DIY Feature - Kyle Parrillo
Kyle and his fiancé are just over halfway done their build. Next stop, a California coast road trip with their dogs!
They are building in San Diego CA using our DIY Renegade plans. Here’s some insight on their build!
What made you want to build a tiny camper?
My fiancé and I are smaller people with small cars. The teardrop is perfect for us and the dogs. We don't need anything too big or too intense for the mild San Diego weather.
What was your experience level with the skills required to build a camper (wood working, electrical, metal work, etc.) when you started?
I graduated from Universal Technical Institute in 2011 and worked on cars professionally until I joined the US Navy as electronics technician. I have limited woodworking experience only making outdoor furniture and an outdoor cat patio (catio) for my cats prior to this. Mostly been winging it, and it just keeps working.
What was the first step in your build?
I followed the wander tears tutorial video part 1 and made the floor first. But really the first step to this commitment is just jumping in with both feet and having fun with it.
What was your favorite part of the build?
So far, my favorite part has been building the cabinets and assembling them to the walls of the trailer. Was very rewarding to put it all together and for it to all actually fit. I figured when I was assembling the pieces together at least one would be way off. But to my surprise everything was correctly cut and measured.
What was the most difficult part of the build?
The most difficult part for me thus far has been the walls. My free hand dot connecting to create the wall curve did not go as well as I pictured it would in my head. It probably looks good in the pictures here, but I assure you if I take these pictures at any other angle, you would be less impressed.
How long has it taken you so far?
I am just over halfway done with my build I would say and I have put about 30 hours of work into myself. My fiancé has put in about 15 hours. We decided to go with non-finished plywood. This allowed us to have a unique indoor stain color but added few more hours of work. Also, I do not like to rush or be rushed. I have a turtle style of building that has been working for me thus far.
If you're comfortable sharing, what was the total cost of the build?
I estimate the total cost of this build to be about $4200. I get 10% off of everything at Home Depot with my veterans discount which has gone a long way. I also may have cut a corner or two of the weatherproofing side of things which has saved me some money. San Diego doesn't really have weather. Some light sealing and waterproofing should be sufficient for our intended camping trips.
Would you do anything differently?
I would cut the walls with more of a curve, vice whatever shape I cut them in. I'm by no means a perfectionist, but these walls cuts I made just weren't it.
What are you most looking forward to?
My fiancé and I have been on a few cross-country road trips. We are looking forward to packing the pups in and taking this camper up the west coast shoreline. All five of us used to pile on to a queen bed and this trailer isn't much smaller than that.
Any tips for someone that wants to build a tiny camper but doesn’t know where to start?
If you want a teardrop camper, but don't want to spend 13 grand on it, DIY it. If you have some experience with basic woodworking and can follow a cooking recipe than I believe you can pull this off. The blueprint makes thing a lot easier, just take it one step at a time and pay attention to detail.
How did using Wander Tears DIY plans and having the resources provided affect your build process and time?
This blueprint has saved me countless hours. My trailer would look horrible like my outdoor furniture without the blueprint. I was able to find a promo code online and got 30$ off the blueprint which was pretty dope as well.
“Travel is an investment in yourself.”
Looking to build a DIY Teardrop Trailer of your own? Check out our detailed DIY plans to get started now and adventuring sooner!