DIY Feature - Daryl Hansen

Features

Oct 13

In reaching a compromise with his wife, Daryl decided camping with a teardrop trailer and committing to building it himself was the way to go!

Daryl built their teardrop in Tremonton, Utah using our DIY Vaga Plans. Here’s some insight on his build!

What made you want to build a tiny camper?

Years ago, my wife and I saw a teardrop trailer while filling up with fuel, the guy was happy to show us his trailer. My wife told me if we had one of those, she would go camping with me. Being a avid backpacker and sleeping in my hammock I thought that was a good compromise. Getting close to retirement I started looking at them and found out people are building them. After researching I decided to buy a set of plans from Wander Tears, (Vaga Model).

What was your experience level with the skills required to build a camper (wood working, electrical, metal work, etc.) when you started?

My dad was a carpenter and taught me woodworking, I built my own house, have a shop, have done my own electrical, Metal was a new experience for me. My brother-in-law has a welder in his shop and helped me with welding.

What was the first step in your build?

Deciding on what extras I was going to put in my build. Getting the metal for the frame and going from there.

What was your favorite part of the build?

Building the cabinets.

What was the most difficult part of the build?

Getting the roof to bend, without getting a bubble at the end. You have to get it perfectly straight at the start.

How long has it taken you?

One year, waited for the torsen axles for 3 months with nothing to do, finnally canceled the order and went with timbren, had to cut and reweld some to accommodate the new axles.I

f you're comfortable sharing, what was the total cost of the build?

$8,100

Would you do anything differently?

Right now no. I did watch your video on the 7 things that you would have done different and put those in mine.

What has been the best part of owning a tiny camper?

Getting my wife to go camping with me and seeing her enjoying the outdoors without complaining on sleeping in a tent on the ground.

Any tips for someone that wants to build a tiny camper but doesn’t know where to start?

Decide on what type of trailer is going to be best for you and get a set of plans. Having plans saved tons of time and mistakes.

How did using Wander Tears DIY plans and having the resources provided affect your build process and time?

Having the plans saved me lots of time and knowing that the process was done before saved on mistakes, Facebook videos was very helpful and if I had more questions, they always answered my emails. I did not stray very much from the plans; I did put 3 drawers in my galley and painted the interior to make it feel more like a bedroom.