DIY Feature - Lauren & Ted Rung

Features

Mar 31

Lauren and Ted were looking for a way to stop sleeping on the ground in a wet tent but still be able to get away for spontaneous trips. When they realized DIYing a teardrop trailer was within their budget, they went for it!

They completed their build in Jamaica, VT using our DIY Vaga plans. Here’s some insight on their build!

What made you want to build a tiny camper?

We were tired (literally) of sleeping in a damp tent on the ground. We had seen plenty of tiny campers and always thought they were out of reach due to the cost. Finding Wander Tears and figuring out it was possible to build it ourselves really opened up an opportunity we thought was a bit out of reach.

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

I consider carpentry to be one of my main hobbies. None of the plywood components were an issue other than where we had to digress from the plans to fit the trailer that we used. Electrical is simple enough and luckily the only metal work we had to do was cutting the aluminum and that is easy enough with decent tools.

What was the first step in your build?

Committing to doing it! We bought the plans then twiddled our thumbs a bit before deciding to either buy a trailer from ya’ll or modify one. We ended up finding one on Facebook Marketplace. Ted did a bunch of work modifying/ cleaning it up and then we had someone put a longer tongue on it.

What was your favorite part of the build?

The major steps where it really takes shape. Putting the cabinets in place and standing the walls up; skinning it with aluminum; and the first time closing the hatch after slider the hurricane hinge together.

What was the most difficult part of the build?

Modifying our trailer and sourcing material. We live in a rural area, so finding aluminum meant driving 2 hours. 1/8'' plywood was non existent so we had to adjust and use 1/4'' which was difficult to bend.

How long has it taken you so far?

11 months from buying the plans to pulling it out of the garage. We definitely could have done it faster if we had worked on it more consistently.

Would you do anything differently?

Buy the trailer from Wander Tears! Or follow the plans and build one to match. We had to modify the plans a bit, our trailer is an inch narrower because of the angle iron on it. We are also working around fenders that are not removable.

What are you most looking forward to?

We are looking forward to hooking up and heading out on a whim. We plan to keep it ready to go so that camping trips don’t take much planning.

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

Buy the plans (and the trailer!). Check out every other teardrop out there. Watch a lot of youtubes and don't be afraid to ask questions.

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

It was crucial to have the plans and resources. We printed the plans and put them in a binder which we looked at during every step. When we couldn’t figure things out, we turned to the Facebook group to ask questions or search previous posts for answers.