I had decided in late 2008 that I wanted a teardrop trailer. I believe it to be a good solution for my camping needs.
I began my search by looking at manufacturer’s websites and speaking to a few custom builders. Both of those solutions were out of my budget, so I started searching the used market.
I quickly discovered the Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers forum, and started my search in earnest. Each week I saw trailers I could afford, but that were in far distant locations. Too far for the savings to offset the price of gas to go get them.
I began searching the local craigslist every day. It became part of my morning ritual to search craigslist for “teardrop trailer” while drinking my morning coffee. My search was quickly rewarded with an affordable trailer of questionable condition. A drive to see it quickly confirmed that it would take someone with far better woodworking skills than I possess to make it usable.
A few more false alarms across the next few months led me to a new understanding of “condition” statements on CL. I discovered that “needs a little TLC” meant that no part of the trailer wasn’t either rusted, rotted, corroded, or decayed.
In early February, a trailer showed up on CL that looked, well pretty interesting. It was built in 1948 but according to the ad had no leaks or corrosion. I drove to the owner’s house and after a good looking over, and satisfactory answers to my questions, I bought it. It looked like this in the previous owner’s driveway.
In the previous owner’s driveway
However, I had no hitch on my car, so I asked the previous owner to store it for a few days while I “got hitched.”
More about getting hitched in the next article.