Is a Teardrop Camper Right for YOU?

Even though teardrop campers have been around for a long time, lots of people have no idea if teardrop camping would be right for them.  In this blog post I'll try to cover one of the most common questions that gets raised.

Can I fit in a teardrop camper?  

The floorspace available for a mattress in the Gateway Teardrops camper is 60" wide by 80" long.  That is the exact size of a standard Queen-sized mattress.  Once you are in and lying down, the bed may even seem a little larger than a standard queen because you can lean against the sidewalls and doors.  You can't do that in a regular bed or you would fall out so that's why it will seem larger.  

There are doors on both sides of the camper so two people don't have to crawl over each other to get in or out.  However, the biggest challenge for a person getting in or out will be their flexibility.  To get in you must back INTO the doorway and sit down onto the bed.  Then you scoot yourself back into the camper until you can draw your knees up to your chest and rotate your entire body so that you can then sit back against the front wall inside the cabin.  From there you will have to scoot down toward the foot of the bed in order to lie down.

If this sounds complicated then maybe you should try a little experiment:  

You can try this on your own bed by pretending your headboard is the front wall of the cabin.  Measure about 14" from the headboard and then another 26" from there.  That 26" space is the door of the teardrop.  Sit yourself down on the edge of the bed in the middle of the 26" space.  (Use a stool if it helps you get farther onto the bed.)  Then using only your hands on the top of the bed, scoot yourself all the way onto the bed, pull your knees up to your chest and then spin around on your butt and rest your back against the headboard.    

The second issue with a teardrop is dressing.  Again, you can try another experiment out in your own bed.  See if you can change clothes while sitting in the middle of your bed with only the headboard and the mattress to push against.  Here's a hint:  Pullovers are easier than buttons and zippers; slip-on shoes are easier than lace-up shoes.        

I'm about 5'11" and weigh 225 pounds.  I'm certainly not as flexible as I used to be but I've learned to get in and out pretty easily.  The best thing to do if you really want to know is to try one out.  Come see us at Gateway Teardrops in Conway, Arkansas, and we will let you crawl in and out as long as it takes to see if it works for you too.  

James Albritton

www.GatewayTeardrops.com

How to Sleep in a Gateway Teardrops Camper

     One of the fun things about camping is that there is always something new to learn.  You'll always find people with great ideas about how to do this or that - and usually they'll be very happy to share their knowledge and wisdom with you.  

     Here's what I've learned about camping in a teardrop so far:

     Less is more.  Specifically, the less you have inside the camper with you, the more room you'll have for YOU inside the camper.

    When it's time to turn in after a hard day on the trail, I open my duffle bag and pull out my PJ's (sometimes) and the clothes I plan to wear the next day.  These go into the cabin with me and get placed on the open shelf above the lower part of the bed.  I also change out of my hiking boots trading them for some convenient slip-on shoes.  The duffle bag and the hiking boots stay in the vehicle.  Depending on the weather, I may also leave my jacket in the vehicle.  It's a lot easier to take it off outside the cabin right before I go in than inside where things are a bit tighter.

     I try to make sure that I have everything inside the cabin that I will need during the night and when I first awake the next morning.  If I don't need it for those specific times then I leave it in the vehicle.  The vehicle is my staging area;  the camper is for sleeping.

     Once I climb into the cabin, I can easily pull off my slip-on shoes and place them on the shelf.  They'll be handy if I need them and I don't have to worry about some raccoon absconding with them in the middle of the night.  I peel off the clothes from the day and "slip into something more comfortable" and sit back with a good book or check the responses to my latest blogpost.  The next morning is easy:  my clean clothes are on the shelf alongside my shoes and my glasses are right there where I left them the night before.

     Here's another tip:  Pullovers.  Buttons and zippers are great but pulling a sweatshirt or t-shirt off in a teardrop is a lot easier and it doesn't really require that much planning.

     Clearly, I think the open shelf in the Gateway Teardrops interior design is awesome.  Cabinet doors look great and provide cabinetmakers with fine jobs but when it comes to getting the most out of your teardrop interior, we think the open shelf is a lot more useful.  Everything you have inside a teardrop with you is there temporarily.  Something you plan to wear two days from now or that you wore two days ago is just in the way.  It's all about NOW and shelves work great.... right NOW.

      Maybe some of these tips will help you on your next teardrop camping trip.  If you've got a favorite teardrop camping tip, send it to us.  We might include it in a future blogpost and make you famous in the process!

Happy Camping!

James

www.GatewayTeardrops.com