This Guy Built a Teardrop Travel Trailer from Scratch

published Jul 28, 2018
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(Image credit: Roman Khomlyak)

Teardrop travel trailers are by far the cutest way to camp, and one ambitious Reddit user was determined to make one from scratch—even without plans! After investing about 200 hours of work and $3,000, the Reddit user made something charming from nothing.

This is the most darling little trailer I’ve ever seen—and it was totally DIY. Reddit user u/ryansanderson04 even built the chassis by hand, out of tube iron. (Swipe through the slideshow for a ton of process shots; the chassis is the third slide). The walls have insulation between the interior paneling and the exterior plywood, finished with red aluminum from “a local race car shop,” and plain aluminum wrapped around the top.

The interior has lovely poplar accents and plenty of room for sleeping and storage, and yet there’s somehow still room in this petite trailer for a handy hatch in the back that contains a stove, cooler, 10-gallon water tank, work counter, and outdoor shower. The rear galley also features outlets, USB ports, lights, and speakers. On the side closest to us you can see the exterior lights, exterior speakers, and slide-out table. Every aspect of this trailer is beautifully built—even the door to the stove compartment is exquisite, accented perfectly with an elegant aluminum handle.

This trailer was such a major undertaking, requiring so much time, labor, and research, that I was concerned our plucky builder might feel like the process wasn’t worth it after all. Fortunately, he said he “friggin’ loved building this.” That’s the best response to a DIY project possible—and now there’s a fantastic trailer to love too!

Thank you, u/ryansanderson04!