning some of the pronunciation, even in my adult years. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. :)
@@PlayingwithSticks it's all good. The problem is mine, not yours. 😊 It's not your fault is like nails on a chalkboard for me, and I have no idea even why. You're doing a great job showing all your thoughts and trials. Very helpful stuff.
Ice storage in your cooler: I am always searching out who sells block ice, my preferred ice form. Use a DRY BAG for it, in the cooler. No sloshing water in the cooler. When it melts I pour off the water into empty water containers to use as washup water. I am a fulltimer and so not starting from a location where i can freeze water. Truck stops are usually the primary carriers of block ice.
Great suggestion on the dry bag and where to pick up the block ice. Out of curiosity why do you prefer the block ice over the cubed ice? Does it melt slower?
After you posted this we thought to ourselves, "the pool noodle might be our solution to protecting ourselves from running into the tongue and hitch." It could be our redundant system, so if for some reason we don't catch the glowing tape out of the corner of our eyes at least we have a pool noodle to cushion the bump. Stopping rattles, another great idea. I can see us using it placed between items in the trunk to stop them from shifting during travel.
Also, what are the best gas and non gas (car charging) generator to have? Our teardrop will have a solar panel and basic 110v power. I need more power (Tim Taylor for Tool Time).
This one comes down to personal opinion. But I like the honda gas generators just due to how quiet they operate and they are pretty low maintenance. Other folks swear by their propane generators. We haven't tried one yet, but sounds like a good alternative. And solar power stations we are in love with our newest AC50s from Bluetti. Check out our heat video ruclips.net/video/Hxt98bcmQTs/видео.html Near the end you can see our review on the AC50s which is here: amzn.to/3qK3kB5 Your solar panel will be a great benefit, but we still suggest picking up portable solar panels because this allows you to chase the sun when you are parked in the shade. Here is one of the panels we use if you want to see what they look like amzn.to/313W3Az Grunt, grunt. That was my attempt at Tim Taylor for you 😂
Have you gotten stuck somehow with the teardrop? I see you in a UCLA shirt a lot so I figure you've been around CA. Do you know if it's as accessible out in CA where it's crowded w weekend warriors?
We always thought we would get stuck, but haven't yet. Our family is from the Bay Area. Unfortunately we have never done any teardrop camping there because our family lived there over 20 years ago.
Take a water jug and put it in the top cabinet. Now you have running water with a bit of pressure and a lot less to go wrong. Side bonus is if the jug is filled it reduces your tounge weight.
Great suggestion Justin. We are big fans of reducing the tongue weight a bit. Over the years we have found our perfect formula of balanced items in the teardrop for just the right tongue weight.
A bag buddy or a folding garbage bag holder. I take a locker box wire shelf and flip it you end up with a mini bag buddy suitable for holding plastic garbage bags
Another great suggestion, thank you! We use the pop-up trash can ruclips.net/video/Hsh8t-y-0wI/видео.html Works great, but needs a rock thrown in the bottom to protect from wind.
@ 2:21 - "Redwood" shower platform. - WARNING: Redwood can cause splinters that are hazardous to your health. A neighbor got a Redwood splinter in his thumb while building a picnic table for his family. Within 12 hours a small fragment of the splinter that was deeply imbedded, became so severely infected that my neighbor had to have ALL of the flesh removed from his thumb, and after extensive antibiotic therapy had to undergo many flesh and skin grafts, a process that took nearly a year and at great expense .
I built a teardrop trailer in 07 and use it a lot. One of the best things we have found is a propane fire pit. No more hauling large amount of firewood or having to buy it.
The propane fire pit is a great idea. Our friends over at "Hanging with Herky" have theirs out in most of their videos and we often comment that we need to get one. Another plus is you don't go to bed smelling of strong campfire smells.
Hang anything. Fold a rope in half and twist until tight and tie off other end to tree or corner of your vehicle and you can tuck anything in the twist and it will hold on tight. Work out the details. This is hook free clothes line. .
Playing with Sticks it is an old scouting trick. My dad was a scout leader starting in 1944. He was so practical and had easy fixes for so many things.
@@private15 We love hanging out with folks like your dad. If you are going to spend time with people, you might as well be purposeful about it and surround yourself with people with greater knowledge than yourself. Obviously you have to pay it back to those who could use the knowledge as well :)
I find a tree away from camp and sling cooler in tree. Bear ganna climb to get my food. I have a large monkey fist and sling shot I use to get 550 high up.
I drink green tea & cold brew coffee - I freeze them in large jugs in the cooler - I can go 7 days in 90° days and still have stuff cold when I get home.
In girl guides we used ditty bags. I bag for each person hang on a tree to try plates and silver ware. The bags need to be net mesh ie delicates/ bra and panty bags
some day I'll have a tear but for now we motorcycle tent trailer camping. Best tip I got, find grandma's old Samsonite make up case - it hold every bit of cooking accessory's '
Great suggestion on the Samsonite case. Makes me nostalgic just think of grandma's turquoise case she took everywhere with her. Motorcycle tent trailer camping sounds great. Do you use something like a jumping jack trailer?
We keep our small propane canister inside our porcelain coffee pot. We also ordered a sheet/ blanket set called Beddys that zip like a sleeping bag, but still wraps around mattress.
That sheet/ blanket set is exactly what we need Lynette! Thank you for sharing this. I don't think we quite understand the propane canister inside the porcelain coffee pot. Is that to save space?
If you are continually banging your shins on the tongue in the dark , i question why you don’t simply keep lighting available if you know darkness is eminent! I bought a pair of small LED lanterns from Amazon for $13 with batteries for my first tent camping trip, my first camping trip in 45 years, and they were invaluable! Of all the things I could have had or needed these small lights were top of the list in camping necessities! I’ll try to comment a link! Camping in the darkness is not safe and not fun , I rode my motorcycle from Omaha to Key West and back with a two person tent and air mattress and camped in a cute campground in Key West , Boyds campground, there were veteran campers who had their camper beautifully accent lit after dark and it inspired me to do same . See my short lil camper walk around on my channel?
Haha! Yes, seems ridiculous huh? I think it is because where we live. All spring, summer, and the beginning of fall nobody carries a flashlight because of the 24 hour light. Then we have a couple weekends of darkness before the snow hits. Once the snow hits, no lights are needed again outside the trailer. So I think what happens is I hit the shins, get mad, say I'm going to get a light, and then completely forget about it once it isn't needed anymore. BUT, we are heading down to the Lower 48 so the light will definitely be needed this summer. We will follow your guidance and take those lights for sure. Pretty sure we will even make a video about it. We will have to check out your channel. #GBR if you are a husker fan!
Thanks Robert. We are still learning this RUclips thing. Thanks for pointing that out. Super busy week here, but we will try to get those posted soon. We appreciate the feedback.
You might consider a propane generator. That way you never have to worry about stored fuel going bad. Side note: Many propane generators produce slightly less power than a standard gasoline engine. So plan accordingly.
12 volt compressor fridge or freezer. I got tired of limiting my diet and my camping to fit my cooler ice. I bought the TruckFridge Indel B 41 qt - about $500. Smaller versions from about $330. Fridge or Freezer, but a few tricks to do both at same time. It is considered about the best value compressor fridge. Uses between 1 and 3 AmpHours per hour.
We haven't went this route yet, but after watching a review from Slim Potatohead we are convinced we will get one down the road. I like the price and power usage on the model you provided. Thank you Mike!
It appears a lot of my fridge information is on the older side. There are sales during the year - probably seasonal. I ordered my Indel B in Sept and got $50 off. There are some really nice compressor fridges out there. Expedition Portal had lots of discussions and some group buys. If you leave your cooler outside, it may cut down on some choices. Not a fan of the one slim potatohead has per others’ reviews, but if I remember right, it had a good price. * Older Technical testing and comparison: cdn.webvanta.com/000000/50/43/original/Downloads/Indel-B/Indel%20B%20Travel%20Box%20Test%20and%20Comparison%20Report.pdf * Good summaries of the best with some testing: expeditionportal.com/buyers-guide-portable-fridge-freezers/ www.4xoverlandadventures.com/2017-winter-fridge-shootout/4/ * Couple of old CheapRVLiving youtubes personal experiences: ruclips.net/video/29GD6bvzUJ0/видео.html ruclips.net/video/MBBtvkBaXXw/видео.html
I think a majority of us in the community do not have brand new teardrops. A great place to find teardrops is on craigslist and Facebook marketplace. We bought ours pretty worn down and used on craigslist. It had made its way all the way from the East coast to Alaska. A little fixing up and it was ready to go.
Here in Alaska we purchase them from our local seafood stores and processing plants. When traveling in the midwest we found you can get them at most grocery stores if you ask they have it in the back. We have only used them for short periods of time, but the Tiny Yellow Teardrop said they use them for week long adventures. I think you have to purchase quite a bit, because they do gas off fast. But, maybe the new YETI style coolers prevent that from happening.
Zombie apocalypse. Not if but when. What basic will you need to survive? Without cable, you will need DVDs of your favorite movies. Make copies to barter with or distract zombies. I pick them up in bargain bins now, and save them for that rainy day. And popcorn.
We are right with you there Mike. We carry an external dvd player on all our trips. We don't use it often, but knowing it is there for when the zombies come makes us feel confident.
We take Duct tape with us every time we go out backpacking. But honestly I am going to have to look in my galley this week to see if we even have a roll in the teardrop anymore. Thank you for the reminder.
The disclaimer was for keeping the dry ice in an area occupied by humans. We recommended this for folks who potentially would carry the ice in their rooftop carrier, their tongue storage box, or like many folks the cooler they strap to their trailer tongue. Good question. Hope this answer helps.
@@PlayingwithSticks I get ya. Really, I do. But you can't account for stupidity. Last thing you would want is someone saying they followed YOUR advice, but in a moment of carelessness, someone got hurt .
Here's a bunch of tips I borrowed from another page. #14 to #1, but I can't count well, so there's #7.5 to squeeze in. Count down to #1, then start to count up.... but lose track of the numbers. Oopsie. LAME.
Hi Drew! Thank you so much for profiling my blog on your gorgeous video series. I've actually been watching your videos for Scamp ideas since the Tiny Yellow Teardrop now has a big brother. :-) He's a 13-foot Burro fiberglass trailer, so keep an eye out for a future post and video on him. Due to working on the Burro, work, family health issues, and some crappy winter weather, the teardrop and I have not been able to go adventuring lately. However, I'm so touched that you were inspired by my blog and video to start your own teardropping journey! We will eventually make it up to Alaska and we hope to see you on the road. :-)
How cool! We weren't expecting to hear from "Chistina." Honestly, you truly were the one who inspired our family to get out there and start living the good life. You are going to have so much fun in that Burro of yours. We love the Burro trailers. There is something about the rounded headlights that make them look so appealing to the eyes. If you ever do head up here let us know. We would love to sit around a campfire with you and hear your stories. Thanks for checking out our channel Christina.
Oops, I think our first reply disappeared. How neat to hear from you Christina! You are going to have so much fun in that Burro of yours. It really is the perfect sibling for your teardrop. Sorry to hear about the family health issues. We thought you were busy on a side project, which didn't allow you to post lately. Looking forward to seeing posts about how you balance burro and teardrop life outings. They both are so great in different ways! Definitely contact us if you are coming up here to Alaska. We would love to sit around the camp fire and here some of your many tales from the road.
I’ve camped with Christina many times...she is as great as her tips.
My husband uses glow-in-the-dark tape to label everything in storage, and along the edges of kid bunk beds even in our home. It's easier to navigage the sometimes dark spaces, and everything is organized. Great in kids rooms, too. My younger kids have a dresser where every drawer is labeled.
Beautiful scenery along with valuable tips. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the scenery and the tips. Fingers crossed we can get out there soon and make some more of these videos.
Thanks for all your great tips Drew! I have a 24 foot Lance, and I just love learning what other people do, think, and say. It’s such a wonderful world out there, isn’t it!!
Glad you enjoyed the tips Annie! Also glad they slightly carried over to the RV world. Up here in Alaska we are pretty picky. You don't see a lot of trailers around. However, Lance is one of the major brands on the road which says a lot about them if Alaskans are choosing them. It truly is a wonderful world Annie! That comment of yours made our day. It is people like you that makes us love doing this!
Thanks for the great tips & tricks!
Happy Camping
Hanging Closet organizer. I got the shoe size pockets. 24 pockets. Water bottles, toilet paper, flashlights, glasses, books, napkins, utensils, towels, clothing,...even shoes! I cut mine in half and hang on seat backs, but have seen them hung on camper walls.
Hi Mike! We use the hanging closet organizer as well during our teardrop travels. But, like you said we keep it in our car mounted on our seat backs. We have noticed in the forums that many people cut them down into single rows and attach them to the sides and foot of their teardrop beds. Pretty simple little hack. I like the idea of hanging them on camper walls. We see this one used quite often with runaway trailers, beings most of them come without cabinets.
Nice tips! I use a lot of these!Some other hacks I like to use:
1. Suction cups!
2. Lynx levelers, lighter than wood and they have many uses
3. Reflective tarps over the camper/cooler/tent area when in full sun
4. Solar shower bags for water, we have three, they pack up super small!
5. Hanging storage. I mounted shoe pockets on clothes hangers, which can be hung anywhere
Great tips. We have the suction cups, the solar bags, and the shoe storage. We would agree these are great. As for the levelers and reflective tarps, we don't use them yet, but I bet they will be relevant as we continue moving down the road. Each year we find more things we realize we don't need anymore and then things we never knew we should have.
Awesome tips! We just bought a teardrop trailer last September and are planning to take it out a lot this summer. Any tips and tricks are greatly appreciated. I'll be checking out the blog for sure! Love watching your little one explore.
Thanks Mimaroo! You are going to have so much fun out in your teardrop. It honestly was life changing for our family. Especially beings May is a bit more of a glamper than a camper. Now instead of camping every few weeks, she wants out in the teardrop the majority of the week. We really just come back for church on Sundays. But, other than that, we are out in it all summer.
Great tips! I love the glow in the dark idea!
After these comments we are going to try to add pool noodles to the tongue as well for extra protection if for some reason we overlook the glowing strips.
Your channel is getting better and better!!! thank you so much for the great tips... especially the Tiny Yellow Teardrop website and Cool Tears Magazine! I love all your tips -- even the panty hose soap one LoL ~ many blessings! happy camping! ~ Maria
Thank you for the really encouraging comment! We are about 1 week away from actual camping again, we are super excited! Just shot the videos for de-winterizing and cleaning up the teardrop for spring. Now we are just sneaking glances of the teardrop in the garage in anticipation of getting out on the road.
Great tips, we use a lot of them in our tiny camper. Your channel is doing great thanks for all the kind comments you make on our channel.
Thanks guys for commenting. We truly do love watching you guys. If anyone reads this comment you definitely need to check out Hangin with Herky. They have a Runaway camper and their story telling is so enjoyable!
wow what a gem of a channel!
What a gem of a comment! We don't get a lot of these type of comments. Honestly it is the nicest comment we have received in months. Thank you Jorge!
Love your channel. I have a teardrop really similar to the one you have. My wife and I love watching your videos. You've inspired us to start a youtube channel of our own. Thanks.
Just had a chance to check out your channel. Great stuff! Welcome to the RUclips small camper family!
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks. Looking forward to the community.
We use cleaned out half gallon milk jugs for our ice. Fill them 3/4 of the way and freeze. we have 2 of them depending on how long of a trip we need them for, but that way they take up less space then a gallon jug and as they melt you gave ice cold drinking water.
That is a great idea! We have never heard anything like that. Thank you guys! We have been toying with ice solutions for some time now, but haven't found the ideal setup yet. Looks like next weekend we will be bringing the half gallon milk jug. This weekend we tried the ice in a glass Rubbermaid like Christina suggested. The ice did melt a lot slower than usual. But it was 48 degrees out, so that could have had something to do with it :)
@@PlayingwithSticks ya the jugs work well. 1/2 gallon jugs are better the 1 one gallon because the smaller size is more versatile and lay in the cooler better. We sometimes fill one with juice so when it melts we have ice cold juice.
Thanks for the great TIPS, greetings from The Netherlands (Europe).
Glad you enjoyed the tips. We love knowing people are viewing these videos from all over the world. About 14 years ago Drew took a trip to a small community in the Netherlands to visit one of our friends who was an au pair. What a lovely country you live in.
Playing with Sticks , Thanks for the answer. The Netherlands is nice! I will have my first teardrop Trailer in June, the are building it now. I will send you Some pictures later this year! Best regards, Guido
@@guidok3762 That would be great to see! Glad to hear you are on your way to teardrop bliss.
My parents were immigrants from the Netherlands. It is a beautiful country and a teardrop trailer would be perfect.
mimaroo, where do you live at this moment? Best regards, Guido
Love the videos! Your family is so cute! Keep up the good work guys!
Thank you so much Isabelle! Really appreciate the kind comment. Always fun having someone discover one of our less popular videos.
Drew, my fiance and I are about to purchase a 5x8 with a bunk bed. Your channel has helped us so much and this video is perfect. Thank you so much.
That is so awesome to hear. Big fans of the bunk beds. So my guess is that you are looking at a Colorado Teardrop, Vistabule, or maybe a Bean Teardrop? Not many folks putting bunks in out there.
@@PlayingwithSticks actually a little place in Kunkletown Pennsylvania, about 1.5 hours from Philadelphia (where I'm located).
Is that myminitrailor? I really like the option where the table folds down in the back allowing you a pass-through door to the galley. A really neat design. Love that you’re getting your teardrop locally!
@@PlayingwithSticks it is! I love their story and I prefer to work with family companies. After all, teardrop communities are family-like from what I've noticed :)
thank you for sharing all these great tips. best video ever :))
Glad you enjoyed this one Andrei. The Tiny Yellow Teardrop has a been a great resource for us. She has some really interesting posts. Especially her Burning Man posts. She attends every year in her tiny yellow teardrop.
Great tips
Her website has some amazing tips! She now has both a teardrop and a fiberglass Burro trailer. This to us has really added to the fun of her website. Now the tips fit a little larger crowd of us small camper enthusiasts.
Bear Proof Food Locker: I purchased a smaller Rigid Tool box, approximately 24" x 36" x 18" high to store our dry goods in. It is heavy steel and goes in the back of our pickup truck when traveling and just sits on the ground at camp. It locks with two padlocks and is totally bear proof and holds a lot. I did have to plug some drain holes to keep insects out. One can even cable it to a tree so it doesn't walk off, and it is a great extra coffee table or seat.
Wow, some great tips. I will check out the blog for sure. The only tip I had a problem with was that darn reflectix! It does have its uses but no one seems to remember that its main advantage is as a radiant heat barrier - not as insulation. That shinny metalic surface REFLECTS the heat waves passing through the air (think heat from fireplace on your face). That means it needs an air gap in order to be more useful than plain bubble wrap.
Sorry for the rant!
That makes complete sense, same concept with the reflective survival blankets right? Thank you for this comment. Reflectix is new to us, but after doing some research it seems to be pretty popular in the van, rv, camper world.
Tip-my T@g has two doors. I already have one of those mesh screens that hang from a curtain rod (sold in Walmart and other places for less than $10). I separated the two panels and velcroed (sp?) each one over the inside of each door. The length of the panels are long, so it hangs to the ground. The mesh can be trimmed, but I like it the way it is. Plus, the magnets on the side and bottom let me stick it to the outside of the trailer when I'm rummaging under the mattress.
Forgot to add that doing this lets air flow without bugs, saving electricity from using the fan. Cheers!
Thanks for the tip. Our brother-in-law has a T@g as well. Great trailers! He took his family of 5 all the way up the Alaska highway in it. Pretty bold move in such a small trailer. They survived, but weren't huge fans of the tight space.
@@PlayingwithSticks I can't imagine going on a road trip with 5 kids in any kind of camper. Even one that looks like a house on wheels. After a few days, I'd be losing my mind. Your brother-in-law is a very brave man to do such a long trip in a Teardrop camper. WOW!
When we are going to use the ice cooler on a trip, I freeze water in a cake pan that fits in the bottom of the cooler. It goes in upside down and will float on the melted water and keep most things fairly dry.
For water, we have 4 2-gallon white RotoPax hanging on the rear sides of the trailer. We just loosen up the bracket so that we can tip them to pour out the water. We've used the pop-up garbage bin for a long time now and they work great. We just flatten them down enough to slide under the trailer to keep the racoons out (no bears in our neck of the woods). I do need to get some magnetic hooks.
We love the slim look of the RotoPax. We aren't sure about all the magnetic hooks out there, but we do know the ones from Lowes and Home Depot support weight well.
Great tips, thanks!
You are most welcome page! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for telki g us about and using the words " tips and tricks" instead of "hacks"! This is used so much by people who dont even know the definition of the word "hack" when they use it, making them sound silly just to be'cool', or "trendy"!
Coolers are a real pain in the arse. I had one in my teardrop when I went round Australia a few years ago. $300 of ice to keep a $100 worth of food cool! Bought a fridge for my car as soon as I got home. Love teardrop can't wait for this Covid thing to be over and the borders open to get out there again. Don't have much trouble with rain and mud here, I think I have had less than half a dozen wet days in my trailer in the 4 years I have had it.
We couldn't agree more about the coolers! We just got our first 12 volt cooler and have only ran home tests of it running off our solar portable generator. Pretty impressive inside, now to see how it works on the road with opening and shutting the lid and staying in cramped vehicles with low air flow and hot temperatures. Hope you are able to get out soon. We are out and about and it feels amazing! We are a bit envious of your lack of rain. For us there are usually more rainy days than dry days. But, hey that is Alaska for you.
Great info I just finished building my teardrop camper, I hope over time I can have a great channel like this too. Avid watcher here
Congratulations on finishing the build! People like you are why we make this content. We are excited to see your channel!
I miss Tiny Yellow Teardrop already.
The Tiny Yellow Teardrop is truly a work of art, as well as the blog.
For a shower pan I use the smallest cement mixing tub from a hardware store. Iys tuff and I use it to haul my small bbq
Great suggestion Michael! Thank you.
rubber cover for ball is great to help also getting grease on your legs
Great idea! I didn't even know they made those. And only $1.75. Thanks I will post a link on here for anyone who may be interested www.amazon.com/CURT-21801-Trailer-Ball-Cover/dp/B000P3WWC6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=rubber+receiver+ball+cover&qid=1558548337&s=gateway&sr=8-2
Great video! Lost me at "melk", though 😄
Haha. I had to change my pronunciation of quite a few words the past few years. I don't want my kids learning melk vs miik. I was raised by a beautiful mother with a lisp and a bit of a unique vocabulary. Still relearning some of the pronunciation, even in my adult years. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. :)
@@PlayingwithSticks it's all good. The problem is mine, not yours. 😊 It's not your fault is like nails on a chalkboard for me, and I have no idea even why. You're doing a great job showing all your thoughts and trials. Very helpful stuff.
Ice storage in your cooler: I am always searching out who sells block ice, my preferred ice form. Use a DRY BAG for it, in the cooler. No sloshing water in the cooler. When it melts I pour off the water into empty water containers to use as washup water. I am a fulltimer and so not starting from a location where i can freeze water. Truck stops are usually the primary carriers of block ice.
Great suggestion on the dry bag and where to pick up the block ice. Out of curiosity why do you prefer the block ice over the cubed ice? Does it melt slower?
Yes. Melts much slower.
Wow you are fast! Thank you Jenn.
$1 store pool noodles. Marking tension ropes on awning. Covering sharp edges/corners. Cushioning between items. Stopping rattles.
After you posted this we thought to ourselves, "the pool noodle might be our solution to protecting ourselves from running into the tongue and hitch." It could be our redundant system, so if for some reason we don't catch the glowing tape out of the corner of our eyes at least we have a pool noodle to cushion the bump. Stopping rattles, another great idea. I can see us using it placed between items in the trunk to stop them from shifting during travel.
Also, what are the best gas and non gas (car charging) generator to have? Our teardrop will have a solar panel and basic 110v power. I need more power (Tim Taylor for Tool Time).
This one comes down to personal opinion. But I like the honda gas generators just due to how quiet they operate and they are pretty low maintenance. Other folks swear by their propane generators. We haven't tried one yet, but sounds like a good alternative. And solar power stations we are in love with our newest AC50s from Bluetti. Check out our heat video ruclips.net/video/Hxt98bcmQTs/видео.html Near the end you can see our review on the AC50s which is here: amzn.to/3qK3kB5 Your solar panel will be a great benefit, but we still suggest picking up portable solar panels because this allows you to chase the sun when you are parked in the shade. Here is one of the panels we use if you want to see what they look like amzn.to/313W3Az Grunt, grunt. That was my attempt at Tim Taylor for you 😂
Have you gotten stuck somehow with the teardrop? I see you in a UCLA shirt a lot so I figure you've been around CA. Do you know if it's as accessible out in CA where it's crowded w weekend warriors?
We always thought we would get stuck, but haven't yet. Our family is from the Bay Area. Unfortunately we have never done any teardrop camping there because our family lived there over 20 years ago.
Take a water jug and put it in the top cabinet. Now you have running water with a bit of pressure and a lot less to go wrong. Side bonus is if the jug is filled it reduces your tounge weight.
Great suggestion Justin. We are big fans of reducing the tongue weight a bit. Over the years we have found our perfect formula of balanced items in the teardrop for just the right tongue weight.
Dear,
what are the dimensions inside of your trailler (length, height, width)?
Here in Southern Nevada we cannot use glues like on velcro . I use neodymium magnets for night shades, sticking a sharpie to the fridge on and on.
Interesting. That is from the high heat huh?
@@PlayingwithSticks You know it's bad when you pull night shades and you don't hear the rip.
Subscribed!
Thank you! Based on your username you are either a northerner or a northerner at heart! We love our Ravens up here.
@@PlayingwithSticks
Yes, I'm from Juneau Alaska,
Living near The Seattle area.
Small world....If you are ever feeling homesick you may want to check out our other videos. They have much more Alaska scenery in them.
A bag buddy or a folding garbage bag holder. I take a locker box wire shelf and flip it you end up with a mini bag buddy suitable for holding plastic garbage bags
Another great suggestion, thank you! We use the pop-up trash can ruclips.net/video/Hsh8t-y-0wI/видео.html Works great, but needs a rock thrown in the bottom to protect from wind.
A trash bag works great for washing close, camped a lot in the military.
How does that work Ralph? Just putting water in there and shaking it around? Sounds interesting.
Washing machine in a 5 gallon bucket you can use for anything including dry storage and a NEW I SAID NEW plunger.
Wait, what is the plunger for? To wash the clothes in the bucket?
@@PlayingwithSticks I use one of those turbo ones I found on Walmart AS SEEN ON TV isle . When I push down it forces water thru cloths.
Yea! Mandy Lea! :)))
Love meeting other Mandy Lea fans! She has always been a big inspiration to us.
4 sq ft rubber restaurant mat that has holes in it for dish washing or what ever for shower.
Great idea. Lately we have been using our fish cleaning mat. A new one that is.
@ 2:21 - "Redwood" shower platform. - WARNING: Redwood can cause splinters that are hazardous to your health. A neighbor got a Redwood splinter in his thumb while building a picnic table for his family. Within 12 hours a small fragment of the splinter that was deeply imbedded, became so severely infected that my neighbor had to have ALL of the flesh removed from his thumb, and after extensive antibiotic therapy had to undergo many flesh and skin grafts, a process that took nearly a year and at great expense .
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing that.
I built a teardrop trailer in 07 and use it a lot. One of the best things we have found is a propane fire pit. No more hauling large amount of firewood or having to buy it.
The propane fire pit is a great idea. Our friends over at "Hanging with Herky" have theirs out in most of their videos and we often comment that we need to get one. Another plus is you don't go to bed smelling of strong campfire smells.
Hang anything. Fold a rope in half and twist until tight and tie off other end to tree or corner of your vehicle and you can tuck anything in the twist and it will hold on tight. Work out the details. This is hook free clothes line. .
So simple. Honestly, we have never heard this trick. Love it! Thanks Diane
Playing with Sticks it is an old scouting trick. My dad was a scout leader starting in 1944. He was so practical and had easy fixes for so many things.
@@private15 We love hanging out with folks like your dad. If you are going to spend time with people, you might as well be purposeful about it and surround yourself with people with greater knowledge than yourself. Obviously you have to pay it back to those who could use the knowledge as well :)
I find a tree away from camp and sling cooler in tree. Bear ganna climb to get my food. I have a large monkey fist and sling shot I use to get 550 high up.
Love the idea of the slingshot. Makes putting up a cooler in a tree actually fun!
I freeze gallon jugs of water for in the cooler. They will last all weekend and you will always have clean, cold water.
I have an alpicool I make my own ice
I drink green tea & cold brew coffee - I freeze them in large jugs in the cooler - I can go 7 days in 90° days and still have stuff cold when I get home.
In girl guides we used ditty bags. I bag for each person hang on a tree to try plates and silver ware. The bags need to be net mesh ie delicates/ bra and panty bags
We are curious which country you are from? Sounds like girl guides is similar to our Girl Scouts? Love the ditty bag idea by the way.
use a wire rack for ice in the cooler- Ice- wire rack- the food stuff
some day I'll have a tear but for now we motorcycle tent trailer camping. Best tip I got, find grandma's old Samsonite make up case - it hold every bit of cooking accessory's
'
Never would have even thought of that. Great suggestion!
Great suggestion on the Samsonite case. Makes me nostalgic just think of grandma's turquoise case she took everywhere with her. Motorcycle tent trailer camping sounds great. Do you use something like a jumping jack trailer?
@@PlayingwithSticks too many to list but no jumping jack trailer, heres a link for a look.
facebook.com/groups/1803427719901774/
We keep our small propane canister inside our porcelain coffee pot. We also ordered a sheet/ blanket set called Beddys that zip like a sleeping bag, but still wraps around mattress.
That sheet/ blanket set is exactly what we need Lynette! Thank you for sharing this. I don't think we quite understand the propane canister inside the porcelain coffee pot. Is that to save space?
I use shower caps to keep bugs off my food
If you are continually banging your shins on the tongue in the dark , i question why you don’t simply keep lighting available if you know darkness is eminent! I bought a pair of small LED lanterns from Amazon for $13 with batteries for my first tent camping trip, my first camping trip in 45 years, and they were invaluable! Of all the things I could have had or needed these small lights were top of the list in camping necessities! I’ll try to comment a link! Camping in the darkness is not safe and not fun , I rode my motorcycle from Omaha to Key West and back with a two person tent and air mattress and camped in a cute campground in Key West , Boyds campground, there were veteran campers who had their camper beautifully accent lit after dark and it inspired me to do same . See my short lil camper walk around on my channel?
They are the EverLight mini lanterns with three function LED available on Amazon two for $10 with batteries!
Haha! Yes, seems ridiculous huh? I think it is because where we live. All spring, summer, and the beginning of fall nobody carries a flashlight because of the 24 hour light. Then we have a couple weekends of darkness before the snow hits. Once the snow hits, no lights are needed again outside the trailer. So I think what happens is I hit the shins, get mad, say I'm going to get a light, and then completely forget about it once it isn't needed anymore. BUT, we are heading down to the Lower 48 so the light will definitely be needed this summer. We will follow your guidance and take those lights for sure. Pretty sure we will even make a video about it. We will have to check out your channel. #GBR if you are a husker fan!
Thank you for this!
Drew: Great video. Suggestion: put the links you reference in your comments.
Thanks Robert. We are still learning this RUclips thing. Thanks for pointing that out. Super busy week here, but we will try to get those posted soon. We appreciate the feedback.
You might consider a propane generator. That way you never have to worry about stored fuel going bad. Side note: Many propane generators produce slightly less power than a standard gasoline engine. So plan accordingly.
I have never seen anyone use one of these. Thank you for this tip. We will have to check them out.
12 volt compressor fridge or freezer. I got tired of limiting my diet and my camping to fit my cooler ice. I bought the TruckFridge Indel B 41 qt - about $500. Smaller versions from about $330. Fridge or Freezer, but a few tricks to do both at same time. It is considered about the best value compressor fridge. Uses between 1 and 3 AmpHours per hour.
We haven't went this route yet, but after watching a review from Slim Potatohead we are convinced we will get one down the road. I like the price and power usage on the model you provided. Thank you Mike!
Playing with Sticks, I’ll gather some links of comparisons I have.
Thank you. That would be great.
It appears a lot of my fridge information is on the older side.
There are sales during the year - probably seasonal. I ordered my Indel B in Sept and got $50 off. There are some really nice compressor fridges out there. Expedition Portal had lots of discussions and some group buys. If you leave your cooler outside, it may cut down on some choices. Not a fan of the one slim potatohead has per others’ reviews, but if I remember right, it had a good price.
* Older Technical testing and comparison:
cdn.webvanta.com/000000/50/43/original/Downloads/Indel-B/Indel%20B%20Travel%20Box%20Test%20and%20Comparison%20Report.pdf
* Good summaries of the best with some testing:
expeditionportal.com/buyers-guide-portable-fridge-freezers/
www.4xoverlandadventures.com/2017-winter-fridge-shootout/4/
* Couple of old CheapRVLiving youtubes personal experiences:
ruclips.net/video/29GD6bvzUJ0/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/MBBtvkBaXXw/видео.html
Playing with Sticks, Wander the West forums. They are always having current fridge discussions. I searched on fridge.
Cooler: freeze used milk jugs full of water for ice
Water: always research a new area if there is a natural spring.
Great tips that haven't been shared on here yet. Thank you! Oh, and where do you research the natural springs? That is a really great idea.
What about for people who can't afford a brand new teardrop trailer
I think a majority of us in the community do not have brand new teardrops. A great place to find teardrops is on craigslist and Facebook marketplace. We bought ours pretty worn down and used on craigslist. It had made its way all the way from the East coast to Alaska. A little fixing up and it was ready to go.
I have no idea where dry ice is sold... have not even seen it in decades as well.
I don’t even know how to “handle” it.
Here in Alaska we purchase them from our local seafood stores and processing plants. When traveling in the midwest we found you can get them at most grocery stores if you ask they have it in the back. We have only used them for short periods of time, but the Tiny Yellow Teardrop said they use them for week long adventures. I think you have to purchase quite a bit, because they do gas off fast. But, maybe the new YETI style coolers prevent that from happening.
Here is the first link I clicked on. Seems like some good quick information. www.wikihow.com/Buy-Dry-Ice
Smart and Final sells it in California.
@SlowHandMcQueeg Thanks for the good advice!
I miss the tiny Yellow Teardrop blog.
Us too! It was sad to see her put it up for sale. But, also great to see she is still out there having fun.
Zombie apocalypse. Not if but when. What basic will you need to survive? Without cable, you will need DVDs of your favorite movies. Make copies to barter with or distract zombies. I pick them up in bargain bins now, and save them for that rainy day. And popcorn.
We are right with you there Mike. We carry an external dvd player on all our trips. We don't use it often, but knowing it is there for when the zombies come makes us feel confident.
Duct Tape. Infinite uses. Marking, labeling, repair, seal, reusable latch, clothing, protect edges. .....
We take Duct tape with us every time we go out backpacking. But honestly I am going to have to look in my galley this week to see if we even have a roll in the teardrop anymore. Thank you for the reminder.
Great tip, Mike - in the words of the great Red Green, if women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy! 🙂
We miss the Red Green Show! Up here we like to say "Keep your stick on the ice."
Playing with Sticks, I still watch Red Green on RUclips! He is an inspiration to versatility and ingenuity!
I don't care what it is (DIY , or a tool box ) you need a secure metal box on your tongue .
Agreed! We love ours on the teardrop. Use it all the time.
Dry ice. Even with the disclaimer, why would you recommend something that could kill you????
The disclaimer was for keeping the dry ice in an area occupied by humans. We recommended this for folks who potentially would carry the ice in their rooftop carrier, their tongue storage box, or like many folks the cooler they strap to their trailer tongue. Good question. Hope this answer helps.
@@PlayingwithSticks I get ya. Really, I do. But you can't account for stupidity. Last thing you would want is someone saying they followed YOUR advice, but in a moment of carelessness, someone got hurt .
Here's a bunch of tips I borrowed from another page. #14 to #1, but I can't count well, so there's #7.5 to squeeze in. Count down to #1, then start to count up.... but lose track of the numbers.
Oopsie.
LAME.
Glad to see somebody’s paying attention to the numbers. Appreciate you watching out for us.