I spied my first teardrop camper about 20 years ago. It seemed a curious thing. Smoothly designed with that clever aerodynamic shape. I gave them serious consideration. But then came the twins and the practicality of towing what was essentially a bed on wheels, surrounded by a cozy shell, led me to reject teardrops as impractical.
Since then, when I dream of a camp trailer, it’s usually a full-sized model, one with stand-up room and a small kitchen table four people can gather around, so long as they’re passionate friends.
Then I downsized in the vehicle department. My four-cylinder engined Ranger has ample power for a mid-sized truck — thank you turbo — but I’m not going to use it to pull a small house. The twins are grown now as well, so I no longer need a family-sized trailer anyway.
So, I decided to give teardrops a second look. What I learned is that there has been an explosion in teardrop trailer development since I first pondered those elegant, wood-constructed teardrops of the past.
Teardrop trailers have gone high-tech.
As a reward for having almost all of my classes ready for the fall semester a week in advance, I took a trip out to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountain for the Mountain West Overland Expo. Overlanding is what we used to call four-wheeling back when I was a kid. Well, it’s a little more elaborate than those hair-brained, off-road joy rides we used to take in the primitive trucks of the day, almost always two-wheel drive, by the way.
The four-wheeler industry went crazy as overlanding, a sophisticated form of off-road travel and camping, grew. The vehicles at the event center in Loveland, which sprouted like poppies after a late-winter rain in California, were impressive rigs, as were the teardrop trailers designed to be towed behind them to places where most vehicles can’t go.
These were not the cute little DIY teardrops of old. The Sherpa Gen 3 was the most high tech of the “teardrops” I explored. The sales rep admitted it’s big enough to be considered a mid-sized trailer, and it has lost that classic teardrop shape, looking more like something a fighter pilot from “Battlestar Galactica” would use to decommission Cylons. But in terms of how it’s used, I keep it in the teardrop category as it is still primarily a bed on wheels. It’s just that that bed is surrounded by about all the technology you’ll require if you want to boondock at road’s end in comfort.
The Sherpa Gen 3 also costs more than the truck I’d use to pull it, but if you’re deep into overlanding, this is your “teardrop.”
The main appeal of teardrops is they downsize and simplify your camping vehicle. You’ve got a bed, an outdoor kitchen, and some have awnings to keep you out of the weather. The Sherpa 3 upturns the teardrop’s minimalist paradigm.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Timberleaf Kestrel, the only teardrop I priced that was under five figures, though you could easily option it past that level.
While made from wood, Timberleafs are laminated with sheets of aluminum on the business side for durability. Inside, the charming wood interior gives this teardrop a warmth the composite materials lack.
There’s a reason I built my drift boat rather than opting for the more practical sprayed-glass option. It wouldn’t be treason to opt for modern materials, but going with wood is a stylish option.
Along with the Timberleaf, I’d consider buying another teardrop I inspected: the Bean. This trailer is a favorite of the YouTube channel “Playing with Sticks,” which specializes in teardrops and other smaller trailers. Beans are made with a one-piece fiberglass shell, which minimizes the possibility of water intrusion.
Beans split the difference on price, but you won’t go wrong with any of these crucial three.