Love your vids. We lived in our teardrop for 9 months and traveled all around north america. We did Backpacks for homeless people on our journey. The teardrop was only our bedroom. We had the outdoors as our living-room. We did many configurations in wet weather with tents and tarps. There is a big difference between camping and rving. With a teardrop trailer it is camping. Camping makes you great full for everything. Best times in our lives were in our teardrop. Keep up the great work. So great to watch your vids.
Wow, what a journey you took. Love how you helped folks who were homeless find resources. What amazing stories you must have. With all the configurations you did with tents and tarps what did you end up with as your favorite solution? We so agree that teardrop camping falls into the realm of camping vs rving. We can second your comment that the many of the best times in our lives have been within walking distance of our teardrop trailer.
Could you tell me more about the Back packs, what you packed? Did it help homeless people? I feel selfish traveling having so much fun, while I see so many homeless people stuggling.
@@mikewagemann4129 hi there, there is quite a long list of things that go into our backpacks. number1 and 2 items are tarp, and socks. hygiene products. sweater, toque (hat) also a food bag. Noodles (just add hot water), hot choclate, sleeves of crackers, peanut butter, packs of oatmeal (just add water) cookies. and most important a Bible and a pair of dollar store reading glasses. we met individuals and talked to them found out how they became homeless and how long. We tried to encourage and give them hope , prayed with them and the very last thing was to ask If I could give them a hug. I was always the first to let go. We met 141 people on our journey before we made it back to our home in New brunswick, Canada. It took us 9 months. Start off small. Make a few up and keep them with you when you travel. God will present the people to you. We are ordinary people not funded by any organization. You can do this..
@@brigittemullett7285 Love this. You are truly our type of people! Thank you so much for sharing. Surprisingly here in Alaska we have a very large population of folks who live without homes. Drew works for a non profit agency that works very closely with the homeless population in Anchorage. Non-profits are great, but nothing beats old fashion-do it yourself street ministry.
Epic Video bro, cant wait to get up there. People saying you will be going home after a couple days of rain in a teardrop, dont know how much fun it is in the rain, or any extreme weather. For me its the best time to get out there, nobody is around, trails are empty, surf spots are abandond and when there is a break in the weather im the champion of the world! Not to mention the sound of rain on the teardrop is kinda romantic, you dont have much choice but to snuggle to keep warm. Please dont take my advise, stay home and make negative comments on youtube, while were out there winning the day!!!
Thanks Mike. We love seeing the word Epic in the comments. That is how it feels when we are out here. But, it is so hard to capture on camera. Love the champion of the world title. We completely agree about the sound of the rain and the joy of a hot beverage on a drizzling day.
Nice job! I camped in the rain last weekend without a side cover, and have been thinking of how to address that issue before next time. Perfect timing!
Thank you! We have your fall video queued up in our watch later. It has been really busy here at home lately. I think you are going to enjoy the modification process as much as the building process. We love adding new accessories and perfecting the camping experience.
My first and last tent story...We went camping at La push Washington, last October. Found a sweet spot next to the beach Waves were pumping and we were the only ones there, so jacked. We set up a ozark $300 10 by 10 tent from canadian tire with sand bags and stakes in the ground, beacause we knew there would be some rain. Everything was perfect, even the sound of rain was so soothing and made us fall asleep early. 1:00am rolled in and we could hear the wind turn on, by 2:00am I was outside attemting to hold the tent together in 40 mph wind gust comming off the ocean. By 3:00am I hid inside the teardrop, and thought we were going to fly away. We woke up to find the stakes and sandbags still in postion and the tent mangled, crushed and torn a half mile down the beach stuck to some bolders. Lesson learned, check the wind conditions. Now we have two ARB awnings attached to the frame of the teardrop on either side, one fully inclosed for guest, living/dining, changing, composting toilet, protection from bugs or the sun and we also use it for our portable solar panels.
Great story! Unfortunate, but great. We have always been jealous of the ARB awnings, especially those that are enclosed. If you have the money and the right teardrop structure to add them I think nothing beats this setup. Honestly it would be our dream setup if we had the right teardrop to pair with it.
@@PlayingwithSticks Something for your next build maybe, I didnt know I needed it until I went to a teardrop rally in Nor Cal and seen a lady that was a traveling piano teacher with two full sized key boards set up. Attaching the racks to the frame of is really important IMO, something for your next build maybe? If you keep your eyes open you can find them cheap, I payed half price for one because sombody ordered the wrong size. There are very popular now, some are popping up used in the off season for super cheap.
We just attached a foxwing awning by Rhino rack & we never have issue camping in the rain or strong wind. We installed a roof rack & attached the foxwing awning & we are sent to have lots of living space to relax & enjoy the outdoors. :)
Those foxwing awnings are great! What do you do when you end up in a campground that has a lot of asphalt. How do you secure the foxwing awning? Or do you always just pull up to the edge so you can get your stakes in the ground? Hopefully sooner than later we will have a setup like yours.
A little advice for your towing issues. I put an airlift kit in the rear coils of my Toyota Sienna for towing my popup. Put some air in those puppies and the rear end lifts right up. I take it on all sorts of rough tracks and it keeps the hitch & tongue up enough so there's no drag.
We are full-time 5th wheelers for 3 years now... we also have a tear drop we use on the weekends.. we use a 13x13 pop up canopy for outside shelter and if we need sides, we use tarps.. we’re enjoying your videos.
Love your channel title by the way! We just started using sidewalls this last summer for our awning. Sure makes a lot of difference in terms of privacy and blocking wind.
we have a T@B and love it. just the two of us and we have 4 grandkids so still working on ways to include them now and then. so far its been visits to the camp site but next year the tent will go up and we too will extend our space. our unit is bigger than yours but still much easier to tow and we can move by hand to face it in the direction once we get to our destination. thanks for sharing your experience with us keep up the family trips and including us to come along. Kudos
Have you seen the video where they made bunks for the T@B? It is a tight fit, but a really creative design. Here is the video if you are interested ua-cam.com/video/qt6oZsopHHQ/v-deo.html
Alaska is absolutely beautiful. If the good Lord is willing I will get to head up there one day for some camping, hiking, and fishing. Great video man! Keep it up.
Hey Drew & May! We received our Clam Quick Set Venture yesterday... (That was FAST!) It rained last night, so we had to wait until today to try it out... and it's AWESOME! We could fit our privacy tent in there (if needed) with lots of room to spare! I'm so glad we went for the six sided Clam - the doorway is going to fit really well with our T@G doors -- the whole thing will be such an asset to our camping experience... Hope you like the Venture as much as we do! ~ Maria and Chris
Glad to hear you received your shipment so fast! We are really excited to get ours so we can pop it up inside. One of East's favorite things to do in the winter is to pretend camp in the basement. It always takes a little time to setup and tear down. Now with a 45 second popup tent this should be a breeze. We love the idea of fitting the little privacy tent inside the shelter. Thanks again for letting us know you received the tent. It gets us more excited to get ours soon. Take care Maria and Chris!
Great channel! Your content hits home and I travel vicariously through your videos. Started to plan my squaredrop camper to be built for next camping season. See you on the trails!
Future videos: Gear you use in Alaska: Rain gear. Boots. Hiking socks. Backpacks. Etc. Stuff you taking hiking. How you find your hikes. What you take just camping. Meals (eg 51 ways to cook hotdogs, pick-nick food, sandwiches, premade, canned, full meal, etc.).
We will add this to our video content idea list. Thank you for this Mike. We could even do a video of what not to wear when hiking just based off of this video. We actually did not plan the long hike. So we had cotton socks, non breathable jackets, cotton shirts and shorts. Definitely not good backpacking gear for the Pacific Northwest. But, Sam's pack did have all those necessary clothing items in the case of an emergency.
Great video. Looks like you all had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing your set up for the tarp connection between the trailer and tent. (I watched ten different UA-cam videos before I found the a method of folding that little changing/shower tent that worked for me. Glad to know I am not alone with that challenge.)
Glad you enjoyed it! We are getting quite a few comments about the changing/shower. Glad to know I am not alone :) Out of curiosity what type of small camper trailer do you have? Or are you a tent camper? We are always interested to know what type of camping folks on here do.
Playing with Sticks I have an Aliner Scout. I really like it. I put a “luggable loo” in my changing tent. Your set up looks comfortable and that is my primary requirement. So nice to see a family enjoying the outdoors.
@@LoveMtDulcimerMusic The Aliner Scout is an excellent small camper. We are starting to see a few now and then up here, but their popularity hasn't caught on up here yet. I was surprised to find how long they have been manufacturing Aliners. When we first got into small camper trailers we thought Aliners were fairly new to the market. They seem so modern, pretty cool that the design continues to still feel modern year later. We second the comfortable comment. When we first traveled it was just about getting to the destination. Now it is about extending the trip. How long can we stay out here? Well, how comfortable can we make it?
I’ve watched many of your videos as we are getting ready to purchase a teardrop. Loved recognizing and seeing the Girdwood side of Crow Pass. Hiked this a couple times during my years in Alaska. Beautiful place!
Out of curiosity what have you narrowed your search down to? I love hearing what people have in their final list. Always fun running into another 907 resident on here.
After this trip we also carry along the 3M strips as well. They are much more useful outdoors than we realized. It really was fun having a guys only trip. I know it made May a little jealous, so we probably won't be doing it too often :)
Our 270 awning with side walls work well for us. The simplicity of the teardrop and go almost anywhere capability fits our outdoor lifestyle perfectly.
@@PlayingwithSticks We have a Rhino Rack Batwing 270° awning on our teardrop. Staked out properly, it holds up reasonably well in the wind. So far, it has been solid in up to 30 mph winds.
How cool! We love the size. Not only for storage and towing, but it has such a classical historical charm to it. Fun pulling around the same style and size of trailer folks were using in the early 1900s.
Our trailer is a home built teardrop. It is a 4 x 8 belts on the popular mechanics design. Similar shape and style teardrops come from Colorado teardrops you may want to check that out if you like the old retro style
You probably don’t see this a whole lot but great job on the editing on this video. Also great video overall, really fun to watch and man, Alaska is Beautiful!
After years of camping 🏕 and hiking. My next journey is to get a tear drop with a minimalist mindset to travel the U.S. to visit all the national parks / thanks for the great content.
Hi... I'm enjoying your Channel. The shot of Sam Sleeping in the Your side tent & enteral size ( and what accouterments it can hold) has almost sealed my purchase of it. But I would like to know is it still holding up well and is it possible to just use this as an occasional camping / sleeping tent? Maybe three or four trips a year. Thanks for your help on this in advance♥️
Hi Sheila! Looks like you have a fun channel as well. Hope all is going well for you during these interesting and difficult times. We honestly love this tent. We have a full walkthrough video of this tent ua-cam.com/video/eegIAqXIqmM/v-deo.html that has been very popular on this channel. We highlight the positives and negatives of the tent, plus sneak in some beautiful background shots of the Knik river. In this video we highlight that the tent is made in China and the quality of the tent seems to be a bit poorer than more expensive products on the market. Because of that we have just been extra careful ensuring to take care of the tent a bit more than we typically do. With that said, the tent has been going strong week in and week out (fall, spring, and summer up here.) However, if I was to suggest my current favorite tent it would be the Clam quicksets. Yes, they are a bit expensive. We find the Venture model tends to be the most affordable, we got it on sale last year for $123. I think it currently is about $189. The benefit of the clam over this tent is that they are built like tanks, they are instant popups, and they have a built in rainfly (well sort of...the top has a rainfly). The tent in this video does not have a rainfly. We have sealed all the seams and that keeps out the majority of the water. But coming in and out of the tent on a rainy day we have had some water get to the corners. The benefit of the tent in this video is that it has two doors and a floor, which the Clam does not have. We actually prefer not having a door, but we also don't have creepy crawlies in Alaska like most locations in the world have. Hope this info helps. I think the video will give you the best perspective. In conclusion I would say if you have the funds make the investment in the instant pop up Clam tent. If you are on more of a budget beings you will only be using this 3-4 times a year go with the tent in the video. Oh, I would also suggest if you are in a windy area to get the Clam. We haven't tested this tent in high winds, because we don't really get high winds up here, but we have heard from others that they would be concerned with how it would hold up in the wind.
@@PlayingwithSticks Thank you so much for the quick reply. And actually the clam T3 was my first choice ( sometimes you just have to suck up the price)... but I knew it was going to be a tight fit in the cargo area even with the back seats folded down of my Jeep Liberty (55 inches) and the weight of it 39 pounds I believe. Until I saw *this* tent the Amazon reviews were good but everyone mentioned it might not last. For the price I would be willing to replace it once a year But I *love* the two doors, awnings and the fact it had a floor..& you can stand up in it !! ( I'll just choose non windy days to cam In all honesty it checks off most of my needs. I think your review and everything you said was spot-on about this tent but I still want it : ) do you think I can put it up by myself? ...lol
@@WhatsUpWithSheila Drew puts up the tent himself almost every time we go out. Sometimes our little guy assists or his uncle. Honestly I think you could do it as long as it wasn't a windy day. The benefit of this tent for putting up by yourself quickly is that it doesn't have the setup where the poles have to go through the fabric. The pulls just go in and then you clip the tent to the poles. After we wrote you the first time we were thinking we needed to write you back to suggest the Gazelle tents, but looks like you already know about them. We just purchased a 2007 Jeep Liberty and completely understand the space issue. We were surprised that it has less space than our little 4 cylinder Toyota Matrix. That is what a good roofrack is for!
ha. I love setting up camp to. The problem is the last day when you gotta pick up everything by 11 or 12..... And I am the only one picking up because the wife has to watch the toddler. TIC TAC TIC TAC.
Please credit the music in your descriptions, especially from ~7:18 I've heard this on other nomadic channels, it's powerful and captures so much of the spirit of this lifestyle. I could listen and be inspired forever. Best wishes to you and fam.
Is there a tent or mobile awning that works in high wind and heavy coastal rain? I was hoping one could cover my galley and remain stable with the galley door down. My teardrop is a 5x8 Bend Teardrop. It is a little higher off the ground than some. The peak height of my galley door open is 80.5". Thanks!
The shelter's fly connected to the teardrop is fine but provides no protection from rain when using the galley. For that reason, I prefer my large 10x13 tarp strung over the teardrop. A large one will cover both the galley area and the space between the teardrop and boondocking screen tent. Trees not always being available, a few 8 ft extendable poles, a ridge line and guy lines solves that issue. Of course there are tarps made to cover the galley area, which some may prefer.
I get comments like this quite often about the gally. We camp for 3 months straight (full time) every season. Like you I am not a fan of getting wet. But I don't find myself getting wet in the galley. Maybe a tiny bit of overspray. And if it really is raining sideways my cooking takes place within the campsite under one of my pop up tents that is always on site. But like you mention yours is a great solution as well. Probably better than mine. I just tend to prefer to spread out my campsite and not have everything revolved around the trailer. Well, least for longer stays. Shorter stays I like to stay compact.
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks for the reply and my stays are only for 2-4 days so perhaps that's why being near the teardrop during rain isn't a factor for me.
the only suggestion I have fo your for you r side tent is to use tarps for insulation..... ive always used this method to keep the floor of the tent from getting to much condensation... and one or two tarps over the tent with climbing rope to pull the tarps together for weather protection..
When we owned our silver shadow teardrop trailer we installed a Foxwing awning on the top of the teardrop & when it's open if cover a lot of living space that keeps us out of the rain. It was never hard or inconvenient to ever camp in the rain in our teardrop. :)
Love hearing that. We heard from folks that they don't do well in the wind. But, then when we ask people like you who have owned them everyone tells us they do just fine if staked down properly. Is this your experience as well?
Btw whenever we hiked to snow level I carried a bottle of fruit syrup (you pick it but blackberry is my favorite). Instant snowcones in a mug! Keep exploring!
Trailer hitch landing gear idea. Invert a generic car screw jack and weld to the frame. Operate the jack via electric drill for ease of use. Modify as necessary to make up the vast distance (cause normal car jacks don't reach far, obviously). Perhaps mimic a basic landing gear design from light aircraft?
This is a great idea and really simple. Those jacks are beefy and don't weigh a whole lot. Thank you for sharing your creative thoughts on this. Sounds like you may be an engineer?
Playing with Sticks , I am not an engineer but I do like problem solving where able. I also like personalization. Either way I look forward to seeing where y’all’s adventures take y’all!
We have often leaned toward the ez-up for the teardrop trailer as well. As our teardrop ages there will probably be more and more potential gaps for water leakage (none yet, knock on wood). With that thought in our head an ez-up would also be a bit of insurance when you are staying in an area that rains for a straight week. The EZ-Up takes the beating and the teardrop essentially stays bone dry. We have had the teardrop out for over a month and the command strips are holding up great!
@@PlayingwithSticks we used ez up as 2nd bedroom - luv it. However zipper on it died mid trip last year. But i have a dac truck tent for hatch/trunk of van. The crew didnt love it b4. It made new friends that day. No leaks. Just throw air mattress over debris on van floor. Used this during heat wave too. Bug screen w magnets around windows rolled down. The huge rear opening w dac, then windows down allowed so much airflow. Elevated off ground. Highly recommend as a backup or 2nd bedroom.
Your inspiring me even more to custom build my own Ebike Teardrop Trailer. With small tent attachment. Not quite as wide a trailer to make it bike lane street legal. But with an extra 2 - 4 kilowatts of EBike range on the trailer connected to the bike through the hitch. 2 - 300 Watts of solar on the trailer roof/sides. A 48 Volt system that with an inverter can power a Starlink System (18" antenna facing up through roof is adequate with enough satellites in orbit now) given enough kilowatt-hours on the trailer. And possibly a level 1 - 3 high amperage fast charge ECar adapter for Tesla Stations built into the trailer. But a hardcore Bluetooth B.M.S. For the lithium ion battery pack builds I'll be making (measures each battery cell temperature 3 times per second with phone app diagnostics & alarm) for big charge/discharge loads that can overheat lithium ion battery packs and cause bad fires sensationalized in the news. The Battery Management System circuit board software soldered to +/- of battery will warn you way ahead of time that voltages of individual cells are out of balance - eventually leading to fires. You isolate the bad 18650 (laptop cell) and replace it on the road with a small, portable welding/soldering iron (see Adam Savage's portable welder) and your good to go. No vehicle insurance or fuel required!
We do run into quite a few. Most folks up here carry guns. We primarily stick to bear spray. There will be quite a few folks who don't agree with this. However, look up the statistics and you will find you have a much better chance surviving lets say a bear attack using bear spray than a gun. Not our opinion, just the stats. But really your best form of defense is to be aware of your surroundings. Unless you stumble on top of a larger animal. Typically they give you a chance to move on. Being aware of your body movements, tone, etc. we would say is the most important.
The past few times I have taken it down it this month it "looked" like I knew what I was doing. However I still couldn't demonstrate how to do it to anyone. Sometimes I can't lucky and sometimes I don't.
@@PlayingwithSticks hahah I hear you! There is a simple trick to it but if I haven't done it in a while I sometimes wrestle with it until it magically snaps into place :D
@@minivanadventureclub8720 We just used it in the pouring rain this week and forgot the simple trick AGAIN! This time though we had taken it deep into the woods for a photoshoot of some friends, so we had to carry it open all the way back to the car. Pretty funny moment! And of course once we were able to get out of the rain, we instantly had muscle memory to get it packed away nice and neat.
Fun video and great set up! You are living the richest kind of life!!! Hotel rooms are boring. Can you videotape the rain on your set up sometime? Would be fun and interesting to see.
Sorry about that Deborah. The entire video dedicated to this tent which also includes links is Our Boondocking Side Entry Tent with All the Best Features ua-cam.com/video/eegIAqXIqmM/v-deo.html Unfortunately this tent is currently out of stock. The demand seems to outpace the supply once a month. Meaning, it should be back up in a month or less. A great alternative if you have the funds (costs a bit more) is a Clam Tent. We use the Clam Venture which is amazing. Sets up in less than 20 seconds, fits over picnic tables, and great standing height. Link to Clam amzn.to/3dHlqf5 Not sure why it is so expensive right now. This morning I sent the link to someone and it was only about $200. During this time in the world prices seem to be all over the place. Here is the link to the tent you mentioned as well amzn.to/31mdIVn
As always, appreciate the video (and the hike footage was a nice addition). One thing I've noticed about the teardrop/rain complaints: they often go back to a built-in stove under the hatch. Using a Coleman doesn't look as cool, but the flexibility/practicality/cost really can't be beat. One can move their cooking station, prep station, water and eating location to wherever the rain ain't. It may not be an RV-type solution, but to those who are migrating from bivouacs, it's totally viable and easy. Thanks again.
We are one of the less fortunate teardrop trailer owners who do not have a stove or sink in the galley. But, you are right it has made it really easy to move our cooking area wherever we want. As you probably noticed in our videos our Coleman ends up in many different places depending on where we are camping.
@@PlayingwithSticks If I ever bought a teardrop I would not want a sink or a stove. I have my trusty Coleman and I have a pan for doing dishes. Right now I still camp in a tent but looking at teardrops. Maybe in a year or two i'll get one
If you want to see some great teardrop trailer rain videos check out Cosmo's channel! Half the time he doesn't even need the rain shelter because he has such beautiful windows to watch the rain run down from within his airy Vistabule teardrop. Cosmo, remember our conversations around the Clam tent? I had thought all a Clam needed was a 2nd entry and then it would be the perfect tent. And you kindly let me know that would not be possible due to the bracing within the tent. Since then we have come to the conclusion that the Clam would be the perfect side entry tent for most folks with a little modification. We have had quite a few comments that suggest we build our own tent with all the features we need. All we would need is to add a side panel to the clam tent and now we have an instant pop-up that also connects to the teardrop via the side panel and no more and no more running between the Clam tent and the teardrop in the rain. Do the side panels roll up like the tent in this video or would we need to sew a panel onto the Clam to make this work?
@@PlayingwithSticks We are looking at the 5 sided clam quick set - it's called the Venture ... for the same idea. We want something quick and easy. Right now the 5 sided clam is only $136 on Amazon -- third party seller though -- only 10 left as of this moment. It would add a little more space than the 4 sided so we can put the privacy tent in there too.
@@TheGratitudeAttitude Thank you! We are going to have to look into this. We always get our Traveler and Escape models mixed up. We didn't realize there was a Venture model. The Traveler is the perfect size for us, but the price of the Venture seems just right. But, that does mean buying 1 more wind panel :)
@@PlayingwithSticks Ya I remember. I am a tough sell and you have a convincing case here! Again thank you. I added you to my featured Channel. Thank You =Cosmo
Thinking you may have hiked it while you were up here this summer? The hike is from the crow creek mine side of Crow Pass. Oh, by the way the camera we used during the hike was the Canon G7x mark i that we said we would share with you how the audio worked out. So far, so good. If anything we have to turn the audio down during the videos because it is louder than our audio on the Panasonic GH5. Obviously it probably wouldn't be good for far away shots. But, for basic vlog style videos it has been excellent. A small camera like this really has opened a lot of filming possibilities for us.
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks. I don't think we did that one but it looked beautiful. Now that I have the new iPhone 11 Pro, I rarely pull anything else out except for my Rode Wireless Go microphone. I'm looking forward to see how you camp in the winter. Brrrr. I'm cold just thinking about it.
Not sure if you have Tractor Supply near you, but they sell wheeled jacks there and they are really high quality compared to what’s on Amazon, etc. they are also heavier, but I think they need to be in order to withstand the abuse.
This is exactly why I put that small portion in the video about the wheeled jack. I was really hoping someone could point us in the right direction. THANK YOU!
East is still talking about our hikes and we haven't been on one in about a month! I'm kind of itching to get out there again soon as well. The newborn set us back a bit, but this season won't be long and we will be ready to get back out there as a family.
That moment was when Uncle Sam was hooked. Since that trip he comes out with us almost every other trip now. He is always pushing as well to go bigger on each hike. Super fun to have a new hiking buddy in the family now!
That’s an interesting misconception lol. We have a 15’ Coleman dome that becomes our shelter/ living space for sunny days. If it rains, especially at night, we simply roll the teardrop under it. We can then keep the window, door and ventilation hatch open 🇦🇺🇦🇺 I like this setup too though 😎 the teardrop rocks
We love your setup. We have often wondered if the best way to do teardrop camping would be to get a shelter large enough to put the entire teardrop under. Thanks for sharing this. Any chance you have a picture of your setup anywhere online?
Playing with Sticks no but happy to send pics to your email address? I looked at your homepage but can’t see any way to send you anything. Have never messaged within UA-cam 😄 let me know and I’ll make it happen 😎
We actually have an entire video dedicated to this tent. ua-cam.com/video/eegIAqXIqmM/v-deo.html The link should be in the description. I could grab the link, but thought I should send you to the video first so you can see the pros and cons. Still holding up well after 1 season of use.
Thank you! Honestly these teardrops are life changing. Congratulations on getting her home. Now the fun really starts when you start accessorizing the teardrop. Sometimes we think the modifications we make to the teardrop are just as fun as the camping trips themselves. We can't remember if we asked you before what type of teardrop you purchased. We know we just chatted with you recently, but sometimes we confuse some of the conversations we have had with new viewers.
@@GeekFamilyAdventures That is a wonderful little camper. Pretty much every bell and whistle you will ever need. We hope some day to do a walk through of one of those campers. We see T@Gs up here, but they are the smaller models.
Welcome to the teardrop family. I know you will enjoy teardrops as much as the rest of us. Expect a lot of attention in camp grounds, people love teardrops even the ones that will never buy or build one.
Wow Drew & May! almost 10,000 subs! but your newest and tiniest was just born right!?!!! =) Congratulations to you all! I hope May and the baby are doing well. Great video and really great idea for combining a side tent and the teardrop. I think I might use my homemade awning and attach it to a "yet to be purchased" side tent to do your setup. We have a canopy with screens and side walls for the kitchen galley... but if it rains, we would need two - one for the galley and one on the side. Here in upstate NY (basically what we call all the space north and west of Westchester County / NYC) we usually have wind when it rains. Our privacy tent was a beast to fold back up into a circle ... but I finally got it down this season! This video clip shows folding from the bottom up... although the directions on my Wolfwise tent show folding it from the narrower top end toward the bottom... ua-cam.com/video/jbW_sAseeZo/v-deo.html It's a one minute job now instead of the 20 tries when we first bought it LoL ... Again... congrats Drew, May, and East... enjoy your newest little camper
Thank you Maria! Yes, little Rye was just born 3 weeks ago. Love your setup of the canopy with screens and side walls for your teadrop kitchen galley. Have you ever thought of combining that setup with a large EZ up tent that covers the majority of your teardrop? We see quite a few pictures of folks with that combination online. That way they have a dry corridor from the door to the galley. However, if you do have high winds like you mentioned I heard the EZ ups can be a bit of a challenge. Thank you for the video link. We have never tried folding the privacy tent from the bottom. We thought our little privacy tent would be a one season item. But, we use it quite often due to its light weight and small portability. Again thanks for welcoming our new little camper into the world!
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks for the great reply! We have the Quest canopy that Field and Stream sells... it was only $49 and the accessories were discounted -- it fits really well over our open galley and I like that nice "kitchen feeling" we get with the whole canopy dedicated to the galley. If we have nice weather and good privacy, it stays packed in the trunk. =) --- And although it is kind of heavy, in strong winds (like we had in one storm while camping this summer) -- we had to take the top of the canopy off and we just left the frame up... We have always worried about the frames getting pulled up and twisted -- breaking something on our camper. Verona Beach State Park (Oneida Lake-Finger Lakes region) can have wicked storms. It runs east to west -and the winds funnel down the lake. A person camping next to us told us that in one storm two years ago, the winds were so strong that his adult son couldn't open the door against the wind to get the awning down. The wind lifted the awning up over the top of the camper and punched a hole in the roof! Crazy huh!?!!! Teardrop camping has a little bit more setup, but I just love the cozy nature of the whole experience and the ease of getting out of town! =)
@@TheGratitudeAttitude Those are some crazy winds! Sounds like you have a very cozy setup. Although teardrops feel like a lot of setup when I watch RVs that pull up next to us it takes them almost the same amount of time as us to roll out the awning, level the camper, pop out the expanding wall, roll out the carpet, etc. I say they still win in the setup department, but it is much closer than most people think.
I have 2 awnings on my teardrop. One on each side.It works great. I found a flexible awning track on line, installed it on both sides so it contours the tear part and bought 2 8 by 10 awnings for popups (manual roll up no rod). The one on the door side (I only have 1 door) has wall kit so it can be enclosed and create another room. I normally camp with my neighbor which has a 24 ft camper with a electric awning and he gets wet before I do because his awning is 15 ft off the ground mine is only 6 ft.Oklahoma has a lot of wind and heavy rain.
That sounds like a great setup. If you can ever post a video or share your pictures of your setup online we would love to see it. Thanks Kevin for sharing!
@@kevchard5214 Unfortunately there is no way to post pics on UA-cam. You would have to share a link to a website where you post the pictures. Most folks find it not worth the time. It would be really nice if we could post pictures of our builds to share on here. Maybe someday...
@@PlayingwithSticks -- It's a 1972 Hunter Compact Jr., which was designed so that VW Bug could tow it. ...pretty rare. There's a short video tour on my ZOOM channel.
@@zoommikerobinson3315 We love that little trailer! I'm assuming you've watched the restoration from that couple with the yellow trailer on UA-cam. Since watching those videos we've always wanted to see one of those in person.
@@PlayingwithSticks -- Yes. That yellow Hunter is nice. ...the only other one out there. In January, I'll be taking the Hunter to the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) that Bob Wells sponsors via his UA-cam channel, "CheapRVLiving". He will announce the dates/place soon. Your videos are nicely done.
Thank you Mike! We are still learning every day how to tell a better story and how to handle the camera. It has been really fun for our family. The RTR meetup sounds amazing. I would love to meet Bob Wells in person.
I love the scenery in this video. I would love more videos of the beautiful scenery in Alaska that you guys get to enjoy so easily. Love the Teardrop info, too. Also - how bad are the insects in Alaska? Thank you!!
That is very handy to have. We really like the bed/couch design, especially if it allows you to add a table. Also like the ability to get your feet and dirty items on the floor vs the bed all day.
@@joyhermes9338 - Vestibule Teardrop trailer. Because of this channel, I went shopping nationwide for a more options filled teardrop. We have had one on order for months now. Because of Covid, long long wait times as each unit is hand-built taking about thirty days.
Thank you Laurie! We are really excited to get out there with the little one. Unfortunately we have a while with all the cold Alaska weather coming in. We may have to sneak the little guy in for a cameo in one of the near future videos.
I would love to visit alaska for a week to go hiking/backpacking... i wouldnt go it alone my self .... maybe stay at a resort.. there in the winter time with my furs... and friends..
Can someone please tell me how registration for plates and stuff like that works for a teardrop camper or basically how much extra that will cost? Or if someone made a video about that I'll gladly watch it. Can't find that info anywhere I look or at least can't find information that wasn't confusing. Is it $10 every five years or more than that? Thank you!
I wish I could help you here, but it is so different from state to state. There is even differences in some states based on if it is homebuilt or manufactured.
@@PlayingwithSticks thanks for the suggestion, one link I read said vans have the better fuel economy of the two, but there are pros and cons to both. Love a lot of your videos btw
@@riskovery Yes, that is correct. And the weight of the campers can be quite rough on a truck as well. But, it is good to keep in the back of your mind because vans are so expensive lately due to the #vanlife. Many times you can find and older (lower mile) truck paired with a camper for much lower than you could get a van. The van life is neat, but the truck life would be a good alternative if funds are limited. Glad you are enjoying the videos!
Future Video: Longest time spent camping in each camper (Teardrop and Scamp) and related differences from weekend camping in areas like food, cooking, water, shopping, personal hygiene, toilet, garbage, “personal space”, etc. Do you plan more traveling when camping longer or just stay put?
Thank you Mike. We have added these to our possible future video list as well. We need to really start cranking out some more topic specific videos next spring. Our topic list is starting to get overwhelming large. Which, is a great problem to have!
Love your setup and seeing the different ways to make the most of the teardrop way. How about winter and snow camping in a teardrop-ever give that a shot? We've officially moved up here to AK and are looking to go camping one more time this year before it gets too cold. Do y'all camp year-round? -Evan
Hi Evan! Welcome to the Frigid North! We tent camp in the winter, but have never teardrop camped in the winter due to our cautious nature towards towing a teardrop with a 4 cylinder car. However, we just purchased a Jeep to give us a little more confidence to get out there. If this was the lower 48 we would have no worry taking out the teardrop with the 4 cylinder due to the nature of the snow. Up here our issue is ice. Because the snow never melts you have a never ending sheet of ice all winter on all surfaces. If you are to do winter camping do it now! Camping is great from October to December. Wants January, February, and March hit it is so cold it loses it's novelty.
We are right with you. There is something fun about trying to beat the elements. For us it is always a little comfortable getting out of the camper in the morning to setup breakfast, but that is part of the adventure!
@@PlayingwithSticks Sounds good and thanks for the advice! Now slap a hitch on that Jeep and let's see you take that teardrop out in the snow! (Or ice)
@@EvanWharton The hitch is on and we have actually towed a few trailers behind it. The current situation preventing us from going out is the young newborn in the home. We may have to make it a late winter trip in the colder weather.
Great ideas! All you you need is an extra tarp and some cord. Let your imagination run wild. We’re definitely going to get a mosquito tent before next summer.
Thank you! Does it remind you of home at all? You have arguably some of the most beautiful places in the world right outside your backdoor in Argentina.
Teardrops do suck in the rain, compared to great big motorhomes. But if you compare it to tent camping and really want to enjoy outside, then a teardrop is perfect. You can carry the maximum gear, in a small unit, keep it ready at home, and get out and enjoy. I love my little camp trailer.
@@PlayingwithSticks I have a Intech Flyer with a CVT Mt Shasta on top, and Foxwing awning. Its in my garage, so I can get out in a moments notice and enjoy the great out doors. Please keep sharing your adventures.
@@MrRayMac1963 That sounds like a great setup. An Intech Flyer with the rooftop tent sounds like the perfect size for our growing family. Thanks for sharing your setup.
@@PlayingwithSticks Yeah, Its a great size, and with the barn doors you can hall gear easier. It offers a little more flexibility then a traditional tear drop.
Hey, PWS. Enjoyed the video and the "Guy's" trip. The scenery in the vid was beautiful. Next time pack a compact rod and reel in your backpack. Nothing like fresh fish for dinner. ;) Rain is just a part of camping. I spent a few trips tent camping where it monsooned all weekend and made it through, so I know I can easily do it in a teardrop with a side 10x10 canopy. I'm looking at getting side panels for more privacy and wind/rain protection. Let folks talk smack about teardrops. For the money some of them pay for their RV's you could probably build a cabin or small home. Also, shouldn't there be some sort of a locking pin in that jack to hold it in place?
That is a great suggestion on the rod and reel. We have a 5 piece rod for salmon fishing in the back country, but we probably should get a 5 piece trout rod to be able to fry up some fish at night. That would make the family pretty darn excited. We highly recommend the side panels. Once we acquired a tent with side panels it opened up many new camping opportunities for us. As for the locking pin, yes it must have fell out as we were driving up the dirt road to start the hike. They sure don't make things like they did back in my grandpa's days. However, a couple of folks on here suggested we pick up our next tongue jack from a tractor store. Built for tractors and able to stand up to the test of teardrop life.
Sad isn't it. We have had the hardest time finding a quality tongue jack with a wheel. Seems like the only robust tongue jacks made lack wheels. We have also gone the bungee cord route many times as well. If anyone knows of a great tongue jack please let us all know!
@@PlayingwithSticks I am having same trouble . wheel shattered. We are putting jacks on both sides and made a stand to put under hitch for extra support. I have a Tab 320 older one. It scared me when the jack stand broke.
Marie dykeman, good points. Spreading out the weight over more wheels and stands would help them last. Dual stands would also stop the slight twisting of my cheap lite frame.
@@mikemead2315 My frame got twisted too. Luckily some fellas help me put on truck hitch. We used my truck jack under tongue so we can drive to Camping World. They did not have and referred us to tractor supply. We are going to do a mod and add a metal between the 2 tongue thingys for extra strength. because it got turned when jack stand broke.
Thank you! Unfortunately the bears are still a wandering. That is typically the running joke towards whoever draws the straw to sleep in the side entry tent "see you in the morning, or will we?" That is definitely the biggest drawback with soft sided tents in Alaska you tend to sleep with one eye open.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Lately we are thinking maybe we should have called the channel "Playing with Rocks." :) But, sticks still do appear to win out most of the time with East.
It is a great combination isn't it? We actually came up with the channel name because of the small joys our son finds in these rocks and sticks during our adventures. It truly is the simple things that give us the most pleasure!
Cheryl, I think the same thing, everytime I see that clip! He's super cute; and STRONG!!! Enj the channel and the trips a LOT. Keep 'em coming! Y'all Be Safe!
I have a newbie suggestion. Please, feel free to strike it down if you think it's a stupid idea. For me, teardrop camping is about simplicity but when I watch videos of people camping, they surround their teardrops with awnings and tents. Not only does this add cost and time consuming set-up and maintenance, but the visual clutter it creates is ugly. One of the critiques I've heard about teardrop campers is that there's no place to stand up and change. There's no privacy. That's why people use tents. I've got a simpler idea. How about if, above and to the left and right of each door, there were simple, inset aluminum or steel round notches. Then you can take a long straight rod, bend it, and insert each into the notches to form a semi-circle, like some curved shower curtain rods. You would not need a vertical support bar if the rod were light and secured in the notches. From this rod, you can hang drapes or shower curtains. You could use a sheer black-out curtain or a beautiful, light and air linen curtains that can be pushed aside and still look beautiful against the trailer when not in use. You can pull the curtain around you when you change and use the porta-potty too. Your thoughts about this idea? Inquiring minds want to know. Stay awesome! 😊
It’s a great idea! I think we briefly highlighted in the beginning of our budget shower video. It’s a system we saw on the channel from she to me. They’re also is another newer one that I just watched yesterday. Let me see if I can find the link. I think you will like this.
@@PlayingwithSticks Hi Drew, Thanks for the link. That's certainly an idea. I just emailed you a quick mockup of my idea. A bit different. More minimal.
Actually, that awning idea also opens up the screen room requirement of wanting two opposite doors on the screen room. Interesting. Opens up other ideas.
We have been using this awning breezeway setup for over a month now. It has really eliminated our need for the 2nd entry, which opens up a whole world of tent possibilities. Yes, the second entrance is still nice to have, but more of a novelty now. Out of curiosity Mike any ideas come to mind when you are talking other possibilities? We are always looking for something new to try.
Playing with Sticks, i think you are on top of this one The gazelle quick popup type (couple mfgs) is at the top. Screen room. Tent. Really Easy up and down. But Expensive. Using tarps and poles at the moment. Cheap. Long setup. Does not block wind and sideways rain. Got a Tailbrella for $20 at walmart clearance - hitch holder and 9’ patio umbrella. Kinda sun only. Have not used it yet. Still waiting for the need to buy gazelle.
Playing with Sticks, would be interesting to hear how the longevity looks for the one you bought. It would also be nice to see how older gazelle types last out in the wild.
@@mikemead2315 We bought our first Clam today. As our family has grown recently we knew that was a purchase we needed to make. Our pop-up shelter was perfect as a day tent for the three of us, but with four now it is time to expand the pop-up living space. We ordered the Venture model today on Amazon as we got a tip from @TheGratitudeAttitude that it is only $134. Not bad for a Clam. I am excited to see what kind of modifications we will be able to make to it. I am also interested to see if I can make some affordable diy wind panels. We have never seen the tilbrellas before. What a great idea. The folks at Hanging with Herky also use an umbrella from time to time as their side shelter.
@@mistikbunny7840 So many options out there. Is a mini camper a brand or are you just talking about small trailers in general? We are always interested to see if new trailers are popping up that we have never heard of.
@@mistikbunny7840 I think you would be happy with either of those. In our opinion it doesn't hurt to start larger and then downgrade if you find you can go smaller. Chances are you will find the Sol and Tab are the perfect size and it will be with you for the long haul.
@@PlayingwithSticks as I watch your guy's video's, I'm reminded of my motorcycle camping days..But now as I get older, single again and making a game plan, I like how you folks are doing it..!
wow, you gave me a good idea on hookup my camo 10' x10' cover from the rear scout top to the traveloge camper. using the 3M adhesive stick hook anchor on both utilities will facilitate putting up the cover.
Love your vids. We lived in our teardrop for 9 months and traveled all around north america. We did Backpacks for homeless people on our journey. The teardrop was only our bedroom. We had the outdoors as our living-room. We did many configurations in wet weather with tents and tarps. There is a big difference between camping and rving. With a teardrop trailer it is camping. Camping makes you great full for everything. Best times in our lives were in our teardrop. Keep up the great work. So great to watch your vids.
Wow, what a journey you took. Love how you helped folks who were homeless find resources. What amazing stories you must have. With all the configurations you did with tents and tarps what did you end up with as your favorite solution? We so agree that teardrop camping falls into the realm of camping vs rving. We can second your comment that the many of the best times in our lives have been within walking distance of our teardrop trailer.
Could you tell me more about the Back packs, what you packed? Did it help homeless people? I feel selfish traveling having so much fun, while I see so many homeless people stuggling.
@@mikewagemann4129 hi there, there is quite a long list of things that go into our backpacks. number1 and 2 items are tarp, and socks. hygiene products. sweater, toque (hat) also a food bag. Noodles (just add hot water), hot choclate, sleeves of crackers, peanut butter, packs of oatmeal (just add water) cookies. and most important a Bible and a pair of dollar store reading glasses. we met individuals and talked to them found out how they became homeless and how long. We tried to encourage and give them hope , prayed with them and the very last thing was to ask If I could give them a hug. I was always the first to let go. We met 141 people on our journey before we made it back to our home in New brunswick, Canada. It took us 9 months. Start off small. Make a few up and keep them with you when you travel. God will present the people to you. We are ordinary people not funded by any organization. You can do this..
@@brigittemullett7285 Love this. You are truly our type of people! Thank you so much for sharing. Surprisingly here in Alaska we have a very large population of folks who live without homes. Drew works for a non profit agency that works very closely with the homeless population in Anchorage. Non-profits are great, but nothing beats old fashion-do it yourself street ministry.
@@brigittemullett7285 Thank you for your reply and good advise, I will do exactaly that.
Epic Video bro, cant wait to get up there. People saying you will be going home after a couple days of rain in a teardrop, dont know how much fun it is in the rain, or any extreme weather. For me its the best time to get out there, nobody is around, trails are empty, surf spots are abandond and when there is a break in the weather im the champion of the world! Not to mention the sound of rain on the teardrop is kinda romantic, you dont have much choice but to snuggle to keep warm. Please dont take my advise, stay home and make negative comments on youtube, while were out there winning the day!!!
Thanks Mike. We love seeing the word Epic in the comments. That is how it feels when we are out here. But, it is so hard to capture on camera. Love the champion of the world title. We completely agree about the sound of the rain and the joy of a hot beverage on a drizzling day.
Nice job! I camped in the rain last weekend without a side cover, and have been thinking of how to address that issue before next time. Perfect timing!
Thank you! We have your fall video queued up in our watch later. It has been really busy here at home lately. I think you are going to enjoy the modification process as much as the building process. We love adding new accessories and perfecting the camping experience.
My first and last tent story...We went camping at La push Washington, last October. Found a sweet spot next to the beach Waves were pumping and we were the only ones there, so jacked. We set up a ozark $300 10 by 10 tent from canadian tire with sand bags and stakes in the ground, beacause we knew there would be some rain. Everything was perfect, even the sound of rain was so soothing and made us fall asleep early. 1:00am rolled in and we could hear the wind turn on, by 2:00am I was outside attemting to hold the tent together in 40 mph wind gust comming off the ocean. By 3:00am I hid inside the teardrop, and thought we were going to fly away. We woke up to find the stakes and sandbags still in postion and the tent mangled, crushed and torn a half mile down the beach stuck to some bolders. Lesson learned, check the wind conditions.
Now we have two ARB awnings attached to the frame of the teardrop on either side, one fully inclosed for guest, living/dining, changing, composting toilet, protection from bugs or the sun and we also use it for our portable solar panels.
Great story! Unfortunate, but great. We have always been jealous of the ARB awnings, especially those that are enclosed. If you have the money and the right teardrop structure to add them I think nothing beats this setup. Honestly it would be our dream setup if we had the right teardrop to pair with it.
@@PlayingwithSticks Something for your next build maybe, I didnt know I needed it until I went to a teardrop rally in Nor Cal and seen a lady that was a traveling piano teacher with two full sized key boards set up. Attaching the racks to the frame of is really important IMO, something for your next build maybe? If you keep your eyes open you can find them cheap, I payed half price for one because sombody ordered the wrong size. There are very popular now, some are popping up used in the off season for super cheap.
Grabbing one for half price would be great. I will have to start checking my local craigslist ads.
I'm almost talked into a teardrop ? Too cool 😎 👌 THANKS for sharing 👍
We just attached a foxwing awning by Rhino rack & we never have issue camping in the rain or strong wind. We installed a roof rack & attached the foxwing awning & we are sent to have lots of living space to relax & enjoy the outdoors. :)
Those foxwing awnings are great! What do you do when you end up in a campground that has a lot of asphalt. How do you secure the foxwing awning? Or do you always just pull up to the edge so you can get your stakes in the ground? Hopefully sooner than later we will have a setup like yours.
A little advice for your towing issues. I put an airlift kit in the rear coils of my Toyota Sienna for towing my popup. Put some air in those puppies and the rear end lifts right up. I take it on all sorts of rough tracks and it keeps the hitch & tongue up enough so there's no drag.
Ooh. This is an interesting comment. I’m definitely going to be adding this to my notes. Thank You!
We are full-time 5th wheelers for 3 years now... we also have a tear drop we use on the weekends.. we use a 13x13 pop up canopy for outside shelter and if we need sides, we use tarps.. we’re enjoying your videos.
Love your channel title by the way! We just started using sidewalls this last summer for our awning. Sure makes a lot of difference in terms of privacy and blocking wind.
I love your storytelling and your Alaska outdoors content. Keep 'em coming!
Glad to hear you are enjoying it Michelle! We will keep em coming!
we have a T@B and love it. just the two of us and we have 4 grandkids so still working on ways to include them now and then. so far its been visits to the camp site but next year the tent will go up and we too will extend our space. our unit is bigger than yours but still much easier to tow and we can move by hand to face it in the direction once we get to our destination. thanks for sharing your experience with us keep up the family trips and including us to come along. Kudos
Have you seen the video where they made bunks for the T@B? It is a tight fit, but a really creative design. Here is the video if you are interested ua-cam.com/video/qt6oZsopHHQ/v-deo.html
Alaska is absolutely beautiful. If the good Lord is willing I will get to head up there one day for some camping, hiking, and fishing. Great video man! Keep it up.
Hey Drew & May! We received our Clam Quick Set Venture yesterday... (That was FAST!) It rained last night, so we had to wait until today to try it out... and it's AWESOME! We could fit our privacy tent in there (if needed) with lots of room to spare! I'm so glad we went for the six sided Clam - the doorway is going to fit really well with our T@G doors -- the whole thing will be such an asset to our camping experience...
Hope you like the Venture as much as we do! ~ Maria and Chris
Glad to hear you received your shipment so fast! We are really excited to get ours so we can pop it up inside. One of East's favorite things to do in the winter is to pretend camp in the basement. It always takes a little time to setup and tear down. Now with a 45 second popup tent this should be a breeze. We love the idea of fitting the little privacy tent inside the shelter. Thanks again for letting us know you received the tent. It gets us more excited to get ours soon. Take care Maria and Chris!
Great channel! Your content hits home and I travel vicariously through your videos. Started to plan my squaredrop camper to be built for next camping season. See you on the trails!
Future videos:
Gear you use in Alaska: Rain gear. Boots. Hiking socks. Backpacks. Etc.
Stuff you taking hiking.
How you find your hikes.
What you take just camping.
Meals (eg 51 ways to cook hotdogs, pick-nick food, sandwiches, premade, canned, full meal, etc.).
We will add this to our video content idea list. Thank you for this Mike. We could even do a video of what not to wear when hiking just based off of this video. We actually did not plan the long hike. So we had cotton socks, non breathable jackets, cotton shirts and shorts. Definitely not good backpacking gear for the Pacific Northwest. But, Sam's pack did have all those necessary clothing items in the case of an emergency.
Great watching your kids grow.
Glad you are enjoying it! When we watch some of our first videos we can't believe how quickly time has gone by!
Great video. Looks like you all had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing your set up for the tarp connection between the trailer and tent. (I watched ten different UA-cam videos before I found the a method of folding that little changing/shower tent that worked for me. Glad to know I am not alone with that challenge.)
Glad you enjoyed it! We are getting quite a few comments about the changing/shower. Glad to know I am not alone :) Out of curiosity what type of small camper trailer do you have? Or are you a tent camper? We are always interested to know what type of camping folks on here do.
Playing with Sticks I have an Aliner Scout. I really like it. I put a “luggable loo” in my changing tent. Your set up looks comfortable and that is my primary requirement. So nice to see a family enjoying the outdoors.
@@LoveMtDulcimerMusic The Aliner Scout is an excellent small camper. We are starting to see a few now and then up here, but their popularity hasn't caught on up here yet. I was surprised to find how long they have been manufacturing Aliners. When we first got into small camper trailers we thought Aliners were fairly new to the market. They seem so modern, pretty cool that the design continues to still feel modern year later. We second the comfortable comment. When we first traveled it was just about getting to the destination. Now it is about extending the trip. How long can we stay out here? Well, how comfortable can we make it?
I’ve watched many of your videos as we are getting ready to purchase a teardrop. Loved recognizing and seeing the Girdwood side of Crow Pass. Hiked this a couple times during my years in Alaska. Beautiful place!
Out of curiosity what have you narrowed your search down to? I love hearing what people have in their final list. Always fun running into another 907 resident on here.
I love sitting underneath an awning during the rain.
I added 3M strips to my Camping take along must haves. What a fun guys only adventure. It is one of those moments EVERYONE will remember! 😁
After this trip we also carry along the 3M strips as well. They are much more useful outdoors than we realized. It really was fun having a guys only trip. I know it made May a little jealous, so we probably won't be doing it too often :)
I realy enjoyed watching. LOVE FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Thanks David! It has been really fun having a South African audience on here this year. Gives the channel a different perspective.
Beautiful state. I love your teardrop trailer and the rain solution you made.
Thank you Maykou!
Because boys play with sticks! What a wonderful day for you all. Thanks for taking us along.
Lovely scenery well done
Thanks John. It was quite a beautiful day.
Our 270 awning with side walls work well for us. The simplicity of the teardrop and go almost anywhere capability fits our outdoor lifestyle perfectly.
That style of awning is high on our list. How about wind? Have you had any issues?
@@PlayingwithSticks We have a Rhino Rack Batwing 270° awning on our teardrop. Staked out properly, it holds up reasonably well in the wind. So far, it has been solid in up to 30 mph winds.
@@dainericcunningham7980 That is great to hear! Thank you.
Love your videos. Just bought a teardrop trailer, same size as yours.
How cool! We love the size. Not only for storage and towing, but it has such a classical historical charm to it. Fun pulling around the same style and size of trailer folks were using in the early 1900s.
Our trailer is a home built teardrop. It is a 4 x 8 belts on the popular mechanics design. Similar shape and style teardrops come from Colorado teardrops you may want to check that out if you like the old retro style
You probably don’t see this a whole lot but great job on the editing on this video. Also great video overall, really fun to watch and man, Alaska is Beautiful!
You are right we don't get many comments like this. We really appreciate it!
What about brown bears? Aren’t you terrified?
After years of camping 🏕 and hiking. My next journey is to get a tear drop with a minimalist mindset to travel the U.S. to visit all the national parks / thanks for the great content.
Hi... I'm enjoying your Channel.
The shot of Sam Sleeping in the Your side tent & enteral size ( and what accouterments it can hold) has almost sealed my purchase of it.
But I would like to know is it still holding up well and is it possible to just use this as an occasional camping / sleeping tent?
Maybe three or four trips a year.
Thanks for your help on this in advance♥️
Hi Sheila! Looks like you have a fun channel as well. Hope all is going well for you during these interesting and difficult times. We honestly love this tent. We have a full walkthrough video of this tent ua-cam.com/video/eegIAqXIqmM/v-deo.html that has been very popular on this channel. We highlight the positives and negatives of the tent, plus sneak in some beautiful background shots of the Knik river. In this video we highlight that the tent is made in China and the quality of the tent seems to be a bit poorer than more expensive products on the market. Because of that we have just been extra careful ensuring to take care of the tent a bit more than we typically do. With that said, the tent has been going strong week in and week out (fall, spring, and summer up here.) However, if I was to suggest my current favorite tent it would be the Clam quicksets. Yes, they are a bit expensive. We find the Venture model tends to be the most affordable, we got it on sale last year for $123. I think it currently is about $189. The benefit of the clam over this tent is that they are built like tanks, they are instant popups, and they have a built in rainfly (well sort of...the top has a rainfly). The tent in this video does not have a rainfly. We have sealed all the seams and that keeps out the majority of the water. But coming in and out of the tent on a rainy day we have had some water get to the corners. The benefit of the tent in this video is that it has two doors and a floor, which the Clam does not have. We actually prefer not having a door, but we also don't have creepy crawlies in Alaska like most locations in the world have. Hope this info helps. I think the video will give you the best perspective. In conclusion I would say if you have the funds make the investment in the instant pop up Clam tent. If you are on more of a budget beings you will only be using this 3-4 times a year go with the tent in the video. Oh, I would also suggest if you are in a windy area to get the Clam. We haven't tested this tent in high winds, because we don't really get high winds up here, but we have heard from others that they would be concerned with how it would hold up in the wind.
@@PlayingwithSticks
Thank you so much for the quick reply.
And actually the clam T3 was my first choice ( sometimes you just have to suck up the price)... but I knew it was going to be a tight fit in the cargo area even with the back seats folded down of my Jeep Liberty (55 inches) and the weight of it 39 pounds I believe.
Until I saw *this* tent the Amazon reviews were good but everyone mentioned it might not last. For the price I would be willing to replace it once a year
But I *love* the two doors, awnings and the fact it had a floor..& you can stand up in it !! ( I'll just choose non windy days to cam
In all honesty it checks off most of my needs.
I think your review and everything you said was spot-on about this tent but I still want it : )
do you think I can put it up by myself? ...lol
@@WhatsUpWithSheila Drew puts up the tent himself almost every time we go out. Sometimes our little guy assists or his uncle. Honestly I think you could do it as long as it wasn't a windy day. The benefit of this tent for putting up by yourself quickly is that it doesn't have the setup where the poles have to go through the fabric. The pulls just go in and then you clip the tent to the poles. After we wrote you the first time we were thinking we needed to write you back to suggest the Gazelle tents, but looks like you already know about them. We just purchased a 2007 Jeep Liberty and completely understand the space issue. We were surprised that it has less space than our little 4 cylinder Toyota Matrix. That is what a good roofrack is for!
ha. I love setting up camp to. The problem is the last day when you gotta pick up everything by 11 or 12..... And I am the only one picking up because the wife has to watch the toddler. TIC TAC TIC TAC.
it was definitely a great adventure for the boys!
Take care and stay healthy
Thank you! Take care and good health to you as well!
Please credit the music in your descriptions, especially from ~7:18 I've heard this on other nomadic channels, it's powerful and captures so much of the spirit of this lifestyle. I could listen and be inspired forever. Best wishes to you and fam.
Good idea.
Is the skin on your camper plastic? It looks like the sheets used for bathroom walls. Thanks
Is there a tent or mobile awning that works in high wind and heavy coastal rain? I was hoping one could cover my galley and remain stable with the galley door down. My teardrop is a 5x8 Bend Teardrop. It is a little higher off the ground than some. The peak height of my galley door open is 80.5". Thanks!
The shelter's fly connected to the teardrop is fine but provides no protection from rain when using the galley. For that reason, I prefer my large 10x13 tarp strung over the teardrop. A large one will cover both the galley area and the space between the teardrop and boondocking screen tent. Trees not always being available, a few 8 ft extendable poles, a ridge line and guy lines solves that issue. Of course there are tarps made to cover the galley area, which some may prefer.
I get comments like this quite often about the gally. We camp for 3 months straight (full time) every season. Like you I am not a fan of getting wet. But I don't find myself getting wet in the galley. Maybe a tiny bit of overspray. And if it really is raining sideways my cooking takes place within the campsite under one of my pop up tents that is always on site. But like you mention yours is a great solution as well. Probably better than mine. I just tend to prefer to spread out my campsite and not have everything revolved around the trailer. Well, least for longer stays. Shorter stays I like to stay compact.
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks for the reply and my stays are only for 2-4 days so perhaps that's why being near the teardrop during rain isn't a factor for me.
the only suggestion I have fo your for you r side tent is to use tarps for insulation..... ive always used this method to keep the floor of the tent from getting to much condensation... and one or two tarps over the tent with climbing rope to pull the tarps together for weather protection..
Great idea. Never would have even thought of that. Thank you.
When we owned our silver shadow teardrop trailer we installed a Foxwing awning on the top of the teardrop & when it's open if cover a lot of living space that keeps us out of the rain. It was never hard or inconvenient to ever camp in the rain in our teardrop. :)
Love hearing that. We heard from folks that they don't do well in the wind. But, then when we ask people like you who have owned them everyone tells us they do just fine if staked down properly. Is this your experience as well?
Btw whenever we hiked to snow level I carried a bottle of fruit syrup (you pick it but blackberry is my favorite).
Instant snowcones in a mug!
Keep exploring!
Love the idea of snowcones in a mug. The boys are going to love doing that. Thanks for the great tip!
Trailer hitch landing gear idea. Invert a generic car screw jack and weld to the frame. Operate the jack via electric drill for ease of use. Modify as necessary to make up the vast distance (cause normal car jacks don't reach far, obviously). Perhaps mimic a basic landing gear design from light aircraft?
This is a great idea and really simple. Those jacks are beefy and don't weigh a whole lot. Thank you for sharing your creative thoughts on this. Sounds like you may be an engineer?
Playing with Sticks , I am not an engineer but I do like problem solving where able. I also like personalization. Either way I look forward to seeing where y’all’s adventures take y’all!
What car do you use to tow your teardrop? Looks like a Toyota but can’t tell which model. Thanks
We tow our teardrop trailer with a Toyota Matrix.
We use a ez-up and strap it to the teardrop frame to keep rain off .
We Like the command strip idea. 👍
We have often leaned toward the ez-up for the teardrop trailer as well. As our teardrop ages there will probably be more and more potential gaps for water leakage (none yet, knock on wood). With that thought in our head an ez-up would also be a bit of insurance when you are staying in an area that rains for a straight week. The EZ-Up takes the beating and the teardrop essentially stays bone dry. We have had the teardrop out for over a month and the command strips are holding up great!
@@PlayingwithSticks we used ez up as 2nd bedroom - luv it. However zipper on it died mid trip last year. But i have a dac truck tent for hatch/trunk of van. The crew didnt love it b4. It made new friends that day. No leaks. Just throw air mattress over debris on van floor. Used this during heat wave too. Bug screen w magnets around windows rolled down. The huge rear opening w dac, then windows down allowed so much airflow. Elevated off ground. Highly recommend as a backup or 2nd bedroom.
Your inspiring me even more to custom build my own Ebike Teardrop Trailer. With small tent attachment. Not quite as wide a trailer to make it bike lane street legal. But with an extra 2 - 4 kilowatts of EBike range on the trailer connected to the bike through the hitch. 2 - 300 Watts of solar on the trailer roof/sides. A 48 Volt system that with an inverter can power a Starlink System (18" antenna facing up through roof is adequate with enough satellites in orbit now) given enough kilowatt-hours on the trailer. And possibly a level 1 - 3 high amperage fast charge ECar adapter for Tesla Stations built into the trailer. But a hardcore Bluetooth B.M.S. For the lithium ion battery pack builds I'll be making (measures each battery cell temperature 3 times per second with phone app diagnostics & alarm) for big charge/discharge loads that can overheat lithium ion battery packs and cause bad fires sensationalized in the news. The Battery Management System circuit board software soldered to +/- of battery will warn you way ahead of time that voltages of individual cells are out of balance - eventually leading to fires. You isolate the bad 18650 (laptop cell) and replace it on the road with a small, portable welding/soldering iron (see Adam Savage's portable welder) and your good to go. No vehicle insurance or fuel required!
awesome video love the 49ers cap he has on
Uncle Sam embodies everything Bay Area. Well, sports wise.
Have you encountered any large animals (bears,wolf, large cats) while on a hike or camping? What do you keep for protection and etc?
We do run into quite a few. Most folks up here carry guns. We primarily stick to bear spray. There will be quite a few folks who don't agree with this. However, look up the statistics and you will find you have a much better chance surviving lets say a bear attack using bear spray than a gun. Not our opinion, just the stats. But really your best form of defense is to be aware of your surroundings. Unless you stumble on top of a larger animal. Typically they give you a chance to move on. Being aware of your body movements, tone, etc. we would say is the most important.
Great video. Really awesome, all around
Is the jack hitting the exhaust when you turn?
You know. I never thought about that. Once I fixed it up though I didn’t have any issues going forward. Now you have me wondering was that it?
Hahah I had to laugh when you just threw the popup tent in the back. Yep, I have done the same a few times.
The past few times I have taken it down it this month it "looked" like I knew what I was doing. However I still couldn't demonstrate how to do it to anyone. Sometimes I can't lucky and sometimes I don't.
@@PlayingwithSticks hahah I hear you! There is a simple trick to it but if I haven't done it in a while I sometimes wrestle with it until it magically snaps into place :D
@@minivanadventureclub8720 We just used it in the pouring rain this week and forgot the simple trick AGAIN! This time though we had taken it deep into the woods for a photoshoot of some friends, so we had to carry it open all the way back to the car. Pretty funny moment! And of course once we were able to get out of the rain, we instantly had muscle memory to get it packed away nice and neat.
What brand of back carrier are you wearing?
It is a Deuter. We owned the Osprey as well, but it wasn't near as comfortable for our body styles.
Fun video and great set up! You are living the richest kind of life!!! Hotel rooms are boring. Can you videotape the rain on your set up sometime? Would be fun and interesting to see.
Baby is adorable, and wow that scenic view, how many miles is that hike
Aww, thank you. We went quite a bit that day, but only filmed up to the pass. Just to do that little trip is only 6 miles roundtrip.
Can't find the description on where to get the tent, or the name of it.
Sorry about that Deborah. The entire video dedicated to this tent which also includes links is Our Boondocking Side Entry Tent with All the Best Features ua-cam.com/video/eegIAqXIqmM/v-deo.html Unfortunately this tent is currently out of stock. The demand seems to outpace the supply once a month. Meaning, it should be back up in a month or less. A great alternative if you have the funds (costs a bit more) is a Clam Tent. We use the Clam Venture which is amazing. Sets up in less than 20 seconds, fits over picnic tables, and great standing height. Link to Clam amzn.to/3dHlqf5 Not sure why it is so expensive right now. This morning I sent the link to someone and it was only about $200. During this time in the world prices seem to be all over the place. Here is the link to the tent you mentioned as well amzn.to/31mdIVn
As always, appreciate the video (and the hike footage was a nice addition).
One thing I've noticed about the teardrop/rain complaints: they often go back to a built-in stove under the hatch. Using a Coleman doesn't look as cool, but the flexibility/practicality/cost really can't be beat. One can move their cooking station, prep station, water and eating location to wherever the rain ain't.
It may not be an RV-type solution, but to those who are migrating from bivouacs, it's totally viable and easy.
Thanks again.
We are one of the less fortunate teardrop trailer owners who do not have a stove or sink in the galley. But, you are right it has made it really easy to move our cooking area wherever we want. As you probably noticed in our videos our Coleman ends up in many different places depending on where we are camping.
@@PlayingwithSticks If I ever bought a teardrop I would not want a sink or a stove. I have my trusty Coleman and I have a pan for doing dishes. Right now I still camp in a tent but looking at teardrops. Maybe in a year or two i'll get one
@@carasmussen27 You sound a lot like us with your trusty Coleman and your wash basin.
@@carasmussen27 oh and you definitely won't regret purchasing the teardrop.
Playing with Sticks I can’t imagine not having the stove or sink in the cooking station. It’s always there if I need it even if I’m using my Coleman.
Nice! Thank You =Cosmo
If you want to see some great teardrop trailer rain videos check out Cosmo's channel! Half the time he doesn't even need the rain shelter because he has such beautiful windows to watch the rain run down from within his airy Vistabule teardrop. Cosmo, remember our conversations around the Clam tent? I had thought all a Clam needed was a 2nd entry and then it would be the perfect tent. And you kindly let me know that would not be possible due to the bracing within the tent. Since then we have come to the conclusion that the Clam would be the perfect side entry tent for most folks with a little modification. We have had quite a few comments that suggest we build our own tent with all the features we need. All we would need is to add a side panel to the clam tent and now we have an instant pop-up that also connects to the teardrop via the side panel and no more and no more running between the Clam tent and the teardrop in the rain. Do the side panels roll up like the tent in this video or would we need to sew a panel onto the Clam to make this work?
@@PlayingwithSticks We are looking at the 5 sided clam quick set - it's called the Venture ... for the same idea. We want something quick and easy. Right now the 5 sided clam is only $136 on Amazon -- third party seller though -- only 10 left as of this moment. It would add a little more space than the 4 sided so we can put the privacy tent in there too.
@@TheGratitudeAttitude Thank you! We are going to have to look into this. We always get our Traveler and Escape models mixed up. We didn't realize there was a Venture model. The Traveler is the perfect size for us, but the price of the Venture seems just right. But, that does mean buying 1 more wind panel :)
@@TheGratitudeAttitude After doing some studying to make sure we were purchasing the right Clam....We just purchased the Venture! thank you :)
@@PlayingwithSticks Ya I remember. I am a tough sell and you have a convincing case here! Again thank you. I added you to my featured Channel. Thank You =Cosmo
What’s the name of the hike?
Thinking you may have hiked it while you were up here this summer? The hike is from the crow creek mine side of Crow Pass. Oh, by the way the camera we used during the hike was the Canon G7x mark i that we said we would share with you how the audio worked out. So far, so good. If anything we have to turn the audio down during the videos because it is louder than our audio on the Panasonic GH5. Obviously it probably wouldn't be good for far away shots. But, for basic vlog style videos it has been excellent. A small camera like this really has opened a lot of filming possibilities for us.
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks. I don't think we did that one but it looked beautiful. Now that I have the new iPhone 11 Pro, I rarely pull anything else out except for my Rode Wireless Go microphone. I'm looking forward to see how you camp in the winter. Brrrr. I'm cold just thinking about it.
Not sure if you have Tractor Supply near you, but they sell wheeled jacks there and they are really high quality compared to what’s on Amazon, etc. they are also heavier, but I think they need to be in order to withstand the abuse.
This is exactly why I put that small portion in the video about the wheeled jack. I was really hoping someone could point us in the right direction. THANK YOU!
Nice Adventure, rain or No rain, fun with the kids is the best you can get! They will never forget it!
East is still talking about our hikes and we haven't been on one in about a month! I'm kind of itching to get out there again soon as well. The newborn set us back a bit, but this season won't be long and we will be ready to get back out there as a family.
Hi Drew, Thanks for the Nice video’s. Keep up the Adventure with the kid(s), but cold winter is on the way! Greetings Guido
@@guidok3762 Thanks Guido! You are right about the cold weather, winter is almost here!
Great stuff and info, ty brother👍😎 cant wait to get out there, i bet that uncle sam will remember that experience forever 😎👍👍👍
That moment was when Uncle Sam was hooked. Since that trip he comes out with us almost every other trip now. He is always pushing as well to go bigger on each hike. Super fun to have a new hiking buddy in the family now!
That’s an interesting misconception lol. We have a 15’ Coleman dome that becomes our shelter/ living space for sunny days. If it rains, especially at night, we simply roll the teardrop under it. We can then keep the window, door and ventilation hatch open 🇦🇺🇦🇺 I like this setup too though 😎 the teardrop rocks
We love your setup. We have often wondered if the best way to do teardrop camping would be to get a shelter large enough to put the entire teardrop under. Thanks for sharing this. Any chance you have a picture of your setup anywhere online?
Playing with Sticks no but happy to send pics to your email address? I looked at your homepage but can’t see any way to send you anything. Have never messaged within UA-cam 😄 let me know and I’ll make it happen 😎
Playing with Sticks how can I contact you? Can’t see a way via UA-cam? 🤔 quite happy to send you something 😎
Sorry I missed your first response. Our email is connect@playingwithsticks.com
Do you have a link to this tent?
We actually have an entire video dedicated to this tent. ua-cam.com/video/eegIAqXIqmM/v-deo.html The link should be in the description. I could grab the link, but thought I should send you to the video first so you can see the pros and cons. Still holding up well after 1 season of use.
Love your videos. We just brought our teardrop home yesterday!
Thank you! Honestly these teardrops are life changing. Congratulations on getting her home. Now the fun really starts when you start accessorizing the teardrop. Sometimes we think the modifications we make to the teardrop are just as fun as the camping trips themselves. We can't remember if we asked you before what type of teardrop you purchased. We know we just chatted with you recently, but sometimes we confuse some of the conversations we have had with new viewers.
We bought a NuCamp Boondock T@G XL.
@@GeekFamilyAdventures That is a wonderful little camper. Pretty much every bell and whistle you will ever need. We hope some day to do a walk through of one of those campers. We see T@Gs up here, but they are the smaller models.
Welcome to the teardrop family. I know you will enjoy teardrops as much as the rest of us. Expect a lot of attention in camp grounds, people love teardrops even the ones that will never buy or build one.
Kevin Blanchard my husband plans to charge people a beer to look inside lol
Wow Drew & May! almost 10,000 subs! but your newest and tiniest was just born right!?!!! =)
Congratulations to you all! I hope May and the baby are doing well.
Great video and really great idea for combining a side tent and the teardrop. I think I might use my homemade awning and attach it to a "yet to be purchased" side tent to do your setup.
We have a canopy with screens and side walls for the kitchen galley... but if it rains, we would need two - one for the galley and one on the side. Here in upstate NY (basically what we call all the space north and west of Westchester County / NYC) we usually have wind when it rains.
Our privacy tent was a beast to fold back up into a circle ... but I finally got it down this season! This video clip shows folding from the bottom up... although the directions on my Wolfwise tent show folding it from the narrower top end toward the bottom... ua-cam.com/video/jbW_sAseeZo/v-deo.html
It's a one minute job now instead of the 20 tries when we first bought it LoL ...
Again... congrats Drew, May, and East... enjoy your newest little camper
Thank you Maria! Yes, little Rye was just born 3 weeks ago. Love your setup of the canopy with screens and side walls for your teadrop kitchen galley. Have you ever thought of combining that setup with a large EZ up tent that covers the majority of your teardrop? We see quite a few pictures of folks with that combination online. That way they have a dry corridor from the door to the galley. However, if you do have high winds like you mentioned I heard the EZ ups can be a bit of a challenge. Thank you for the video link. We have never tried folding the privacy tent from the bottom. We thought our little privacy tent would be a one season item. But, we use it quite often due to its light weight and small portability. Again thanks for welcoming our new little camper into the world!
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks for the great reply! We have the Quest canopy that Field and Stream sells... it was only $49 and the accessories were discounted -- it fits really well over our open galley and I like that nice "kitchen feeling" we get with the whole canopy dedicated to the galley. If we have nice weather and good privacy, it stays packed in the trunk. =)
--- And although it is kind of heavy, in strong winds (like we had in one storm while camping this summer) -- we had to take the top of the canopy off and we just left the frame up... We have always worried about the frames getting pulled up and twisted -- breaking something on our camper.
Verona Beach State Park (Oneida Lake-Finger Lakes region) can have wicked storms. It runs east to west -and the winds funnel down the lake. A person camping next to us told us that in one storm two years ago, the winds were so strong that his adult son couldn't open the door against the wind to get the awning down. The wind lifted the awning up over the top of the camper and punched a hole in the roof!
Crazy huh!?!!!
Teardrop camping has a little bit more setup, but I just love the cozy nature of the whole experience and the ease of getting out of town! =)
@@TheGratitudeAttitude Those are some crazy winds! Sounds like you have a very cozy setup. Although teardrops feel like a lot of setup when I watch RVs that pull up next to us it takes them almost the same amount of time as us to roll out the awning, level the camper, pop out the expanding wall, roll out the carpet, etc. I say they still win in the setup department, but it is much closer than most people think.
Nice set up.
Glad you think so!
I have 2 awnings on my teardrop. One on each side.It works great. I found a flexible awning track on line, installed it on both sides so it contours the tear part and bought 2 8 by 10 awnings for popups (manual roll up no rod). The one on the door side (I only have 1 door) has wall kit so it can be enclosed and create another room. I normally camp with my neighbor which has a 24 ft camper with a electric awning and he gets wet before I do because his awning is 15 ft off the ground mine is only 6 ft.Oklahoma has a lot of wind and heavy rain.
That sounds like a great setup. If you can ever post a video or share your pictures of your setup online we would love to see it. Thanks Kevin for sharing!
@@PlayingwithSticks I would love to but I have not figured out how to post pics to reply yet. I have a mack so its a little different than a PC.
@@kevchard5214 Unfortunately there is no way to post pics on UA-cam. You would have to share a link to a website where you post the pictures. Most folks find it not worth the time. It would be really nice if we could post pictures of our builds to share on here. Maybe someday...
@@PlayingwithSticks That makes me feel better to know its not just me. LOL Thanks
We use roof rack and 270 degree awning
If I ever make it to Alaska, you will have to take me on that trail. Beautiful
For sure Scott!
A Side-Entry tent is a good idea. We have a small vintage trailer; that would work well.
Out of curiosity what model of vintage trailer do you have? I'm picturing a Shasta compact in my head 🙂
@@PlayingwithSticks -- It's a 1972 Hunter Compact Jr., which was designed so that VW Bug could tow it. ...pretty rare. There's a short video tour on my ZOOM channel.
@@zoommikerobinson3315 We love that little trailer! I'm assuming you've watched the restoration from that couple with the yellow trailer on UA-cam. Since watching those videos we've always wanted to see one of those in person.
@@PlayingwithSticks -- Yes. That yellow Hunter is nice. ...the only other one out there. In January, I'll be taking the Hunter to the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) that Bob Wells sponsors via his UA-cam channel, "CheapRVLiving". He will announce the dates/place soon. Your videos are nicely done.
Thank you Mike! We are still learning every day how to tell a better story and how to handle the camera. It has been really fun for our family. The RTR meetup sounds amazing. I would love to meet Bob Wells in person.
I love the scenery in this video. I would love more videos of the beautiful scenery in Alaska that you guys get to enjoy so easily. Love the Teardrop info, too. Also - how bad are the insects in Alaska? Thank you!!
my teardrops queen sized memory foam mattress folds up into a couch and I have a table that installs into the floor. Rain is no problem.
That is very handy to have. We really like the bed/couch design, especially if it allows you to add a table. Also like the ability to get your feet and dirty items on the floor vs the bed all day.
I would like to know more about these folding couches
@@joyhermes9338 - Vestibule Teardrop trailer. Because of this channel, I went shopping nationwide for a more options filled teardrop. We have had one on order for months now. Because of Covid, long long wait times as each unit is hand-built taking about thirty days.
Welcome back I hope everything is going well with your new baby looking forward to seeing your wife and new baby in future videos :)
Thank you Laurie! We are really excited to get out there with the little one. Unfortunately we have a while with all the cold Alaska weather coming in. We may have to sneak the little guy in for a cameo in one of the near future videos.
I would love to visit alaska for a week to go hiking/backpacking... i wouldnt go it alone my self .... maybe stay at a resort.. there in the winter time with my furs... and friends..
Like your style. Are you familiar with Fur Rondy? Great time to come up here.
Can someone please tell me how registration for plates and stuff like that works for a teardrop camper or basically how much extra that will cost? Or if someone made a video about that I'll gladly watch it. Can't find that info anywhere I look or at least can't find information that wasn't confusing. Is it $10 every five years or more than that? Thank you!
I wish I could help you here, but it is so different from state to state. There is even differences in some states based on if it is homebuilt or manufactured.
@@PlayingwithSticks appreciate the response. decided to just look into van life to keep it simple and for easier parking in cities, thank you!
@@riskovery Good idea. Another option is a truck camper.
@@PlayingwithSticks thanks for the suggestion, one link I read said vans have the better fuel economy of the two, but there are pros and cons to both. Love a lot of your videos btw
@@riskovery Yes, that is correct. And the weight of the campers can be quite rough on a truck as well. But, it is good to keep in the back of your mind because vans are so expensive lately due to the #vanlife. Many times you can find and older (lower mile) truck paired with a camper for much lower than you could get a van. The van life is neat, but the truck life would be a good alternative if funds are limited. Glad you are enjoying the videos!
Love your videos!!! Glacier is amazing.....can’t wait to be there next month, but in USA!!!
Thank you! Lucky you. We hope to be getting down that way as well in the next month or two. Maybe we will bump into each other.
Great video,keep up the great work
Thanks, will do! Appreciate the kind feedback.
Future Video: Longest time spent camping in each camper (Teardrop and Scamp) and related differences from weekend camping in areas like food, cooking, water, shopping, personal hygiene, toilet, garbage, “personal space”, etc. Do you plan more traveling when camping longer or just stay put?
Thank you Mike. We have added these to our possible future video list as well. We need to really start cranking out some more topic specific videos next spring. Our topic list is starting to get overwhelming large. Which, is a great problem to have!
You do a great job on your videos.
Thanks James! We appreciate that.
Love your setup and seeing the different ways to make the most of the teardrop way. How about winter and snow camping in a teardrop-ever give that a shot? We've officially moved up here to AK and are looking to go camping one more time this year before it gets too cold. Do y'all camp year-round? -Evan
We camp year round. Just came back from a trip that was near blizzard conditions.
I love hard-core camping.
Hi Evan! Welcome to the Frigid North! We tent camp in the winter, but have never teardrop camped in the winter due to our cautious nature towards towing a teardrop with a 4 cylinder car. However, we just purchased a Jeep to give us a little more confidence to get out there. If this was the lower 48 we would have no worry taking out the teardrop with the 4 cylinder due to the nature of the snow. Up here our issue is ice. Because the snow never melts you have a never ending sheet of ice all winter on all surfaces. If you are to do winter camping do it now! Camping is great from October to December. Wants January, February, and March hit it is so cold it loses it's novelty.
We are right with you. There is something fun about trying to beat the elements. For us it is always a little comfortable getting out of the camper in the morning to setup breakfast, but that is part of the adventure!
@@PlayingwithSticks Sounds good and thanks for the advice! Now slap a hitch on that Jeep and let's see you take that teardrop out in the snow! (Or ice)
@@EvanWharton The hitch is on and we have actually towed a few trailers behind it. The current situation preventing us from going out is the young newborn in the home. We may have to make it a late winter trip in the colder weather.
Great ideas! All you you need is an extra tarp and some cord. Let your imagination run wild. We’re definitely going to get a mosquito tent before next summer.
Creating our teardrop shelters is just an excuse for us to build grand forts out in the woods :)
Playing with Sticks... it all started with some scraps of plywood and some rusty nails:-) “ I can build that “
I also noticed that Uncle Sam must be from the Bay Area:-)
Little man has quite an arm!
Is that a coleman water jug you're using?
Good eye
Beautiful places!!!! 😍 😍 Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷!!!!
Thank you! Does it remind you of home at all? You have arguably some of the most beautiful places in the world right outside your backdoor in Argentina.
@@PlayingwithSticks yes, but no where I live. I' m inthe southeast and the mountains are in the southwest. 1500km from home. :)
@@adrianaviajera64 That makes sense. We have never made it down that far. Would love to make it there sometime!
Very cool!
Glad you enjoyed it William!
I enjoyed the video and the hike was excellent! Keep them coming. #SouthCarolina
Thanks Anthony! Will do! Always fun knowing there are folks all the way over on the east coast watching these little adventures.
Teardrops do suck in the rain, compared to great big motorhomes. But if you compare it to tent camping and really want to enjoy outside, then a teardrop is perfect. You can carry the maximum gear, in a small unit, keep it ready at home, and get out and enjoy. I love my little camp trailer.
What kind of camp trailer do you own? We are always curious to see what is out there.
@@PlayingwithSticks I have a Intech Flyer with a CVT Mt Shasta on top, and Foxwing awning. Its in my garage, so I can get out in a moments notice and enjoy the great out doors. Please keep sharing your adventures.
@@MrRayMac1963 That sounds like a great setup. An Intech Flyer with the rooftop tent sounds like the perfect size for our growing family. Thanks for sharing your setup.
@@PlayingwithSticks Yeah, Its a great size, and with the barn doors you can hall gear easier. It offers a little more flexibility then a traditional tear drop.
Hey, PWS. Enjoyed the video and the "Guy's" trip. The scenery in the vid was beautiful. Next time pack a compact rod and reel in your backpack. Nothing like fresh fish for dinner. ;) Rain is just a part of camping. I spent a few trips tent camping where it monsooned all weekend and made it through, so I know I can easily do it in a teardrop with a side 10x10 canopy. I'm looking at getting side panels for more privacy and wind/rain protection. Let folks talk smack about teardrops. For the money some of them pay for their RV's you could probably build a cabin or small home. Also, shouldn't there be some sort of a locking pin in that jack to hold it in place?
That is a great suggestion on the rod and reel. We have a 5 piece rod for salmon fishing in the back country, but we probably should get a 5 piece trout rod to be able to fry up some fish at night. That would make the family pretty darn excited. We highly recommend the side panels. Once we acquired a tent with side panels it opened up many new camping opportunities for us. As for the locking pin, yes it must have fell out as we were driving up the dirt road to start the hike. They sure don't make things like they did back in my grandpa's days. However, a couple of folks on here suggested we pick up our next tongue jack from a tractor store. Built for tractors and able to stand up to the test of teardrop life.
My tongue jack fell down so many times I started bungee cording it up besides the pin.
Sad isn't it. We have had the hardest time finding a quality tongue jack with a wheel. Seems like the only robust tongue jacks made lack wheels. We have also gone the bungee cord route many times as well. If anyone knows of a great tongue jack please let us all know!
@@PlayingwithSticks I am having same trouble . wheel shattered. We are putting jacks on both sides and made a stand to put under hitch for extra support. I have a Tab 320 older one. It scared me when the jack stand broke.
Bought our stands at Tractor supply. The double wheel one I may get for my 2nd jack on the other side of the tongue.
Marie dykeman, good points. Spreading out the weight over more wheels and stands would help them last. Dual stands would also stop the slight twisting of my cheap lite frame.
@@mikemead2315 My frame got twisted too. Luckily some fellas help me put on truck hitch. We used my truck jack under tongue so we can drive to Camping World. They did not have and referred us to tractor supply. We are going to do a mod and add a metal between the 2 tongue thingys for extra strength. because it got turned when jack stand broke.
Beautiful video and informative. Cute littlele boy.❤️
Thank you Marina. Glad you enjoyed it. And thank you also for the sweet comment on little East.
Great video!☺️ New subbie. Are the bears hibernating?🤔
Thank you! Unfortunately the bears are still a wandering. That is typically the running joke towards whoever draws the straw to sleep in the side entry tent "see you in the morning, or will we?" That is definitely the biggest drawback with soft sided tents in Alaska you tend to sleep with one eye open.
Playing with Sticks 😂😂👍🏽
Another wonderful video! Playing with sticks and throwing rocks!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Lately we are thinking maybe we should have called the channel "Playing with Rocks." :) But, sticks still do appear to win out most of the time with East.
Very nice
Thank you Peter. Glad you enjoyed it!
Boys, rocks, and lakes...
It is a great combination isn't it? We actually came up with the channel name because of the small joys our son finds in these rocks and sticks during our adventures. It truly is the simple things that give us the most pleasure!
Cheryl, I think the same thing, everytime I see that clip! He's super cute; and STRONG!!! Enj the channel and the trips a LOT. Keep 'em coming!
Y'all Be Safe!
I have a newbie suggestion. Please, feel free to strike it down if you think it's a stupid idea. For me, teardrop camping is about simplicity but when I watch videos of people camping, they surround their teardrops with awnings and tents. Not only does this add cost and time consuming set-up and maintenance, but the visual clutter it creates is ugly. One of the critiques I've heard about teardrop campers is that there's no place to stand up and change. There's no privacy. That's why people use tents. I've got a simpler idea. How about if, above and to the left and right of each door, there were simple, inset aluminum or steel round notches. Then you can take a long straight rod, bend it, and insert each into the notches to form a semi-circle, like some curved shower curtain rods. You would not need a vertical support bar if the rod were light and secured in the notches. From this rod, you can hang drapes or shower curtains. You could use a sheer black-out curtain or a beautiful, light and air linen curtains that can be pushed aside and still look beautiful against the trailer when not in use. You can pull the curtain around you when you change and use the porta-potty too. Your thoughts about this idea? Inquiring minds want to know. Stay awesome! 😊
It’s a great idea! I think we briefly highlighted in the beginning of our budget shower video. It’s a system we saw on the channel from she to me. They’re also is another newer one that I just watched yesterday. Let me see if I can find the link. I think you will like this.
Here is that link ua-cam.com/video/owAknd6iKwg/v-deo.htmlsi=bcy7ZYiZxWX2H8WG
@@PlayingwithSticks Hi Drew, Thanks for the link. That's certainly an idea. I just emailed you a quick mockup of my idea. A bit different. More minimal.
@@PlayingwithSticks I just sent you an email with a photo mock-up that shows my idea better. I hope you like it. Stay awesome.
It's AMAZING! Truly love it. @@davidhunternyc1
Thumbs up on a nice video. Really enjoyed it Cute little guy.
Thank you Susan. Glad you enjoyed the video. We really enjoy the little guy around as well. He has really enhanced our camping experience.
That little southpaw is pretty accurate with his throws.
We were wondering if anyone would catch that East was a lefty!
Actually, that awning idea also opens up the screen room requirement of wanting two opposite doors on the screen room.
Interesting. Opens up other ideas.
We have been using this awning breezeway setup for over a month now. It has really eliminated our need for the 2nd entry, which opens up a whole world of tent possibilities. Yes, the second entrance is still nice to have, but more of a novelty now. Out of curiosity Mike any ideas come to mind when you are talking other possibilities? We are always looking for something new to try.
Playing with Sticks, i think you are on top of this one
The gazelle quick popup type (couple mfgs) is at the top. Screen room. Tent. Really Easy up and down. But Expensive.
Using tarps and poles at the moment. Cheap. Long setup. Does not block wind and sideways rain. Got a Tailbrella for $20 at walmart clearance - hitch holder and 9’ patio umbrella. Kinda sun only. Have not used it yet.
Still waiting for the need to buy gazelle.
Playing with Sticks, would be interesting to hear how the longevity looks for the one you bought.
It would also be nice to see how older gazelle types last out in the wild.
@@mikemead2315 We bought our first Clam today. As our family has grown recently we knew that was a purchase we needed to make. Our pop-up shelter was perfect as a day tent for the three of us, but with four now it is time to expand the pop-up living space. We ordered the Venture model today on Amazon as we got a tip from @TheGratitudeAttitude that it is only $134. Not bad for a Clam. I am excited to see what kind of modifications we will be able to make to it. I am also interested to see if I can make some affordable diy wind panels. We have never seen the tilbrellas before. What a great idea. The folks at Hanging with Herky also use an umbrella from time to time as their side shelter.
Great video, great height, and your boys are adorable
Thank you Captain Berger!
Great video! Awesome info for side tent. A living room! How cool is that! Thanks!
Glad you got something out of this video Sheridan. We love our little outdoor living room :)
Awesome video! Love see you guys out on the trails! That setup with your trailer is awesome.
Glad you enjoyed it! I don't think we have ever asked what type of camper trailer you have?
Don't have one yet. Just tent a tent camper. Looking into mini campers though.
@@mistikbunny7840 So many options out there. Is a mini camper a brand or are you just talking about small trailers in general? We are always interested to see if new trailers are popping up that we have never heard of.
@@PlayingwithSticks we are looking into the Intek Sol Horizon or a Tab. Looking for a small camper in general. Maybe a teardrop though.
@@mistikbunny7840 I think you would be happy with either of those. In our opinion it doesn't hurt to start larger and then downgrade if you find you can go smaller. Chances are you will find the Sol and Tab are the perfect size and it will be with you for the long haul.
Teardrop = FORT in the rain!
It truly is a Fort in the rain isn't it!
@@PlayingwithSticks as I watch your guy's video's, I'm reminded of my motorcycle camping days..But now as I get older, single again and making a game plan, I like how you folks are doing it..!
Great video!! Loved the hike
Keep it up 😀
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
wow, you gave me a good idea on hookup my camo 10' x10' cover from the rear scout top to the traveloge camper. using the 3M adhesive stick hook anchor on both utilities will facilitate putting up the cover.
Glad we were able to give you a good idea Robert. For anyone who hasn't seen Robert's diy small camper trailer build check out his UA-cam videos!
Sometimes you need bad failures to really know what you want and need. Then the money is worth it.
Could agree more on that comment Mike.