Our Build Pictures

Camp Inn Provide a great service with sending you a link to a web site where you can view updated weekly pictures of your build in progress. Believe me when you have waited this long its nice to see some action happening.

First stop the wood shop all panels are cut out with a water cutter using templates.

The Body assembly is started on its side to help keep everything Square

Then it is put on saw horses and the kitchen framework is started 












Framing inside the front where the couch will sit and framework in Kitchen is completed 

Exterior framing to the front of the trailer and when the wooden body is assembled it is put on a rotisserri and varnished

The trailer frame is brought in from a third party supplier and the body is mounted and electrical wiring is started in the kitchen area. The Camp Inn Trailer has a deep cycle battery with both AC and DC outlets.

Out of the wood shop and onto the factory floor for finishes to be applied.






Roof structure is added


Headliner is installed and front storage doors are installed. The front storage doors give internal access to the upper portion of the front storage area and are located behind the couch and interior cabinets are assembled and hung.

Front Storage box is skinned in aluminium and the roof is Insulated

Kitchen Cabinets are installed and the stove is mounted.

Front panelling is added and the exterior is skinned with Aluminium.

Roof is skinned and the rear is completed together with tail lights.

Stainless steel fenders are hung amd the trailer takes shape alongside its nest mates.

Internally a fantastic vent roof fan is installed and wiring is completed to external marker lights.

Stainless steel sink and faucet are installed and internal cabin lights are wired.

15" TV/DVD player is installed in front cabinets and the external doors are constructed.

Probably the most difficult job forming the rear hatch and the doors are hung when all protective coating is removed.

Rear hatch is hung and the kitchen is packed and ready to go.

A nice couple of completed views.

 

The inside showing the Couch Yes this turns into bunk beds.

And final the six foot plus bed

Some options we did not choose

Air conditioning

Furnace

Sun Roof

The Waiting is Over

Well after a long period the waiting is over we have a date set for delivery of the 24th May timed to coincide with  Victoria day in Canada. I have been busy planning our trip which would be about 6,400km return and would take in the 10 states on our drive. I am also a bit of a sports nut and always plan our trips to include some kind of sporting event and my original itinerary had seven (yes Seven) baseball stadiums in 17 days.

Obviously Annie had her say on this one and reluctantly agreed to let me pre-book two games at Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs with a possibility of an MLS game at Gillette Stadium in Maine.

Tickets are booked vacations are in the work calendar and a check list of items to take is getting larger every day. We had to UPS our final payment down to make sure funds were cleared and the CAN/$ exchange rate worked in our favor.

Google maps is an excellent planning tool and I was able to work out a schedule of driving distances with back up plans should we want to change our pace or direction at any time. We knew this was going to be a long haul and it was to become even longer when we had to cut our trip down to 12 days due to family reasons.

Next Stop Wisconsin.

Chronological Order

An Editorial Note


This blog is started almost a year after the first thoughts that are noted so I am playing catch up trying to start the blog as if I was writing it at the time which is why there are a number of dates close together at the beginning. Please be patient and I will catch up to date in as much detail as possible.

Ordering A Camp Inn

Our Journey down to New Hampshire left us with one decision. Which model the 550 or the 560, obviously there was a cost difference and I had already made up my mind that we were going to buy the Ultra model of whichever one we went for as I new I would be disappointed if I purchased anything other than the best available.

We did not really need the couch that the 560 offered as children were grown up and too big to use the bunk bed option that this provides. However the couch does give an excellent relaxation space for a rainy day and we love to watch British television series that we don't get in Canada so we have a library of programs to watch. The couch also makes an extension to the 6ft bed when laid flat so gives us room for our beautiful Chocolate Labrador - Lilly at the bottom of the bed.

So the 560 was chosen along with a list of options (see Camp-Inn web site for options available) we decided that we did not need A/C or the furnace option as we would only be camping in good weather. We also purchased a side tent which gives a dressing/porta potty room on the side as well as dry storage for shoes coats etc.

Emails to Cary at Camp-Inn produced a quotation by return which was agreed and followed up by a hard copy with contract in the post. Camp-Inn require a substantial deposit for these campers as they are hand built to order. Build time is six to seven weeks but current backlog of orders is well into 2011. Our order was made by the end of October 2010 but we did not want to take delivery until late spring of 2011 to enable us to drive down to Wisconsin and pick up the camper direct.

With the order complete it was wait time. I had joined a forum called the unofficial Camp-Inn forum which is run by Evan and has a multitude of owners, prospective owners, wannabees and lookers who regularly update and comment on everything Camp-Inn. Both Cary and Betsy from Camp-Inn comment on this forum so there is a direct link to the manufacturer and some great threads to follow. I would recommend anybody thinking of purchasing a Camp-Inn should spend some time on this forum.

Unofficial Camp Inn Forum

The Journey

The Journey begins to make the decision. I am almost certain that the Camp-Inn model is the one for us and know that I just have to get Annie inside one to convince her that its the right move.

Camp-Inn produce Three styles of trailer the traditional Teardrop model's 500 and 550 and the extended Raindrop model 560 which contains an additional Couch at the front of the trailer and has a close resemblance to a spaceship. Camp-Inn are based in Necedah Wisconsin so a trip to the factory was a long way and not on my immediate agenda.

Fortunately there are a number of Teardrop related web forums and through the Tearjerkers web site I found a post to a Teardrop camp out planed for September 2010 in New Hampshire at Mi-Te-Jo Campground. A couple of posts later and I was sold on the journey as I discovered there would be at least two Camp-Inn Teardrops there for the weekend.

I convinced Annie that we were going and a journey of 1,000 km each way with some shopping in the States thrown in brought us to Mi-Te-Jo on a Saturday morning to be met by Alan Hill my original contact who introduced us to not two but three Camp-Inn trailers Two 560's and One 550. After much show and tell and some trips around some other trailers original and home builds we said our goodbyes and left for our long journey home with much to discuss.

I think the Deal was done there and then because by the time we crossed the border we must have brought almost half of the items we needed to equip a Teardrop and we had not even ordered one yet.

Camp Inn Website

The Begining

I'm not sure how I came across Teardrop campers but I do know that the internet made me fall in love with the idea of owning a tiny camper.

The idea festered for some time went away and came back with a vengeance. Lots of web browsing was carried out and I went through the shall I build shall I buy scenario.

Annie my wife and love of my life used her powers of persuasion (ie she told me) that I was not building a home built version and that purchasing was the only option she would consider.

The journey began to pick a model and living in Nova Scotia which is considered stuck in the 70's and more remote than Antarctica made it a sure bet that we were going to have trouble seeing models up close. Lots of forum searching and model hunting later I fell in love with the Camp-Inn brand and could not stop going back to the site 

Even though the cost of these units is significantly more than a lot of other units on the market you have to remember that you are buying a Rolls Royce model and how often in your life do you get the opportunity to own the best there is.

So this is our journey from beginning to wherever it takes us and we hope you enjoy the journey with us.

                           Barry & Annie