For as long as we’ve dreamed about retiring, we’ve dreamed about finding beautiful places to hike, bike, camp, kayak, backpack, etc. In order to facilitate those dreams we had planned to convert a cargo van into some kind of sleeping/gear hauling adventure vehicle for longer than #vanlife has been a “thing”. We spent endless hours talking, planning, and researching different ideas. I actually drew up plans for how we’d convert it. I read reviews of vehicles and scoured the internet looking for deals. Yet, when retirement rolled around – we were still vehicle-less! Biggest reason? I HATE, DESPISE, LOATH, DETEST (getting the picture?) buying cars. So I kept putting it off. The other reason is that with a van we saw a few potential problems that had no easy solutions. We wanted to be able to carry our kayaks. Getting them on and off a 12 foot high vehicle would be no small feat, and would only get more challenging as the years go by. Another issue was safe seating for tiny humans. Almost every van conversion we’d seen did not include additional approved seating for children.

So, long story only slightly shorter, for our first retirement road trip we traveled and slept in the back of our 4Runner.

It worked beautifully. We were comfortable. We had plenty of room for all our gear. It was a perfect example of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). After two months on the road, we realized we didn’t need the extra space (or expense, or time to convert, etc) that a van would offer (and require). We were content and had actually had decided to stick with the 4Runner…until we saw a co-worker’s teardrop trailer. We were impressed by the simplicity, the great features, and head room. The price was 1/4 to 1/2 the price of a van – without the need to do any work converting. Within about 30 minutes of getting home, we’d done some internet research, talked about it, and pretty much decided that a small teardrop trailer would be a good fit for our travel needs. Fast forward several months. In early October we pulled into the TCTeardrop workshop in Wausau, Wisconsin to meet our tiny new home.

After a brief tour of the camper by the staff at TCTeardrops, we took advantage of a favorable weather forecast and immediately headed north to da U.P. for a shakedown cruise. It was amazing.

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The fall colors were out in force. We found beautiful and remote places to camp, hike and bike. The trailer was a dream. No set up necessary. Comfy, warm, and quiet. It was everything we hoped for. At this point I would like to mention that Sharon and I actually prefer sleeping in a tent or under the stars. And in the interest of full disclosure, it should be said that for years (actually for a lifetime) I have mercilessly heaped scorn and derision on RV owners. Now I guess I are one. We both very quickly fell in love with the ease and comfort of the teardrop when in ‘car camping/traveling mode – and especially for traveling in foul weather.

Several weeks later we arrived back in Flagstaff. We just recently finished hooking up solar power, installing a Propex propane heater, and decorating the galley area. We have a few more minor additions we’d like to make – but in the main, it’s ready to be taken out and used.

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For any gear geeks out there, we have a 200 watt solar panel permanently mounted on top of the trailer. This feeds power to a Bogart charge controller http://www.bogartengineering.com/products/solar-charger.html which in turn is monitored by the Trimetric TM-2030 http://www.bogartengineering.com/products/trimetrics.html All this amazing technology feeds into a 125 amp hour battery. Our biggest energy user will be our 50 liter Dometic fridge. On paper anyway, we should be able to stay out indefinitely with all our power needs being met with solar.

We’d actually purchased the Propex heater for our eventual van build, so it is probably massive overkill for our tiny trailer. However since we had it, and since we plan to camp during the winter, overkill might be OK. https://www.propexheatsource.co.uk/heaters/hs2000

One thing became immediately apparent during the past week (and countless hardware store runs). I am sooooo glad I’m not doing a van conversion. Even with retirement size free time, it would have taken months, and lots and lots of dollars to set up a van the way we’d planned. Instead we’re now ready to go play. And when we do, we’ll definitely let you know how it goes.

If you’re interested, Todd and Carol Mowry are the owners of TC Teardrops (get it? Todd and Carol). They were away at an overland expo when we arrived, so we didn’t get a chance to meet, but they were great to work with. They offer four trim levels. We chose the “Overland” version that comes with a cool swiveling hitch, electric brakes, beefy wheels and an extra receiver hitch in the back. We then added several items from their extensive list of options. You can check out their website here… https://www.tcteardrops.com/ As always, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Until next time – Seize the Carp!