Sleek, retro teardrop campers are back in style among environmentally-minded travelers who want to maintain a small carbon footprint — even while on vacation.
Also known as teardrop trailers, these campers were popular in the 1940s and 1950s but took a back seat when motor homes came into fashion. Teardrops have an aerodynamic, teardrop-shaped profile — hence the name. A teardrop trailer’s compact size makes it easy to control, and its low weight makes it inexpensive to tow. And teardrop campers are so well-suited to towing by medium-sized or small vehicles that some of the tiniest trailers can even be pulled by bicycles. The fuel savings are substantial, especially when teardrops are compared to gas-guzzling recreational vehicles.
Although petite in size, teardrop campers pack a lot of function into a compact space. Their efficient design typically places an interior sleeping cabin and an exterior kitchen galley into a 4-by-8-foot floor plan.
You can get onboard the teardrop camper revival by following these links to manufacturers’ websites, or by downloading teardrop trailer plans to build a camper yourself.
Manufacturers
Little Guy Teardrop
So-Cal Teardrops
Camp-Inn Teardrop Travel Trailers
Silver Tears Campers
Big Woody Campers
nuCamp RV
Teardrop Trailer Plans
Kuffel Creek
Desert Teardrop Trailers
Big Woody Campers
Travel Forums
Teardrops ‘n’ Tiny Travel Trailers
Teardrop Talk
Videos About Building Teardrop Trailers
Rebecca Martin is an Associate Editor at MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine, where her beats include DIY and Green Transportation. She’s an avid cyclist and has never met a vegetable she didn’t like. You can find her on Google+.
