Zach Engle built his own teardrop trailer a year and a half ago. He calls it a convertible because you can open and close the roof.
Lately he’s eager to start a new project. And since he lives in an apartment, he doesn’t have room to store both so that’s why his homemade teardrop camper is up for sale.
Zach still has a few trips planned for the fall so he’ll be waiting until the middle of October before he lets it go.
Intro to Teardrop Trailers
Teardrops are great because they’re inexpensive, easy to store and great on gas.
They keep things simple and it’s a big upgrade from tent camping because you won’t have to worry about leaks and such. They can be as light as 600lb and some are even small enough to be towed by motorcycles.
This means the car you already drive is strong enough to pull one of these little recreational vehicles.
Details on this Homemade Teardrop Camper
Photos Courtesy of Zach Engle
This little travel trailer is unique because it’s a convertible. This way you can open up parts of it for ventilation if you wanted to. You’ll find all the details for it below.
- Built on a 1720lb Harbor Freight trailer
- It has 12″ wheels
- 3/4″ oak plywood used on the sides
The wood is sealed with CPES, protected with Kilz primer and top-coated with Rustoleum High Performance Enamel.
The roof bars that are exposed are red oak and sealed with spar urethane.
Let’s go over the rest of the details below.
- Weighs approximately 800lbs
- Tongue weight is about 100lbs
- Removable roof material is marine grade white vinyl
- Factory style doors have sliding windows and are 26″ by 32″
You’ll find custom LED lighting outside, inside, and in the galley. These lights can be remote controlled using a key-less remote just like some cars have.
- 4″ memory foam mattress
- Secret under-floor storage box
- Lockable tongue box
- 23″ tongue extension
- Custom curtains all around
It’s wired for 12VDC to be powered by your towing vehicle or a separate deep cycle battery which is not included. In the main cabin and the galley the outlets are 110V.
This Teardrop Camper for Sale
Zach is including his 44 page Teardrop Camper Construction Plans which details exactly how the this tiny travel trailer was built.
The price is only $2,500. Sounds like a great deal to me.
More Pictures
All Photos Courtesy of Zach Engle
If you want to buy this teardrop, visit Zack’s website and you’ll see his contact information at the top right of the page.
Zack’s Construction Plans
If you like his design Zach took the time to prepare a construction guide that shows you in detail how he built the convertible teardrop you see on this page.
Conversation
Share your thoughts and experiences on teardrops in the comments. Thank you for reading!
Alex
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Actually, it was the Saltire colour design that caught m’eye first!
Well done; and good job.
Thanks for reading Robert!
At $2500.00, I think it will sell quickly, especially for such a cool little camper; IMO (target buyer might be some one who is down sizing and loves to go camping). :)
I too live in an apartment and no place to store it; otherwise, it would be very tempting. :)
Thanks for the comments about the convertible guys! Its actually been sold to a girl from Alabama who is driving 13 hours to come pick it up!
Thank you to Alex as well, for featuring my convertible on this great website! Keep up the awesome work!
-Zach
Whats the cost in materials?
Thanks Zach. Glad you sold it. I thought it was a great deal. I’m sure she’ll be happy with it!
Saw the homemade tear drop trailer you made and have to say it looks well made. Realize that this one was sold; would you consider making another one to sell? Thanks, Barb. from New York
I would love a purple topless tear drop camper!!!